Quick Review: Gordon Challenger Drop Point Edc Knife

Discussion in 'Lawn & Garden' started by rbstern, Dec 3, 2017.

  1. rbstern

    rbstern Administrator Staff Member

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    I've been wanting to check out this knife for a while. It gets consistently good reviews at the Harbor Freight site. When one of the recent flyers showed up with a sub-$6 coupon, it was too hard to pass it up.

    Initial impression out of the package was "meh." The finish on the blade is in a no man's land between polished and satin. The blade was stiff to deploy. The G10 scales have a rough texture (very "grabby"), making the knife a chore to clip into a blue jeans pocket. Those are the initial weaknesses. But the strengths are there, too. The 8CR13MOV blade has a rugged profile that looks like it can take some abuse. It was also extremely sharp out of the package. Lockup was positive. The other thing they got right with this knife is carry versatility. The clip can be reversed both vertically and to the opposite side.

    I'm not crazy about serrations on an EDC knife, but they do have a lot of utility value for cutting rope and fibrous material, and the handful of tasks I tried with this knife proved that.

    I put a drop of 3-in-1 oil on the pivot joint, and that made the blade easier to deploy. It may still need a bit of adjustment in terms of tension, but it's acceptable after the oil.

    I used the blade to slice paper, cut up some cardboard boxes, and strip some electrical wire. The blade's sharpness proved itself in each task. The ergonomics are good. The knife was comfortable to use and never felt clumsy or insecure. It is very solid feeling.

    I'll probably disassemble it to smooth up the pivot joint further, and perhaps take some fine sandpaper to reduce the very rough friction of the scales. Those are small knits.

    Overall, this is a very good knife for such a low price point. For a tackle box, tool kit, glove box, or even the EDC that the product name suggests, it's got a lot of good qualities, and no flaws that can't be remedied.

    hf edc.jpg
     
    Ben likes this.
  2. Ben

    Ben Administrator Staff Member

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    Nice!

    Yeah I’ve been through many EDC knives, and have settled on a Benchmade mini griptilian, but for $6 it doesn’t hurt to have a few around, that’s for sure!
     
  3. rbstern

    rbstern Administrator Staff Member

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    It's been a few weeks, and I've carried this knife a lot since writing the review. Thought I would post some follow up comments.

    - The rough texture of the scales has smoothed out to a very good balance of grip and ease of use.
    - The pocket clip has worked loose a few times, and will probably need some thread locker on the screws.
    - Deployment continues to get smoother.
    - Lock up is consistently strong.
    - I've used the blade a fair amount, and it's lost a bit of sharpness. In fairness, I've treated it pretty roughly. In addition to cutting a lot of cardboard, I opened a couple of beers with the knife blade. Haven't resharpened yet. I'll follow up with resharpening comments when I get around to that.

    Overall, this knife is an incredible value and has reinforced my impression that it delivers a lot of value for the meager price. I'm completely comfortable with this knife as an EDC. I'd love it if they made it with orange scales or some other higher visibility color, for more confident use in the field and woods.
     

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