Overview of a RAD Knives Field Cleaver Clone.

I just wanna start this off by saying, normally, I DO NOT support buying clones of knives since some people use them to scam and trick people, and they take away money from makers/manufactures. I do however support buying a clone of this knife and will go into why shortly. 

I've always been really into overbuilt knives that are built like a tank. The Field Cleaver designed by RAD knives has always attracted me because it falls into this category. However, the price, availability and just the attitude and way the maker acts has stopped me from being able to get my hands on one. I won't go too much into the maker himself, but I'll just say the way he behaves does not reflect a positive light on himself or his work and is a big turn off. I will however say, the price for a real Field Cleaver on the secondary market can run up to $10-12000, and straight from the maker is over $2000-2500 for just a basic model. Another issue as stated previously is the availability of actually getting a real Field Cleaver, because the maker doesn't seem to make more than a handful or two each year and often has auctions only so it's constantly a bidding war. All of these things made me chose to order a clone instead and hope that it was a good quality knife, and I'm happy to say, it very much is a great knife. 

I ordered this knife from DHGate and was a bit worried about ordering something, especially a clone of a knife, from China. The seller Samier on there was who I chose to order from due to the fact that several of my friends purchased one ahead of me from them, and they were all satisfied with the quality and the description of the materials used to make the knife were genuine. I paid right around $185 shipped for the knife and had a 5 week wait time for it to arrive to my doorstep. Out of the package I was very, very impressed with the fit and finish of the knife. There are no sharp edges on the handle of the knife, everything is smooth and feels extremely comfortable in the hand. The handles are very thick slabs of titanium, as well as the pocket clip and backspacer. The blade doesn't have any imperfections or grind issues, it came extremely sharp and seems to be genuine D2 steel as advertised from what I can tell. It flips extremely well on ball bearings for being such a hefty large blade coming in at 0.25" thick with a 4" long blade. 

One thing about this knife being so hefty and large that might be an issue for people interested in it is the weight. This monster of a knife comes in weighing 1.2 pounds which is probably the heaviest folder I've ever personally handled. This is for sure not the best knife for EDC for a lot of people I would assume, although it's still an option and I have no issue carrying this with the rest of my gear. As long as you use a good quality belt I don't personally think it would be an issue. The pocket clip is also fairly large and noticeable which is a bit of a downside, though it is a good quality clip at the very least and hugs tight without being hard to pull outta the pocket. 

The lock up on the frame lock is very good coming in at around 40-50 percent and feels super solid. The blade is solid as well and doesn't have any play or movement at all. The jimping on the flipper tab helps quite a bit for flipping in my opinion and doesn't feel too rough on your finger. It's the same with the jimping on the back of the blade, it's not too rough at all and feels quite comfortable to rest your finger on while you hold the knife. It's definitely a very ergonomic knife in my opinion, despite the design being a bit ridiculous for practicality. The curves in the handle only add to how great it feels in the hand to hold and I would say for it's size it's the best it could be ergonomic wise. 

One thing I would change about this design is swapping out the stainless hardware for some titanium hardware. It doesn't effect the knifes performance or anything, and is just something that would appease my taste. Besides that, the only other thing I don't really like about the knife is the powder coated sand/bead blast finish on the scales, clip and backspacer. I feel that it is just a bit too dull looking for me and even if I anodize it I'll probably want to have it polished first so it looks nice. The sand/bead blast finish just takes every little scratch it gets and shows them off to the world, and it gets a bit annoying. Besides those two small things, I really can't find much to say about this knife that I dislike. 

Overall, if you can get your hands on one of these clones I would highly recommend it. They've been available on and off for purchase from a lot of sites, though it's looking like they're getting harder to find. It's definitely a knife for people into larger tank like knives, and probably isn't the most optimal choice for an EDC knife if you work in an office or similar setting. It is very carryable though, even for it's heft. And, it seems like it can take some heavy abuse with no issue at all. Anything similar in size with similar materials will cost you quite a bit more most likely, and it would be very hard to beat. As I said before, this will be the only time I recommend getting a clone, but I do HIGHLY recommend it! 

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