Browning has been quite generous to us and our 100 Knives in 100 Days Giveaway. They sent us 9 knives to give away, across a wide range of price points. On the high end, there is the Wihongi Tomahawk which retails for $69. One mid-range knife they sent was their 1911 Commemorative, which carries an MSRP of $40, and there are several true budget-knives in the mix as well. Today’s knife, the Browning Long Haul Folder (small) falls in the latter category (MSRP $14.95).
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I am not going to wax too poetic on a $15 knife, especially in a contest that includes several custom knives and true premium production knives as well. That is not to mean we are ungrateful, we are certainly not. As I have mentioned before, it is one thing for a company to send us a knife to review and write about, it is another to provide them as pure giveaways, and we would never take such support for granted.
Here are the stats on the Long Haul as provided by Browning:
Frankly, the Browning Long Haul folder is not a bad budget knife. Most notably, it has exponentially less blade wobble (actually, none of note) than some knives I know costing 10 times as much. Truthfully, the proper amount of wobble that should be acceptable in a in a hypothetical $100+ folder is none, and the Long Haul gives you this in a $14.95 package.
The handle is injection molded with a rubberized outer coating. Not an uncommon material choice for a budget knife, but executed well in the Long Haul. The deep carry pocket clip is among the most attractive I have seen, with a skeletonized cutout of the Browning logo. The blade centering is excellent, and the ergonomics, while not a perfect fit for me personally, are within acceptable norms. The thumb studs and lock all are easy to access and the knife, while unassisted, opens cleanly with minimal effort.
The Browning Long Haul Folder would make a great entry knife for a new EDC’er or a solid backup for a more experienced user. With 5Cr Stainless, you are unlikely to have corrosion problems if it is designated as your glovebox knife, and will be sitting for an extended period of time. Maybe not a problem for some readers, but here in Tennessee that is certainly something to think about. I have had AUS8 rust in a glovebox, only to be discovered too late to be restored fully to like-new condition. This should not be a problem with the Long Haul.
If you want to win this knife, you must Register for a free account, and leave a comment on our official contest thread (here)