Today I received the Navy K633S, serrated version of the Navy K33 from FastTech, and felt inclined to do a mini-review.
Here the two K633s are pictured alongside the Spyderco Byrd Cara Cara 2.
What are my impressions?
To start with these knives are quite large as pocket knives go, sharing the same 94mm/3.75” blade size as the Byrd Cara Cara 2. That makes them comfortable slicers, but perhaps not the most friendly size for non-knife people. The blades arrived sharp from the factory, capable of push cutting printer paper in the serrations.
The usability of the knife is quite good. The finger choil in the blade makes this an easy knife to choke up on, and is one of the things I prefer in the Byrd over the equally sized Spyderco Endura. The ergonomics do appear to be lifted from Spyderco’s knives, which should make it a very effective cutting tool.
The Navy knives, like the Byrd, are made with steel liners embedded in FRN handles. The golf ball pattern on the Navy FRN might not be quite as grippy as the bi-directionally moulded Byrd’s handles, but it is more rounded making it more comfortable for long term use. The sharp edges on the Byrd range are my only real complaint about those knives.
The pocket clip is functional, and identical to the Byrd’s. Indeed if we didn’t already know how good the Chinese are at reproductions I’d almost be inclined to believe the knives were made in the same factory. Perhaps there’s a production line stamping them out somewhere.
The blades are Navy’s 440C, which probably means they’re actually 8Cr13MoV, like the Byrd, and hopefully Navy have been improving the consistency of their heat treatment. I doubt I’ll put enough work on them to ever need resharpening. I have a lot of knives. The Navy is more pointed than the Byrd, with slightly less belly at the tip, but I’ve no doubt they’d cut just as well. The thumb hole opens the blade as easily as you’d expect, and it appears to ride on bronze washers.
Would I recommend them?
As long as you know what you’re getting, I would recommend these knives. They shamelessly borrow from Spyderco, but they put their own name on the blades so you know what they are. The serrated version, in my view, would fulfil a more “tactical” role if needed, while the plain edge is more utilitarian.
Factoring in postage for those of us who don’t live in the States, the Byrd can be twice the price of the Navy, and in the budget market price does matter. That said, the Byrd is extremely good value for money, and you do have the security of knowing Spyderco will replace it if there’s a factory defect. The Navy… not so much.
