I’ve often said that we live in the golden age of EDC and field knives. There is an overwhelming variety of knives to choose from depending on your budget and needs. The nice thing is that there are a lot of great knives available for good prices. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to get a quality knife that you can depend on. The Eutektik series from Liong Mah is a great example of that.
Liong Mah started as a professional chef, so he has spent a lot of time working with knives to know what works, and what’s comfortable to use for long periods of time. He translated that knowledge over to EDC blades as well, and his designs are always sleek and practical. He makes some amazing folders, and most carry price tags in the $300 to $600 range. I understand that’s not a range everyone can spend on a daily EDC tool, or is willing to. I get it. If you’re reading this here on The Truth About Guns, you’re primarily a gun guy or gal, and those are getting up into gun prices! Liong Mah has folks like us covered, though, with his production Eutektik line of EDC folders. You get all of his design experience and expertise in a production folder made from great materials, at a very reasonable price. Let’s take a look at a couple models I’ve been working with for the past few months.
Eutektik EFD
If you look at the Eutektik EFD you can see that it shares a lot of design cues from Liong’s higher end offerings. The EFD brings the cost down through the use of less expensive, but still excellent, materials.
The 3.5-inch, drop-point blade is flat ground and is made from Swedish 14C28N Sandvik steel. It comes with either a Stonewashed or Blackwashed finish. 14C28N is a great steel. It’s stainless, and has excellent corrosion resistance and good edge retention, but is still easy to sharpen. It works great with a leather strop too to keep the edge tuned so that you don’t have to sharpen it as often too.
The EFD handles are G10 with a steel liner lock and pins, and are available in a variety of colors including basic black, OD green, orange, denim blue, purple and Natural Jade. The open frame design is easy to clean and allows crud and pocket debris to drop through and not get trapped in the frame in the first place. My EFD had OD green handles and a Stonewashed blade. A lanyard hole is also available at the butt of the knife, although it’s a little small for paracord.
The blade opens with a front flipper or by using the elongated opening slot on the blade. The blade opens smoothly and locks up tight by means of a liner lock mechanism. I’m not great with the front flipper style opener, but the elongated opening hole works great for me. Being that we’re seeing more and more front flippers, I probably should practice with it more, but since the EFD has options, I don’t really need to.
The EFD carries flat in the pocket with a reversible deep carry pocket clip. I’m pretty picky about pocket clips and have drawers full of knives that I like, but don’t carry much because of the clip and how they ride in the pocket. That was definitely not an issue with the EFD. It’s a good design that carries the knife discreetly and allows for an easy draw, while still giving proper retention so that you don’t lose the knife from your pocket.
The factory edge on the EFD was excellent, and has held up to months of typical EDC work like opening boxes and packages, cutting cordage and tape, and even light food prep. It cleans up easily too. The G10 handles are wide and hand filling, and fit my mid sized hands well. They have a texture that provides for a solid grip, but isn’t overly aggressive and doesn’t cause hot spots during use. A finger choil on the blade lets you choke up for detail work or just gives you some extra space if you have really big hands.
The EFD is a comfortable knife to use, and carries easily with its flat profile, excellent pocket clip, and weight of only 3.92 ounces. The 3.5 inch drop point blade is a perfect size and style for EDC use. The EFD has an MSRP of $85, which I think is pretty reasonable for the materials used and design expertise that’s gone into it.
Specifications:
Blade Length: 3.50″
Cutting Edge: 3.15″
Closed Length: 4.50″
Overall Length: 8.00″
Blade Material: Sandvik 14C28N Stainless Steel
Blade Thickness: 0.125″
Blade Style: Drop Point
Blade Grind: Flat
Blade Finish: Stonewash
Handle Material: Black G10
Handle Thickness: 0.458″
Locking Mechanism: Liner Lock
Pivot Assembly: Bearings
Pocket Clip: Deep Carry Stainless Steel (Tip-Up, Right/Left Carry)
Weight: 3.92 oz.
Designer: Liong Mah
Made in China
MSRP: $85.00
The Eutektik Trinity
The Trinity shares many of the features of the EFD. It uses the same steel lined G10 handles, and 14C28N stainless blade, and is available in the same array of handle colors. Like the EFD it has a reversible deep carry pocket clip and lanyard hole. It has a thinner overall profile though and a longer 3.75-inch clip point blade. My Trinity had the blue denim G10 handles and black stonewashed blade.
The Trinity uses a more traditional back flipper, which I’m much more used to. I can operate it much faster and more intuitively than a front flipper. With the EFD I generally used the thumb hole for opening, but on the Trinity almost exclusively used the flipper.
I rotated the Trinity with the EFD for carry and found them to perform similarly. You get a little more blade length with the Trinity and a bit finer point with its clip point shape. The Trinity is comfortable to use, and gives you a slightly longer handle. That coupled again with a finger choil might make it the better choice for really big hands but honestly, they’re close. MSRP on the Trinity is the same $85 as the EFD.
Specifications:
Blade Length: 3.75″
Cutting Edge: 3.25″
Closed Length: 4.75″
Overall Length: 8.50″
Blade Material: Sandvik 14C28N Stainless Steel
Blade Thickness: 0.125″
Blade Style: Clip Point
Blade Grind: Flat
Blade Finish: Black Stonewash
Handle Material: Denim Blue G10
Handle Thickness: 0.463″
Locking Mechanism: Liner Lock
Pivot Assembly: Bearings
Pocket Clip: Deep Carry Stainless Steel (Tip-Up, Right/Left Carry)
Weight: 3.46 oz.
Designer: Liong Mah
Made in China
MSRP: $85.00
Final Thoughts
Although I know my EDC blade is mostly going to be used for mundane tasks, after over 20 years as a cop, and over 30 years of carrying concealed, I always keep in mind a knife’s capability as a back up or weapons retention tool. I think either the EFD or Trinity would work well in that role. They are easy enough to carry that you’ll actually have them with you, and can be set up to carry so that they’re accessible with either the primary or alternate hand. The handle texture and position makes drawing them decently fast, and opening is quick with either the flipper or elongated blade hole. the 3.5- to 3.75-inch blades will do fine for getting someone off of you. I might not pick a sub 4-inch blade as a dedicated fighting knife, but then again I don’t really want to get into a knife fight in the first place. It’s plenty to let someone know that you’d rather them not be in your personal space, however.
You can tell a lot of thought and experience have gone into the Eutetek designs. They’re a practical blend of size and features, and they’re made of quality materials. I think we sometimes get overly obsessed with the latest steel crazes, and forget that our ancestors got by just fine using their blades a lot more than we generally do, and for a lot more serious purposes. They didn’t have much beyond basic carbon steels and they got by just fine. 14C28N is a great steel and if that saves me some bucks up front I’m okay with that. With an $85.00 price tag I’m getting a quality knife, but not one so expensive that I’m going to be devastated if I lose it, or the TSA confiscates it.
Between the two Euteteks, I tended to gravitate towards the EFD a little more. Although I preferred the back flipper of the Trinity for fast opening, I liked the handle width and shape of the EFD a little better. I’ve always been partial to a classic drop-point blade too. Both performed well, though, and I wouldn’t hesitate to slip either one into my pocket. In fact, if you run into me out in the wild, there’s a good chance you will see one or the other sticking out of my pocket. I test and try a lot of knives, but I have a small stable of regular users that I rotate through, and the EFD and Trinity are going into that line up.
Liong Mah’s Eutetik folders are available directly through his website or from a number of online retailers.
Made in China is the same as Made in Turkey.
For me it is a hard pass.
Then make it a statement…Take the device you used to post your opinion and the TV you watch and everything you can find around you that is Made in China and throw it all in the trash, that probably includes removing some of the electronic components in your vehicle. I hate to tell you but Made in Turkey firearms are really making people like you who talk out their behinds look foolish.
You do a good job all on your own of making yourself look like you’re talking out of your own backside, sweetheart.
rodney…wipe the poo off that anus beneath your nose.
Are you saying she is wrong? Chicoms make 90% of our crap, like it or not.
Honestly do my best to do that anyway and Korea does tend to produce better electronics for not much more. Funny enough Mexico is slowly displacing China as our manufacturing center as we distance ourselves from a strategic rival. Or you can keep supporting those racist genocidal commies/islamists.
noid…I see your Made in China device is working very well…How can that be when all buttheads can do is criticize the quality?
Low bidder work can still work. Shame it funds racism and genocide though.
Lol missed the first nonsense line Samsung is Korea made toots.
noid…So to save your hypocrite behind you turn to Korea…That’s mighty white of you.
Lol and here you admit to supporting racism and genocide and I am the hypocrite? Cool story Deb you are either retarded or a troll
noid…So is your low-life bigoted white azz trying to say A) Racism and Genocide suddenly matters to you. Or B) you are a pathetic gutless pos using a matter you could care less about to save what’s left of your zit face. Please advise oh gutless one.
Don’t have to do either, you played yourself racist.
If I want a factory new gun that has to be rebuilt out of the box to run and still will not stand up to hard use I will buy Turkish.
Was your mother a pit bull?
jwm…Are you trying to tell this forum you are a here’s my money do it for me kind of, “little man.”
I mean good on you for fixing up shoddy workmanship but why do you want to fund racism and genocide supporting countries?
noid…Get back in line, let those class act individuals -not- like rodney and jwm speak, they don’t need help from you…you roadhog.
Whatever you say racist.
What I’m saying, debbie, and you seem to be too stupid to figure it out is this. Nobody in their right mind buys new gear, knowing that it is defective so they can fix it.
Used cars and gear. Yes. Bought my share knowing I would have to work on it. But it is pants on head retarded to buy new anything knowing the quality is so poor that you will have to tweak it just to get it to run.
You ate a lot of paint chips as a child, didn’t you?
Very Nice. Only thing missing in the lineup is a serrated blade for seatbelts, etc. Better be sitting down for the price of high end models. This one I like…
https://liongmah.com/products/xenobit
They wont hold an edge even if all your using it for is to open all your Amazon boxes. No reason to carry a Chinese made knife no matter what Debrah says.
klod…Most video reviews do not coincide with the Made-In drama. The entry level hands-on well written knife review above is what I base my opinion on…So for the record are you calling the reviewer a liar?
Bottom line…Anyone who thinks bad mouthing where a product is made gives them standing they need to think again.
5 points have been added to your social credit score. Damn Deb to they pay you by the post to support junk items from genocidal countries?
Interesting. I certainly didn’t disrespect your birth name and I didn’t expect your response to be honest.Standing?
Came to see about knives, seems overpriced but at least it is entertaining.
I bought a bad ass butcher knife Pioneer Woman brand today at a flea market for $1.00.
Nice wood scales and 3 brass rivets.
I’d send a picture but then everyone would be jealous.
The image of a possum with a flea market butcher knife really needs to find it’s way into an 80’s slasher flick.
Icecream
Oh and they had two boxes of .223 there too $10.
Flea market .223………that would be scarier than a knife wielding possum depending on who loaded them.
Gun show, Same as a flea market. Bought some 9mm surplus ball. The guy selling it thought it was made in Egypt for a sub gun. Wasn’t sure. I had a Ruger P89 so I wasn’t worried.
The guys on either side of me at the range were worried. My p89 was a real flame and brass thrower so long as that ammo lasted.
Could have been Pakistani 9mm +p+ especially if it was paper (not cardboard) wrapped……..may have had an experience with such a thing out of a bit point carbine.
Meh.
I will stick to my Made in the USA KA-BARs to include the chopsticks.
“although it’s a little small for paracord.”
Too small for 550, maybe; but how about 325 or 275?
Aren’t we overrun enough with “Made in China” stuff and you have to add more? I don’t care if they were $8, I’m not buying a Made in China knife.
Too many reasonably priced American EDC knives without reviewing Chinese models.
My latest American made knife set me back $185. All of Buck’s knives are in that range or much higher.
Kershaws are assembled in Oregon, but all of its steel that I’ve seen comes from China. Quality of Chinese products comes down to quality control; as long as the company can keep a close eye on quality, it comes out very well. I’ve had a few Kershaws. Edge holding is average, but they sharpen easily and, with their low prices, are disposable (or lose-able) with no great loss. I am always afraid of losing a high end pocket knife.
Did the Chicoms buy TTAG as they have the Whitehouse? $85 EIGTHTYFIVE?? for a $5 PLA knife? are you as dumb as Miner?
Kershaw knives are put together in Oregon, yet the steel they use often originates from China. The performance of Chinese-made products hinges on effective quality control measures; when a company maintains close oversight, the outcome is often satisfactory. In my experience with several Kershaw knives, while their edge retention is average, they sharpen effortlessly. Coupled with their affordable prices, they’re practically disposable (or replaceable) without significant financial loss. This contrasts with the apprehension I feel when carrying a pricey pocket knife, fearing its loss.
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Things sure were simpler when Chinese knives were $12 at the local gas station…or given away to NRA members every year to get tucked away in a glove box and forgotten about. It’s a good looking knife but no way I’ll pay $85 for a Chinese folder.
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