Golden Scarab D/A OTF Knife Rainbow Damascus 440c w/ Abalone - Serrated

As a long-time collector of pocket, folding, and automatic knives, I have pretty good judgement of what makes a good knife. The quality of the steel, the finish, the overall materials, they all come into play. Aesthetics however, outweigh many people's perceptions on what makes a good knife. If it's "badass" looking, they many times are more impressed than if the blade wiggles, or the lock isn't the greatest. I purchased this particular OTF because it looked sturdy and had an unusual design/materials. It does seem to be sturdy. However, there are problems.

The finish is not the greatest. There are odd cuts in the abalone where it's pieced together (I wouldn't expect one solid piece at this price point, but there are better ways to hide the seams), and the handle is quite flawed and unattractive. You don't see this in the photos on the site here, because they don't show the smaller sides of the knife. Here you can see where the aluminum mold is not very good. It's inconsistent and very unattractive. Had I seen pictures of the sides, I would not have purchased this knife. They make it look cheap. It reeks of poor quality. The handle, that is. Also, the "brass" color, with its heavy coating of lacquer makes it look more like a fake brass drawer handle than a knife. Remember, this is not real brass. I understand why, but some may not realize that when purchasing, even though it's made relatively clear (very clear would have been "brass colored"). It reads aluminum. That's fine.

The good: the knife has what seems to be a very nice spring system. It's aggressive in its export of the blade, and retracts back just as quick. The blade itself is etched, and looks nice. This is a full production knife, so there is nothing "hand made" about this knife. Once again, not expected at this price point. I have some knives that cost much, much more, and they are 100% hand made, and you can feel it, see it, and never confuse it with a mass production knife.

Final thoughts: It's not a "bad" knife overall. It's designed nicely, and also comes with a better than average nylon sheath. Worth its price? I don't believe so, but others may disagree. There's a lot of very nice knives out there (and on this site), and this is a low-mid-range knife. I wish the handle was better.

Paid extra for priority mail, but took 2 days longer than estimated. Knife looks great, but had crack in Abalone and knife came out of spring mechanism the 1st time I used it and was loose, but was able to reattach to mechanism. Not real Damascus. Only laser etched

The service was Great and the Product is better then I even thought, thank you!!!!

I ordered the serrated blade but got the straight. Kind of dissapointed but its a beautiful knife

Once I opened the package I instantly fell in love with this knife. The blade, the handle, the distinction, all perfect. I pulled out this bad boy in front of the buddies, and it took their breath away. Even my manager wanted to put in an order for this one but sadly it sold out. I’d like to think I was the lucky one to get the last one. The workmanship is exquisite, and it feels top notch. Not too heavy or bulky, and it feels great in the hand. When the blade pulls out, you feel the mechanics are very solid. The is a must buy. Get the black one of this for work, and get the gold one for play.