- reversed order
There are, of course, different starting points when designing or constructing a knife. Some begin with a blade shape that they find extra interesting or suitable. Someone else perhaps with a specific handle shape in mind or maybe a material to explore.
Steel Will turned that upside down with this knife since it is kind of based on mechanics instead. Let's start with an excellent flipper design and work from there they thought. Said and done, the result is this, F62 Avior.
Steel Will F62 Avior
Once you have chosen to start with a certain geometry for the opening mechanism and thereby the flipper placement, it follows that parts of the handle must assume certain proportions. In this case, that means a distinct looking front end of the handle.
Materials and appearance are otherwise not extreme in any way. Rather, some features of this knife can be found in both Steel Will's own catalog and older models from other makers. As an example, it sometimes reminds me of a bit of an overgrown Chive or Scallion from Kershaw.
Materials and appearance are otherwise not extreme in any way. Rather, some features of this knife can be found in both Steel Will's own catalog and older models from other makers. As an example, it sometimes reminds me of a bit of an overgrown Chive or Scallion from Kershaw.
Steel Will Avior, the knife that puts the flipper tab upfront
Twitter version: Steel Will turn things around with Avior and put the flipper tab first, literally!
Blade
This is a very curvy blade, no doubt. The back rises upwards to create a thumb ramp before sweeping down in a continuous curve to meet the tip. The belly is pronounced and the rest of the edge has a small but visible recurve. The basic shape, however, is a drop point, and that is reinforced by a distinct swedge.
The blade is 89 mm long measured from the tip to where the plunge line ends. But with this handle design, the numbers can vary depending on where the measurement is taken because the handle is so strongly angled. At most the height of the blade is 32 mm and the blade stock is 3.5 mm thick.
The blade is 89 mm long measured from the tip to where the plunge line ends. But with this handle design, the numbers can vary depending on where the measurement is taken because the handle is so strongly angled. At most the height of the blade is 32 mm and the blade stock is 3.5 mm thick.
A curvy drop point with a recurve and a pronounced belly
The finish is as you can see a glossy satin and for those who do not appreciate that, the knife is also available in a more stealthy blackwash version.
The material is D2, no more no less. About that steel or steel-categories, one can have different opinions. And I belong to those who aren't particularly fond of them. I simply prefer stainless steels in pocket knives. There are few or no reasons to put to tool steels in them just because they are more wear-resistant. Perhaps that was an argument back when stainless steel was inferior to carbon steels in most aspects. But that is hardly the case with modern steels and especially not if they are going to be used in a dedicated EDC-knife like this.
That being said, I have no objection to how the steel in this specific knife behaved during the test period. It stays sharp for quite a while and takes a keen edge. The stains have also stayed away but the summer heat is not here yet.
The flat grind on the Avior extends to about two-thirds of the height of the blade.
The material is D2, no more no less. About that steel or steel-categories, one can have different opinions. And I belong to those who aren't particularly fond of them. I simply prefer stainless steels in pocket knives. There are few or no reasons to put to tool steels in them just because they are more wear-resistant. Perhaps that was an argument back when stainless steel was inferior to carbon steels in most aspects. But that is hardly the case with modern steels and especially not if they are going to be used in a dedicated EDC-knife like this.
That being said, I have no objection to how the steel in this specific knife behaved during the test period. It stays sharp for quite a while and takes a keen edge. The stains have also stayed away but the summer heat is not here yet.
The flat grind on the Avior extends to about two-thirds of the height of the blade.
The blade material is the nowadays so popular D2-steel
The factory edge was nothing to brag about. The positive is that it is reasonably even in height and centered. Worse is that it got a fairly steep angle and was not very sharp. On the other hand, it made it quite durable instead.
Avior works well for most everyday tasks such as cutting twine and rope, pierce plastic packaging, and cutting up Pet bottles. I improvised a funnel to use for gasoline, that's how I know. It is also quite effective in cardboard cutting. What Avior does not like is wood. The edge does not bite at all the way I want and the knife needs reprofiling if it is to be used on that material. Then the handle has its limits, which I will come back to.
Avior works well for most everyday tasks such as cutting twine and rope, pierce plastic packaging, and cutting up Pet bottles. I improvised a funnel to use for gasoline, that's how I know. It is also quite effective in cardboard cutting. What Avior does not like is wood. The edge does not bite at all the way I want and the knife needs reprofiling if it is to be used on that material. Then the handle has its limits, which I will come back to.
A broad blade with a high flat grind works well for cutting cardboard
Cutting tomato and such simpler kitchen duties meet no problem. The broad blade combined with the high grind partially makes the stock thickness go away and the knife, therefore, slices decently. But more advanced kitchen tasks than that is not relevant with a knife with a protruding flipper tab, a recurved edge, and a rather steep secondary bevel. But then no one claimed that it was a kitchen knife either so I don't have a problem with that.
Handle
The nice and curved blade of this knife is matched by a good looking and equally curved handle. The sides are made of G10 and are slightly vaulted for a more comfortable grip. The back of the handle curves and so does the underside, but there you find finger grooves, which make it less obvious. The sides are also well chamfered. No sharp edges or corners as far as the eye can see or rather the hand can feel.
Recessed in the sides you will find a frame with some special characteristics. Namely that it is weight relieved on the lock side and only partial on the opposite side. That, of course, reduces the total weight of the knife. The knife is held together with two fasteners besides the pivot screw. The spacers have been given a pop of blue color. In the back, you also find a pin for your lanyard. It's also bright blue by the way.
Recessed in the sides you will find a frame with some special characteristics. Namely that it is weight relieved on the lock side and only partial on the opposite side. That, of course, reduces the total weight of the knife. The knife is held together with two fasteners besides the pivot screw. The spacers have been given a pop of blue color. In the back, you also find a pin for your lanyard. It's also bright blue by the way.
A well-shaped handle, that however, strongly influences how the knife should be gripped
To prevent slipping, the grooves cut in the thumb ramp on the blade have been extended to the handle as well. There are also some grooves milled in the flipper and they too aid in giving a more secure grip.
The G10 sides themselves, on the other hand, are quite slippery and that impression is reinforced by the fact that this handle has a basic shape that I'm not that fond of. That is one that is widest at the front and gets narrower at the back. It always gives me the feeling that the knife wants to slip out of my hand like a bar of wet soap. Especially when cutting because when you do, you often pull backward. There is a reason why many handles on for instance Scandinavian knives are widened towards the back or end with a beak.
The G10 sides themselves, on the other hand, are quite slippery and that impression is reinforced by the fact that this handle has a basic shape that I'm not that fond of. That is one that is widest at the front and gets narrower at the back. It always gives me the feeling that the knife wants to slip out of my hand like a bar of wet soap. Especially when cutting because when you do, you often pull backward. There is a reason why many handles on for instance Scandinavian knives are widened towards the back or end with a beak.
The spacers shine bright. Here you also find a pin to secure your lanyard
This knife's somewhat unusual starting point, built from an opening system, influences how the handle is designed and fits a hand. As a result, some gripes are favored and others are basically useless. Among the latter is, unfortunately, one of the most common when cutting and carving wood, a common hammer grip. As seen in the picture below, the hand ends up far away from the edge in such a grip. The index finger, of course, ends up behind the finger guard and the rest of the hand even further away from what you want to cut. The result corresponds to having a knife with a long blade but ending up only using the front part of it. And if you use the forward choil the soft parts of your hand end up at the blade spine so you can't really put any force behind the cuts in that position either. In other words, this knife is not mainly for wood or other tough materials.
The handle definitely favors saber- over hammer-grip
What, on the other hand, works really well is a saber grip. As artificial as the grip becomes when holding this knife as a hammer, just as naturally it becomes when the thumb is placed in the intended recess, resting against the thumb ramp. Then the finger grooves also feel correct and the end of the handle hides inside the hand as does the clip. All in all a very nice way of holding the Avior.This also applies if you move forward and use the forward finger choil or if you place a finger at the back of the blade for precision cutting. The cutout for the finger is roomy enough for my fingers too, and the soft rounding of the flipper tab makes it work exceptionally well.
So basically we have a knife that despite having an impressive blade combined with both long and wide handle, is best at performing smaller tasks.
Opening and Lock
Under this heading, we find what at least partially defines this knife. It is, as said earlier, built around the opening mechanism. But what does that mean? Well, besides the now almost standardized procedure of using ball bearings to achieve better action, Steel Will have gone the extra mile. They have optimized the geometry of the opening mechanism itself. In concrete terms, that means moving it forward. The profile shows that the flipper tab is situated in front of the pivot screw. The result is fireworks. Or at least a very efficient opening.
If not a revolution then at least a well thought out function. The flipper tab is situated in front of the pivot screw
The flipper tab itself is not very large and sweeps backward. But since the geometry is so effective it does not need to be compensated with a giant shark fin to get more leverage. Something that manufacturers sometimes have a tendency to do when everything else fails.
In fact, the theory works excellently in practice too. Especially since they got the detent ball well-tuned. No matter how you use this flipper tab it is impossible not to open the blade completely. And the blade really rockets out. So, Steel Will succeeded with what they envisioned.
In fact, the theory works excellently in practice too. Especially since they got the detent ball well-tuned. No matter how you use this flipper tab it is impossible not to open the blade completely. And the blade really rockets out. So, Steel Will succeeded with what they envisioned.
A liner lock in steel
If the opening mechanism is pretty advanced the lock is quite straight forward. It's liner lock in steel and does exactly what it should. It locks up with the entire width of the lock bar in contact with the blade and there is not even a hint of blade play in any direction. Neither is there any tendencies to lock slip even if the knife is provoked with negative pressure on the blade, that is light spine whack.
The only negative that can be said in regards to the lock is that it is a bit difficult to access. Sure, the lock bar has some milled grooves for better grip, but it sits pretty well hidden between the handle sides and the opposite side is not recessed in any way. This means that you have to jam the soft parts of your thumb into the frame and press to release the lock. That is not optimal.
The only negative that can be said in regards to the lock is that it is a bit difficult to access. Sure, the lock bar has some milled grooves for better grip, but it sits pretty well hidden between the handle sides and the opposite side is not recessed in any way. This means that you have to jam the soft parts of your thumb into the frame and press to release the lock. That is not optimal.
To Carry
In a pocket, Avior is in the middle of the road. Not bad in any way but not excellent either. By that, I mean that the polished materials and a decent clip give it a pass. But 120 mm in length and a full 42 mm in height combined with a width of 14.5 mm makes for some volume to put in a pocket. The weight is a passable 127 grams.
A clip as curvy as the handle. That's why the knife comes with two of them, one for each side
Avior comes with two clips. One for the right and one for the left side. Since the handle is so curvy and the clip follows the contours, it's needed to work. The clip shape is otherwise pretty neutral in my opinion, nothing that stands out or deviates when it comes to appearance. It works well even if the ramp is a little too small to be able to pass thicker pants or jeans with ease. The tension is good and space underneath is suitable for most fabrics. Since the G10 surface is fairly slippery, it offers no resistance. This makes the knife easy to pull and, above all, put away.
The latter is almost the most important. At least for me. Usually, you can pull a knife with one hand even if it resists. On the other hand, it is harder to put away a poorly thought-out design and then you end up standing there holding a rope or something in one hand and an open knife in the other wishing you had a third hand.
The latter is almost the most important. At least for me. Usually, you can pull a knife with one hand even if it resists. On the other hand, it is harder to put away a poorly thought-out design and then you end up standing there holding a rope or something in one hand and an open knife in the other wishing you had a third hand.
About half an inch is visible when the knife is carried
A half an inch or so of the handle protrudes from the pocket when the knife is carried. That is not too much considering that this is not a deep carry clip. The knife sits deep enough to be secure and that is most important.
To Conclude
This knife is called Avior.* I guess it refers to how the blade is expected to fly out when the knife is opened. If so, the name is not entirely inappropriate given that the knife is built to be quick and easy to open.
Steel Will F62 Avior, an EDC-knife in the slightly bigger format
The question then is whether Steel Will has succeeded considering that it is a fairly specific idea to build a knife from. Well, I think they managed to pull through. The knife is very easy to open and perhaps more important, safe to open. By that, I mean that it doesn't matter how yo do it. The blade gets out anyway. Press down or pull back, miss a little, use more or less force - it works anyway. And the result is a satisfying sound. That can't be said about all knives.
For your invested money you don't just get a quick knife but also a very well built one. At the moment it costs around €64 and the same amount in dollars. The materials used reflect the price fairly well. A D2-steel blade running on ball bearings and G10 handle with a steel frame equipped with a liner lock in the same material. But the lock is well made and the G10 sides likewise. The latter is shaped and contoured and all edges and corners are rounded and smooth as they should.
If you do not like this look, the knife is also available with a bright red handle and black blade for those who prefer more color.
Avior, a knife that offers an excellent flipper mechanism and a solid build
The knife is part of what Steel Will calls their "Urban Series", ie knives intended primarily for EDC use. This is something that I am inclined to agree with as I do not think the Avior is the best company in the forest despite a sturdy format. The handle is well shaped and capable provided you like to hold knives in saber grip only and stay away from whittling. Also, knives with D2 blades and ball bearings aren't exactly ideal as hunting or fishing knives either.
For everyday chores for city dwellers or those who need a knife at work, however, Avior is not bad at all. It is easy to pull and open and easy to put away again and the blade is more than competent for various tasks. So if that is what you are looking for and like this curvy aesthetic, Avior is definitely an alternative.
For everyday chores for city dwellers or those who need a knife at work, however, Avior is not bad at all. It is easy to pull and open and easy to put away again and the blade is more than competent for various tasks. So if that is what you are looking for and like this curvy aesthetic, Avior is definitely an alternative.
Specification:
Length Overall: 209 mm
Length Folded: 120 mm
Weight: 127 g
Blade Length: 89 mm
Blade Thickness: 3,5 mm
Blade Steel: D2
Handle: G10
Lock: Liner lock
Produced by: Steel Will, made in China.
/ John
* And the name of an airline. Currently in any case. Given the ongoing crisis, it may not be there soon.
* And the name of an airline. Currently in any case. Given the ongoing crisis, it may not be there soon.
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