EverydayCommentary: Bridgeport 395 v2 Review

With the revolution in machining that has allowed just about anyone to get a knife design made, it is the imagination that limits designs. Unfortunately, despite what we are told in preschool, most people’s imagination stinks. The result in the knife world is that we have a bunch of knives that were “good ideas” on paper that aren’t great in reality (either because they actually weren’t great ideas or because their execution fell short). Being a knife designer is easy if you define it as someone that has designed a knife. Being a knife designer is very hard if you define it as someone who has designed a good knife.

But there are a few examples of folks that have just made good knives out of the gate without the use of an editor or the backing of a huge company. Joseph Vero of Vero Engineering is one example. And whoever is behind Bridgeport Knife Company is another. I write “whoever” because, despite my digging, I can’t find the person’s name. One thing that seems to be mentioned consistently, and therefore is possibly true, is the fact that the designer is a 19-20 year old kid from southern California. If that’s true, the knife is even more remarkable. Let’s look at why.

Here is the product page.  There are two versions (this is a V2). V2 has two variants—one with a thumb stud and hole and this version that has just the hole. There are two blade finishes and a few handle materials. There is also a full Ti version that is exclusive to Way of Knife. The version I got was $190. A micarta handled version can be had for $145. The full Ti version without any mods or ano is $200. You can get it with Skiff bearings and a huge variety of ano jobs that Way of Knife specializes in. As of the writing of this review, the version that serves as the review sample is sold out, as is the full Ti version. There are a few other versions on the Bridgeport site that are in stock. There are no written reviews yet.  Here is a video review.

It is funny to read him wax poetic about the pocket clip.

If he is comparing this knife to Vero, then it is a good knife.

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