Review
United Cutlery/Harley Davidson Wolf Series
by Dexter Ewing - Field Editor for Blade Magazine
Welcome to the maiden voyage of Blades By Brown’s Knife Of The Month feature. Every month, I will be selecting a knife to review, which you will be reading about here on the site. And for that month, the Knife Of The Month will be on sale on the website and in the store. And ONLY for that month! And to kick things off, I have selected the Harley Davidson Wolf series of tactical folders.
United Cutlery of Seiverville, TN is licensing the Harley Davidson name to market a line of knives under the famed motorcycle brand. There are many knives in this series, mostly designed by custom knifemaker and Harley rider Fred Carter. Most of Carter’s designs are on the tactical side of things – one hand opening liner lock® folders of various persuasions. The Wolf series of such Harley Davidson knives represent pretty much the high end tactical folders in the entire United/HD line. Available in two blade sizes, there is a large tactical folder for serious users and a more compact version more suited for every day carry.
The HD 42 is a big knife. A little over 9 inches overall, it packs the size and muscle needed to tackle big cutting chores with its 4 inch long ATS-34 stainless blade with a partially serrated edge. The blade shape is more of a spearpoint with a swedge grind and hollow ground main bevel. Dual thumbstuds permit easy one handed opening with either hand for fast deployment when the situation arises. The thumb studs also serve as the blade’s positive stop when the knife is fully open. The grinds are very even, and the blade is finished with a fine bead blast to ward off glare. ATS-34 is a premium steel used in sporting and tactical knives because it will hold an edge very well and at the same time, have good corrosion resistance. ATS-34 outperforms many of the steels used in knives today, which is why it is widely used by both commercial knife manufacturers and custom knife makers as well. You will discover that you’ll need to resharpen the blade less. Having used ATS-34 extensively in the past, I can honestly say that it is a good high end blade steel that will certainly stand up to anything you might need a knife for. From a manufacturing standpoint, it takes on a great finish regardless if its satin, mirror polish, or a bead blast. United wanted a high end tactical folder with a premium blade steel, and they certainly have it with the HD42 Wolfhound.
The handle of the HD42 is machined out of titanium, a lightweight yet strong metal that has a certainly high tech appeal to those who know what it is. Titanium has superb corrosion resistance as well, which is why it is used widely in the medical field as artificial joints and sockets. The handle shape flares a bit at the blade pivot end to prevent forward slipping of your grip. There is an inlay of Kraton® rubber to add to the non-slip grip qualities. A series of traction notches machined into the thumb rest area of the handle spine to provide exact control during precise cutting chores. Three diagonal cut out holes are added for aesthetic qualities. And inlaid steel leaf lock secures the blade in the open position. This leaf lock is nearly twice as thick as normal liner lock® folding knives and provides a tight and secure lock up. The entire radius of the handle slabs are contoured for a comfortable grip as well, which is a feature that is most desirable when it comes to comfortable tactical folder handles. To aid in carrying a big folder like this around, a steel pocket clip is fastened to the handle, which carries the knife low in the pocket yet remaining easily accessible at all times. One concern I have is the skeletonized pocket clip. I feel that this is a weak point in this knife, as the holes in the clip [which make it aesthetically pleasing] also weaken the clip [takes away material] and thus making the clip more susceptible to accidental bending should the clip get hung up on an object. So, the debate is aesthetics or durability? I’d go with durability every time no matter how ugly or plain looking a part is. Really, this is the only beef I have with the HD42. I’m quite impressed with this knife as typically, United Cutlery’s quality can be dubious at times, but this particular piece is very well made. The HD42 is made right here in the USA.
The HD0045 Wolf Pup is a scaled down version of its bigger brother, the HD42 Wolfhound. It offers all the design advantages in a smaller, easier to carry package that many knife users will appreciate. To start things off, the blade measures 3 1/4 inches in length. And is made of AUS-8 stainless steel. AUS-8 holds an edge well, though, not as well as the Wolfhound’s ATS-34 steel. It may not hold an edge as long, but the trade off is it is a bit easier to resharpen when you do have to. Other than blade material, the blade shape is the same as are the ambidextrous thumb studs.
The handle of the Wolfpup is made of anodized aluminum as opposed to titanium with the Wolfhound. The steel inlaid leaf lock secures the blade in the open position until it is ready to be unlocked and folded closed. The handle is available in several different colors, and the evaluation piece had a gray anodizing that goes well with the blade’s bead blast finish. The pocket clip on the side of the handle again is skeletonized. I pretty much prefer to have a standard non-skeletonized clip on these knives. They might not look as good but structurally, they are more sound than skeletonized ones. The handle, like the HD42 Wolfhound, has 5 spacer pillars which give the handle good lateral strength. The HD0045 is precisely crafted in Taiwan, which is rapidly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the knife industry as well noted for producing high quality knives at affordable prices. The HD0045 Wolfpup is certainly no exception. It’s a very well made knife like its bigger brother.
If I had to pick one of the two, that would be difficult! Generally, I prefer large folders like the HD42 Wolfhound because you can tackle big cutting chores easily with plenty of power and muscle to spare. However, medium sized knives like the HD0045 Wolfpup are quickly gaining in my favor. Why? Because they still can have muscle but in a convenient, easy to carry package that will carry well. They’re so light that you barely notice it clipped to the pants pocket. Normally, I’m not one who gravitates towards any of the United Cutlery offerings since they typically are not considered high end knives. But the Wolf series are definitely high quality knives that would please anyone who appreciates well made folding knives. There is one area of possible improvement that I immediately noticed upon handling these knives for the first time. The edge of the traction notches that face the inside of the handle have crisp edges. You can feel them with your thumb especially when you have a tight grip on the handle. For those of you who have taken apart folding knives before, these crisp edges can be smoothed over with the light touch of a file or maybe even a Dremel® tool. In the final analysis, if anyone is like me – one who typically shows the same amount of excitement towards United Cutlery products as one would a burlap sack full of rocks - the Wolf series are definitely a pleasant surprise in terms of design and manufacturing quality all the way around. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at the overall quality of these knives.
**The opinions expressed by Dexter Ewing do not reflect those of the staff of Blades By Brown Cutlery**
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