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 So far, this is not happening at major trade shows in the United States or through lavish and perhaps outdated catalogs as most other manufacturers do.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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Knife Review QSP Locust

-  mixed impressions

It's time to introduce another knife from QSP. A brand that I discovered by accident and that quickly grown to be one of my favorites when it comes to Chinese newcomers on the cutlery scene. They offer a good mix of fine materials and quality to reasonable prices. 

This particular model is named Locust. A closer inspection of the handle reveals the inspiration behind that name. This is a big and sturdy knife that offers a slim Wharncliffe blade and a spacious handle. An EDC-knife that can do a little bit more. Despite the positives, the first time spent with this knife wasn't totally uncomplicated for me as you are going to find out. 

QSP 117-A Locust

I guess this model can be positioned somewhere in the middle of QSP's steadily growing catalog. The Locust isn't among the simplest of models but is not one of their most advanced knives either. They are normally upgraded with a notch better steel for instance. But Locust still offers more than able materials in combination with a functional blade that can be opened via a couple of different methods. To satisfy different tastes this knife kan be had in two color themes which both are equipped with milled titanium clips. This version has the designation "A" which means a brownish handle with a golden colored clip.

A knife with quite a striking appearance

Twitter version: QSP Locust, first it jumped in the wrong direction and thereafter flew straight in the knife collection and stayed!

Blade

One of the things that definitely sell this knife is the blade shape. That is if you are a fan of slim, slightly modified Wharncliffe blades that is. The modified part, in this case, is the edge that has a slight curve to it instead of being completely straight which the basic form dictates. The curve is too small to be called a belly but it's there.

Otherwise, the blade is characterized by being quite large. It measures almost a decimeter in length, more precise 98 millimeters. As said it's pretty slim with a height of three centimeters at its highest point but soon tapers to under two and a half centimeters in front of the "hump" and down towards the distinct tip. The stock thickness is 3,5 millimeters.

Almost a 100 millimeter slightly modified Wharncliffe blade at your service

Another striking feature is, of course, the two-toned finish. Toned is, by the way, an understatement, the blade actually has two colors with the flat parts being black and the grinds being satin. You can have opinions about that look and I have. That is, I like the contrast but at the same time, I'm not totally hooked on the black parts that can look a bit cheap in my eyes. But your taste may of course vary. 

The steel is VG10 and the finish a striking two-tone

The blade is made out of Japanese VG10 steel. A capable middle of the road steel that I personally appreciate because it usually is easy to sharpen and takes a keen edge. It is especially good in kitchen knives where it often is hardened to around 60HRC or even slightly higher for optimal performance. In folding knives, it is often kept way softer which reduces edge holding. Probably that is done to achieve greater toughness but it doesn't maximize the performance of this steel. What hardness this particular blade has I'm not aware of. Somewhere around 57-59, I would guess by how it feels to strop and hone.

The blade is almost full-flat ground and the shoulders between the grind and flat sides are kind of diffuse so the blades behave like an FFG blade. The tip is pronounced and good. Sharp without being too thin.

As a user knife, the Locust is really likable. The tip does what it's supposed to, that is, penetrate stuff. It is also sturdy enough to not break. The almost straight edge gives a lot of cutting ability. As per usual it could have been slightly thinner behind the edge but at the same time, the blade feels robust. Something I exploited by attacking poor innocent pieces of wood. And in wood, the Locust actually works alright given the format of the blade. The handle is wide enough to support the hand when you put some force behind the cuts. That is especially true for the area around your little finger.

Consequently, other less tough materials such as plastic and cardboard, constitute no problems. All in all the knife gets a pass from me regarding the practical aspects.  

Handle

Locust has a big and hearty handle. It easily accommodates my hand and then some. That means that even the ones with gorilla hands or gloved ditto have enough space. The length of the gripping surface behind the flipper/finger guard is eleven centimeters and of course even more on the back of the handle. The width is 1,5 centimeters which makes the knife more comfortable in use. The more area of contact the better from this point of view.

The overall lines are, as can be seen rather simplistic with an almost straight back with a slight downward slope at the end accompanied by a finger choil and back that swells a bit to fill the hand better. The shape is enhanced with a pattern that also contributed to the name of the knife I guess. 

Rounded corners make for a comfortable handle

The sides made out of "Flax" is vaulted and as can be seen, 
the knife has an open back construction

Like most of the knives I handled coming from QSP the Locust is well made. The foundation is a weight relieved steel frame. The liners are screwed together from both sides via standoffs which gives an open-back construction.

I might add that removing material from folding knife frames isn't all about weight. It also affects balance and thereby how the knife feels in hand which is perhaps more important than the exact number in ounces or grams. The point of balance can be found a tad behind the pivot just at the finger choil.

The frame is well rounded off and sanded as it should be and there are no signs of machining marks or other negligence in production. The knife was easy enough to dismantle and put together again. The screw heads could be one size bigger in my opinion. You find T6 for the clip and sides and T8 for the pivot. But the quality of them is good enough not to cause any problems, at least not thus far. 

The frame is heavily milled out which not only lightens the knife but 
also improves balance

Locust has a special handle material. Or rather it has a unique name, it is called Flax. If I'm not mistaken it's a variety of linen Micarta. But since Micarta is trademarked manufacturers of similar materials have to chose other names for their products. But Flax feels and behaves the same way Micarta does. That is soft to the touch and it changes temperature rather quickly. That is a big plus if you live on the latitude I do. Flax doesn't feel as cold as a metal for instance. The material has pores like wood and therefore it gets patina and ages. Moisture and oils from hands and surroundings darken it and the color changes after a while.

The surface also contributes to some friction even if it's nowhere close to something like course G10. But the friction is increased by adding some vertical cut-outs in the sides. Some support is also coming from the grooves on the discreet thumb ramp.

Overall it can be said that I like this handle. The length makes it easy to grip. When holding the knife in saber grip as an example the divot at the back of the handle nicely follows the contour of the hand.

The handle is spacious enough to accommodate most hand sizes

And in the hammer grip, the handle is long enough that the end is sticking out on the other end and not poking the palm of your hand while working. There is a slight pressure from the flipper if you grip the handle close to the blade. A rather common problem associated with flipper knives. But the length of the handle makes it easy to adjust the grip and thereby avoid that problem altogether.

Opening and lock

Locust is mainly a flipper knife which the small shark fin at the back reveals. The flipper tab is quite unobtrusive, it's small and painted black. The knife can be opened both by using a push-button or a light switch motion.

And now this part of the review is going to be very much of a BEFORE and AFTER sort of affair. This particular specimen of the Locust, unfortunately, suffered from the same problem as the first run of this model and that was a weak lock bar pressure. It causes a couple of issues.

First of all the knife wasn't the fastest to open. That is the result of a combination of a large blade, a small flipper tab, and a rather weak detent. That actually made it possible to entirely miss the opening of the blade if you weren't careful and "preloaded" your finger. To be honest the detent was so weak that it gave this knife a third opening method. A faster way to open the knife than the flipper actually. Just a quick flick of the wrist and the blade came flying out.

So it became a gravity knife by accident. Besides safety issues that feature can cause problems in some jurisdictions. I happen to know that such knives are forbidden in Australia for instance.

The positive about the weak detent was that the knife easily could be open using the hole in the blade. I must say though that the resistance wasn't so weak that there was a risk of the knife opening in the pocket. Therefore I was never afraid of being bitten by the Locust.

The flipper tab is discreet, both small and painted black

The knife is equipped with a liner lock in steel. And that presents problem number two. The first generation of this model had some issues with very early lock-up on some knives. So early that there was a significant risk of lock slip. The problem was addressed in version two but unfortunately not entirely solved. The lock does engage and better than the first one but still not sufficient. A lighter smack with the palm of the hand at the blade spine closes the knife. We are not talking "spine whacking" here where you torture a folding knife by repeatedly beat the blade from the wrong direction against a hard surface. No, the knife could be closed without releasing the lock bar. To put it mildly, the lock slip problem was still present.

The somewhat notorious lock after adjustment

Well, what to do? For me, the plan was simple. Firstly I took the knife apart, bent the lock bar to increase the tension and put it back together again. The procedure is rather straight forward and since the lock bar is made out of steel and not titanium you can bend and rebend if necessary without causing andy complications. By the way, the knife is easy to disassemble and reassemble.

Step two was to contact the company and tell them about the problems. But more of that later. I can reveal as much that the response was very good and the whole deal became a positive experience in the end.

But this "surgery" on the small creature solved all the aforementioned problems, at least for this specimen. So far so good.

The knife now opens more reliable due to the snappier detent. The lock-up is secure and not even mild spine whacking causes the lock bar to slip even the slightest. The lock suddenly feels secure and I haven't experienced any problems after tweaking the knife.

The only drawback that remains is that this lock isn't the easiest to release from the beginning and that is slightly less so now with the increased lock bar tension. The space for getting to the lock bar isn't huge. There is a chamfer on the lock-bar itself but no cut out in the handle.

And there is no way you can wrist flick this knife open anymore. That is mostly a positive thing. 

To Carry

This knife is quite large in a pocket. If you are going to carry an almost four-inch long blade stuffed in a somewhat comfortable handle you have to pay something in return. In this case, the slightly odd currency is called "pocket estate". Locust demands its space and at the bottom awaits a little but small "pocket terrorist" in the shape of a shark fin at the back. But that is the "VAT" for the price of using flipper knives if I put it that way. You have to deal with what Mr. Shabazz refers to as "pocket peckers".

The clip is good looking and matches the knife, however...

Locust has a good looking milled titanium clip that matches the handle in color tone. The other version of this knife has a blue anodized clip and here it some sort of gold/champagne-like nuance. Both clips work decently. But they are certainly no masterpieces. The low ramp demands some real pushing before getting the knife in place. Especially if you wear thicker pants like jeans. The space beneath the clip is minuscule too. To pull the knife is easier since there is quite a lot of handle to grab on to**. Flax isn't as coarse as G10 either som the knife glides smoothly out of pocket.

...the function leaves some things to be desired. Space underneath
and the lip is a bit too tight

This clip shows plenty of knife sticking up when in place. The reason can be found in the distinct shape of the handle in conjunction with the need for somewhere to anchor the clip. I have difficulties to see that it could have been solved in another way with this particular design. For the same reason, QSP has skipped the lanyard hole in this model. Something I thankful for and that could have caused even more problems with the placement of the clip. 

To Conclude

This became the knife that was tested several times. Or shall  I say in turns rather? Firstly there was the original version that had those unfortunate problems described above. Besides having av crazy early lock-up the clip wasn't entirely fixed but moved a bit sideways despite the screws being tightened to the max. The latter is not present at all in the second knife by the way. On that version, the lock also engaged later and a bit more secure but the problem with lock slip remained. So the second run of testings had its ups and downs as well.  

Locust is a good larger size EDC-knife

To deal with that problem I tweaked the knife myself by bending the lock bar. That makes for a snappier action by increasing the pressure from the detent ball but most of all the lock bar engages way more secure. The operation was a success, to say the least. None of the aforementioned problems remains and my knives work as they should. QSP took the problems seriously and temporarily stopped the sales of this model and another. I, therefore, have full confidence in saying that I think that the new knives coming out late in November will be free of these kinds of problems. Especially since all other QSP knives I have are problem-free regarding locks and action. It goes for knives in as different price categories as the Parrot and the Mamba for instance. Both have excellent representations of a liner lock in steel.  

It's the blade shape that sells the Locust. A knife for the ones who like slender Wharncliffes

What can be said about the tweaked version of the Locust then? Well, the basic design is really good. Personally, I prefer a somewhat more stout blade when it comes to Wharncliffes but that can be found on other QSP knives and that is, therefore, something I will discuss on another occasion. As it happens I'm testing such a knife for the moment. But for those who like a more slender look, this knife is a competitor.

The action is after treatment not only decent but actually quite good. Some well-placed grooves on the flipper give traction and the blade opens with authority for being as substantial as it is. And that is something you should be aware of. Locust is a rather big knife and nothing for the ones looking for a small knife to cut apples with. More a knife for those who like eating watermelons during there lunch break at work.

On the positive side, the knife is besides having very harmonic lines, quite practical. The slightly curved edge cuts better against flat surfaces than completely straight ones even if the flipper, of course, gets a bit in the way. The pointy appearance of the blade is also both very useful and adds to the overall appearance.

Another thing this knife has going for it is the handle. It is both comfortable and stands out in a crowd by looking a bit unique. The knife justifies its name! It is a locust and it jumped into my collection where it stays for now.

Specification:

Length Open: 8.75" (222 mm)

Length Folded: 4.875" (124 mm)

Weight: 4.1 oz (115 g)

Blade Length: 3.875" (98 mm)

Blade Thickness: 3,5 mm

Blade Steel: VG10

Handle: FLAX on a steel frame

Lock: Liner lock

Produced by: QSP, made in China.

/ J - the hobby entomologist

* I was in contact with the company and they let me know that sales of this model and the Pelican are stopped until further notice. They also said that there will be a new and improved version in November.   

** Even if I personally do think that is a non-issue with the right technique. You don't need a lot of knife sticking out to pull it. You just stick your thumb in the pocket instead, problems solved with ALL knives.

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