Brous Blades: VR-71 and new Hardwire Folding Knives

At the Blade Show 2016, I was lucky enough to catch up with designer, Jason Brous at his Brous Blades booth for an interview (which was summarily crashed by Ken Onion – read about that here). At the end of that interview, I was given the opportunity to get a closer look at the tried and true G10, stonewashed iteration of the Brous VR-71, as well as the Brous Hardwire (set to be released later this year).  I’ve had about two weeks to get a feel for these modern folding knives, and I just can’t get enough of them.

Brous G10 VR-71

The G10 version of the popular VR-71 falls into the middle market of the Brous line – below the high end titanium knives and just above the the anodized aluminum handled versions at the lower end. “This is one of the best knives we make,” Brous told me at the show, “and we have a ton of these sitting around at the shop. This is the third rendition of [this knife], so I know for a fact that this knife is never going to break on anybody and it’s going to hold an edge great. It’s just a good overall, solid knife.”

He’s right. It’s about as solid as a knife can get. It’s been in my EDC rotation for a couple of weeks now, and I’m beginning to think it’s my favorite so far. The specs are impressive.

The action on this knife is smooth and accurate. It’s easy to move with either the flipper or the custom thumb hole in the blade. I personally like that the flipper creates a very nice finger guard for those rough cutting situations. It’s clear that Brous has put a great deal of thought into the unusual blade shape of this knife. My thumb gets a nice grip and resting spot on the top of the blade in a normal cutting position, but I also find that the I can just comfortably place my index finger on the downward slope of the thumb hole area of this knife. Beyond that, there’s another concave line in the middle of the blade where I can get the thumb of my free hand on the blade for a comfortable, extra push, if needed.

Attention to detail is abundantly clear with the VR-71.Even the deep-sit pocket clip has been machined to accommodate the wide lanyard hole at the end of the handle.

The Brous VR-71 is quick out of the pocket and easy to open. If you’re looking for an EDC, this is really one you should consider. It’s built solid and designed thoughtfully, and I don’t think you can go wrong with it.

The New Brous Hardwire

The Hardwire is a different animal altogether. It’s slick and lean with beautiful lines and symmetry. While the VR-71 is the everyday workhorse, the Hardwire is the show horse that displays all of Jason Brous’s talent as a designer – and still works perfectly.

The Hardwire, limited to two runs of 500, is due to be released sometime around September of this year. It’s long, lean, and elegant.

The Hardwire’s blade is sexy. There’s no other way to describe it. The organic lines of this long and lean drop point are gorgeous, and the blade has multiple grinds. The longer grind takes up 3/4 of the front of the blade and the shorter grind fills the last quarter. The unique bi-level thumb hole just adds to the appeal of the blade.

The bent two-tone G10 handle is beyond comfortable in the hand, and really helps you put the right amount of pressure on the blade while cutting. The elongated flipper serves as an excellent finger guard when the blade is open, and makes a huge difference in the speed at which you can open this fast-action one-hander. It’s far faster than the VR-71 and the liner lock makes you smile when it locks up.

I’ll be dead honest about this knife. Of all the knives that we to test and review after Blade Show 2016, this is the one I’m going to have to hide from my wife. She’s coveting it now as we speak – drooling over it.  Keep your eyes peeled for the Brous Hardwire. It’s a limited run and they will go fast.