REVIEW – I’ve started carrying a pocketknife in my EDC, and I *may* have developed a new obsession. My latest acquisition is this nifty cutter: the K.100 Engraved Blade Pocket Knife from Tactica. This simple & sturdy knife gives off a bit of a tactical vibe, but it’s also got some great details in the design that boost the usability. Let’s explore. To the review!
What is it?
The Tactica K.100 is a pocket knife.
Hardware specs
- Overall length: 7.4”
- Blade length: 2.9”
- 4.2 ounces
- D2 tool steel blade with laser-etched design
- Scaled G10 handle
- Ambidextrous thumb stud for opening
- Liner lock
- Lanyard hole
Design and features
The Tactica K.100 Engraved Blade Pocket Knife is all about simple, effective design. Your color scheme is black, with a pop of color in the orange opening stud. There’s also a hint of something interesting in the blade patterning from the closed position, but the overall aesthetic is clean, muscular, and very functional.
Flip open the blade via the aforementioned thumb stud, and you’ll see that the blade is dressed up with laser-engraved pattern. My tester came with the “camo” pattern, but several different etching patterns are offered. Opinions on the patterning will vary, but I do like how it breaks up the uniform black-on-black throughout the build.
Here’s a close-up of that blade for reference. I do like the versatility of the reverse-tanto style blade shape for versatility.
The area where your thumb comes in contact with the spine has a bit of a textured ridge that enhances your grip. It’s a little detail that’s very nice in practice. It also points to the attention to detail found in the design.
The ball-bearing pivot is designed for super-smooth opening and closing. When combined with the ambidextrous thumb stud you’ll find that this knife lends itself very well to one-handed opening.
Walking around the body we see some fine construction details. Gentle bevels and contours smooth out the sharper geometry on the body, making the blade while making it very comfortable to grip and handle.
You get a vibe pretty quickly that this design is built for heavy work. Check out the thickness of the G10 handles.
The thick liner lock mechanism is great for confidence & security if you’re doing heavy-duty tasks. This sucker isn’t collapsing if you don’t want it to.
You also get a loop built into the frame if you’re looking to hang this knife off a lanyard. Another thoughtful detail.
Performance
There is something really appealing about the simple, powerful design of the Tactica K.100 Engraved Blade Pocket Knife. Here’s a look for a comparison to three of my other favorite knives. From the top, we have a CRKT Pilar I, an Opinel X #8, and a CRKT Pilar III in addition to the Tactica K.100.
Here they are in the open position.
What’s interesting to me in these comparisons is the utilitarian design of the Tactica, in a good way. The stout handle feels almost overbuilt compared to the other three blades. Combine that with the simple, heavy blade style and you have a design that is well aligned with its purpose as a field tool.
The grip is excellent and will fit a variety of hand sizes. It feels substantial and hefty in the hand.
The pivot action is lovely once you break it in a bit. I found it needed 150-200 open/close reps over a couple of days to loosen up, and now it’s buttery smooth. If you like to fidget with your knife, you’ll love this one after the break in period.
I haven’t had much opportunity to take it out in the wild yet for camping and the like, but it’s getting plenty of work around the house. It loves to eat boxes. I particularly appreciate the hefty grip for those sorts of tasks.
I’ve also got it working in the garden for pruning plants or harvesting vegetables. This is where the ability for more delicate work comes in handy.
One unexpected bonus from the design that I’ll appreciate more in outdoor situations is the ease of cleaning. The build doesn’t have as many odd crevices and spaces where dirt can get lodged. The textured G10 handles are also great for grip with wet or sweaty hands.
If there is one design flaw that I found, it came up in sharpening. The knife I received was not particularly sharp out of the box and needed some work on the stone to touch it up.
What I did notice in the sharpening process, however, is that a bit of the knife edge near the heel is really tricky to get to with a sharpener. You can see it below. It’s the last 1/4″ before you get to the handle. That’s a tricky spot to get to unless you have the right sharpening tool or you take the knife apart. It’s absolutely manageable, but it’s a thing you should be aware of.
It’s also worth commenting on the overall size. The Tactica K.100 Engraved Blade Pocket Knife measures in at 4.25″ long, 1″ deep, and 0.5″ thick in the closed position with an overall weight of 4.2 ounces. It’s a chunky knife that may not fit everyone’s needs for a streamlined EDC depending on your intended use.
Finally, we do need to address the etched blade thing. It’s a style thing that some will love, and some will hate. The digital camo may be too “tacticool” for some, but I believe they offer other patterns in addition to a flat black blade. Personally, I’ll be curious to see how that lasts over long-term use, and whether or not it attracts scratches.
What I like
- Beefy build made for heavy duty use
- Simple, effective working design
- Lots of thoughtful details in the overall build
What I’d change
- Laser-etched styling in the blade may not appeal to everyone
- Bottom of the blade near the heel may be tricky to sharpen depending on the tools you have available
Final thoughts
I really like the K.100 Engraved Blade Pocket Knife as a simple, well-designed, purpose-built knife. The ergonomics are excellent & the action is super-smooth for one-handed opening. It’s a great option for outdoor activities (hunting, camping, hiking) where you can take full advantage of the heavy duty build. I find it to be a bit too bulky for my EDC, but that’s really a matter of personal preference.
Price: $99.00
Where to buy: Visit the product page at Bespoke Post!
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Bespoke Post.
