What do you guys think of brous blades?

I like some of his designs quite a lot. My problem is that I live outside the US and returning a faulty knife is a huge pain in the behind (and usually more expensive than the knife itself). I've ordered some Brous knives for mates and customers, quality has been hit and miss. A couple of great ones, a couple of really crappy ones.

One of his karambits (a 400 dollar knife) had to be taken to a local maker to fix. I'm not willing to take a gamble on these knives since I can't handle them beforehand.
 
I bought a used Reloader about 2 years ago. I hated the aggressive jimping on the handle. It killed my finger on every flip. Jason had me send it in, and he smoothed out all the angles so it was much better on the finger tip. earlier this year I noticed the lock up, which was already VERY late, was now at 99.99%. Again, I called up, and Keena (Jason's wife) had me send it in. Jason fitted it with a completely new liner with about a 20% lockup. It hasn't moved since. My only problem is he didn't smooth out the jimping on the new liner. I will send it in eventually for that, but I forgot to ask him to do it. So It's my fault.

Overall my experience with the Brous' has been very good. They were very friendly and accommodating. Turn around was quite fast too.
Would I recommend Brous' knives? Only if it fits your style (I only got the one)
Based on my experiences, I would definitely recommend them for their customer service. I've heard of some pretty bad stuff in the past, but it seems he's got it together now.

I say wait until you get the knife in hand before you pass any judgement.
 
Didn't think much of them back when he was "Kut Throat Knives" in 2010-ish... Still don't.

Especially in his price range, I find other offerings much more interesting.
 
spyderg said:
I’ll speak just about the knives, I own a SSF, Bionic 2.0 and a Bionic XL. They are all amazing knives. Excellent F&F, perfect flipping action and outstanding heat treat on the D2! My only issue with any of them is the clips are easy to bend and on my XL, switched to the left side, the clip moved around too much. I’m in the process of replacing it with something using multiple screws but my last drill bit small enough snapped.
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Good to hear I really really hope when I get it that it’s a good knife.
 
austonh said:
Brous is currently doing a 70% off sale for Cyber Monday. The ability to mark 70% off without taking a loss is quite telling for his cost of goods sold... and point of origin, to achieve that COGS.

Fit and finish has been hit or miss with the ones I've handled. $400+ is overpriced, current prices at 70% off is about right for what you get.
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I don’t believe he’s not taking a loss. Allot of midtec knife makers make about $50 a knife profit. That’s not allot at all. He has to be loosing a allot of money right now.
 
I think that his knives can be very nice when in good order but too hit or miss.

That said the Silent Soldier neck knife is an amazing design, I have owned 4 of them. It is like the Perrin La Griffe but even better.

The silent soldier works better in punch dagger grip and is thicker and more suited to utility. The La Griffe is more last ditch SD, the Silent Soldier more versatile. Of the knives of this style the Silent Soldier is hands down the best inmho and the best knife Brous has ever made.

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These make great edcs too replacing folders no problem. They are so compact to carry. I just put it on a static cord and tuck it in my waistband. The finger groove between the two rings sort of sits over my belt and keeps it surprisingly secure.
 
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Lapedog said:
I think that his knives can be very nice when in good order but too hit or miss.

That said the Silent Soldier neck knife is an amazing design, I have owned 4 of them. It is like the Perrin La Griffe but even better.

The silent soldier works better in punch dagger grip and is thicker and more suited to utility. The La Griffe is more last ditch SD, the Silent Soldier more versatile. Of the knives of this style the Silent Soldier is hands down the best inmho and the best knife Brous has ever made.

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These make great edcs too replacing folders no problem. They are so compact to carry. I just put it on a static cord and tuck it in my waistband. The finger groove between the two rings sort of sits over my belt and keeps it surprisingly secure.
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I can back this up. I have a SOG Snarl (poor man's version of that wharnie there) and it is great. It's barely noticeable on the waistband, very comfortable in the hand. I use it at work to open plastic bags or cut box tape, just whip it out, cut with great control, and resheath. It actually has a really great sheath too.
 
lieferung said:
I can back this up. I have a SOG Snarl (poor man's version of that wharnie there) and it is great. It's barely noticeable on the waistband, very comfortable in the hand. I use it at work to open plastic bags or cut box tape, just whip it out, cut with great control, and resheath. It actually has a really great sheath too.
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Yes, the SoG Snarl is a great production version of the Silent Soldier if you don't want to break the bank. The knife is very comfortable in a multitude of grips. Just as important it is comfortable to wear almost anywhere on your body. The ring type grip makes it feel super secure in hand and like an extention of your body.

If I were to try a Brous folder it would probably be a Silent Soldier folder.
 
Lapedog said:
The ring type grip makes it feel super secure in hand and like an extention of your body.

If I were to try a Brous folder it would probably be a Silent Soldier folder.
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Perrin holes make everything better :D I'm a sucker for them. Plus, those two hawkbills you have are sick, you basically become a human velociraptor with them!
 
lieferung said:
Perrin holes make everything better :D I'm a sucker for them. Plus, those two hawkbills you have are sick, you basically become a human velociraptor with them!
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That is actually not my picture. Though I do like to hunt small dinosaurs occasionally with two karambits on my boots.

These are some of my little babies.
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Of the little hide away knives the Silent Soldiers are very hard to beat. Atleast for me.
 
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Sour27 said:
I don’t believe he’s not taking a loss. Allot of midtec knife makers make about $50 a knife profit. That’s not allot at all. He has to be loosing a allot of money right now.
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That is incorrect. Most makers gross around $150 a knife or more. Net profit is less shipping, another quality control check, and any additional time they invest to modify the knives. At $50 per knife net profit, they would be better off doing a collaboration with a production company; taking the industry standard 5% commission rate.
 
I've got a bunch and just added the Parallax at the 70% off sale. I would have got a Dynamic, too, but I hesitated and they sold out. His designs either appeal to you or they don't. If you're into fantasy or sci-fi and want to use something that's different-looking and has an aggressive style, he's your guy. If he stole/borrowed a design early on, I don't care. Look at his designs now and tell me what else looks like a Tyrant or Vendetta? I feel the quality is comparable to ZT and Benchmade, so if I can get one in that price range ($100- $150) I'll do it.
 
Velitrius said:
Didn't think much of them back when he was "Kut Throat Knives" in 2010-ish... Still don't.

Especially in his price range, I find other offerings much more interesting.
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Yup. That he felt that these

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were viable "knife" designs at any point is a permanent deal breaker.

Though remember, according to his web site...

"....his design drew harsh criticism from some all-knowing keyboard commandos."

...so take any criticism of his work for what it's worth.
 
I agree those designs are horrendous, BUT the guy is still just a kid in his early or mid 20's. I'm a graphic artist and have done art all my life. You think the drawings I did in high school are still in my portfolio to show to clients? I know nothing about the guy, but from an artistic point of view you can't look at a few bad designs he did when he first started and say, "Nope." like the guy is never going to improve or develop some tasteful restraint and design savvy. It's a maturation process and I like that he thinks outside the box. I'm curious what his designs will look like in 15 years; probably something completely different from what he's doing now.
 
rschuch said:
I agree those designs are horrendous, BUT the guy is still just a kid in his early or mid 20's. I'm a graphic artist and have done art all my life. You think the drawings I did in high school are still in my portfolio to show to clients?
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Yes, but then did you call yourself a "professional artist," give your "studio" and work a name, and try to sell them? Then call anyone who critiqued that work a "keyboard commando"?

More power to the guy, but I have yet to be convinced that the emperor has any clothes...and this thread doesn't help.
 
I bought a Reloader a few years back, and I read the mixed reviews, so I was very critical when it arrived.
I examined every millimeter of that knife and it is perfect. Perfect lockup, fit and finish etc.
Never had to use warranty service, so I can't comment, but I like the knife and still have it.
 
rschuch said:
I agree those designs are horrendous, BUT the guy is still just a kid in his early or mid 20's. I'm a graphic artist and have done art all my life. You think the drawings I did in high school are still in my portfolio to show to clients? I know nothing about the guy, but from an artistic point of view you can't look at a few bad designs he did when he first started and say, "Nope." like the guy is never going to improve or develop some tasteful restraint and design savvy. It's a maturation process and I like that he thinks outside the box. I'm curious what his designs will look like in 15 years; probably something completely different from what he's doing now.
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If he made his first knife in his "early 20s" which was 2010 per his site, he'd be late 20s by now.

I agree with you that artists evolve, clearly his Silent Soldier series was popular and functional. Not so sure about the rest. I think that blip he keeps on his website about keyboard commandos just shows his ego/pride. It's like you said, your early work is always lacking, learn to accept its flaws and move on.
 
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