Smith & Wesson CK5TBS 7.4in High Carbon S.S. Folding Knife with a 3.2in Serrated Tanto Blade and Aluminum Handle for Outdoor, Tactical, Survival and EDC

I am not ordinarily a big fan of folding knives. Locking can break (linerlock), you need to fiddle with triggers and the spring can break (switchblade), why do I have to take so many movements to open this thing? (Butterfly). I am a bigger fan of fixed blades. However, as this is my first linerlock which I have pretty much just taken out of the box, I have a few opening thoughts.First reason I got it was the insanely low cost. $11 for a knife made by a generally reputable company is a steal. I have a few Gerbers that my father got while he was in the Army 20 or so years ago. When I decided to look around for a knife for me to carry where ever I go that has a little more substance than my keychain multitool, Gerber was the first place I looked. $200 for a knife? I don't have that kind of money and even if I did, why would I spend $200 on something I could get of similar quality at a much lower price? Besides, I was getting my first linerlock (Keep in mind I used to find these confusing. Only a year ago, I asked a person who showed me his "How do I close it?") and I wasn't about to splurge a lot of money on something that I wasn't sure I trusted but more money than a $5 knife from a company that has a bit of a sketchy reputation.The size is perfect for an everyday carry or any other use. Fits very well into the pocket for a blade that is that long.The lock seems sturdy and has absolutely no wiggle.The blade came out of the box satisfactorily sharp and the black modernized tanto blade gives it a good, sturdy design while looking (a very minimal requirement) slick.The screws that hold it together seem to have a bit of paint chipped off of them, though this hasn't been a problem so far.All in all, I am very happy with my purchase. Knife of good quality with a price that gives you the confidence to use it rather than leaving it in a sterile box, afraid to break it.I do have a question for knife buyers more experienced than I. When not using the knife (including carry), is it better to store it with the blade opened or closed?

I have been a Smith and Wesson knife fan since my first SWAT years ago. I since have owned multiple Smith and Wesson Knives and been happy with all of them (I get new ones just because I'm a bit of collector, not that they break).I use this knife as EDC (Every Day Carry) knife and it has been used regularly for the last 3 months. To begin, this knife is just plane slick looking. The crossed textured handle with circular cut-outs, black blade, serrated edge, and tanto style blade give this knife a great look. However I'd rather have an ugly effective tool than a beautiful worthless blade, luckily you get both with this knife. I don't want to go to far into specific details because this is a such a highly reviewed knife I'd simply be repeating details, so I'll try and just hit some high points that I like about it.* Blade fits my hand well* Well designed thumb stud makes for very easy one hand deployment* No issues with locking mechanism like some have had, am easily able to close with one hand as well* Clip is very well made* Blade holds a decent edge, like all knives it will become dull with daily use, but it has held a good edge for a long time* The price! I have more expensive blades but don't carry them, I'd much rather loose or break a $10 knife than a $50+ knife. Not that I think this knife will break any time soon, but my heart won't be broken if it does.Negatives* Poor jimping- Jimping refers to the notches cut into the back rear side of the blade for thumb control of the knife. If you look at some of the pictures you'll see it's almost level with the blade. It's not the worst jimping I've ever seen, but not the best either.*Minor Minor detail - I've always laughed at the names of S&W knives, SWAT, Special Ops, Homeland Security, and of course Extreme Ops. I feel like the names need to be said in a very dramatic action movie voice. It seems like the names add a level of novelty to a quality knife, but this doesn't really effect the knife one bit.Simple answer, need a pocket knife, this will get the job done!

I own a few S&W knives, including this one. All of them have been inexpensive and been used frequently and without issue. In general, this is a decent knife - for the price, a great knife. It operates smoothly, arrived sharp, and has been sharpened a few times now and takes a edge well.This is a good knife for general carry, in a jeans pocket or in a glove box for emergencies. While I probably wouldn't compare this to a spyderco or a benchmade knife, I have found it to very quite useful and durable, with a safe locking mechanism that has put up with use and abuse. While I am under no illusion that this knife will become a family treasure that will be handed down from generation to generation, I don't really believe that a $100+ knife would be more valuable to me - and I carry a knife most days, camp and spend time outdoors often, and open plenty of amazon shipments to my home with this knife. The knife opens easily, operation of the thumb stud for opening it and the lock mechanism is intuitive and works smoothly. The blade hasn't chipped or bent, and the construction overall seems pretty good.I am always amazed at the 1 star reviews on Amazon - probably the most entertaining ones to read - which call out design or materials issues that the reviewer has discovered that makes a product "completely useless", "trash", etc... I saw a few of those for this knife, with critical comparisons to $100+ knives. The fact of life is that you generally get what you pay for (or less), and this is a fair deal for a decent, useful knife that for regular people seems fine. If you are a soldier of fortune (or wannabe), perhaps investing more would make sense. I'm likely to lose this before it has any performance issues, and will feel better about the loss than if I spend a few hundred on it.Definitely recommended.