U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- I just got home from the 2023 SHOT Show in Vegas. This year I have a slough of Knife Reviews to do so I hit all of the reputable knife booths to see what they were offering and for sure to see if there were any new offerings this year.
On the last day of the show, I did one final sweep of the floor to ensure I hadn’t missed anything. I am glad that I did. I uncovered a few more diamonds, one of which was Keli that markets for the AOB and reps the Smith & Wesson knife line.
Keli showed me a fixed blade she designed, which I can’t wait to test. The front half of the handle is metal and is engraved like an old classic pistol. I can’t wait to review it when it hits the market. But in the meantime, I have a few others to test out, one of which is the Smith & Wesson Executive Folding Knife.
Smith & Wesson Executive Folding Knife
As discussed above, I received a few Smith & Wesson knives at the SHOT Show to test. The first box that I opened was the Smith & Wesson Executive Folder. Right away, it caught my eye. I’m sure that it would be a good EDC, but it looks a little too rich to carry around as an EDC. It is a classy-looking knife and would look good when wearing a suit or dress pants. I like carrying it in the knife pocket on my 5.11 pants.
I know that 5.11 pants were designed as rough and tumble pants, but since they are nice looking, I always keep a few pairs set aside for casual wear while conducting seminars or for wearing to Church. In these situations, the Smith & Wesson Executive Folder seems like the appropriate knife to carry.
Even though the Smith & Wesson Executive Folder has a slick finish, it does have a few features that help enhance your grip. On the top front of the handle, it has some thumb grooves, and on the bottom back side of the handle, it has the same groves, which both enhance your grip. The underside on the rear slopes up slightly, so I think that without the grooves for your little finger that you would have a compromised grip.
I wish that the thumb grooves extended out on the first inch of the spine of the blade to further enhance your grip but the ambidextrous thumb studs compliment the back thumb grooves, so I feel like I have a firm enough grip on the knife.
The bottom front of the handle has a finger groove to disallow your pointer finger from sliding forward onto the blade. So with the above three features you will feel like you have a good grip if you have a normal-sized hand or smaller.
FEATURES
- Lanyard: the knife does have a hole drilled in the back in case you want to attach a lanyard to it, but since this is a dress knife, I think a lanyard would look out of place, so I’m not going to add on one.
- Locking System: The Smith & Wesson Executive Folder has a split handle liner lock. The lock slides over about halfway on the hilt of the blade, so it locks the blade adequately.
- Pocket Clip: the knife has a right-handed pocket clip and is not reversible. It holds the knife in a tip-down position.
- Open Back: It has an open back which means that it is easy to clean.
Smith & Wesson Executive Folding Knife
The Smith & Wesson Executive Folder has all of the features to be a functional EDC, but due to its classy look, I’m only going to carry it when I am dressed up. But even then, I will use it for whatever tasks come along.
I like the Smith & Wesson Executive Folder and would highly recommend it if you are in a position where you need a classy-looking knife to fit in when you have to dress up.
The MSRP on The Smith & Wesson Executive Folder is $24.99 and as is usual we will close with the company specs.
- Blade Length: 2.8″
- Overall Length: 6.8″
- Weight: 0.21875lb
- Blade Material: 7Cr17MoV High Carbon Stainless Steel
- Handle Material: Stainless Steel
About Tom Claycomb
Tom Claycomb has been an avid hunter/fisherman throughout his life as well as an outdoors writer with outdoor columns in the magazine Hunt Alaska, Bass Pro Shops, Bowhunter.net, and freelances for numerous magazines and newspapers. “To properly skin your animal, you will need a sharp knife. I have an e-article on Amazon Kindle titled Knife Sharpening for $.99 if you’re having trouble.”
