UPDATE!
August 23rd, 2011
With the success of Grayman’s first folder,
the SATU, folks have been asking for a smaller version. The SATU
is a real workhorse, measuring almost ten inches in length when
opened, with a 4.25 inch blade. It weighs in at 10.2 ounces, and
is an excellent knife, but larger than some folks want to carry.
Grayman has now introduced the DUA, built of the same
high-quality materials, but in a more compact version. At only
5.1 ounces, the DUA weighs half of what the SATU does, thanks to
its titanium handle. The blade is CPM S30V, treated to a 59
Rockwell and flat-ground. The DUA has a belt clip, and carries
well. The overall length is seven and three-eighths inches
extended, including the three and three-sixteenths inch blade.
The DUA is available in a bead-blasted natural finish, or DLC-coated
matte black. It is easy to open, and has a sturdy liner lock.
Check it out online at www.graymanknives.com.
Grayman has been in
the knife business for several years now, focusing primarily
upon making big, useful knives for our military fighting men.
Hunters and other outdoorsmen have also found Grayman knives to
be highly practical and useful. Most of the Grayman knives are
built with enough heft to be used for slashing and chopping, as
well as digging and prying. Ideally, a knife is used only for
cutting, to protect its edge and integrity, but in the real
world, where resources are limited, a knife has to perform many
duties, and the Grayman knives are built to withstand abuse. I
have a couple of heavy-duty Grayman sheath knives, and they are
built like tanks.
Demand for Grayman knives is strong within
our military, and some folks have been asking for a folding
knife that is built like a Grayman, so Mike and Sue responded
with the Satu Folder; a folding knife that is worthy of the
name.
The heart of the Satu Folder is its four-inch
CPM S30V blade. I know very little about blade steel, and am
certainly no metallurgist, so I did some research. Apparently,
this relatively new blade steel is some pretty good stuff,
combining toughness with edge-holding ability and corrosion
resistance. Anyway, evidently Mike Grayman sought to use the
best steel available for the Satu Folder, and chose CPM S30V,
sparing no expense in building this knife. The handle and liner
are primarily titanium, with a G10 textured scale on one side.
The Satu has an overall length measuring
5.625 inches folded, and 9.8 inches with the blade deployed. The
knife weighs a solid 10.3 ounces on my scale, and the blade is
3/16 inch thick. The handle is large enough for a good solid
grasp, and with the blade deployed, feels more like a good
fixed-blade sheath knife than a folder. The locking mechanism is
robust, yet still easy to operate to fold the knife. The clip
holds firmly to a belt, or as most prefer, the corner of a
pocket. The blade is opened easily and quickly with the thumb
using the ample ambidextrous thumb studs, which protrude two
tenths of an inch from the blade surface.
The Grayman Satu Folder is the most rugged,
heavy-duty folding knife that I have ever held in my hand, and
is big enough, bad enough, and rugged enough to bear the Grayman
name.
On June 25th,
we will be giving away a Satu Folder, courtesy of the nice
folks at Grayman.
For more information on this and other
Grayman products, go to www.graymanknives.com.
Jeff Quinn