Knife Review - Two Sun TS204 Bronc

- Bronc, an elegant brute

Two Sun is an interesting brand in that they have chosen their own path when it comes to how to launch new knife models. So far, this is not happening at major trade shows in the United States or through lavish and perhaps outdated catalogs as most other manufacturers do. Instead, they drop knife models in what appears to be a never-ending stream and this is done by them suddenly appearing via either eBay and nowadays also on Amazon and at a few retailers. I actually do not know how many models they have released at this point, but if you believe the numbering, it is over two hundred.

Another feature of the brand is that they kind of make limited editions of every model. That is, they make a knife for a while and then they disappear whether they are a success or not. This makes it difficult to get hold of older knives. Sometimes they reappear at a later time in simplified editions with G10 handles and D2 blades where the originals more often have more exclusive materials.

Today's review item, however, can not be upgraded much more than it already is. Two Sun TS204 Bronc offers a frame in titanium, ceramic detent ball and bearings, and a handle in polished G10 with bolsters in carbon fiber and a blade in CPM S90V.

Two Sun TS204 Bronc

Characteristic of Two Sun is also that the earlier models often lacked a name. They only had a designation, "TS" followed by a number. Sometimes it happened that a knife was named but usually not. Nowadays it is more common. This model stands out in that it was named after a Youtuber named Love Them Knives or LTK. I guess that Two Sun got tired of his nagging in video after video that it was not possible to remember all the numbers. Although I must admit that I agree with him about that.

Responsible for the design is a familiar name in that he collaborated with Two Sun on several occasions before. It's, of course, Tepe Designs. This time he has teamed up with another gentleman named Matt Szymanski to create these brutally elegant lines. Considering that the handles overall appearance is quite similar to an older Two Sun model by Tepe called Shockwave, I suspect that it is the blade that Mr. Szymanski has been most involved in.

Bronc is a knife featuring a distinct Wharncliffe blade and a rounded butt

Twitter version: Two Sun Bronc, a luxury chubby with a striking Wharncliffe blade

Blade

The blade of this knife is a proper Wharncliffe. It is neither modified nor apologizes for itself if you put it that way. The lines are bold and the blade measures 79 mm in length, is 31 mm high with a thickness of 3.6 mm.

The finish is a well made semi-glossy satin that I appreciate even though I must say it is very difficult to photograph.

The knife blade is also very clean with Two Sun's logo in a very discreet format on the presentation side and designer logos and steel type on the other. One detail that is well worth mentioning is how well made the sharpening choil is. As can be seen in the pictures it extends beyond the plunge line. The back of the blade has also been machined and is beveled and rounded. Not a place for fire steels but for the thumb, so to speak. 

The blade is non modified Wharncliffe made out of CPM S90V

As it happens, the factory edge is approaching perfection. Perhaps it's because the shape, a straight line, is easy to grind. But it is also even in height, centered and lacks facets. It's also damn sharp! This also applies to the tip of the blade, which is almost needle-like. Maybe even a little sensitive but as I said very pointed.

The blade steel is very capable as it is American Crucible's powder steel CPM S90V. It does not have many disadvantages except that it can be extremely tough to work with. You should have good (diamond) stones and plenty of time at your disposal when sharpening it. A tip is not to let the blade get too dull but instead maintaining it with honing rods or even better, a strop. Then it lasts a very long time for everyday use. If you need to reprofile these blades, I almost recommend that you leave it to a professional unless you are very skilled.

The blade is flat ground to almost its entire height and it is thin behind the edge, which makes this knife a real cutting machine.

The blade thins considerably, which gives a low secondary edge bevel

Of course, such a pronounced blade shape gives the properties one can expect. The edge is straight and exemplary and that means that you have a "Stanley knife in deluxe package". The only difference is that here you have a longer edge, a better tip, and steel that will keep its sharpness for a long time.

In combination with such a distinct tip, this knife is the nemesis for packaging of all sorts. That is, it handles everything from sticky-tape of different kinds via string and rope to cable ties with excellence. It also "kills" the cardboard that makes up the packages no matter if it is single- or double-walled. The sturdy handle really helps if you need to dig in and put some force behind the cuts.

Bronc also works well doing smaller chores like in a kitchen if needed. The blade is basically a small Santoku in shape. The fine tip helps to clean strawberries as well as remove a damaged seam without problems. Cutting bamboo sticks into flower sticks also worked just fine with this knife.

Overall, it can be said that this is a very competent knife. Of course, there are limitations given the blade shape. You can't do sweeping cuts because the tip bites gradually and most of the wear on such a blade ends up towards the tip.

Handle

The handle on the Bronc is at least as special as the blade. It successfully hides something in pictures taken in profile, namely how thick it is. You will be surprised the first time you get it in hand. This handle measures a full 16 mm in width. In addition to the visual impression, it naturally affects how it feels in the hand. It is one of the reasons why this is a very ergonomic knife.

The handle consists of sides with softly rounded G10 and bolsters of carbon fiber

The reason for the thickness can be found in how the knife is constructed. The frame is not countersunk into the sides. The material is white or rather two-tone polished G10. Contributing to both width and comfort is that they are 3D-machined and not flat. It gives a very comfortable feeling.

Besides, Two Sun has chosen to provide the knife with bolsters. They too in a very light material in the form of carbon fiber. In this case, moreover, very high-quality carbon fiber completely free of voids or scratches. Besides the adjustable pivot screw, they have been fastened with an additional screw-in size T8. Incidentally, it can be noted that all screws are of that dimension, which is grateful. This applies to both the G10 sides and the clip as well. A single bit or driver for disassembling the knife in other words. 

Bronc is a chubby, ie the handle measures 16 mm in width
The reason can be found in how the sides are screwed on the outside of the frame

That the frame on the Bronc is drilled or rather milled and that the handle is built of top-notch materials is what contributes to the second impression. The handle is not only thick it is light too! An unusual combination. The opposite of a Buck 110 you could say. The starting point is two pieces of titanium. They have been lightened to the point that the concept of "frame" in this case is very adequate. It most closely resembles a picture frame. The backspacer, like the frame, is also made of titanium by the way.

As is often the case with knives from Two Sun, the blade has an internal stop pin and ceramic bearings and detent ball.

In hand, the Bronc works really well in the most common grips

In hand, the knife is very comfortable. For some reason, the shape of the handle reminds me of a thick sausage. Well, somewhat more refined, but anyway. The back is slightly curved and the underside follows that curvature at the same time as the handle swells towards the rounded rear end. This in combination with the volume means that the handle fills the hand well.

With a grip area of 9.5 cm, it is also long enough to accommodate all fingers. The uncomplicated shape also means that all the grips you can possibly hold a knife in work. Possibly except for a sideways pinch grip. The thick handle is not beveled at the front and that in combination with a flipper tab does not make this knife ultimate for that particular hold.

The materials themselves do not provide any traction so those looking for super grippy knives can move on. But the grip is still good enough thanks to the size and shape of the handle and the fact that the flipper acts as finger guard and prevents you from slipping forward

Opening and Lock

Opening this knife is pure joy. The blade protrudes quickly no matter how you do it. As can be seen in the pictures, it is a flipper operated knife. The size of the flipper tab is rather tiny compared to the rest of the knife. But the combination of a well-tuned detent ball, good geometry and not to forget, ceramic ball bearings, makes this a knife with very good action. 

An excellent flipper tab in terms of both function and discretion, it is small

The flipper tab works no matter how you use it. You can both "light-switch" it or push downwards, it doesn't matter. Not even if the knife is held up and down or tilted in any way. The result is very consistent and trustworthy. The resonance from the almost hollow handle gives a high "twack" as a reward for your effort.

The liner lock reminds of a frame lock in construction

Once out, the blade is held in place by a liner lock in titanium. To prevent it from wearing out prematurely, it has been fitted with a combination of overtravel stop and lock bar reinforcement in steel. The lock-up is perfect. No play in any direction nor does the locking arm slide when you press on the back of the blade or even spine-whack it gently.

The lock is also exemplary easy to disengage. Access has been facilitated by a very small but still helpful depression on the opposite handle scale. The locking arm itself is also chamfered to provide a softer contact surface against the thumb. Also, there is a lot of space inside the frame which facilitates the operation. 

To Carry

Not entirely unexpectedly, the Bronc performs somewhat worse on this parameter. It is by no means bad, but you have to pay something for such a wide handle. The length is otherwise just under eleven centimeters and height including the flipper is at most 3.2 cm. The weight is, as said, not so dissuasive with only 114 grams for almost eight centimeters of knife-blade.

 A milled titanium clip that actually works. However, the screw sometimes needs to be tightened

In addition, the materials are accommodating. Of course, a soft handle with little friction against the hand gives just as little friction against fabrics. That contributes to makes this knife easy to pull out and put away. Polished G10 and carbon fiber that are rounded do not cause any problems either.

More resistance comes from the clip which is quite strong. Very good tension for being a milled titanium clip actually. It is attached with only one screw and it works reasonably well as a pocket is cut out in the side so that it does not move sideways. Despite this, there is a slight tendency towards wiggling if you don't really crank down on that screw. 

For being this type of clip, it hides a surprising amount of the knife

For being a milled clip, it allows the knife to sit quite deep in the pocket. Something I generally prefer. On the one hand, it is more discreet in public contexts, and on the other hand, it is safer and the risk of losing the gem is reduced. The color of the small part of the handle that is visible is not as discreet as I rarely or never wear white pants.

But it is the width of the handle that is the black sheep here. It makes Bronc, an admittedly light, but still a chunk in the pocket. You don't make a 1,6 cm thick pocket knife just disappear without a trace.

To Conclude

Bronc is a rather striking knife in terms of appearance. The blade is certainly not discreet with its distinctive straight edge paired with a pronounced tip. A rather aggressive Wharncliffe in other words. Besides, Two Sun has chosen to make the handle black and white in G10 and carbon fiber and provide the knife with an almost glowing red ring around the pivot as decoration. All in all, it gives a distinct and unique look.

Bronc is also a real chubby that gives the senses mixed signals. At first, it looks quite slim. Once in hand, it instead surprises by feeling and being much wider than you might think if you only saw it in pictures. The weight might also surprise you. Or rather how little it weighs. It is a very light knife for size and volume. This is of course partly due to the material choices as G10 and especially carbon fiber is light, as is titanium. But mostly it stems from the fact that the frame is extremely milled out.

The Bronc has its own looks, although the handle shape is recognizable from the Shockwave model to the left

You can tell that Two Sun has started listening to some things that they have been criticized for before. One of them is labeling. On this knife, for example, it is extremely discreet. The Two Sun logo can hardly be any smaller. On the opposite side, you certainly find both blade steel and double logos for the designers involved, but it is nicely done.

Another thing that is nicely done is the overall fit and finish on this knife. It is simply very well made. Besides, there are several examples of well-thought-out details such as that all edges are well chamfered and polished, that the locking bar is steel-reinforced, that the back of the blade is well rounded and that all external screws on the entire knife have the same dimension.

Two Sun Bronc, a somewhat brutal-looking yet elegant EDC knife

Apart from being a knife with its own appeal based on looks alone, it doesn't make a fool of itself as an EDC-knife either. The function is excellent with a comfortable handle and a capable blade. Also, it is made of very nice materials. You simply do not get so much better material, possibly more expensive. And speaking of price, this knife is currently around $ 169-179 on Amazon, but can with a little luck get cheaper at an eBay auction.

All in all, I can really recommend this knife provided you like your Warncliffes pointy and your handles chubby.

Specification:

Length Overall 184 mm

Length Folded: 105 mm

Weight: 114 g

Blade Length: 79 mm

Blade Thickness: 3,6 mm

Blade Steel: CPM S90V

Handle: G10/carbon fiber on a titanium frame

Lock: Liner lock

Produced by: Two Sun, made in China

/ J - bask in the sun

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