Heinnie Haynes® Slipstream 18

The specification and fit and finish on this knife is superb. The knife comes very sharp. Mine scored 125g on a Bess test. This is good and the edge is useable. The blade design lends itself to being easy to sharpen. It has a sensible choil which is not too big but sufficient to prevent scratching on the ricasso from the edge of the sharpening stone. There is a long flat main edge with no recurve and the belly is not too steep. The S35VN blade is best sharpened with diamond stones. The Rc is not given but S35VN is usually hardened to Rc61 and this feels right from my sharpening of the knife. Using a Tormek T4 with a fine diamond wheel it took a few passes to profile the edge to 17 degrees per side. Once done the knife scored 75g on the Bess test and this is described as a straight razor level of sharpness. The heat treatment on the knife is excellent to be able to take and keep this edge which it has done for quite a bit of use. Factor in the titanium handle and very nice storage box and the whole package is amazing value! The knife however needs some experience in opening and closing the blade. As per the description there is a 90 degree first stop and this is reasonably stiff and you need to use the nail groove to achieve it. From 90 degrees to 180 degrees (fully open) the knife actually takes quite a bit of effort and strength. You need to retain your thumb nail in the Nick for safe purchase. Which for many of us used to slip joints will be ok but many people often hold the blade at the spine for this step. As this is not a deep blade the available space before catching the edge is limited so could end up badly if this technique were not carefully carried out. As said, the stiffness warrants using the nail Nick for both steps. You also cannot overcome the strength of the spring by loosening the pivot screw. The screw can make things worse if over tightened but if kept so it is just nipped and then tested looser than this there is no difference. Using some thread lock and just nipping the screw is best (as recommended by another earlier review). So to conclude, the knife is great but you need to know what you are doing when opening and closing it.

HH service was outstanding as always. Comfortably the best customer service I've experienced outside of dealing with custom or small makers. The slipstream is a fantastic knife for the price, truly. The fit and finish on this rivals knives that far exceeds its price tag. I wish there was a wider range of these, I'd certainly pick those up to. Really happy with this purchase. Also, for anybody that likes a good slicer this was razor sharp with a really clean and slicey edge.

I've been looking at the slipstream for a while now as a few friends have it, thay said I wouldn't be disappointed and I an definitely not, I love it and it has quickly become a favorite in my collection

This is one great pocket knife for EDC purpose - with a strong back spring which gives a sense of security and excellent blade length to handle length ratio advantage. Everything is great , and that is why I bought a second one . Some sort of finger choil would have been a great addition.

Beautiful knife, very well made with a good strong spring and half stop, razor sharp otb. It would have been nice to include a lanyard as it has a very prominent lanyard hole, minor point .

I've looked at this knife on and off for quite a while but I ended up buying it. Wow far better than I was expecting, it looks great, stiff back spring (which I like), superb blade shape and steel. It's a mega slicing machine is this. As normal first class service from Heinnie Hayes.

excellent item looks & feels great, good weight.very nice clip shape & very sharp strong spring can open with a pinch grip, closing no problem. Visually very similar to je made model but over falf the price. I will be using this knife as part of my edc collection, instead of putting it in my display collection. Just a great item old school style but ultra modern materials excellent,thank you hh.

First I got it very quickly as usual from HH , I had a bit of money from my 50th birthday and wanted to buy something a bit special but not stupidly expensive but made of good quality materials , the slipstream fitted the bill, I collect and carry traditional slipjoints but wanted something with a modern list of materials , so S35VN is a top choice of blade steel and seen on much more expensive knives , the Titanium scales give a nice feel and lower weight but very strong , steel backspring, the fit & finnish on this nice is 100% , awesome snap to the blade, this was defantly a great choice for a uk legal carry .

Great knife for UK legal carry & EDC. Nice titans finish. Good bkade. Titanium scales. Very impressed for the price.