I got my Tekut LK5050 ’Dapper’ today from DealeXtreme. ( manufacturer’s page )
It’s better quality than I expected, though not as good as a Sanrenmu.
The good:
- mirror-polished titanium nitride rainbow finish (pretty colors!)
- 7Cr17MoV HRC 58 steel (comparable to type 440A, better rust resistance than 8Cr13MoV)
- is light and thin and small (55mm blade, 137mm overall)
- the blade locks open tight, at least in the forward/backward rotation direction
- a detent keeps the blade securely closed; no matter how hard I shake it, it doesn’t budge
- came sharp, though not as sharp as my Sanrenmu blades… passed the paper and cardboard tests, but not with a totally smooth cut. I haven’t attempted to sharpen it yet.
- the colors are darker than they look in DX’s pictures
- low price
The bad:
- has a minor color blemish on the carabiner clip
- the blade can wiggle a bit side to side
- the frame lock only engages about 40%
- the blade is slightly off-center when closed — at about the one-third mark between the frame pieces, instead of at exactly half
- with mirror finish and no grippy elements, it’s a bit slippery
The ugly:
- Mirror finish is very difficult to keep clean; it shows finger oils very easily, and even shipped with someone else’s finger oil on it. Just a cosmetic thing, but it’s a bit “ugly” in a cosmetic sense.
Other notes:
- It’s smaller than I expected… but then, I didn’t look as closely at the specs as I thought. It’s now my smallest knife. The size and color help make it look non-threatening though.
- DX took forever to get it to me, and they tried to cancel my order at one point.
- I’m not yet sure if the rainbow finish can withstand life on a keychain… I’m kind of scared to try it because I don’t want to ruin the pretty colors.
Now I just have to decide whether to keep carrying my black SRM 733 or switch to this LK5050.
Edit 2013-03-05: I finally removed the thumb studs and I’m much happier with this knife now. I had to hold a soldering iron on the studs for a while to melt the glue, and then was able to just barely turn the studs with needle-nosed pliers. The studs got pretty scratched up in the process, but that’s okay. The finish on the knife itself is still perfect. I’ve been carrying this on my keychain since I got it and it doesn’t have any noticeable scratches (though the mirror finish does pick up fingerprints easily). It’s small, it’s pretty, and it’s non-threatening, so it’s a nice keychain knife.
Edit 2013-05-02: After about three months of carrying this on my keychain, it’s starting to show some wear on the finish. Mostly, the corners and edges are starting to wear off, and there are a few shallow scratches visible when shining a light at it (like what can be seen in the finish of most cars). However, I also keep a diamond-coated file on my keychain… so YMMV.
I think I’m going to order a few more, as gifts and possibly as replacements in case this one ever wears too far.
Edit 2014-01-28: I’ve been carrying this on my key chain for nearly a year now (wow, has it been that long?), and it’s still sharp and pretty and nearly everyone who sees it wants one. Fortunately, I bought a bunch to give as gifts, so when they express an interest I can usually give them one. Color varies from unit to unit though. The off-center blade is now more off-center, all the way to the side as far as it can go, but that doesn’t seem to affect anything. The blade lock actually works better now than it did when it was new. Most of the corners and edges have lost enough coating to show the bare metal, but the large smooth areas are still quite colorful and the wear isn’t obvious. The knife has microscopic scratches all over, but again, it’s hard to see unless looking for it with a bright light. Fingerprints are still more noticeable than any of the permanent wear. It’s holding up pretty well, overall, especially considering the amount of wear it gets from being on a heavy and scratchy keychain. I got a second one to use when this one gets too old, but it looks like that won’t happen for at least a few years. I haven’t even needed to sharpen it yet (though, to be fair, I normally use my Enlan EL-01 for heavy-duty tasks and use this item for relatively easy stuff).
Also, FastTech now sells this item and some other Tekut knives. Some of the others are rainbow-finished too.