HOGUE Grip HK Exemplar 3.25" ABLE

Fantastic factory edge, no lock stick, good ergonomics.

Not sure how this isn’t a 5 star rated knife especially when two of the three reviews do not exist. This is a fantastic knife by Hogue. The only negatives are the high list price here on Amazon and the larger than needed pocket clip. Other than that with its street price of $127 it makes the Griptilian seem subpar based on price, materials, action and fit/finish.

The HK Hogue Exemplar EDC is a very robust, solid knife, with awesome deployment and blade sharpness! Offered in various blade and handle styles and configurations, the one I tested had a stone-tumbled "harpoon" style blade, of 154CM steel and made in the USA. The scales are black G10 with a nice textured pattern milled into it. Deployment is via either thumb stud or releasing the ABLE lock and wrist-flicking. Both work flawlessly and smoothly. The G10 scales are contoured nicely, so no sharp edges (except for the blade, of course!). The ABLE lock is solid and robust, with no blade play when deployed. The mechanism has worked with precision, and makes deployment and release effortless, with a solid detent. When folded, the blade is perfectly centered as well. The tip up or down ambidextrous pocket clip is large, but I find that the size and length of the clip makes it easier to grasp out of a pocket than most other folders with smaller clips that I've used. The beautiful "harpoon" shaped blade makes for good slicing, piercing, and finer work, due to the nice swedge. Thus, I Highly recommend this Hogue HK Exemplar EDC!

I came across this knife by accident while browsing for a new folder. I like Hogue knives a lot and they make this for HK. While digging into reviews for the knife I found the Doug Ritter RSK made by Hogue and decided to buy that first. I still wanted the HK despite a somewhat similar Griptilian design.I ordered it off Amazon and received it the next day. It’s come in a HK Knives branded box showing its made by Hogue. The knife comes in a neoprene kind of sleeve along with paperwork.First thing I noticed is the blade centering perfect. The action is very smooth and locks up solid. There is also no gap between the G10 scales. (I had seen reviews of a pass around knife for this that had a gap between the scales)Excellent fit and finish. Love the big clip on it but I do t like the HK logo is stamped rather than etched on the clip. Minor gripe. The jimping is also rounded off so while the knife has jimping it’s not super useful. Those are literally the only nitpicks I have.Hogue send those knives out sharp. The blade edge is very wet looking due to how polished it is. I think the ABLE lock is definitely improved over Benchmade’s AXIS lock.This is also 154CM steel not CPM154. Don’t care the steel is great on this knife. The handle scales are made of G10 and machined in two pieces to act like a solid handle. The scales are awesome. Love it. Absolutely a great EDC utility/tactical folder.