Smith & Wesson Extreme Ops Tanto

My review of this blade will probably be a tad slanted, because it’s been one of my favorite daily carry folders for a couple of years. It’s compact, light and so easy to carry it just begs to be put in your pocket. I recently bought a newer version of this folder, and it improves on the few shortcomings apparent in the original.

The official name is the Smith & Wesson CK5TBS Bullseye Extreme Ops 4.1" 40% Serrated Black Tanto. It’s just over four inches long folded (4.1, of course) with the blade 3.25 inches when deployed. It has an all-metal handle, checkered for grip with a liner lock and a thumb stud for opening.

It is a tanto-style blade, but the secondary edge and a flatter angle in relation to the primary edge. This gives the weapon a sharper, more-pointed tip profile that more-closely resembles a drop point than a traditional tanto. This profile gives the blade the feel of a great stabber, and it penetrates soft material with vigor. I had concerns this more pointed angle would make the blade more prone to tip breakage against harder material. The tip survived stabbing tests against wood (including twisting to free the tip) and against concrete.

The knife cut well right out of the box. It cut easily through a single paper sheet in sharpness testing. It made roughly 1 inch cuts against a roll of layered cloth and paper (a grocery bag and a cotton shirt) slashing with the tip alone. Slashes that impacted with the serrations cut as deep as 2 inches. The blade doesn’t have the weight, length and width to perform heavy-duty tasks like chopping tree branches or shearing through bone. Maybe someday I shell out to test cut against a few roasts.

The blade opens relatively well straight from the box, but its gets real smooth with a squirt of lubrication. It will open with the flick of the wrist. The thumb stud will whip open the blade with just a moderate press, more like a button than a simple post. The liner lock is solid and reliable.

There are a few negatives. The reason I stopped carrying the knife was because the belt clip stretched and it was impossible to keep the little tanto clipped to my pocket. The black finish started wearing through on the clip, the blade and the handle. The grip with grooved thumb press and serrated liner lock provide good grip and control with a single exception. The thin handle profile makes the hatchet grip less secure than the other grips, and stabbing with this grip feels precarious. A few times in stab testing I was concerned my hand would slide forward onto the blade.

 As I mentioned earlier, there is a new and improved version that I recently purchased (it’s available in the Graplyz Gear Store for $10.89). The new folder has a much better finish; it’s more durable and less glossy. The pocket clip is also sturdy and more durable. Those additions make it really appealing to me as a carry  blade.

There are a few other features that will turn off some users. The clip will only allow right-side, tip-down (tip pointed down when folded in the pocket) carry. The blade is also serrated, which some say aids in cutting through heavy material, and others say only provides a weaken stress point that will lead to breakage. Neither feature concerns me a great deal but there are staunch tip-up-carry and no-serration advocates who will be concerned– this knife is probably not for them.

Despite the negatives, I still love my folder. I have even considered removing the clip and carry it in my pocket. It’s easy to carry, easy to conceal, easy to open and easy to handle. One of the reasons I carried it is because I was much more comfortable opening it public view, whereas my larger folders tend to draw attention. I was also sure that if I had to use the knife in self defense, I’d have no problem justifying it’s use compared to a larger knife.

In many ways it’s the perfect secondary knife. It’s size and look make it less conspicuous for utility activities, for which you should not be using your self-defense knife. It’s still capable enough that it could be used effectively in a self-defense situation, should the need arise.
As I said, it’s one of my favorite knives I’ve ever carried.