Grayman SATU & DUA Heavy-Duty Folding Knives

 

by Jeff Quinn

photography by Jeff Quinn & Boge Quinn

May 14th, 2011

 

YouTube Video

 

 

 

 

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Grayman SATU with two new Grayman DUA knives.

 

 

DUA compared to the larger SATU.

 

 

DUA is finished in a bead-blasted natural finish, or DLC-coated matte black.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

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