MTECH XTREME USA MX-8027A TACTICAL FOLDING KNIFE 5" CLOSED

This is a fairly nice knife with a few minor design flaws. I have owned several decent knives similar to this, ranging from Gerber, Smith and Wesson, and some random other brands as well. I typically like to carry around one that is easy to clip to the inside of my pocket for quick access, usually four to five inches max folded, and can handle a beating from various random uses. What first got my attention was the price of these knives from MTech. Depending on the knife, they are anywhere from $3-15 cheaper than their similarly specked S&W or Gerber counterpart on Amazon. While that doesn't sound like much, at $5-8 for this knife on Amazon, that can be at least 50% cheaper or more for similar function. I'm not a namebrand junkie and like to judge a product based on it's actual use, not it's name. That said, I was a little skeptical of a knife in this price range as most I've seen have usually been cheap gas station and/or Walmart knives that adhere to the "you get what you pay for" adage.In general, I judge a pocket knife based on three main criteria: handle comfort and build, pivoting/folding action, and the blade.First off, when opening the package and examining the knife, I noticed that it mentions the word USA no fewer than three times on the Knife and box. That said, upon closer inspection, you notice it says it is "designed" in the USA, but is made in China in tiny print. I find that to be a funny (and somewhat misleading) marketing tactic. However, I'm not one that believes in the "made in USA" = quality hype, so this had little affect on me other than wondering what other misleading things they might take liberties with.Luckily, outside of this misleading marketing tactic, the knife itself was packaged decently and looked well made. You could tell immediately that this wasn't a $5 gas station or novelty store knife, but one made with function in mind. The first thing you notice is build quality and heft. Everything seems to be well machined, put together, etc., however, it is much heavier than similarly designed counterparts from bigger namebrand companies like S&W and Gerber. I think this is because in order to save costs, they used heavier steel and also didn't use aluminum in the handle frame, but steel here as well. That said, while it feels heavier than I prefer, it does give the knife a feeling of durability. The design itself is almost identical to a S&W knife I had lost, except slightly longer and black. I'm not sure how well the color will hold up but it does feel like it will hold up. I will update with use and wear. While similar to the S&W, I immediately noticed that the machining wasn't quite as nice as the S&W. It's not that the handle looked cheap, but you could obviously tell the limitations of the machining equipment used by MTech and its inability to make contoured handle pieces out of metal. The S&W has subtle metal curvature that gives it a smoother and more ergonomic grip without adding wood/rubber/plastic grip inserts. Everything on the MTech is very angular and not quite as form fitting for the grip as the near identical S&W design. I doubt this is a design choice and more of a manufacturing limitation. That said, while this doesn't give it quite the same level of quality and ergonomic feel as the S&W, it looks decent and I suspect most won't care about minor things like this in a sub $10 knife. The real downside here might be the weight. If you plan on having this inside your pocket, it might be a little heavy. The clip is sturdy and overall, the initial impression is a nice durable knife, just heavy.When opening the knife, there is zero blade play. It doesn't feel too loose or too tight and opens cleanly and snaps closed and open very securely. This is very important in this kind of product for safety and durability and an important judging criteria for me. I will see if this stands the test of time, but as of right now, the blade action is perfect. The one and only negative here is the standard push-type plate thumb unlocking piece to unlock the blade and close it. I am not referring to the thumb assist on the spine to open the blade, but the one inside the grip to close the knife. It is slightly too thin and hard to get to with one hand/thumb. The reason is most likely to prevent accidentally releasing the blade lock while gripping the knife. However, it needs to be about a millimeter more pronounced to be a little easier to use with one hand.Finally, the blade. In the pictures, you will notice the blade has some sort of combo net and stripe print on it that they refer to some sort of beneficial blade treatment. I somehow doubt it has any significant functional purpose and is more for show. I almost didn't purchase the knife because of this "gimmicky" print that is often reserved IMO for novelty store trinket knives. While I like subtle design efforts, for the most part, I want my pocket knife to be functional, not a GI Joe knockoff. I'm not in the Marines, nor am I some tactical expert that specializes in hand to hand knife wielding combat. Sure, if I need it in a pinch for protection, that is certainly one of many possible uses, but I don't necessarily want that as the theme of my pocket knife (I would imagine boys/men from teenagers to early twenties mike like this print). It even perpetuates this gimmicky effort by having the words "Extreme" on the blade (very small) and alludes to some sort of Marine coordinated design effort on the box. However, despite all of this, the blade came sharp, well designed, and looks like it will fulfill its main objective, to cut, quite well. Also, while the pattern seems more pronounced in the pictures, it is more subtle in real life. So despite initial reservations, the blade seems to be well made.In general, the knife had good build, great blade action, and a good blade. For the price, the only real con is the weight, but otherwise, for $5-8, this blade is a very good buy. It's obviously not a top tier knife (thus the four stars), but then again, you aren't paying for that. I feel like you get all of the functional qualities and durability out of better name-brand knives, just without some of the small/subtle differences upgrading to a more premium brand might give you such as slightly better machining, forged steel, and aluminum. If none of that matters and you just want a reliable sharp pocket knife, then don't hesitate.Update 7/27/18: I've reduced this review two stars. The screw that is supposed to hold the blade always kept getting loose, and finally one day, fell out before I could tighten it again. In general, the knife has many design flaws that seem to be due to a company that hasn't had enough history in making knives to understand good build techniques. Even before that, the weight and thickness were getting old for an "every day carry" knife and I didn't use it as much.

I'll tell you, I was a little nervous when I read some of the negative reviews, but I was pleasantly surprised when I bought this. I don't claim to be an expert on knives, but I do collect a few here and there, so I've got some range of comparison.Pros:-Sharp; this thing feels pretty sharp, especially for such a cheap knife. Granted, it doesn't have a Cold Steel's level razor-sharp edge, but it feels sharper than a lot of other knives I've had. I did a paper cutting test between this knife and my Cold Steel AK47, and this $7.50 knife did almost as well as a knife almost 10 times its cost. In my test, the Cold Steel only did slightly better than this MTech folder.-Light; this thing isn't too heavy, probably because of the aluminum handles.-Sturdy handle; the handle's design looks and feels strong and sturdy. It probably won't break easily (unless you remove the screws). I noticed another review said that the screws popped out immediately, but I haven't had that problem.-Smooth Action; once you get used to it, using the blade flipper to open this knife is a breeze. It's not spring assisted opening (it's a manual with a blade flipper and a thumb stud), but it's a heck of a lot easier to open than my other manual, the Cold Steel AK-47. The AK-47 has a spring that actually resists any attempts to open it, probably to prevent accidental opening, but that spring actually got my finger sliced once. Despite the fact that this knife doesn't have a spring to resist accidental opening, I highly doubt it'll open accidentally.-Ergonomics; the handle feels good in the hand because it's got a nice slight curve to it, and the fingers wrap well in the little grooves for what feels like a pretty secure hold.-Price; $7.50 for a knife this quality is actually a rare find.-Appearance; in my opinion (this may disagree with yours), this is a pretty nice looking knife. The pattern on the blade and the handle design appeal to me, that's all.Cons:-Locking mechanism; I've had quite a few knifes with liner locking mechanisms, but this one is questionable. Be very sure that the blade is open all the way and that the liner lock has a firm hold on the blade. Sometimes, the lock may have a partial hold on the blade, and any force exerted on the spine of the blade will start to close the knife. If it's fully engaged though, it should not be a problem.-Pocket clip ; the pocket clip is oriented so that clipping it to your pocket keeps its pommel facing down. This may not be an issue, but personally, I like keeping it pommel up so that I can simply reach into my pocket, pull it out, and open it in a quick fashion. Now, I'd have to reach into my pocket, pull it out, flip it over, then open it. This is just my preference, in case I have to draw it quickly. Of course, I always hope I don't have to.All in all, this is a pretty good purchase for the cost. I'd rate this 4 stars because it's got a few flaws in the locking mechanism (which is important) and of course, it's not anything like Cold Steel or Benchmade quality. But I can say with much confidence that this $7.50 knife is better than a lot of knives it its same price category. Thumbs up to MTech for affordability and decent quality.EDIT: I just read the label on the blade and it's 440C stainless steel. This steel is generally preferred over "nameless" 440 Stainless or 440A stainless steel, because it has better edge retention properties.