With established companies like Spyderco and Kershaw embedded in the market for decades, it’s hard to break into the knife industry. Sure, companies like Steel Will Knives and Kizer have made names for themselves in the crowded knife market over the past few years, but I imagine many other small companies have failed over that time.
That’s why I was intrigued when David McHan of American Buffalo Knife & Tool reached out to me about reviewing one of their knives. I had never heard about the brand before, but I took a look at the fairly robust catalog and was interested in seeing the quality of these knives.
So I chose one of their models and David sent me the one I requested — along with a few others — to take a look at.
Here is my honest review.
Background of ABKT
As I typically do with reviews of products from less established brands, I’ll give you a brief background.
American Buffalo Knife and Tool, also known by the more accessible initialism ABKT, is a gun care and cutlery company located in Sweetwater, Tennessee. ABKT designs, makes, and distributes all types of cutlery and gun care products, which are made in China and imported to the United States.
Here’s where things get a bit confusing.
Under the American Buffalo Knife & Tool umbrella are five different sub-brands or categories. One is ABKT Gun Care so we’ll skip that one since it doesn’t pertain to knives.
ABKT Knives – This is an assortment of cheaper knives made for hunting and everyday carry. There are flippers with a tactical look along with some fixed blades.
ABKT Elite – This is their higher end assortment of knives. I believe all of them are made with D2 steel and use higher-grade materials. Aside from the fixed blades, they are all flippers that use a ball-bearing opening mechanism.
Roper – These are more traditional knives, with designs that mimic those made by Case. You’ll see trappers, peanuts, and stockmans.
Cattleman Cutlery – This line is targeted toward working farmers or cowboys and feels like it could be lumped with the Roper brand. There are some of the same traditional patterns along with two models that look like Spyderco designs (or the SOGzilla Spyderco-like design).
With that out of the way, let’s get to the knives.
AKBT Scavenger Specs
I opted to review the Desert Scavenger because it seems most in line with what I would carry. The product descriptions on the website and catalog are a little incomplete, so here are my measurements.
Out of the box, the knife was the size I expected. It has a 3.5-inch drop point blade and a 4.5-inch handle — making for an overall length of 8 inches when open.
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