The Steel Will Bruiser 500 folding knife is a serious knife meant for serious users. This is not a typical folding knife. Made with a K110 steel blade, G10 handle, and high quality features, Steel Will markets to the high-end of the market with competitors like Benchmade.
Prior to this year’s SHOT Show I had not heard about Steel Will or any of their knife offerings. Steel Will is a Trademark brand of SMG, Inc. (SportManufacturingGroup), which started business in the United States back in 2008. Interestingly, SMG’s other Trademark brand is “Gletcher”, which manufactures detailed replica pneumatic (air) guns. However, the Steel Will knives offer some of the highest quality materials and designs in modern knife manufacturing.
Steel Will Knife Features
Steel Will has researched the best steel in the USA, Japan, and Austria for use in their knives, and mate that steel with some of the highest quality handle materials currently on the market. Those materials include G10, Micarta, and high-strength rubberized composite materials.
According to Steel Will:
“The creation of a knife is a process of seeking out a perfect balance in materials, balance, shape, feel, and texture. The choice of materials for handles is influenced by reliability, practicality and safety. Steel Will knives are created to be extremely useful and comfortable”.
It is the particular attention to the finer details that make the Steel Will knives so attractive in function and appearance, and the Bruiser 500 is one that really caught my eye.
Steel Will Bruiser Features
The Steel Will Bruiser has a sleek profile that shows hints of ergonomically purposed design. The G10 handle provides a hardy grip even in wet, bloody, or sweaty conditions. The butt of the grip has an integrated pointed window break, with a lanyard hole. There are (4) clip mounting positions on the frame. These mounting positions allow both right and left-handed users to carry the folded knife in the manner that best suits them – traditional blade down, or quick open blade up.
The Bruiser’s blade is made of high quality K110 steel that is very good for working knives, and will maintain its edge as well. There is a flipper on the bottom base of the blade that extends out of the handle when the blade is in the closed setting. With the extension, a user can easily run their forefinger backward against the flipper opening the blade in a very fast “flip” open to its locked extension. When the blade is locked open, the flipper acts as an extra long guard for a safer and more secure grip during use.
In addition to the flipper, the Bruiser comes with the Patented “snake-head” thumb plate on the top of the base of the blade. This thumb plate provides an additional “fast open” method where the user presses their thumb against the plate, extending forward until the blade locks open. When the blade is open, the thumb plate provides a safe and comfortable forefinger rest for finer cuts.
The blade has a PVD finish, and comes with a razor edge. There is a Fuller cut towards the top of the blade, that tapers down to the central ridge extending out to the knife blade’s point.
Steel Will Bruiser Specifications
- Overall Length – 9.53″
- Folded Length – 5.51″
- Blade Length – 4.02″
- Blade Thickness – 0.16″
- Blade HRC – 59-61
- Blade Material – K110 steel
- Handle Material – Textured G10
- Finish – PVD
- Lock Type – Liner lock
- Sheath – Italian made 1000d Cordura case with locking clasp flap
- MSRP – $299.99.
When I started in police work it was quickly engrained in my training that an officer needs a good knife. Of course, a cop making $11/hour at the time was more than happy to carry a Smith & Wesson “SWAT” knife (that cost me about $20) as my duty knife. Thus started an increasing love of better blades.
Now I prefer a higher quality knife that will stand up to the rigors of patrol or SWAT work, while maintaining its sharp edge and point. I have to admit that the $300 price tag on the Bruiser is still a daunting number to me, but I’m quickly starting to appreciate finer blades, rather than the $20-30 selections found in most box stores.