Review Harnds CK9168 Talisman

Review Harnds CK9168 Talisman

Introduction

The knife that i present to you today, can not be any other than... special. Special in different senses that we will be weeding little by little. The most ambitious of Harnds to date.

The Harnds brand is known for folder knives with quite success as the Harnds Ck6015 Viper or the Harnds CK7006 Blazer (the latter with a lot of quality but not much sold for its size and weight, one thing is a critical success and another a sales success... ). With the Talisman model we have the highest level knife of the brand so far, leaving the group Ganzo, Enlan etc. And trying to compete with brands like Real Steel.

Let us begin…

Exterior design and appearance

Well, I have to say, that in designs there is nothing written, and some can be very attractive to some people and the same be horrible to others. In my case, as i have said before, my favorite opening of a folder knife is with a flipper, although sometimes it does not go as smoothly as it should and leaves the blade half open or you have to use a lot of wrist. I like "flippers" for both aesthetics and functionality, for me is the most comfortable way to open. But aesthetically there is something of a knife that i can like even more, and that's when the incredible combination of "flipper" + "absence of thumb studs" is given, i love that. But unfortunately there are hardly any models in Chinese quality brands (Enlan, Ganzo, Harnds, Sanrenmu...) that meet those two requirements, in fact, one of the things i love about the Enlan EL01 is that. Well, here we have another model with "flipper" and no "thumb studs", creating an impressive aesthetic and even giving the feeling that the blade is going to be able to use more, for example if you pierce deeply, the “thumb studs” will not interfere.

General view

Closed view

Apart from the above mentioned, it is that they have hit the nail with the design, it is beautiful and elegant, in fact i would say it is one of the most elegant knives you can find among the usual brands. Its design would call it: sober, refined, elegant, something classic and nothing strident. It reminds me of something aerodynamic "super sporty", perhaps because it has little width.

The measures that we find are: 21.2 cms of total length, 12.2 cms closed and a sheet of 9 cm long with a width of 2.6 cms. The weight that has given me on the scale has been 138 grs.

Reduction of weight in the handle "liners"

The blade is quite attractive in shape and with full flat grind, which is often quite requested. The steel used is the AUS-8, and in this i have to stop. Being the flagship of the brand, i do not understand why they have not chosen 9Cr18Mov steel or even D2, since even their lower model Ck6015 Viper has 9Cr18Mov. Talisman's AUS-8 steel is a steel equivalent to a 440B but heat treatment can make a worse steel end up being better than one in theory higher. From what i've been seeing, the heat treatment of the Talisman is good, in addition the AUS-8 is reputed to be able to get one of the best edges of its segment whenever the steel is well treated. The sharpening of the factory is quite good, cutting the paper of a cut without being undisturbed.

Blade detail

Good blade thickness...

And we go with the handle, it is comfortable and with a good size, with low height,

Handle detail

Detail of the handle spacers

The locking system chosen is a well-made "liner lock", perfectly blocking the base of the knife in the correct area, it is also strong and shows good performance. There is no set of vertical or horizontal blade play.

Detail of the thick "liner lock"

The small pocket clip is quite soft and can not be changed, but there is good news, completely hides the knife, which is something quite requested by people lately.

The "Pocket Clip" completely hides the folder knife

I notice some better finishes than in other folder knives, like the well-polished steel "liners" of the handle, not sharpened.

Comparative

It has to be recognized that there are hardly any similar blades to compare with, so i have chosen one of the few that use "flipper" and not "thumb studs": the eternal Enlan EL01.

Above Harnds Talisman, below Enlan EL01

Above Harnds Talisman, below Enlan EL01

Above Harnds Talisman, below Enlan EL01

Handling and use

For the opening of the knife, there is only the "flipper", there are no thumb studs, and here comes another surprises of the knife, carries ceramic bearings, instead of small balls of steel, carries them of ceramic so that the friction is as minimal as possible. You probably know the folder knife by this feature especially.

"Flipper" with jimping

Well, i'm convinced what you want to know: is the opening with ceramic bearings so smooth or is it just advertising?. The answer is yes. i make it clear: it is the smoothest knife taken out of the box that i have never tried. Clear enough?. In the video of the end you can see.

Ceramic ball bearing

It's wonderful how it opens, and how it closes. It makes you want to open it just to try that feeling again. Once in hand, the feeling is good, the handle goes wonderfully and is blunt and precious in the hand.

The locking works very well and it shows more quality in its realization than in the liner locks of other knives. It is also very comfortable.

The handle is anatomical and narrow, long enough, which i appreciate, is comfortable and although the texture in G10 is very smooth, it is not very slippery because it is as porous. The “jimping” of the blade is quite aggressive, i like it because it has more grip.

Handle texture detail

Blade jimping Detail

Final verdict

A sober, elegant and attractive knife, both on the blade and the handle. Aesthetic beautiful to wear "flipper" but not "thumb studs". Maximum smoothness thanks to ceramic bearings. The type of steel chosen is the only one against this knife, which could have used a superior being the most ambitious knife of Harnds to date and bearing in mind that lower models of the brand carry 9Cr18Mov, although, i'd have to see which heat treatment is best achieved.

Pros

- This Harnds Talisman is a visually very attractive and elegant knife.

- Fresh out of the box has the smoothest opening ever, thanks to ceramic bearings.

- "Pocket Clip" that completely hides the knife.

- I love it when a folder knife brings "flipper" and does not bring "thumb studs", in the style of the classic Enlan EL01.

- Very good finishes, better than average in Chinese quality knives.

Cons

- The steel of the blade, although it has a good heat treatment, should have been 9Cr18Mov or D2 being the most important and ambitious folder knife to date of Harnds.

- Price somewhat high, but also has details that do not carry other, such as ceramic bearings or a level of finishes superior to other models of other brands.


Moving

Where to buy

Fasttech

Purchase link: Harnds CK9168 Talisman