Lone Wolf Blackfoot Nutnfancy Knife Review

The Lone Wolf Blackfoot is a superbly built and special EDC blade. At 3.8 ounces the little Blackfoot (formerly the Dark Raven) isn't the lightest blade out there for your daily carry... but you won't care. That's because within that carry weight you have a rock solid knife that features hardened steel liners, pivot hardware, and a cryogenically treated (!) CPM S30V steel blade. Expect razor sharpness edge out of the box, outstanding edge holding, good rust resistence, and toughness. The black titanium nitride coated, modified clip blade is handsome, has great belly, a strong tip, and is perfectly finished. It's flat ground from the upper flat area but still performs EDC tasks like food preparation admirably and it seems to slice better than it should. And yes jimping is present! The short jimping run on the spine actually is functional and gives added traction. In 2010, you will have two choice of scale materials: high traction G10 or checkered and handsomely finished Ebano wood scales. The Ebano is my favorite as it is slimmer and more radiused in the shoulders for even better ergonomics. The slim pocket clip is blackened, low profile, and holds tightly (and is devoid of any "Wizard of Oz" issues). The Blackfoot unfortunately forces tip down carry but at least it rides deep in the pocket for security. Deployment speed is lightning fast, a product of the phosphor bronze bushings and perfect balance (once again showing that an auto knife is unnecessary). About the only detectable downside of the Blackfoot is noted chunkiness in the G10 handled version. Lockup is flawless and the radiused liner lock is one of the strongest Ive seen on a knife this size. In 2009 this little Blackfoot rang in at an astonishing price point: around $80 or so depending on handle material. Apparently it was too good to last. Lone Wolf was losing money on the knife at that price point due to the ultra-quality S30V steel choice and its continued price increases market wide (Veri and I contacted Lone Wolf on this issue to confirm the reasons for the price increases). Faced with discontinuance or a price increase, Lone Wolf opted for the latter, wisely keeping this knife in their product line. Good thing because it's still one of their best. Shop around and you may score it for less than $120 US in 2010, occasionally for even less. The Lone Wolf Blackfoot is still a fantastically strong, fast, collectible, and handsome blade and highly recommended by me. But sadly it seems the amazing price point discussed in the video are now a part of history and folks who bought it then should be gratified on their wise and timely purchase. /////////////////// Nutnfancy Likability Scale: 9 out of 10 (10 of 10 if milled out liners, positionable clip, and at a $80 price point; 7.5 of 10 if at $125 or higher price point with the same).