Liked the knife until the locking system broke after very little light use

Milwaukee Tool Co. make some awesome tools, I own many, I wasn't setting my expectations very high when I made this purchase simply because they don't build knives for a living. This HARDLINE knife is a good knife, I like the size, shape/style and the flipper action. I also like the general look, it has a no nonesense "get to business" style about it and it seems ready to tackle what ever task asked of it. I am impressed by the rugged sturdiness with which they built this knife, you can tell Milwaukee intended it to perform real work and do so on a daily basis. It seems very well made even if the build quality is only average. There are some minor fit/finish aspects which a knife collector would grumble over but then again if you're a collector you're not likely buying this knife. The knife came well ground, even and smooth but not all that sharp. It isn't dull either but another knife I recently purchased with the same D2 steel is WAY sharper out of the box, so I know it can be made much sharper, and I will put it to my diamond sharpener shortly to remedy this. Another thing I wasn't particularly happy with is the difficulty I seem to have sliding the liner lock over to close it. On one hand its nice that it is very robust and well contoured but it has no jimping to gave you a decent grip. It's actually nice to see a frame lock as thick and substantial as the blade itself, it made me wonder how some other knives with rather thin flimsy liner locks would actually hold up. I hope through daily carry I will get more accustomed to it, but right now, it's just a bit frustrating with my extra large hands. The blade is well centered when closed, opens quickly with the flicker tab and the bearing is smooth in motion. When I use this knife I think "rough and ready" and I think that description suits this knife well. The pocket clip is reversable but is not a "deep" carry style and I believe that is intentional. You want to be able to grab this knife out of your pocket easily even when wearing work gloves and you can do just that. Plus it's made in the USA! That counts for a lot.

It really feels like a good quality knife. It stays sharp a long time since it has a hardened metal blade.

Outstanding quality - ordered 2 more for Christmas presents after getting mine. D2 (tool steel) holds an edge like no other. Comes very sharp.

This knife quickly became my daily carry. It's a great, compact size. The blade comes very sharp out of the box. Initially the knife feels little too tight but after a couple days of use (opening, closing the blade) it gets better. You can also make adjustments if you'd like it looser. The knife has a very nice feel and is ergonomically shaped for my hand. I definitely recommend!

If you are looking for a knife with a D2 blade, this is a great value, seriously. I have another knife with this steel that cost almost twice as much. These knives have a great feel in your hand. The knife comes out of the package super sharp, which is nice since the last thing you want to do right away is sharpen D2 steel. Both knives were able to cut cleanly through paper, but were not sharp enough to shave with, although I did remove a fair amount of dead skin trying. The flip action took a little getting used to for me. It really helps if you have the knife oriented so the blade is pointing down, and let gravity help. Otherwise you might have to give it a little flick to get it to open all the way. My only real beef with the knife is the blade lock. There isn't much room for your finger/thumb to engage it and it is slippery. So far I have only been able to safely close the knife with two hands, which is a real bummer.

I got this knife and the 3 inch version of it (smooth blade also) so I could see which I preferred for everyday carry. I fully expected this 2.5 inch version to be my preference because I like a light knife that don't weigh too heavy with all the other junk in my pockets. The quality is good on the build on both. They are very solidly built with good quality steel. I like the smooth blade versus serrated just so I can sharpen it easier. Neither knife is super heavy and I have found both comfortable to carry. However this 2.5 inch one is notably stiffer on both opening and closing than the 3 inch one which is the main reason I prefer it more. It's a small difference but it is just enough to tilt my preference. The 2.5 inch is just not as comfortable due to this. I actually like the blade shape on the smaller knife just slightly more but the difference in ease of opening and closing it is the trump card. I've got a good number of knives I've gathered over the past 40-something years and I go through periodic changes in what I carry daily. At times I've carried Case, Frost or Old Timer in years very long past. And most recently I'd been carrying an old Bucklite which I've had maybe 30 years because it is so lightweight and has a good edge. Although this is obviously a little heavier than the bucklite it is still just as comfortable to carry to me and the blade is probably a tad tougher if harder to sharpen. New, it has a better edge than what I had on the old buck. So, I'm giving the old buck a rest and the 3 inch version of this is now what I'm going with daily. I had a knife almost this same design but it got tossed in the drawer after a short time carrying just because it was so much heavier than these. On the clips - I don't usually use belt clips because they often just seem like more trouble. But the ones on these is smooth enough that I have been using the clip lately although the one on this 2.5 inch version is too narrow for the belt I wear (I'm a jeans and heavy leather belt guy - no dress pants and no narrow belts). I was pleasantly surprised at the weight since some similar knives I had are far heavier. I guess I"m old fashioned in that I've never been crazy about flippers and usually just prefer a nail mark to grab the blade with but I will say the flippers on these work pretty good. That is good because there is so little blade exposed that they can be difficult to open without using the flipper given the absence of a nail mark. You can open either of them with one hand using the flipper although the 3 inch is a lot easier. For me closing it safely is a 2 handed operation I can do it with one hand but I don't see me doing that much. I gave myself a good little nick the first day I carried the 3 inch one on the first time I used it. I did that while I was closing it somehow. That's the first time I've cut myself with a pocket knife in so long I can't recall the last time. But I've since got more used to the knife and I don't see that happening again. The action of the blade on opening and closing is very smooth and you can feel the difference the bearing makes. All in all it's a solid built knife that should hold up well to daily use.

I've had this knife in my pocket for almost a week and couldn't be happier. I normally carry a folding razor blade but the blades need to be changed out quite often in day to day use. This blade has a hard D2 steel blade that has stayed razor sharp in the week I've had it. Normally i would have been through 1 or 2 replacement razor blades by now. Opening the blade can be a little tricky at first but after one day of use I had it down perfectly. Closing is slightly different as well but not difficult at all. Size is perfect to carry all day long, I removed belt clip and carry it in my pocket. Time will tell as to longevity but I like that the blade should stay sharper longer, and when needed I can just sharpen rather than keep purchasing replacement blades as i currently do. My only issue was with the packaging - it was a little difficult to open, and you have to take extra care because the blade is already in the open position. You dont want it flying out and risk cutting yourself. To remove from the packaging I actually took a razor blade and carefully cut around the sides so I could slide it out handle first.

This is a great sized (smaller) pocket knife. Works perfect for most of your everyday knife requirements. I use my pocket knife on a daily basis to open letters, boxes, etc. This is a good size for all of these. The blade is razor sharp with a nice point. The locking mechanism is very secure and solid feeling. The flipping mechanism seems to be very quick & opens very nicely. The knife itself is very stylish with the glass filled nylon on one side and steel on the other. The knife has a red colored liner between both handles. This is a very high quality & strong knife. I would definitely recommend!!

This Hardline series of knives is Milwaukee's debut in the EDC knife market, and I think they've hit it out of the park in quality, ergonomics, and price point. First, let's talk about the blade. All the Hardline knives use D2 steel, which is a high chromium, high carbon tool steel. It's corrosion resistant, very hard, and has a great ability to hold an edge. Downsides is that it's a little more brittle than other knife steels, and it can be harder to sharpen, although it doesn't need sharpening as often as other softer steels. I did some comparisons with other brands, and was very hard pressed to find any knives with D2 steel under $100. In fact, the only ones I did find under $100 were all liner locks, and not a frame lock like the Hardline series uses. I've been carrying and using the knife for the past two weeks, and it's still sharp enough to shave with. I've used it to cut paper, cardboard, twine, blister packaging, etc., and it's holding and edge very well. The flipper design opens the knife with a crisp snap, and the ball detent keeps the knife closed in your pocket, with nearly no chance of it coming open accidentally. The belt clip is reversible for right or left handed users, but it's only configurable for tip-up carry. This is most convenient for deploying and using the knife quickly, but some may have concerns about the knife coming open in a pocket and getting poked or sliced when reaching into the pocket. I don't see this as a big issue, since the ball detent is very effective at keeping the knife closed. The frame lock has good coverage on the blade, but can be a bit tricky to get disengaged without some practice. The edge you push on with your thumb to disengage the lock is a bit rounded over, and could use some texture to help grip. After a bit of practice, I don't have any problems disengaging the lock one-handed with my right hand, but it's nearly impossible for me to disengage the lock one-handed with my left hand. It could be I'm not as coordinated as a lefty would be, but it's also a different motion and less natural using the left hand. Lastly, the 2.5" bladed knife is the perfect size for putting in a watch pocket on jeans. The belt clip holds it securely to the pocket edge, and it's out of the way for the rest of the things you may need to access in your main hip pocket. So in summary, this is a great EDC knife - it's a little more on the high end of the "economical" range, but I don't think you'll find anything better unless you look in the over $100 range.