- the prize winner with the clever opening mechanism
This model from Italian Fox Knives is smoking hot. It is not too often I am the first with the latest but this time it is not far away. The basic model of this knife called Radius is certainly not new. On the contrary, it was considered so innovative when it was presented at the Shot Show in 2019 that it won both "Overall Knife of the Year" and "Best Imported Knife of the Year". So, obviously, it made a certain impression.
The original pieces were pretty expensive in exclusive materials with Damasteel or M390 steel in the blades and anodized titanium or special carbon fiber variants in the handles. Prices ranged from 420€ up to around 1240€, so they weren't that cheap.
But it's there this knife fits into the equation. It is a simplified version of Radius with the same technology but in other materials and the model designation FX-550 G10B. This is the one I intend to present here.
The original pieces were pretty expensive in exclusive materials with Damasteel or M390 steel in the blades and anodized titanium or special carbon fiber variants in the handles. Prices ranged from 420€ up to around 1240€, so they weren't that cheap.
But it's there this knife fits into the equation. It is a simplified version of Radius with the same technology but in other materials and the model designation FX-550 G10B. This is the one I intend to present here.
Fox FX-550 G10B Radius
Radius is designed by a fairly young Italian named Denis Simonutti. He has previously worked with Fox but this time the result was a more advanced knife. The first attempt was a really small friction folder which was mostly a cap lifter with an attached knife blade and aptly was named "Skål", which means "Cheers" in Swedish. And that is how they spell it on their homepage which made me smile.
A multiple awards winning knife from Fox Knives
Twitter version: New version of Radius offers the same technology as its award-winning siblings but in simpler clothing
Blade
The blade shape on the Radius is a little special and it can be debated whether it is a modified Wharncliffe with an edge that is no longer straight or if it is a drop point that has an almost angular swedge at the spine. In any case, it is an interesting knife blade from a purely visual point of view. The finish is a well-made stone wash. Something I can appreciate as they are not as sensitive to scratches as really nice satin surfaces or polished blades.
A Wharncliffe blade with a grayish stonewashed finish
Something that stands out about this knife is that the proportions are slightly skewed. That is, the blade is relatively short to the length of the handle. The blade measures slightly under three inches or 75 mm in length. But in practice, measured from the front of the handle to the tip, it is only 71 mm. The blade is 27 mm high and a whole 4 mm thick for some reason unknown to me.
The material used in this version is N690 from Böhler/Uddeholm, unlike the titanium handled cousins which feature M390. Well-Treated steel in this knife what it seems. That is, it keeps an edge as expected and no direct nicks or dings have emerged despite some whittling. As you know some gravel and sand may end up inside wood sometimes.
The material used in this version is N690 from Böhler/Uddeholm, unlike the titanium handled cousins which feature M390. Well-Treated steel in this knife what it seems. That is, it keeps an edge as expected and no direct nicks or dings have emerged despite some whittling. As you know some gravel and sand may end up inside wood sometimes.
The blade steel comes from Böhler and is N690Co
Radius actually gets my approval when it comes to cutting things. It cuts well despite the blade thickness and not thanks to it. Four millimeters blade stock on a three-inch blade is exaggerated in my opinion. It is a remission to looks or sheer laziness on the part of the manufacturer. That is, you do as you always do or perhaps as others do instead of looking at the area of use. Very few tasks require such a powerful blade on a knife as small as this.
But put to work the little blade is very sympathetic. The geometry of the blade makes paper and cardboard of different varieties easy to handle.
But that's easy tasks. Better still is that the blade also bites well in wood. Although this knife is not primarily intended for outdoor activities, I still want my knives to be able to do some of those jobs. After all, I am Swedish and that means I often find myself in some form of forest which results in woodcarving. The blade provides long fine wood chips when used and the rounded blade spine makes it convenient to place a thumb there for controlled small incisions. The edge angle which is slightly too steep for general purpose, to be honest, is here an asset. It makes for a stronger edge which is handy when you have wedged your blade into a stubborn piece of juniper-tree and needs to free it.
But that's easy tasks. Better still is that the blade also bites well in wood. Although this knife is not primarily intended for outdoor activities, I still want my knives to be able to do some of those jobs. After all, I am Swedish and that means I often find myself in some form of forest which results in woodcarving. The blade provides long fine wood chips when used and the rounded blade spine makes it convenient to place a thumb there for controlled small incisions. The edge angle which is slightly too steep for general purpose, to be honest, is here an asset. It makes for a stronger edge which is handy when you have wedged your blade into a stubborn piece of juniper-tree and needs to free it.
The same thing is repeated in the kitchen, that is, the knife is easy to control. This time with the thumb on the wide round area at the front. The overhand pinch grip is excellent on this knife and very suitable for detail work. Overall, Radius surprised me positively when it comes to cutting performance.
Handle
One of the things that are changed to make this model simpler and thus lower-priced is the handle material. In this case, it is G10 instead of titanium or advanced carbon fiber as previous editions of the knife. But it should be pointed out that it is a very machined and expensive G10. Of course, the material itself is no more expensive than any other G10 but the processing is. First, we have the slot for the opening mechanism itself. Then the special head of the pivot screw on the back makes further notching necessary. Then there is the added pattern, a backspacer and chamfering of all edges.
On top of all, there are also liners hidden inside the sides. Space must be made for them too. So overall, a lot of machine time has been spent on the handle despite relatively simple material.
The surface is then semi-polished. The milled grooves on the sides are more for decorative purposes than they provide traction.
On top of all, there are also liners hidden inside the sides. Space must be made for them too. So overall, a lot of machine time has been spent on the handle despite relatively simple material.
The surface is then semi-polished. The milled grooves on the sides are more for decorative purposes than they provide traction.
The handle is made of solid and well machined G10
The design of this knife is both traditional and slightly divergent at the same time. It has an internal steel frame but it is substantially smaller than on most knives. It somewhat reminds of how the BM's Griptilian looks like on the inside, if you now what I mean.
Overall, the knife is fairly thin and lightweight
One detail I was worried about already when seeing the knife in pictures was how it would feel in the hand. The reason being the large round "hump" that is the result of how the opening mechanism and the lock are constructed. It seemed to create too much space between the edge and the hand. Something I don't usually appreciate. My fears turned out to be both right and wrong.
The radius works in hand and even well in most grips. But they are not completely natural and the flow between them is not optimal. To work properly the grips has to be adjusted.
This means that if you want to apply some force to your cuts, the knife is preferably held with the index finger around the "hump" and the middle finger in the finger groove behind it. From this position, it is also easy to place a thumb far out on the blade for a so-called Phillipino-grip.
If, on the other hand, you want to hold the knife in saber grip, the index finger is placed in the finger groove and the thumb on top of the handle. It is the best and favored grip on this knife but the edge does end up a bit from the hand. In this grip, it is also noticeable that the clip placement is good. Despite being quite large it doesn't cause a hot spot when using the knife. It can be felt though.
Then, of course, knives can be held in what is called an overhand pinch grip. It is optimal on this knife. The thumb is simply placed on the broad side of the handle and then one can cut either sideways or turn the hand and cut downwards. In this grip, the knife is almost as good as a kitchen knife and all fingers easily find their spots.
The radius works in hand and even well in most grips. But they are not completely natural and the flow between them is not optimal. To work properly the grips has to be adjusted.
Ergonomically speaking, Radius is a bit special as all grips work but you have to adjust the positioning of your hand to be able to use them
This means that if you want to apply some force to your cuts, the knife is preferably held with the index finger around the "hump" and the middle finger in the finger groove behind it. From this position, it is also easy to place a thumb far out on the blade for a so-called Phillipino-grip.
If, on the other hand, you want to hold the knife in saber grip, the index finger is placed in the finger groove and the thumb on top of the handle. It is the best and favored grip on this knife but the edge does end up a bit from the hand. In this grip, it is also noticeable that the clip placement is good. Despite being quite large it doesn't cause a hot spot when using the knife. It can be felt though.
Then, of course, knives can be held in what is called an overhand pinch grip. It is optimal on this knife. The thumb is simply placed on the broad side of the handle and then one can cut either sideways or turn the hand and cut downwards. In this grip, the knife is almost as good as a kitchen knife and all fingers easily find their spots.
Opening and lock
It is under this heading the award-winning technology of this knife is found. Actually, none of the basic ideas incorporated here are entirely new, but combining them into one unit is. The idea of opening a knife with a plate sliding in a groove saw the light of day with Camillus CUDA more than twenty years ago. But it did not have a lock involved in the mechanics as this knife has.
The lock is not new either, as it is a variant of a button lock or a plunge lock as it is sometimes called. But they are not usually found attached to the blade on other knives and they are not merged with the opening mechanism. So even that application is unique.
Both opening, locking and closing the knife are handled with the same mechanism
In principle, the knife is opened with a classic thumb stud. But in this case, it performs several functions. One is that it acts as a detent or rather locks the blade in a folded position in the same way a CRKT Fire Safe mechanism does.
This means that to open the knife you have to push the thumb stud slightly downwards before beginning any motion. Then you move your thumb in a crescent and the blade slides into place. The construction favors a slow controlled motion and the blade can not be flicked out. That is unless you first release the lock, open the blade slightly and then flick your wrist of course. Then it very much acts the same way an Axis lock does. The same motion can be done when closing the knife.
This means that to open the knife you have to push the thumb stud slightly downwards before beginning any motion. Then you move your thumb in a crescent and the blade slides into place. The construction favors a slow controlled motion and the blade can not be flicked out. That is unless you first release the lock, open the blade slightly and then flick your wrist of course. Then it very much acts the same way an Axis lock does. The same motion can be done when closing the knife.
The locking function itself is secure. Because it holds the blade also in the closed position, the knife cannot be accidentally opened in the pocket. In the open position, the knife locks with authority. It feels more stable than most other variants of button locks I've encountered. There is no play in any direction. Not the slightest wiggle even when the blade is provoked rather hard.
One of the consequences of the system is that it is very easy to access the lock to release it. Handling both when opening and closing the knife can be learned quickly and the average "knife fiddler" does not need to relearn too much. This is also where the security aspect comes into play. Just as with Axis and Compression locks, the fingers are out of the way when closing the blade.
To carry
This version of Radius does really well in a pocket. An unimportant feature of a pocket knife as this is where it spends most of its time, to be honest. Contributing factors are the rounded front and all the chamfered edges. The weight is also more than acceptable. The knife weighs 106 grams. Then I think the protruding backspacer could have been less pointed. There is no need to have it that way. Not even for looks. Rear ends of knives should NEVER be pointed.
Radius boasts an unusually sturdy wire clip
The clip is similar to one of Spyderco's wire clips in appearance but is significantly more sturdy. It is also larger which allows it to be easily applied to any fabric. Functionally, it is thus a very good clip. The shape is good and the tension is adequate. Less than stellar is that it cannot be moved at all which is a problem for all the left-handed people out there. But I understand why they made it that way in this case since the lock and opening are not very suitable to handle with your left hand in any case. You can do it but is difficult.
The Radius is easy to draw and put back into you pockets
The clip makes the knife ride quite high in the pocket. The disadvantage is of course that a chunk of the handle is visible, but there is also an advantage in this case. It is that the clip, because of the placement, ends up inside the hand in several grips when it could otherwise be really uncomfortable. So, in this case, I like this choice.
To conclude
It seems that Italian knife manufacturers are fond of technology and innovation. This is not the first time I review knives originating in Maniago on that theme. Radius stands for innovation in a couple of areas, even though they are all linked to the opening and closing of the knife.
Actually, three different existing thoughts have been merged into one. It is the disc that runs in a track from Camillus Cuda and it is an inspiration from CRKT's Fire Safe. Everything topped off with a twist on a button lock. The result is new and completely unique. The system is called "Fingers Safe Opening System". A tad clumsy name I believe, especially as I never felt that fingers are in danger when opening knives. Is it perhaps a solution looking for its problem?
Actually, three different existing thoughts have been merged into one. It is the disc that runs in a track from Camillus Cuda and it is an inspiration from CRKT's Fire Safe. Everything topped off with a twist on a button lock. The result is new and completely unique. The system is called "Fingers Safe Opening System". A tad clumsy name I believe, especially as I never felt that fingers are in danger when opening knives. Is it perhaps a solution looking for its problem?
An innovative opening and locking system is what gave Radius extra attention
Apart from the name, however, the mechanism works well. But it does cause a few problems or perhaps I should say peculiarities. One is that it necessarily affects the design by providing a large and rounded front part of the handle. In turn, it increases the distance between the hand and the edge. The second is that it provides a groove which means that there is a risk that there will be a spanner in the machinery. Or rather dirt or pocket lint in the opening mechanism.
Radius, new ideas in Italian costume
Behind the technology, however, hides a competent small pocket knife. The blade is really "everyday practical". By that, I mean that the size is sufficient, the tip is capable and that it actually cuts as well as one can demand. This ensures that the interest in this knife will not die as soon as the pleasures of novelty have passed.
No doubt, the opening and locking system is innovative. But I'm not entirely sure I think it solves any existing problems. What it does contribute, however, is another system to choose from that ensures that the fingers are out of the way when closing knives. That it works well does not hurt. As can be expected it is somewhat sensitive to dirt in the opening slot. But not so much that is a real problem in the application as an EDC knife.
It is in this role that I see this knife and for anyone who wants something odd but still practical, this is an exciting alternative. In this new version, it does not break the bank either as it costs around 150 € at the time of writing.
No doubt, the opening and locking system is innovative. But I'm not entirely sure I think it solves any existing problems. What it does contribute, however, is another system to choose from that ensures that the fingers are out of the way when closing knives. That it works well does not hurt. As can be expected it is somewhat sensitive to dirt in the opening slot. But not so much that is a real problem in the application as an EDC knife.
It is in this role that I see this knife and for anyone who wants something odd but still practical, this is an exciting alternative. In this new version, it does not break the bank either as it costs around 150 € at the time of writing.
Specification:
Length overall: 185 mm
Length folded: 111 mm
Weight: 106 g (weighed by me)
Blade length: 75 mm
Blade thickness: mm
Blade steel: N690Co
Handle material: G10
Lock: Button lock
Producerad av: Fox, made in Italy
/ J - trusts the Italian for innovation
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