I recently took ownership of a Three Sisters Forge “Beast”.  This company is literally a one-man operation run by James Allen who also makes the knives.  The knives can be purchased with the titanium frame and standard processing, the addition of cerakote finishing, or with a damascus blade.  The latter two add considerable cost to the basic knife.  It is available in olive drab, gray, red, orange, and black.  I got the olive drab with a black blade (cerakote finish).  The standard blade is stonewashed.

 

The Beast is a medium sized, hard use tactical knife that I think is extremely tough and rugged.  I opted for the cerakote finish; therefore this review is indicative of a Beast with this rugged finish.  I intend to make this my EDC for a long time, and I want the appearance to hold up.  My first impression was this is a no nonsense, nothing fancy knife, but very rugged.  It is not plastered at all with lettering, knife steel spec., etc.  There is one black laser etched label adjacent to the pocket clip showing their three mountain icon along with the words “Three Sisters Forge LLC”.  (Very tastefully done)  There are no other markings to even identify the year it was fabricated.  Being made with titanium handles and the cerakote finish, this knife could be around for many decades if not centuries.  Made me wonder how someone could tell how old it is (perhaps the icon would do it?)  The only feature that one might consider fancy is the great grip pattern machined on the knife front face, and I think it is especially handsome.  This feature I like a lot because it is very grippy, while at the same time, it doesn’t feel like it is going to rip off your skin or wear a hole in your pocket.  This grip pattern was made by some kind of proprietary water jet cutting process that I’m not sure I understand.  All edges are nicely finished and don’t feel sharp.

Some of the details are:

1. Blade Length:                                     3.000”
2. Closed Length:                                   4.250”
3. Blade Thickness (as I measured)       0.160”  U-tube stated it was 0.192”
4. Handle Thickness (as I measured)    0.125”
5. Knife Weight (as I measured)             4.50 oz.
6. Blade Material                                    CPMS-35 NV  cryo-stabilized
7. Heat Treat                                          Triple Tempered
8. Handles                                              Titanium     
9. Torx drive screws, clip, spacers         Stainless Steel

The screws are nicely recessed with just a little hang out.  The knife blade rides on some kind of ball bearing system and is quite smooth.

I wish I owned a Sebenza, so I could compare the Beast with this “benchmark” knife.  Since the Beast does not have separate handles/frame, I would call the it a frame lock.  The knife is extremely stiff due to its beefy blade and handles/frame.  If I open it slowly, there is a slight indent about 20 degrees before fully opened.  Upon opening it fast, I am finding it a little sluggish, but perhaps it is because it is new and/or I’m not used to it yet.  At the end of a fast open is a rock solid lock-up.  I mean this thing is as good a lock up as I have ever experienced.  It is as good as a fixed blade.  Absolutely no hint of movement or wobble what so ever, even after you load it.  I would say this is one of its strengths.  The indent when the blade closes is also a positive.  It does not feel like it is going to open accidentally.  The Blade is perfectly centered between the handles also.  It is a fully open knife lending it to easy cleaning.

The blade is a shallow hollow ground blade.  The shape is marvelous with a nicely designed upper edge grind running from about the halfway point to the blade end.  As a stress analyst, I can tell this blade design has had some thought put into it and is well balanced structurally.  It is extremely strong and would be very difficult to bend or break it.  Another thing about the blade is that it came extremely sharp.  I have bought many knives through the years, and I have never had a knife come with such a sharp blade.  It passed the arm hair cutting test with ease, and I’m sure it would pass any other sharpness test you might throw at it.

The machining and fabricating techniques are obviously top tier.  Superb machining, finishes, and I’m sure the tolerances are held extremely tight.  I keep looking at it trying to find some kind of fabricating flaw; however I haven’t found any yet.  It is evident to me from both this example of his work and from talking to the maker, James Allen really knows what he is doing and just wants people to enjoy his well-made knives in which he takes much pride.

The Cerakoted blade and handles are very handsome, and really add to the overall “rugged” feel.  I do not have any experience with it so I cannot comment on its durability.  It sure feels like it is on these components for good.  Cerakote is a ceramic based paint that is more commonly used on firearms.  I saw U-Tubes of its performance versus other durable paints, and it clearly was superior.  (However the U-Tube was made by Cerakote Inc., so who knows if it is legit).  Mr. Allen does not do this process and farms it out.

If you are looking for a solid, medium sized, heavy duty tactical that is very rugged and strong, the Beast is worth considering.  It is an extremely well made, no nonsense, strong and rugged knife.  Its operation is very good and is very, very sharp.  Although I do not have Sebenza experience, it is hard to imagine it can be much better than the Beast, and the price is substantially less.  Be careful, the Beast is fearsome.