The knife arrived in a black presentation box (IMO better packaging than the original Shirogorov plain black cardboard box).
It came reasonably sharp, pretty smooth and without any visual defects, centering and lockup are perfect, ergos are great for it's size.
The Good:
First of all the fit and the finish. The knife has a bead-blasted titanium handles (the blue, gold and purple come with satin finish on the handle) with milled curved lines, milled titanium pocket clip, 3.25" 2 tone D2 blade (stonewashed flats and satin on the cross section - BTW best satin finish I've seen on a Chinese made knife so far) and my personal favorite - bead blasted screws on both sides with satin bevels - very nice touch from our Chinese friends.
Another great thing about this knife is the action. It flips fast, with a great kick and sound to it, although I must admit that the action on my Green Thorn F95T is a bit smoother (may be so due to the longer, thicker and heavier blade). On the Neon it feels more hydraulic and not free-dropping like on the F95.
BTW - I have heard from a few people already about the pivot screw being locktighted to the point that it can't be unscrewed - mine came without that problem and the pivot screw can be easily unscrewed.
The Great:
The design. It starts with the overall size (which is just a perfect one for EDC IMO), handle-to-blade ratio (it may seem as the blade is longer than the handle in the open position), the flipper tab and my personal favorite - the milled pocket clip, that screws on the outside of the handle, thus adding to the overall sleek look on both sides. Gotta give credit to the Shiros for that.
In addition - the knife doesn't feature a logo of the original maker, thus can't be sold as a genuine knife, which is always a great plus for a clone and it's perception.
The Bad:
There is one thing that did bother me about this knife and it is that if you loosen the pivot screw - the blade can hit the standoff. That happens due to the fact, that in the closed position the blade goes exactly in the dent of the standoff. So if you loosen the pivot it goes off-center and hits the side of the back standoff - that can leave a nick in the blade. Not a big issue, but you need to keep that in mind and check that the pivot isn't loose.
The Ugly:
As always with Shiro clones - the prices of the genuine and the lack of a good genuine budget alternative.
The Verdict:
This is a great blade, done well and has awesome design (can be considered as an elegant gentleman's knife) . If you like the F95/Hati, but think they are too big to carry around as an EDC - this knife is made for you!
I bought the knife here (the awesome Vespa store): Neon Ultra Lite Clone
Also can be found here for a lower price: Shiro Neon Clones
Genuine Shirogorov Neon Ultra Lite sold here: Shirogorov Neon
More cool EDC blades here: EDC Blades
I've got 3 of these now, and obviously I like them very much. A knife this lightweight with a great flipping action is something special. I notice though in all three a hot spot around the landyard hole on the right side of the knife. It's surprisingly sharp. It's as if they didn't program the CNC machine to round it properly. On my examples, it's more prominent on the blue and orange/gold anodized models than the plain gray, but I notice it on all three knifes. Not a deal breaker, but definitely a bummer.
ReplyDeleteWhich model do you prefer? F95 or the neon? Will you try the f7 aswell?
ReplyDeleteHi,
DeleteI prefer the Neon for EDC, but the GT F95T for harder cutting tasks (and it is still my favorite knife).
I probably won't try the F7 for a couple of reasons:
1. Price is way too high for a clone IMO and there are better options for that price (like the KJ Wing).
2. It is pretty close to the F95 in the overall shape and concept.
Cheers!
Agreed. I just really like the looks of the F7. That kj wing looks sweet.
DeleteThis knife is at the top of my wishlist right now...it's already in my cart and my finger is on the trigger :) I saw a review of an older Vespa Neon clone with a backspacer, fine milling on the handle scales and a different pivot screw. Is that the older Vespa Neon you're talking about? It seems to have sold for around $150. Do you have the older Vespa Neon clone? If I could find that one I would really consider getting it because it seems a step up in quality. But then again for $150 I could get at least two titanium Shiros...lol
ReplyDeleteYeah, I was talking about the older Vespa model with a backspacer and S35VN blade.
DeleteIt was sold for around $115.
I don't own one, but heard a lot about them.
I would just get a new one instead of seeking for a pre-owned Vespa.
Cheers!