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The American Buffalo Elite Folding BB Catalyst Knife is a 3.5 inch D2 Steel folding knife with an assisted opening ball bearing mechanism thats legal in most states despite being deployable one handed. It has the smoothest opening and closing on a folder Ive ever used and one of the best grip textures Ive ever tested. This quality feel and rugged use EDC packs a lot of punch for less than $50.
In Depth Review
If you are looking for a hard working EDC blade thats resistant to rust and doesn’t need pampering with oil and care then I challenge you to find any other folder thats under fifty Bucks thats as good as the ABKT Elite Folding BB Catalyst.
Get A Handle on It
The handle of the Elite Catalyst Knife is made from G10 which I always thought was a reference to the British Nato style watch straps. In fact G10 is a composite resin similar in the way its constructed to the way carbon fiber is made. The handle is lightweight and has one of the best grip designs I’ve ever used on a knife. There is something about the texture that makes it feel grippy in a way I’ve not had before.
The Business End
The 3.5 inch drop point blade is made from D2 Steel. I’m going to avoid the huge rabbit hole and 27 page ‘armchair expert’ online threads debating the ‘right’ steel for a knife and slap down my own personal view here.
I’m well aware that there are a wide range of steels suitable for blades but one thing I know is there is no perfect steel for a blade. The choice of material depends on intended useage. Steel is a constant trade off between the ability to maintain sharpness and its resistance to corrosion and how brittle it is and likely to break. Tweaking other metals in the blend can get you an improvement in one of those areas but it usually comes at a cost to another.
My Dive knife I use in the sea is vastly different from a camp survival and skinning knife I use to cut food and split logs. They are both made from vastly different steel. When I see endless debates online about steel quality and the idea that one type of steel is vastly inferior I tend to ignore them. I also tend to not take seriously anyone that says there is a ‘perfect steel’ for knives. There isnt.
What the Elite Folding Catalyst blade has is a steel that does a reasonable job in all three areas of sharpness retention, corrosion resistance and flexibility. It is priced very competitively you appreciate the difficult design task ABKT have had to navigate to get a knife thats less than 50 Bucks. Yes there are better blades out there on better knives but they cost 2 or 3 times the price and I’m not convinced they are 2 or 3 times better. I found the blade slightly harder to sharpen than some of the import Chinese steels being used but this is the main trade off for a blade thats ‘almost’ stainless steel. On my ‘cut through paper’ test I got about 70 slices before it got blunt which really isn’t bad at all. I’ve tested much worse from other companies for way more money.
Flip Out
The flip out liner lock design of the blade does a good job of being quickly deployable but still legal in most USA states. It has a sturdy liner lock holding it in place and with practice you should be able to retract it one handed as well. I found compared to a wide range of other folders I have that this knife had by far the best, easiest and smoothest deployment which is a result of the ball bearing design.
This is also the first folding knife I’ve had that has an effortless closing when you press the liner lock button. With other liner lock folders I often find they bind slightly but this knife is effortless to close and open.
Hang Tough
The handle does not have hole cut for you to thread a lanyard through which was a surprise. In testing though it occurred to me that although I look for this feature when testing blades I’ve never actually hung a knife and always stow in a pocket or on a belt.
Clip
The knife comes with an inobtrusive clip that’s sturdy and secure so you can attach the knife to a belt or inside a part of your pocket for security.
Verdict
The American Buffalo Elite Folding BB Catalyst Knife is a 3.5 inch D2 Steel folding knife with an assisted opening ball bearing mechanism that’s legal in most states despite being deployable one handed. It has the smoothest opening and closing on a folder I’ve ever used and one of the best grip textures Ive ever tested. This quality feel and rugged use EDC packs a lot of punch for less than $50.
BUY $49.99Specs
Closed: 4-1/2”
Blade: 3-1/2”
- Green G10 textured handles
- D2 black stonewashed blade
- Ball bearing pivot system with linerlock
- Black oxide coated pocket clip with reversible tip up design
About ABKT
American Buffalo Knife and Tool we offer a full line of cutlery and multi-tool products for our customers. We have spent many hours and a lot of effort to develop the best products at the best value for our customers.
Located in Sweetwater, TN, ABKT is a family owned company that values great customer service, as well as having a passion for our products, quality, and designs. We focused our attention on making the best quality and most unique designs for our dealers, distributors, and retailers.
ABKT offers several brands to cover a range of different markets as well as supplying OEM product with your logo.
