The Steel Will Gekko EDC 1500 Folder

The Steel Will Gekko EDC 1500 Folder

EDC knives (everyday carry) are extremely handy – at home and in the field. Back in your adobe, they crack an egg, slice a bagel, butter your toast, open your mail, open Amazon boxes, cut rope, help with a projects in the house, in the garage, out in the yard, chop vegetables, and even carve a roasted chicken. On the trail, they have just as much value and likely more – a great companion in a boat, in a cabin or around a campfire. And yes they can open a bottle of beer as well.

For over a decade my EDC was a Benchmade Griptilian – a popular folding pocket knife. But it clearly looked tired; the years had taken a toll. No doubt it was time for a new EDC. I searched the web checking out many brands before remembering Steel Will. Just prior on a whim, I had purchased a fixed blade knife from them (Steel Will Druid 200). Steel Will was new in the market, and receiving lotsa kudos. And I was impressed with the Druid. Hence Steel Will had my attention.

On their site I saw the Gekko 1500 series. Wow. Great steel, very attractive design, ambidextrous, made in Italy, and get this – canvas Micarta grips. Micarta grips are the best,  in my opinion, and typically reserved only for custom fixed blade knives. They are very rare on an EDC. (The Griptilian’s one major flaw was cheap plastic grips.) My only concern was the price. At that time on Steel Will’s site the cost was $165 MSRP. (Now much higher) Well checking around I discovered the street price was over $30 cheaper. And given that replacing Griptilian could have cost the same, I took a chance on the Gekko.

Okay lets get the usual stuff out of the way: The open length is 7.87″, closed the knife is 4.37″, blade length is 3.5″ and made of a special grade of stainless containing cobalt (N690C0), and the weight is 4.76 ounces. (With the exception of weight & steel, all of it similar to the Griptilian) The base of the blade has a small amount of “jimping”, is scary sharp and polished to a mirror. The grips (and the pocket clip) are ambidextrous. Beyond that the knife is precision made, tight and beautifully fitted.

I’ve owned it for just under year now. And I’m very pleased, and hoping to get many years of use.

PS Back when I purchased the knife the 1500 came with Micarta grips in a range of colors. (I picked maroon- model 1552). Unfortunately color choice is no longer available from Steel Will. A search of the internet, however, will find new-in-the- box 1500 series knives in several colors at dealers (Knife Center, Amazon) for around $165 including shipping.

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