Navy K-631 from exduct.com

EDC Gear for Flashlight Carriers
1

My new toy tool arrived today and as promised I'll give a short review.

Ordered 11-06-04, arrived today. That's pretty fast I'd say, so it hurts less that shipping is not free.

In summary: I like it. Recommended.

It came in a digi-camo nylon sachet:

631 1

Note to myself: don't use a SRM 962 to open packages when excited and not sure about the contents:

631 2

It has an IMO very useful size measuring 22.0 cm unfolded (12.2 cm closed):

631 3

The blade is 3 mm thick at the base and features a nice flat grind. Usable length differs not much from the longer Military:

631 5Ugh, ugly fingerprints. Not made in China I'm afraid...

The blade is not perfectly centered, but it does not touch the liners when opening neither with the right nor with the left hand:

631 a

Some fine scratches on the back of the knife (look post production) I don't mind because this knife will soon look much worse ;) Overall Finish and fitting is very good. The G10 scales are very slip-resistent yet not too rough - perfect.

631 bDon't know how to rotate pictures after uploading. You guys just tilt your heads a little bit ;)

Now here is why I took the Spyderco Military in: If you look at the thumb hole you can see that the grind of the Navy (mouse out) is symmetrical while the grind of the Spyderco isn't (mouse in). Also the machining inside the hole is finer in the Navy (no pun intended). It does not influence functionality so personally I don't mind, just a silent statement against generalisation.

631 vs Military

The blade of the K-631 has no sideplay when open and locked and the backlock is working properly.

The clip is not too hard, you can lift it easily with one finger. Still it holds the knife securely in your pocket/on your belt.

Since there has to be some Cons:

There is a little up-and down (radial?) bladeplay. Not so much that the blade moves visibly but you can feel it.

The edge was not very sharp on arrival.

Lanyard hole not countersunk.

I have only ordered one (Yes I know, I've said that before).

Conclusion: A very good knife for the price. If I had paid twice as much for it in a local shop I'd still have thought it's a bargain. If you don't mind the weight you should get one!

2

Nice review, been real curious on this one. Lets hope they make a smaller vs that is similar to the Delica with the FFG.

3

Cool. Thank you, Huny. I got my tracking number a few days ago and so it'll be a while until my K631 gets here. I'm really looking forward to trying it out.

The only thing I'm not too crazy about is the camo bags a lot of knives seem to come in recently (Navy knives in particular, but also a bunch of knock offs). I think I have about half a dozen by now. All of them reek of chemicals and the thing is, I simply have no use for them. Personally, I'd much rather just have a cardboard box.

4

Yeah, it really had an awful smell. Since I destroyed mine when opening the package I threw it in the garbage after removing the straps - they make nice lanyards.

5

That knife is a beauty. Can't wait to get mine. Thumbhole diameter is?

6

Thanks for the nice review. Good job! I have 2 of these in route along with a bunch of other knives. I really wanted a spydie military or police but also wanted a knife I wouldnt care so much about if I destroyed it. I didnt like the byrd designs so I bought these instead. They have excellent reviews everywhere online. I think the flat ground edge is something new to the k631. I'll let you know if mine have any play in the blade action when they arrive. For the money, you cant go wrong. These came back into stock about a week ago and I noticed that they already sold about half of them. From 350 units down to 175. Buy one now if you're even thinking about it, or you might have to wait months to buy another one once they are all gone.

The camo bags are a dumb idea when they could have supplied them in the older Navy holsters instead. I have 2 Navy holsters and about a dozen bags. A decent cheap holster is this one.

So far, all my large folding knives fit the Ganzo holster. Not bad for $1 each.

Im looking forward to my K631!

7

Very good review.

How does the SRM compare to the genuine Spyderco version?

Can you tell obviously that one is only $15 vs over $100, or is the gap in quality closer...

Thanks.

8

first , nice shots

i finally ordered this thing THE DAY AFTER you did ,nothing in my mailbox today - oh the torture ! i might even run home lunch

The fact you have it posted with the inspiration for it , very cool. you can see the subtle differences. i just hope the steel is decent

9

Vectrex: Being metric I guess the hole diameter is meant to be 1/2 inch wide (12.xx mm)

esrevenge: Sorry, which SRM did you mean? Regarding quality, the gap is very close. In the samples I have the quality of machining on the blades is higher in the Navy than in the Spyderco (see last picture), and the Spyderco cost nearly 20 times more than the Navy. Of course the Spyderco Military's steel is far more superior, but IMHO the Navy gives more satisfaction for the money and it is easier to use it as it's meant to be used, as a tool.

10

Very nice review and pics Huny!

11

My digital caliper says 13.8 mm... mine also has some scratches on the backlock spring and backlock groove (metal parts). Luckily mine has absolutely no bladeplay at all. That thing is longer than the EL01, but doesn't look and feel so massive due to the sleek design. Mine came with some grit in it, but nothing a swipe with a paper towel couldn't fix. Like it very much so far. If you like the design, get one.... the very similar Spyderco Miltitary 2 cost ~$85 BTW. I wonder if I should buy some more and sell them at the Bay to fund my new rather expensive hobby. ;-)

12

Nice review. I have one on order also. Can't wait to get it.

How is the backlock quality? Feels safe?

13

Very solid locking on mine, blade perfectly centred and no bladeplay. I like backlocks better than linerlocks, because they lock better and don't wear as much.

14

Vectrex: I thought the thumb hole in my sample measured less than 13 mm, but I'm not at home until sunday where the knife and my caliper are, so I assumed it to be 1/2". Will check again when home

Paranid: The backlock in my sample is working properly and feels very stable.

15

Anyone noticed the similarities between the byrd Cara Cara2 G-10 and the Navy K631 FFG ?

16

Well the steel of Byrd Cara 2 is 8Cr13MoV so it is probably made by SanRenMu in China :)

17

I think its the same knife. If the Byrd is made in China SRM already has the tools and machining all set-up so they just run a third shift...its pretty common, then they keep the extra knifes to resell...that is if they are the OEM, Ive heard that they are.

18

Very similar but not the same. Not just the thumb hole, but the very tip of the blade where the cutting edge meets the spine. The CC2's spine drops a bit to meet the tip. The K61's spine is straight. There are other differences too, such as the clip and the placement of the lanyard hole.

19

Mine arrived today, a little scruffy (grease, dirt). Otherwise feels OK, locks OK, blade is centered.

Huny74 already did an excellent job so I will just add some pictures.

K-631 and SRM 710

20

Damnit guys! Now I want one.