Guys, there are several knives I like from the Kubey catalog. This one that I present to you is the Kubey KU184. Here is the REVIEW.
Review: Kubey Ku184
Or saying you decided you don’t like beer because you already tried bud, coors, keystone and miller. 
My entire collection is manual flippers ( centered around flawless flipping action and light weight carry)
The kershaw atmos is still the best action/value flipper i have. Front flippers also have a cleaner look and no tab sticking out, well designed they are even more comfortable to open than flipper tab.
Most of my collection is We/civivi/reate
Assisted opening is usually pretty awkward to close one handed, unlike manual.
There definitely is an entry price for getting a decent manual flipper. Below $40, most will be garbage with some exceptions such as the Kershaw Atmos, Ruike P801, and a few others. The higher the price, the more likely the flipper is decent. As long as one does their homework and sticks with well-known brands known for their flipper (ie Zero Tolerance), the knife usually will not disappoint. Even with higher priced models, getting it from a source with good returns will ensure the option of swapping an example out in case there’s a dud. For anyone looking to get into (or back into) manual flippers, it definitely is worth trying ZTs in person at a dealer.
Why do you guys want to teach and convert someone to something that he clearly stated he doesn’t want or need?
Maybe there’s a reason he decided so, maybe he’s just stubborn, why do you care?
Not my problem, granted, but I’m a bit tired of the same thing when I ask for an opinion about a specific point and people try to tell that I was wrong at the beginning.
Kinda boring.
This is a forum, where topics are discussed and opinions are shared. I won’t speak for other commenters, but my input was not directed at anyone nor intended to “convert” them to any preference in knives. It was simply my observations that are hopefully useful to the next person who is browsing and may find the information to be of some value. Encouragement to keep an open mind has allowed me to enjoy many flashlights and knives alike, even on genres and form factors that I previously thought were not for me. If the information is not applicable to me, I simply click the back button and move on to the next topic.
Remember opinions are like anuses: everyone has one, some stink more than others. 
Hahaha…I hear you Adahn!!! 
Like I said, it’s kind of like a friend telling you they don’t like wine because they tried Thunderbird, Night Train, and Wild Irish Rose; or they don’t like comedies because they watched Disaster Movie, Scary Movie 5, and Leonard Part 6; or what jp9mm added about beer. In all of those cases, there is a whole world of goodness just waiting to be enjoyed. Knowing that joy firsthand, you want to share it. Seeing someone walk away without experiencing it, concluding that they know enough to dismiss it because they tried some pretty poor examples, is a tragedy.
That used to be more of an issue than it is today. There really has been a revolution in budget knives over the last few years. The list of consistently good actions below $40 has grown significantly. However, there can be other issues under $40. For instance, the Atmos has good action but 8Cr13Mov feels pretty subpar over $30. The Petrified Fish knives have good actions and nicely ground D2 blades but some of the G10 scale edges benefited from a little sanding/filing. (Speaking of that revolution, remember when G10 was a premium material?) Still, the list is growing. My pick for best action under $40 remains the Harnds Talisman.
Good actions do get more common over $40 but it's a short trip to quality town. There are a bunch of great manual flippers in the $40-60 range. Some, including examples from Civivi and Bestech, have actions on par with knives that cost twice as much (or more). For anyone who likes D2, some of the $52 Bestechs are truly exceptional and get even better with continued use.
Just bought more of these. Early prime day sale less 20%, free shipping not on amazon though, on their website.
Help a confused knife newbie out….
Is aus-8 ok for a occasionally used edc, or is d2 needed…? Have read aus8 can lose its edge just by being in the air, and d2 rusts, confused.
Not worried about putting a nice edge on aus 8, is d2 much harder to sharpen…?
AUS-8 would be perfectly fine for a moderately used EDC, but D2 has about twice the edge retention.
A lot of people recommend diamond stones for sharpening D2, which isn’t needed for AUS-8. If you plan to perform sharpening/stropping regularly and don’t plan to use it hardcore, AUS-8 is perfectly acceptable.
In my experience, if you keep D2 dry, you shouldn’t have any problems with rust. Just don’t store it wet.
Are you looking at a Rat 1 or 2?
AUS-8 is a decent ‘Gen. 1’ stainless steel which has been surpassed over time, much like ATS-34 and 154CM. Not bad to have, but those have been bettered through science.
Knowing what the knife will be taxed with, will help you decide what steel to seek out.
I have a lot of pimpy knives, such as a signed Pat Crawford Combat Tanto, Boker Lever Lock automatics, a Benchmade AFO auto, a Randall #1, just to name a few and to be honest, for the past 7 years, I’ve carried a Victorinox SwissChamp in a Zermatt leather holster and the lowly 420/440 is fine for what I need it to do.
I do a lot of ‘handyman’ crap and it’s a great tool IMO. Before that, it was a Leatherman SuperTool v.1 for a dozen years.
Chris
Thanks, its aus8 from Bladeops
Aus-8 is about the same level as 8cr13MoV or 440C in most terms.
It’s a lot about the heat treatment but imo even more about the blade shape.
Swiss army knives have a low value steel but a slim blade, so it’s all fine. Sharp when in need, easy to sharpen when needed.
I have a slim bladed knife in 8Cr13MoV that I wanted to gift (it has a bottle opener, perfect for a beer buddy) but now I use it myself.
A big chunk of steel like those 4mm blade stocks that were popular for a while, with a fat blade behind the cutting edge (often .8mm and more)
need a high sharpness at the cutting edge itself. A thin blade will glide through the material much better and won’t need this extreme sharpness.
AUS-8 is the easiest steel to sharpen, its a big bonus. Any decent steel is more than enough for casual use. SAK is very popular and they use no-name cheap steel.
There is a lot of mythology that gets repeated on the internet. For instance, that Chinese D2 will give twice the edge retention of AUS-8 or that AUS-8 is on par with 8Cr13Mov. Neither of those is usually true. However, the highlighted portion from Adahn is absolutely true. For instance, 440C can be a good EDC steel with a decent heat treatment or it can perform like 8Cr13Mov with a cheap heat treatment. Some steels seem more sensitive to this than others. For instance, I don't notice much difference in 8Cr13Mov between makers but I do with 9Cr18Mov.
In my experiences, AUS-8 is only similar to 8Cr13Mov in corrosion resistance. AUS-8 is almost always better than 8Cr13Mov in edge retention. Depending on the heat treatments, AUS-8 will sometimes rival Chinese D2 in edge retention. AUS-8 is definitely better than D2 for corrosion resistance. Personally, I prefer 12C27, 14C28N, and either Acuto 440 or 9Cr18Mov from a company that treats them well. Those steels offer decent edge retention and increasingly superior corrosion resistance (in the order listed).
When evaluating the performance of a given steel, the factory edge is not the best indicator. I actually wonder if that is part of the reason confusion persists about the edge retention of these steels. For those who sharpen, have you ever noticed your subsequent edges lasting longer than the factory edge? It might not just be the edge geometry. Apparently, factory grinding can heat up the steel along the edge and cause a little fatigue. If you are interested in this topic, check out Outpost 76 on YouTube. Here is his video comparing the Rat 1 in AUS-8 vs D2. The test results might be a surprise...
@chronovore The only AUS8 blade I own (I think) is the Ontario RAT 2.
I really like that knife but the steel (on mine) is getting dull like a freshly opened tin can.
My SRM 710 or 9306 in 8Cr behave much better. Still I’m with you, in budget steels my favourite is 14C28N.
My best D2 blade is on my workday edc knife, the Green Thorn Mouse 3, the clone of a Slysz custom knife.
If they made a legitimate production knife with the same specs I’d probably get another one, it’s just so perfect for my needs.
I use it everyday to cut up to 3mm vegetabaly tanned leather, 20mm EVA foam - or a thread at the sewing machine
For sharpening I clamp it at the edge of the table, mark the edge with a sharpie and file it with my appr. 600 grit diamond file.
When the burr occurs, I do the other side. Then stropping only to remove the burr.
This “toothy” edge lasts much longer than a mirror polish, in between I strop it or I use a diamond honing steel (maybe 1000 grit)
I only made the mistake once to sharpen it to a very acute angle, 20 deg per side or less, chips where what I got.
Back to something around 25 deg and it handles everything I’m throwing at it.
The small form factor (15cm open, 6cm blade) is also easier to control at heavy cutting, a big knife is only good for show or maybe for bloody stuff (I’m not a wilderness guy)
Thanks for all the help guys...
Watched that vid, guess blade steel is like most other things, hard to trust any claims till a trusted source proves it out.
Seems aus-8 can be a decent blade and possibly on par with d2, at least from certain companies anyhow. Maybe the company heat treat process is more important than the actual claimed steel composition in some cases. If claimed steel composition is even correct..?
Btw, is that guy in the video a trusted source.?
You are welcome. To summarize the important points: the type of steel certainly matters but so does the heat treatment and the blade geometry. Some companies do better than others. Edge retention can improve with sharpening and initial factory edges aren't always the best indicator of quality. Advertising and long-repeated internet opinions do not always match reality.
Yes, Outpost 76 is a trusted source. He does a good job controlling variables. For instance, he always tapes off a 1" section of blade. He always cuts the same sort of material. He puts the same sort of edge on what he tests. He always does a few sharpenings to get fresh steel and tests in between edges to ensure stable results. He's also been doing it for a while and demonstrates a good understanding of what he is doing. The results obviously speak to a specific type of edge on a specific type of medium but much like gel tests for ammo, the point is to create a standard medium for comparison. His results do seem consistent with my general experiences on the steels I know.
As far as trusting the steel stamp on a particular knife, most well-known brands can be trusted to use what they claim. There are a few bad companies out there like Fura and Eafengrow. Luckily, there are people doing independent testing to check. If you are curious about a brand, feel free to ask.
Does anyone have a EOS Prawn? Is it a decent knife? I have had one on my list for quite some time but have never ordered it. I am not big on watching Youtube reviews. I’d rather hear it from someone who actually has one and uses it.
Reviews depend on the reviewer. Some channels seem to showcase new product without being too critical. I prefer channels that use, carry, or test knives in preparation for a meaningful discussion.
I'd actually never heard of the EOS Prawn. I looked it up. It appears to be a discontinued product from Elite Outfitting Solutions. It looks like you can get different scale materials with prices ranging $100-200. It's made in the USA but that still feels expensive for D2. The blade seems a little chunky at 2.1" long and 0.15" thick. It's hard to rule something out without firsthand experience but stats like those would prevent me from gaining firsthand experience.