3 in. Hardline D2 Steel Smooth Blade Pocket Folding Knife & 3 in. Hardline D2 Steel Serrated Blade Pocket Folding Knife

Great knife for EDC. I use it almost on a daily basis and not afraid of damaging it. It took a few days to break in, and now it’s perfect. Milwaukee is a brand I can always trust.

I received this knife on July 13, 2020, and I’ve EDC’d it ever since. In these past 3 weeks, I‘ve fallen in love with it! I have knives in S30V, VG-10, AUS-8, his is my first knife in D2, and it is a performer! I’ve wanted a Hardline knife ever since they came out, and the wait has been worthwhile! There is a break in period before the action becomes quite smooth, so keep that in mind.

I don't get all the 5 star reviews. Perhaps they are from right out of the package. This review is from everyday carry for over a year. I bought this and a longer one but this is in my pocket most often between the two, mostly due to the size and serrations. The knife comes decently sharp needing a minor touch up. It dulls fairly easy. Perhaps my specific knife did not get proper heat treating but it behaves similarly to the longer one so I don't think so. After a day of use, I have to at least take a honing steel, like one in my kitchen set, to revive the edge. The easy recovery of the edge is what makes this a 3-star knife. If it dulled like this and was hard to recover, there is no way I would recommend this. For me the flip open and one handed closing is easily done but the lock should be raised a bit to make release a bit easier to access. As it is, I push my thumb into the knife recess a bit to ensure I can unlock the blade. Of course, mine is well used and broken in at this point so I can open with a flick of the finger tab. I did black sharpie the red plastic liner because I did bot like the red beacon flashing out of my pocket. I do like the wearing of the black finish. It looks like a "battle worn" look with the high portions wearing just right. I am glad I bought it on a daily special sale, otherwise at full price, the knife would not be worth it.

Solid product. Compatible to EDC.

Very well built smooth action would recommend

Excellent product, holds edge fine and feels durable in hand. Would definitely recommend this product

Milwaukee is known for making great tools and this one is no exception! Whether you’re getting it as an EDC or just as a spare quality knife, you’ll love it – I do! It feels great in my hand opened or closed. It effortlessly opens with a flick of the index finger and easily closes while pushing down the safety bar with my thumb. The belt clip is great. It has a groove that can be grabbed with the finger while trying to take the knife out of the pocket. The belt clip sits deep almost at the very tip, but it’s only semi-reversible from side-to-side but not top-to-bottom. The handle is made of two materials: plastic and steel. There is a classic Milwaukee red filler in the middle. The handle looks and feels really nice. I’m not a blade or steel expert, but I read a few articles raving about D2 steel holding an edge and being extremely durable. I love the serrated Tanto blade design and the stone washed black oxide finish which gives it a nice “worn-in” look that should last. I have used it many times now on carpet, rope, wood, leather, cardboard and plastic and was not disappointed in how it handled all the materials. Even the packaging is really nice and well designed. It sits opened in a blister pack, but is well protected with a tip cover. Awesome knife overall for a contractor, but would also make a great gift or addition to an EDC knife collector.

This is a really great little knife! It folds out and closed really easily (sometimes it feels too easily but it has never come open accidentally). Comes with great D2 steel and sharpens up really nicely. Perfect do it all knife that locks into position very firmly and will serve you well as it has a great basic design that is time proven. Highly 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. I started out with the 2.5" blade version, and liked it so much I picked up this 3" drop point version as well. The 3" version fits a little better in my hand, but I prefer the "pointier" drop point of the 2.5" for piercing over the more curved 3" blade. 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 found that this 3" version wasn't quite as sharp as the 2.5" version I already had. The 3" one wasn't sharp enough to shave with right out of the packaging. After about 20 minutes of careful sharpening with a ceramic, I had it as sharp or sharper than the 2.5" blade originally was though. So it's not terribly difficult to sharpen, it just takes some time. I've been carrying and using the knife for the past three weeks, and after my initial sharpening of the blade, 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 very difficult for me to disengage the lock one-handed with my left hand - I always have to resort to pushing the back edge against a hard surface to assist in closing the blade. 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. The 3" bladed version of the Hardline knives is just a little too big for putting in a watch pocket on my jeans, but then again I have a smaller frame, and someone who is 5'8"+ may have more real estate in their pockets. The belt clip still holds it securely to a pocket edge, and I usually just end up carrying it in the corner of my back 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.

I'm a bit of a knife collector and I have all 4 of the Hardline knives. I like them all but this one is my favorite. The 3" size is perfect for me. I do really like the tanto serrated 3" hardline also, but for most of my needs a smooth blade is best. - D2 Steel for under 100.00. Very hard to find in a 3" pocket knife of this build quality - Really heavy duty. This knife is beefy. Stainless steel (stonwashed finish) back, glass reinforced nylon grip, and a serious frame lock. This is made for some serious use. It's also fairly heavy for it's size, but not unreasonably so. - Tip up carry that is really deep. The knife is barely visible in pocket. The clip is reversible for lefties like me - Comes razor sharp out of the package - Opens very quickly with the flipper on the back. No flick of the wrist needed. It's one of the smoothest and fastest (non-spring assisted) knives I own. The only downside for me is closing. I mentioned this in my reviews for the other 3 knives as well. I cannot close this knife with just my left hand. I either need to use my right hand, or use 2 hands to close it. The frame lock is very secure. Overall this is my favorite of all the hardline knives, and one of my top three 3" folding knives I currently own. As you can see in the pictures of the blade, I've already put this knife through some heavy use. I will be carrying this one with me everywhere for the foreseeable future.