ESEE Avispa 18

Decent knife but Esee have changed from the rust prone D2 to AUS8 stainless. Would probably have ordered the Ontario Rat if I had realised in advance as much prefer the stronger D2. Not HH's fault - their listing is accurate. Although good excuse to add another to the collection. :) The Avispa is decently heavy and the lock is strong both when open and closed. Blade is sharp out of the box but will likely need frequent sharpening with it being AUS8/8Cr13MoV. Biggest complaint is the location of the pocket clip. It's claimed to be 4-way but due to the frame lock it's 3-way really and the 4th direction is the one you need to right pocket carry with a lanyard. If style is what you're after I'd again be inclined to go for the Ontario Rat instead as the liner lock avoids this issue. For £40 something it's a decent bit of kit.

I found it to be a big, solid, chunky knife which may be perfect for some, for me though it was too big and heavy to be comfortably carried in a pocket on a hike or for tasks around the home or garden. Because of that I lost any benefits of a folding knife and ended up reaching for a stronger, fixed blade knife which was no less easy or practical to carry.

Lock is very strong. Interestingly it actually locks up tighter under pressure. One handed to open. Sometimes requires two hands to close. Not an issue . Blade profile is pure slicer and is very easy to sharpen. Two or three quick passes with a diamond sharpener & your back in buisness. Does not come with a 90° spine but it is easy to reprofile. Very slim in the pocket. Clip is firm without tearing up your clothing. If your going expeditionary include one in your on body kit.

I have owned several knives over the past 3 years cheap knives expensive knives and i must say for a knife that costs less than £40 this knife performs as good as a knife double the price. The frame lock is very positive and the action to open the knife is very fast. Absolutely razor sharp straight out of the box. Very low profiled knife that is very nice in the hand despite the thickness of the handle. If you have £40 to spend on a folding knife this is the one to get. The perfect EDC for anyone needing to do a multitude of different tasks.

I've used this knife as an edc working as a plumber. Good full size knife that has covered every task with ease and a nice slim fit in the pocket. The only down side is the lock its a bit hard on the thumb . The steel is ok but looses edge quite quickly but is easy to resharpen and takes a nice edge