LAPG TBFK Review - S35vn for $35?

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-I filmed this video a couple of months ago just after hurricane Irma, which being so busy with cleanup here in Florida afterwords, I wound up forgetting to post this review, but here it is! Forgive the length and the aggressive tone of the video I just have a lot to say about this knife! It is an insane VALUE! Thanks for watching!

[@davidmathews2124]

Got the revised version. Black stonewashed. Stellar value. Feels good in hand. Action is great. At this point the knife is $40 then add shipping. Still WELL worth it. I’ve got Benchmade, Spyderco, yadda, yadda yadda...a fair number of Chinese stuff, including half a dozen Ruike which I love...and this one seems as good a anything.

[@rickjohnson4009]

I have the lapg tbfk love this flip folder it's my go to folder. Fantastic blade!

[@jmbwashi]

They are back in stock and are now tip up carry.

[@WarGrrl3]

Ok so the tip down issue has ben fixed, as far as the oversized thumb studs n flipper tab, my understanding is that it's for ease of opening w gloves on. Btw, that Ranen 2 is the FIRST Spyderco knife I've ever liked, let alone loved. I so agree w your choices.

[@chongrobertjones]

Good review. I’ve already got one and your review convinced me to get another.

[@trainingwolves7]

I just bought one. Thank you for your review! I just subscribed.

[@rangerjonoutdoors6429]

Thanks Keylan its a great value in the knife world! Not the most refined knife ever, but in my experience it has been a tank of a knife, dependable, and the blade just rocks. Hope you enjoy it and thanks for watching and the sub!

[@jwilliams5290]

Great review. I watched this one and the follow up video. I am new to EDC knives and tried to get this one around Thansgiving, but they were out of stock! After weeks of waiting, I ended up getting the Modus in D2. Great knife, but then after the first of the year, they had them in stock again! After getting it in hand, I couldn't agree more. I love it!!! Side note, my came tip up!!! Maybe that's why I couldn't order is because they were changing it. Love the satin finish and I put a good lansky edge on it. Been my carry know for 3 months and have gotten 5 friends carrying them as well. I ended up ordering the black one as well in case they quit making them. Again, I love the video!

[@ToxicityAssured]

Looks great for all the harsh exposure!

[@rangerjonoutdoors6429]

Toxicity, I agree! I paid $35 shipped so I have zero complaints even with the thumb studs being wonky. It's absolutely phenominal, provided you dont get a lemon. Rock on!

[@knifeguy1387]

The newer models have tip up carry so the thumb studs don’t get in the way

[@paddyspotatopeelers2154]

I cant believe that lapg its just mouth wateringly good.thanks for review enjoyed.atb paddy☺👍🍀

[@rangerjonoutdoors6429]

It really is a great knife for the money! I have no complaints with it for the price. The blade really is a shocker!

[@frederickj.7136]

I first saw this review while waiting for my own delayed order containing a TBFK to arrive. I'm very appreciative of your hard use testimonial, Ranger Jon, as it buoyed my confidence and sense of anticipation while waiting. I especially note the [salt] water exposure report, as I am a displaced-to-landlocked sea kayaker and small one design recreational sailor. This situation will be remedied! I am in FULL, enthusiastic agreement with every positive you mentioned about this knife. I, too, have the Ruike P801SF, and mine is as perfect right out the box as one of those can be in all particulars... but my TBFK is, if anything, "better", given sensible consideration to the different roles these will fill in my modest, practical new knife collection. I can only report honestly on MY sample, but as with the Ruike, mine is simply dead nuts perfect within its design parameters (and I am a semi-retired industrial designer from 1974...). In addition to the aforementioned, mine has dead-on centering, perfectly symmetrical FINE contour lines on the scales, both north & south from each scale's centerline and side to side. Seriously. Scales and liners align 100% as well, if not slightly better (zero perceptible gap at any visable scale, all round the perimeter), than on the new Sage 1 here... with which I am not getting along on fit-to-hand and ergos. I L-O-V-E my TBFK! On December 1, I had never flipped a blade or pushed a thumb stud. Despite having yet to pointedly lube the pivot -- I just "protected" some external surfaces with Ballestol... because, you know, I just had to fuss over my new toy -- I can flip this one at three 'speeds' and get frickin' lift off with the thumb stud. Geezus, I'm scaring myself! The knife just drops closed at any point south of the detent/resistance centerpoint with only one quick LIGHT shake. I am shocked. All this leaves me scratching my head to imagine what could work better in terms of the "fit and finish" you mention, apart from the painted liner aesthetic and their lack of machined weight reduction. I think that thinly painted liner look will be much liked by many (I note that yours have held up) since the "work knife" appearance kind of serves to relax inhibitions to getting down & dirty with this one without delay. I will probably clear and polish the liner perimeters in time, and I see no reason to think they will lack anything of a high end look at that point: the black interior is fine with me in an EDC sense; I might 'blue' the straight (not "hourglass") separator posts at some juncture, but I am very disinclined to open up anything at this point, so faultless is the manufacture, set-up, and operation right now. Whew... won the lottery, Jon! I just wanted folks to know how gobsmacking wonderful one of these things can get. Pete will probably not give a second copy of this one another chance (understandable), but man, I'd like to pay him a visit there in the Outback (ha, ha, ha) and just suggest, "Well, try THIS!". I don't mind the thumb studs -- I thought I would -- and note that there is nothing wrong proportionally with the studs' diameter, looked at head-on. Could one not Dremel away the decorative/ somewhat functional(?) capping "steps" (only) a whole lot easier than employing heroic attempts to remove the studs entirely... and solve the 'problem'? Anyway, I got this for "big knife" duties at my suburban home, opening/destroying boxes, and occasional around town backpack carry. I had no intention of pocket carrying a 4+ ounce folder day to day (except for the spiffy looking Ruike for "dress" at appropriately gauged fancier, or among-friends, social occasions). And here I am, grabbing this thing regularly for EDC in my 'winter' jeans pocket -- like you, love that long clip: tip down, no problem. I'd have never guessed(!) [Spyderco Urban Leaf K390; Native 5 LW; Ruike; LAPG; Opinel; Hultafors SK (fixed blade)... for reference/perspective]. Get one, folks. You can trust a ranger! Rockin' on, for sure...

[@rangerjonoutdoors6429]

Thanks for the in depth comment! This is the kind of stuff I've been wanting to see in the comments section! This knife really just shocked the hell out of me. Mine is still going VERY strong and locks up like an absolute tank. I can't beleive this knife was only $35 still to this day. No, it's not perfect, but man I'll tell ya I also find myself carrying it a lot more than even some of my really expensive knives haha!

[@frederickj.7136]

Thanks so much for the luv on this one and pinning it for a time, Ranger Jon. I was a little apprehensive after finding myself writing so much, so the 👍 meant a lot. There is little to say by way of an update -- a good thing! -- and I can only add that the thumb jimping, while very neatly machined, does lack for some grippiness (where my Spydercos can go too far the other way -- I love my new ZDP-189, 3.42 ounce Stetch 1-LW so much I'm looking into a bit of modding to fix a hot spot there and augment this swell knife's ergonomic utility). However, I also have to note that the ergos on the TBFK in my hand are so freakin' good [Shabazzism alert] that I wouldn't need to depend very often on hypothetically better jimping. I'd expect that someone could tune up the grip factor on that jimping pattern with a little bit of ambition and just simple tools, since it stands in such clean relief. I may try that in time. Don't come-a knockin' when knife dudes are rockin'!

[@barrylevitt1170]

If the thumb studs do have red lock tight the best way I have found to soften the lock tight is to place your knife on the car dashboard during a sunny day and leave it for 6 or 7 hours; be careful, the steel will get so hot it may burn you. Nice video. I would like to see a long term review of the steel will cutjack. Barry Levitt

[@rangerjonoutdoors6429]

Thanks for the tip Barry! I'll have to try that. In FL our dashboards get hot enough to fry a dang egg on em (well almost) so that could be just the ticket! I'm actually currently working on a full review of the Cutjack over the next couple of weeks so stay tuned its in the works! Thanks for watching as always!

[@frederickj.7136]

Barry, I have also (hypothetically) found that the best way to keep on rockin' -- as RJ might say -- with my collected guitars is to place a writhing redhead in a short white dress on the HOOD of a car (also hot) and shoot a video. Cars sure come in handy, don't they? Now all I need...

[@SteveKluver]

Thanks Jon. This was a good video to do. I know a lot of people who were wondering, how this one would hold up. There was a whole lot of buzz around this knife. Merry Christmas! if I don't talk to you again before then.

[@rangerjonoutdoors6429]

Thanks Steve! It's held up like a champ honestly. Blew me away. Total awesome value for high end blade steel at $35-40 bucks! Thanks for watching and merry belated xmas!

[@SteveKluver]

Thanks Jon. That's good to hear. Happy New Year!

[@RJ-vb7gh]

I pretty much love mine in blackwash and I'm thinking about getting another in satin.... The thumbstuds and the sharp edge on the scales sometimes catch my hand when reaching into my pocket... it's worse with tighter pants, but no major issue. On the up side, my other edc isn't a flipper, so I tend to use the thumbstuds on the TBFK without thinking about it about as much as I use the flipper... They may not be necessary, but they work perfectly. And if you are in a critical situation and you go to thumb flick the knife out of habit, you might be glad the studs are there. I might add that the blackwash version, has kind of a slick-sinister tactical profile and flicking it out in civilized society might make certain types uncomfortable... Deploying it slowly with the thumbstuds is likely to prevent those certain types from bolting off shrieking in terror... This may not be the case with the satin version.. Still best to have the option.

[@rangerjonoutdoors6429]

I thought the blackwash looked very good actually, I just had concerns with how durable the finish might be without having ever had handled one before.

[@Bwbravowhiskey]

It sure sharpens and holds an edge like s35

[@rangerjonoutdoors6429]

Yup. Exactly. Even if it's not S35, it performs exactly like it so hey, its all good to me. Rock on!

[@howardgreen9718]

Old Pete he’s a good egg but he’s a South Australian so give him some grace. With the thumb studs you could cut them off 5 min with a hax saw then sand them down. I would really love to see your opinion of the Polestar.

[@rangerjonoutdoors6429]

Yeah Howard! haha Pete seems like a great dude actually! I've thought about cutting them off, and I may get to that point one day, for now I'm still convinced they can just be taken off with conventional weapons. The Polestar is a GREAT knife! I Haven't done a review on one but I got one as a gift for my Step Father who is a construction foreman and he has literally beat the thing to hell and back. It just keeps trucking. I just tuned it up and put a proper edge back on it for him over Christmas Holidays actually. It looks like a war relic but its still sharp, and perfectly functional. It is basically a thinner, lighter, version of a Tenacious with BD1 steel and Bronze Washers. However the price point at $60ish dollars is a bit of a hold up for me. If you can find one at a deal for say $50 or less I'd say go for it, but I think The Byrd Raven 2 is actually a better value with better ergonomics when price comes into the mix. However the Byrd is Heavier, has teflon washers, and is slightly more bulky in the pocket so it really comes down to what matter to you and what is worth paying for in your eyes. The Polestar just sits so close to so many great options price wise inclusing any of the RUIKE knives which I will eventually get a review done on. They are insane knives for the prices they sell for and probably the BEST budget value knives I can think of currently on the market. Thanks as always for watching and the comments!

[@anything_knife_related5647]

They just made one big change to this knife and that's tip up carrry but got rid of the lanyard hole for the clip which is fine with me

[@cesarsanchez7720]

I have one of those knife lapg s35vn, I'm trying to sharpening 17 degrees with a Lansky stones, and I'm having a hard time to get to the 17 degrees that metal is so hard.

[@mhfisc]

Given they are the same price, would you buy the LAPG knife or a Kershaw Dividend M390?

[@TailSpin215]

Do a disassembly video!

[@Omniseed]

It looks ergonomically similar to the Benchmade 550, which isn't a bad thing at all.

[@travishawkins2336]

Ok so these thumb studs look like some i found on a mystery knife that i got from a garadge sale for 10$ but it said cpm 154 and i jumped on it either way in tareing it down i found out (3 days of strugling later) that it wast a thumb stud at all ......ever heard of a mosaic rivet? Ya me either

[@intenseaty2935]

Jon, were you able to remove the studs? I figure a Dremel would do the job just fine.

[@jmbwashi]

Fun video Jon. If you were to buy again would you get this satin one or the black wash blade version?

[@rangerjonoutdoors6429]

Howdy John, thanks for watching! I would have to say I try to stay away from cheaper black wash finishes just because they tend no to last when they are done cheaply. This is a great knife with a killer blade, but at the end of the day its still a "cheap" knife. I'd probably play it safe and stick with the plain satin for this particular knife. Rock on!

[@jmbwashi]

Ranger Jon Outdoors thanks

[@danielmason2674]

TBFK for the price no doubt. Closed lockup not great. Thumb studs regardless of your opinion destroy pant pockets and if they don't immediately get stuck they will definitely get stuck in the holes they eventually make. To clarify I love this knife and carry it daily. Gonna grind off those thumb studs though(You're not wrong it's like they are CNC machine onto the blade).

[@rangerjonoutdoors6429]

I haven't had any issues with the thumb studs getting caught up personally but I have seen plenty of folks where that is happening!

[@frederickj.7136]

Same here (rearmost edge of right side main pocket in jeans). I have other knives to carry in dress pants.

[@kb9oak749]

I have had one apart. The pivot looks iffy. Not sure what it's made of. Bearings are kind of cheap. Order Boca ceramic for 4 bucks.

[@polarweis]

I like your reviews! Why dont you carry a fixed blade at work?

[@rangerjonoutdoors6429]

No fixed blades are allowed at work, and i'd say they probably aren't needed. Most of the time if the job requires a tool bigger than a stout quality folder with good steel, then there is another tool present to get the job done. In my spare time though, I frequently carry a fixed blade in the field and when camping etc, thats always the obvious choice. Just not at work! Thanks for watching!

[@polarweis]

Ranger Jon Outdoors oke, got to abide to the rules:) im still in doubt if i will get the ionic knife for 65 bucks. Suchs a great deal but dont know if i really gone love it..

[@rangerjonoutdoors6429]

polarweis I would say if you like titanium, carbon fiber, good blade steel, flippers, and a nice light blade with a choil there’s no way you’d not like it!

[@richarda3764]

Great review. I'm thinking I'll just cut those thumb studs off and eliminate the only real problem I see.

[@GabrielMorales-sg4my]

i have a knife in s 30, one in 14c, another like 6 in 8cr and to me just looking objectively they all seem about the same, sure some hold an edge a little bit longer and some seem a little bit softer when sharpening on the wet stones but its not enough to know the difference between them, nobody on this planet would be able to assign steel the names to five different unmarked knifes, it just wouldn't happen, the main difference ive noticed in steels is that d2 and some other cheaper steels rust like a bitch and more expensive ones dont tend to get too rusty especially the salt series from spyderco, theyll never rust. ever. again just my personal opinion based off of objective observations

[@Bwbravowhiskey]

Have to agree with Cedric and Ada, the thumb studs are ‘tarded!

[@rangerjonoutdoors6429]

haha thats the best word for them! I do not like them and I am still trying to get them off! Pete usually nails things like that in his vids. Thanks for watching!

[@aaronark1909]

What’s with the smacking in between words?lol

[@rangerjonoutdoors6429]

Lol. I thought everyone loved smacking between words in youtube reviews?