REVIEW – Back in December of last year, I reviewed the Shieldon Gambit knife. I liked it a lot for a budget cleaver-style blade. The build materials were good as was the choice of steel in a budget knife. Well, I’m back with another Shieldon offering, the Hoplon. How does it compare to the previous knife I reviewed? Let’s check it out.
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $76.99
Where to buy: Shieldon
What is it?
The Hoplon is a liner lock pocket knife from Shieldon, a wholesale knife supplier. It has a traditional tanto-style blade but named after a Greek shield. It uses 154CM steel for the blade and Micarta and G10 for the handle materials.
What’s included?
- Hoplon
- Nylon belt sheath
Tech Specs
| Basic | |
| Item Name | Hoplon |
| Designer | Rolf Helbig |
| Measurements | |
| Blade Thickness | 0.12 inches / 3 mm |
| Blade Length | 2.59 inches / 65.7 mm |
| Closed Length | 3.74 inches / 95 mm |
| Handle Thickness | 0.512 inches / 13 mm |
| Total Length | 6.32 inches / 161 mm |
| Weight | 2.86 oz / 81 g |
| Appearance | |
| Blade Material | 154CM Steel |
| Handle Material | G10 & Micarta |
| Blade HRC | 58-60HRC |
| Blade Style | Japanese Tanto Point |
| Blade Finish | Satin |
| Structure | |
| Lock Mechanism | Nested Liner Lock |
| Opening Way | Front Flipper |
| Carry Orientation | Ambidextrous |
| Assembly | |
| Ball Bearing | Ceramic |
| Pocket Clip | Wire Steel Tip-up Pocket Clip |
Design and features
The first thing I noticed about the Shieldon Hoplon is its beefy tanto blade.
I love the traditional tanto style. It’s not the most useful blade shape for my everyday uses. But, dang, it’s a looker! For a budget knife, it has a great satin finish and edge grind, and the bevels are crisp! The blade is also made from 154CM with a reported hardness of 58-60 HRC. So that means, it should be able to resist corrosion and damage pretty well while still being easy to sharpen.
The Hoplon is also fidget friendly. It has two means of deployment. It’s both a front and rear flipper.
The detent is good, so the blade flies open pretty well. When I first saw the front flipper, I was a little skeptical. Most of the front flippers I’ve used had a more aggressive shape. But not to worry, the front flipper works just fine with the jimping on the spine.
Speaking of jimping, one of the little touches I really like about the Hoplon is the micro jimping in the thumb notch/rest on the spine. It’s grippy and comfortable, providing better blade control.
The Hoplon is a liner lock and you can see below just how good of a lock-up you get.
I would say that’s pretty doggone close to 50% purchase. Shieldon has also provided a little notch on the lock release side so your thumb can get in there better.
The materials for the handle scales are Micarta. What’s not to like there? But, they also used a small piece of G10 as a spacer. I’m not sold on the color choice of the G10, but along with the steel liners, it serves to stiffen the life so there’s very little to no flex. The Micarta is also a little rough in the finish, so it looks fuzzy. I’m not sure if that’s a design choice or a manufacturing byproduct but I’d have preferred a smoother finish.
The Hoplon is also equipped with a wire pocket clip that’s reversible. I have to admit when I first saw this type of pocket many, many, (many), moons ago. I thought they were cool looking. I’ve since changed my mind about them and wished there was a different option for the Hoplon. But we can’t have everything, now can we? Besides, it does serve its purpose.
Here’s another little thing that made me happy with the Shieldon Hoplon. They used T8 screws throughout. That’s right! You don’t have to swap back and forth between bits or screwdrivers to take it apart for maintenance. And they used caged ceramic bearings to ensure smooth operation.
Final thoughts
As I said, the tanto-style blade isn’t the most useful shape for me and my everyday uses but I do like how well Shieldon presents it in the Hoplon. The knife as a whole is a good piece of EDC at a good price just like the Gambit before it. If you’re looking for a new EDC knife, go take a look at what this OEM knife manufacturer has. Cool designs, good materials, and reasonable prices. Who could ask for more?
What I like about the Shieldon Hoplon knife
- Good build materials
- Blade style
- All T8 screws!
- Reasonable price
What needs to be improved?
- Nothing other than a few personal design choices
Price: $76.99
Where to buy: Shieldon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Shieldon. Shieldon did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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$34.90 (as of April 15, 2025 17:39 GMT -04:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
