The Peña Knives X-Series Bravo Pocketknife: The Full Nick Shabazz Review

Today, we'll take a look at a knife which is quite attractive, and quite good to boot, the Peña Knives X-Series Bravo Pocketknife.

[@3414mercury]

Thanks Nick! Mine came today and I am amazed at the quality. I’m 65+ and never paid over $75 dollars for a pocket knife, so I’m probably easily impressed, but wow!. I started watching your channel for your watch reviews, now knives. Thank you again for helping me pick a gem on my first quality knife.

[@bw5260]

I love that blade shape, length, and material. And those copper accents look so cool too. I kind of like the look of the pocket clip, but I will always prefer a true deep cary for practicality reasons. But alas, the price is way beyond what I can justify paying. At the end of the day, I can get more of the things I love in a much cheaper knife - I just may have to sacrifice blade material quality and things like the cool copper accents.

[@anthonyperna2034]

I met Enrique when he was just stating out. In fact I have 5 of his customs knives, including his first sow belly model. His work in on par with the great Bill Ruple and some of the other top tier makers. Your assessment seems more of a "personal design" choice rather than flaws in the fit and finish. I do agree on your observation regarding the choil and the lock bar accessibility issue.

[@brianjohnson3743]

I’ve had a few Reates with micarta, and they’ve all been really nice quality.

[@TheStreamingEnderman]

Great review, Nick. BRAVO.

[@bobb.9917]

Nick…I think that you "may" have the black micarta version? The green is much lighter in color… I have one coming in black micarta, as Peña just dropped them TODAY! Thanks for the usual thorough review!

[@azraelsblade]

WE Saakshi did the Ti liner with steel insert last year

[@GuillotineStare]

It really is a rare beauty. There are alot of good looking knifes. This one is special!

[@domeromer]

love the looks of that. Thanks for the video

[@pmreality9046]

This or spydiechef I’m torn and love the looks of both it’s my one knife for the year here.

[@andyprice4696]

Balance actually looked good to me. Just a finger behind the pivot. You want the knife not to fall out of your hand if you loosen your grip slightly. I do agree about the choil and I have a couple reate made knives with that problem. They also leave some thickness in that area where you can’t sharpen it yourself easily. That needs to be fixed going forward.

[@PeperazziTube]

For most of the X-series, the Civivi deep carry clips fit very nicely. Might fit this one as well.

[@nicerknifes9465]

7:34 Green? What is green on that knife

[@imsteevin]

Reates hollow grinds are so good too, the Bowie blade pena x Barlow is phenomenal.

[@Schnoizl]

try the kizer mini roach, best slicing hollow ground blade i've ever cut with

[@eyeofthetiger4184]

G'day Nick, he's a very good designer this bloke, dont think I've seen anything of his, that at a minimum, I didn't at least like, and a few that are quite outstanding. I am with ya on the lock bar access and sharpening choil on this one though; both could easily be rectified "in factory". Incidentally, I would have gone with matching copper thumb studs, or alternatively, all brass accents. Cheers Duke.

[@tenshinseishin]

Love this knife. If i want a deep carry then i would have thought about that. Well made and great performance. Waiting for the perfect NS knife design.

[@Nkdc333]

Pretty sure the Vero Axon did the same thing with the liner lock with a lock bar insert. This reminds me a lot of the axon, although it’s a fairly different design.

[@felixbelanger2659]

14:00 Given that it's an "almost" finger choil couldn't it be a decision so that you're less likely to cut yourself when you choke up? I don't think it makes any difference to have these few thous of sharpened blade... I get that it's a OCD kinda thing, but perhaps they see it at as a feature

[@YanDoroshenko]

It actually does. If you're trying to cut into something with the entire length of the blade that has these unsharpened places feels terrible, the blade just abruptly stops cutting and starts ripping in a very unpleasant manner.

[@kevola5739]

Easier to sharpen when the grind extends to the choil. A finger choil and sharpening choil serve two different purposes. I see the advantages of both but functionally there should be no reason to interfere with the sharpening if there is no room for a finger choil. My big fat fingers have argued this to the point that I have conceded.

[@JerryLoffelbein]

I'm sure it's quite well made, but for the life of me, it just looks like most of the generic stuff you'd find on Amazon if you search for "micarta knife" in the $30-40 range. It's a bit more upscale with the M390, contoured scales and Ti liners though.

[@giantfatberg]

You’re right. The Chinese are making them as well as anyone else a lot of times. I got a Katsu brand knife that is as flawless as I have received. They are selling decent OTFs on there for 10% the price of a Microtech. I have one of each. The snobbery in the community bothers me. For a poor sap growing up I dreamed of a Benchmade and finally got one. Many snub their noses at production knives because they are not good enough for them. These knives are beautiful as you said but the high of acquiring one doesn’t last long and you’re looking for the next. Sorry I didn’t mean to vent. Point is you made a good comment

[@mihaimusa6427]

We Saakshi is a tytanium liner lock that has a steel insert since forever ( almost an year ago ) ! No biggie there

[@jpf5920]

My 2 cents (from disassembly): Bad: shallow screw heads. Good: liner screws look like they go into barrels & not the copper.

[@charlesard8639]

The liners must be titanium then I am guessing? Nice review

[@Tim_Bushy]

Pena just dropped the Bravo on his site! Go grab them while they are available!

[@matthuck378]

Not lefty friendly, and about double the cost of what it should be. Reminds me of Demko.

[@GuillotineStare]

awesome

[@timothyoakhart8860]

These were super limited in number and sold out really quickly

[@agoodun]

Damn. Very cool 😎

[@georgesmith3325]

2 1/2 inches? Where did you learn to read a ruler?

[@NickShabazz]

Same place I learned to talk.

[@clintonlewis1261]

I would prefer a clip point version,and of course a little cheaper.

[@IlliniDog01]

I dislike the same things that you dislike with this knife. I supposed that is why I frequent your channel. I want to love it, but it probably isn't for me. Thanks for the review.

[@veraxis9961]

Blade shape seems nice were it not so thick and slabby, but the rest of it is meh. I don't see what this is bringing, and especially not at this price point for me. It reads like a Kizer Begleiter crossed with a QSP penguin and quadrupled in price.

[@somewhere-else]

very handsome, but i almost wish the scales were just a liiiiiitle less contoured maybe. the front looks so sharp and the back so blobby.

[@jonathanwatson268]

Last year I would have 100% bought this. This year I think it's nice, but not what I'm after at the moment.

[@WilliamWallis]

Mr Peña, take my money.

[@bennyc409]

Vero vibes

[@tungoyum1884]

You should review the Reddit Poop Knife

[@Schnoizl]

kizer gives you equally nice micarta on $70 knives

[@ThisParticularJones]

What’s the good, the great, the bad and the ugly about, ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’?

[@imsteevin]

But what if it WAS huge 🤔

[@kh1188ish]

Looks like a vero

[@Abby_Normal_1969]

Wow. Gives me a Mula vibe, like a sheepy Mula.

[@davidmarshall7752]

I will march right on past. Too large, too thick, too workman-like.

[@Coffreek]

Some of us like some thickness.

[@albertchen7603]

If Pena is selling this on his site (not directly from Reate to retailers), you would think that he would have caught the issue at the sharpening choil during QC? For 275 it shouldn't have shipped like this.

[@skylamartinez6426]

Put that on a shirt Nick, “every dog deserves pockets”. I’d wear the crap out of that shirt.

[@SiliconDrifter]

Looks like a QSP pelican a fraction of the price

[@mancaveedc7596]

Plunge grind

[@johnblackmon4005]

That's a Modified sheepfoot love pretty knife nick.

[@brianjohnson3743]

“Paw-kets”...eh eh

[@FeelsLike84]

Chyna lol

[@tincansailor9437]

This is crying out to be a hollow grind.

[@Wzrd100]

First

[@hcookaustin]

As long as he continues to ignore left-handed carry folks, I will continue to keep my money in my pocket. It's a shame, because aside from his disrespect of lefties, I love his designs.

[@Thexeroxed43]

... please tell me you are trying to make a joke...

[@kevola5739]

I feel your pain. Beautiful knife. The shallow screws are disappointing. Not finishing the blade sharpening all the way to the sharpening choil is just plain sloppy. These issues all seem relatively easy to fix but seem to be repeated in his designs. Keeping my money in my pocket as well until I find another maker who gives a dam.

[@kerryrwac]

order a custom left handed one.

[@hazardousmatter2]

Even as a right-hander, I prefer pocket clips to be right side, tip up.

[@giantfatberg]

I just learned that Nick Shabbaz is the Thomas Pynchon of the knives/gadgets/edc community