EafengrowEF966 Folding Knife D2 Blade Micarta Handle with Pocket Clip EDC Tactical Knife thumb knobs Axis Lock EDC Multitool Knife (BLACK)

I have been look at the BearFly/D2 for a while and yesterday I pulled the trigger. It arrived this morning and I was pleasantly impressed. The knife has a great feel. I like the look and grip of the micarta scales. The grip fits my barely xl glove size hands as well as any of the 15 or so knives that I have. Great contour and form. Well designed. Nice jimping in the blade. The action of the axis lock and bronze washers is pretty good out of the box. I lubed it some and now it’s great. Not quite up to the spyderco Manix 2 standard but better than my bugout. The manix had a heavier blade which makes the difference.The knife is not real sharp. Measures about .020 inch behind the cutting profile. About like the bugout. I will have to even up, Re profile and sharpen the blade. It’s not paper shaving sharp like other EF knifes that I have bought.The stonewashed finish and grind of the blade is about perfect.I’m happy! And for the price, it’s a steal. The only thing other than out of the box sharpness you could knock is the clip which is not deep carry. This is already one of my favorites.I have several Chinese D2 knives. They take a keen edge with diamond stones. Need to be touched up after some cardboard box shredding. Don’t hold an edge like S110v. But for the price, this is an exceptional knife!

This knife is decent for the price, but has a couple of flaws that keep it from being a steal. After reading other reviews, I was worried that there would be some blade play that I would not be able to fix. After unboxing and opening the knife, I found that those reviews were correct and that there was a fairly noticeable amount of both vertical and horizontal blade play. I tried to at least fix the horizontal blade play by tightening the pivot screw, but there was still blade play even after I tightened the screw enough to make the blade extremely hard to open with one hand. Considering that I've seen a few other reviews that mention blade play, I feel like that this isn't a fluke and might just be consistent with every one of these knives. Additionally, sometimes after closing the knife the blade would not go inside the handle completely, which would very slightly expose the tip of the blade. It's not enough to be dangerous, but I notice it scratch me a bit when I run my finger down the handle. They also mention that the blade is made out of D2 steel, but I've heard that Eafengrow knives actually use a completely different and cheaper steel than what is advertised.Aside from that, I think it's a nice knife that has a lot of high-end features at a reasonable price. The micarta handle scales feel nice in the hand and really gives it a high-end look and feel along with the axis-lock, stonewashed blade, and overall good fit and finish. All the lines on the blade are clean and the edge is evenly sharpened on both sides. I think many people who own knives with axis-locks find it really important that the blade drops by itself when they disengage the lock, but this knife does not do that. Instead, I find that I have to whip the blade shut fairly hard to close the knife one-handed. Fortunately for me, I don't mind that too much, but it's something that I thought was worth mentioning for those who care. You could fix this by loosening the pivot screw, but at that point I think the blade play would become unbearable.Overall I think it's a good knife for the price that could of been perfect if it wasn't for the noticeable amount of blade play in every direction. If you want a pocket knife with micarta handle scales for under $30, this one might be your best bet. Otherwise, I'd suggest a knife from Ganzo or CJRB if you want a similarly priced Chinese knife that doesn't have any blade play and is actually truthful about the type of steel they use.

I was lucky enough to get one with no blade play and a super smooth action that drops shut effortlessly and opens even easier. Bearings were rumbly at first but became completely quiet within a day or two. Axis lock can be used on just one side and will still fully disengage. Came shave sharp out of the box with a perfectly centered blade. This knife is well worth the money and could sell for more and I'd still buy it. Only complaint was the hideous oem pocket clip. Civivi deep carry clips share the same hole spacing and are only $5. If you're good with a dremel and have a steady hand you can even widen the factory clips recessed pocket like I did and get a perfect recessed fit with the Civivi deep carry clip. After this modification it has become one of my main carry knives out of a fairly large collection.

Really good lock up, good steel, and fine blade. Value is decent. The scales were lackluster. It's not a pretty thing. But the absolutely annoying thing is the clip which makes this knife hang out and bang into everything, rubbing the counter and so on. The clip put holes in shirts as well. Hated it and returned.

So just a little background. I like knives and I have quite a few of them, some are more expensive than others but most are what would be considered "budget". I got one of these after watching a review online and it didn't disappoint! I carry it 4 out of 5 days a week and I just bought a 2nd yesterday. The axis lock is super tight when locked but is buttery smooth to open/close. No blade play. I have several button and axis lock knives and I always come back to this one. If you like knives like Kizer, Civivi, Sencut, Voosteed, Orion and Stiven then you'll like this EF. Only deduction I would give this knife is on the micarta, it's more g10 than micarta but that is far from a deal breaker for me. Good pocket clip and great action plus the fidget factor is way up there. Hence why I bought 2.

You can nit-pick the pocket clip and/or the handle skins, but this knife opens and shuts right out of the box like a champ, much fun to fidget with. D-2 blade is sharp too. I like the Free Tiger axis lock fidget knife too. IMO, these two are the best bargain priced mid-size blade knives, want a larger blade? get the Sitivien, smaller? the SOG. BTW using the thumb stud to open the blade is easier with the Free Tiger, but the flip of the blade is better with the EF. Weight is 3.0 oz.!