I picked up a Boker Kalasnikov, CRKT Pilar, Fenix UC02, and the SOG Centi I. The Pilar was what I was the most excited about initially, because I never expected CRKT would put one out with G-10 scales. I really didn't want to buy the one with stainless steel handles. I love this orange and dark gray color combo. I think the price is a little high ($35), since they didn't upgrade the steel from 8Cr13MoV. I do like the ergos overall, which was my biggest concern. The CRKT Squid had terrible ergos, and I thought the Pilar would fall to the same fate. The thumbhole is too close to the handle, so it's kind of awkward and difficult to open. You can still access the thumbhole fine, but it takes more effort than I'd like. The backspacer is also super heavy, since it's a solid chunk of stainless steel. I'm assuming CRKT just used the same backspacer off of the all stainless steel one. It's way too heavy and weighs down the end of the knife. If I end up keeping it, I may look into a way to make a different backspacer out of G-10. I really do like the design, so I'm going to hold out hope for now.
The Fenix UC02 is the main flashlight I wanted to try this year. The compact size and the fact that it's rechargeable were the big selling points for me. Plus, I love the purplish color it comes in! I'm not the biggest fan of Fenix, so I'm a little wary about this light. I've had quality issues with them in the past, and their flashlight technology is usually pretty outdated. It has a 130 max output, which is pretty impressive in such a tiny package. The machining on the body of the light isn't that great, so there's not much to grip onto. This combined with the fact that it's already very small and a twisty light means it's not the easiest thing to use, especially one handed. I had a ton of problems getting it to turn on too. I didn't realize it also unscrewed at the end. There was this little black circle that had to be removed from the battery. I ended up removing some sort of black sticker that was covering some part that contacts the head of the light. I think it's all good now, but Fenix's instructions were not that clear. I was trying to do some more research on it after I got it in the mail and was shocked to find that the high mode only lasts for 25 minutes. That's pretty bad runtime if you ask me. The low lasts for a little under 4 hours. The UI also kind of surprised me. Instead of the typical twist on/off to cycle through the modes, you just twist it until it turns on for low and twist it all the way tight for high. There's a weird clicking sound that happens when you get to the point where the modes change. It's not the end of the world, but I'm not used to any of my twisty lights having audible sounds like that when you switch modes. The micro USB charging port built right into the light is nice. I do wish Fenix had made it so you don't completely have to remove the head of the light to charge it. I'd be afraid of charging the light in one place and somehow misplacing the head. So far, I think there's a lot more wrong with it than I'd like. As a keychain light, I can't see it replacing my Olight i3E.
Last but not least, I briefly want to talk about the Boker and the SOG. I'm grouping them together, because they both feel like junk to me. The Boker looked cool in pictures online, but it looks crappier in person. The auto is so slow compared to the Kershaw Launch 4. That could just be because of the much shorter blade on the Launch. You really have to press down on the button to get it to open. The ergos are good, but I'm not in love with the feel of the handles. They're made of metal with ridges and slight texturing to them. It's probably the knife I'm most disappointed in so far. The SOG is also a piece of garbage for different reasons. It reminds me of a Spyderdo Bug/Honeybee wannabe. For $10, it's a complete rip-off. I figured I'd throw it in my cart since I needed $10 to get free shipping. I definitely regret not trying a different keychain knife out for that price. The handles and blade are way too thin and feel cheaply made. I thought it was a framelock for some reason, so I was very surprised to see it's a slipjoint. I just was checking Blade HQ, and they have it listed as a framelock. I guess they just copied the description from the slightly bigger Centi II, which does have a framemock. I still should've read more about it, but it was one of those last minute impulse buys. It takes very little effort to close the blade. Obviously, it's not meant for any heavy uses, but I still wouldn't want to use this as my keychain knife. It's way too thin, so there's next to nothing to hold onto. Be prepared for a post on this sooner rather than later. I already know that it's not worth the $10 at all. That wraps it up for this first impressions type of post. The Pilar and Fenix should at least be fun to add to my EDC this summer. Reviews and more videos on everything will be coming at some point this summer. Thanks for looking!
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