Last week I was excited to have delivered to my office Delta2Alpha’s premier folding blade, the H2 Sierra.  My first impression after unpacking it was this:  this is an impressive, serious blade.  What I mean is that you can just tell this knife was made by serious people, for serious people.  It is not some “just good enough” type of thing you’d find in your standard megastore.  It’s not even the kind of thing you’d find in  your standard sporting-goods or outdoors store.

Not at all.  This is a serious, professional piece of specialty gear that was made with an eye to the professional who needs the very best:  law enforcement, military, and anyone else serious about having the best all-purpose self-defense knife available.  Those were my first impressions.

Let me get more into the specifics.  First, the quality of the workmanship is superb.  Everything just looks and feels right.  The handle is made from some kind of high-impact composite that almost looks like a cross between kevlar, resin, or some kind of high-impact plastic.  It’s tough as hell and wouldn’t scratch or dent when I tossed it around.

The blade makes a big impression, too.  What one immediately notices, of course, is the signature “forward sloping” tip that the company describes as a “reverse tanto” style.  It looks a bit odd at first but when you actually use the knife you can see the merits in the design.  The forward slope of the blade enables the designer to maximize the cutting edge of the blade with a minimum of extra space for the non-cutting edge.  It’s just more efficient.  And let’s face it:  it also looks intimidating as hell, and maybe that is part of the deterrence factor.

And make no mistake:  this is a weapon, not some gardening tool.  Delta2alpha’s website and promotional video carries strong hints that this is meant to serve as a reliable self-defense weapon, or all-around utility knife for law enforcement or special forces operators.  I’m guessing that all the designers would have to do is make the handle available in camouflage or black, and this knife could be submitted for military use.  Here are a few additional impressions in a short podcast:

The knife opens and locks with an ominous “clack” sound that I love.  Sounds matter when it comes to self-defense.  Who hasn’t heard the ratcheting of a 12-gauge shotgun and not felt a little stirring in the soul?  I found the same feeling here.  The blade is nice and thick (4 mm or 0.16 in.), and the finish is wonderful.  It’s made from N690CO HRC 59-60 Austrian steel, but the knives themselves are made in Maniago, Italy.  The Italians have been known as premier armorers and edged-weapons makers since late antiquity, and that kind of specialized knowledge really makes a difference.

But this is a knife that just “feels right” in the hand.  I have larger than average hands, and the grip on the handle feels very good.  The knife has an attachment point on the back end of the handle (presumably for a cord or lanyard of some sort).  The knife opens with a nice “jimped” thumb ramp with an ambidextrous thumb stud.  The belly of the blade is slightly concave.  The grip itself is textured for a comfortable feel that also does not slip out of the hand.

What I like about the “reverse tanto” tip is that it provides a penetrating point to the knife, but also gives the user a fine sense of control when cutting precise contours on hard surfaces.  You get a level of control that you don’t normally get with a standard pointed tip (at least for me).  There are other advantages to a knife with a “tanto” type tip:  strength in puncturing objects; the “chisel appearance” seems to add to the knife’s power and longevity; and the sharpening is much easier and simpler.  With standard blade types, sharpening can be complicated, but with the H2 Sierra, the cutting edge is laid out in one continuous line.  It could easily be sharpened on a stone or a ceramic rod.

Here are the detailed specifications:

Blade thickness:  4.00 mm

Blade length (hilt to point):   102.8 mm

Sharpened edge length:  83.9 mm

Blade Width:  23.1 mm

Blade material:  N690co HRC 59-60

Handle length:  134.3 mm

Handle thickness:  17.7 mm

Handle width:  26.0 mm

Overall open length (tip to tip):  230 mm

Weight:  195 g (6.87 oz.)

I highly recommend this premier folding knife.  It can be ordered from the company by clicking here.  Anyone interested in finely-engineered weapons will want to give the H2 Sierra a close look.  I fully expect it to attract the attention of security professionals, law enforcement, and military operators in the years ahead, as well as discriminating, informed civilians who simply want to own the best knives on the market.