HYLA | Pocket Knife | Button Lock | 2.91" 14C28N Black Blade | Black G10 Handle | HX OUTDOORS ZD-120S-C

Nice weight, nice blade, nice color, nice handling, nice action, nice finish and details, but.... When opened the blade isn't locked in, it moves, not sideways but up and down. Unfortunately this can't be fixed with tightening the screws. Things aren't manufactured properly in the locking mecanisme. And that's why I can't give a 5 star rating. Lock is too important to have a flaw.

I gave this knife four stars because it arrived with some slight sideways blade play. After disassembling, lubing, and reassembling it, that issue was resolved and it feels perfect. The pivot bearings and washers are of the same high quality found in more expensive knives.

The blade weight feels excellent during deployment, and all screws that were used had the appropriate amount of blue loctite/threadlocker applied.

I will definitely be purchasing more in the future for gifting to friends and family.

Revisada la navaja HYLA solo me quedan buenas palabras para ella por su calidad en la ejecucion no tiene nada de holguras y los acabados son perfectos, el acero es una pasa, y el dise?o es muy bonito.

A solid, well-built knife.
The fit and finish are excellent, and the materials are high quality.
It's a bit heavy due to the solid liners, but that adds to its robustness.

Fits well in my hand. A little stiff in the beginning. It's slowly beginning to loosen up.

The HX Outdoors HYLA is a substantial but relatively slim EDC folder built around a 2.91-inch 14C28N blade, G10 handle, and button lock. I bought both the black ZD-120S-C and natural-green ZD-120S-B; apart from color, they are essentially identical.

Fit & Finish

Fit and finish are very good for the price.

The blade favors the clip side slightly, but it is uniformly offset rather than crooked. There is no pivot play, and lockup is extremely secure. Pressing against the tip produces slight lateral movement, but this appears to be normal blade flex rather than pivot looseness.

Hardware is secure, the grind is even, and I found no sharp edges, gaps, hotspots, coating flaws, or other obvious QC problems. Even the normally hidden surfaces where the blade meets the locking mechanism are polished and coated rather than left rough.

The clip uses T6 screws and the pivot a T8.

Ergonomics & Handling

The G10 has a fine texture resembling a mild fingernail file: enough traction without being abrasive or slippery.

At 10.8 cm (4.25 in) long and 1.50 cm (0.59 in) thick, the handle is substantial enough for large hands without becoming cumbersome. A pronounced index-finger recess provides a secure grip, and the knife balances just behind it.

There is jimping at the base of the spine, but it is finished so smoothly that it offers little useful traction.

A sharpening choil is present, but there is no safe or useful position for choking up. With this much handle, I do not consider that a problem.

Blade & Cutting Performance

The factory edge on my knife was poor. It would cut paper only when held taut and showed essentially no bite on arm hair.

[****] exceptionally easily. I touched up the edge on a 500-grit diamond stone, refined it at 1000 grit, used a ceramic rod, then stropped it. About five minutes later, it was hair-popping sharp.

Once sharpened, it handles paper, rope, cardboard, packaging, and normal EDC cutting very well.

HX Outdoors calls the blade a drop point, although visually it approaches a spear point: the tip sits essentially on the centerline and the profile is nearly symmetrical. Blade thickness is 3 mm (0.12 in).

14C28N is a strong choice here. It offers excellent toughness for stainless steel, very good corrosion resistance, easy sharpening, and moderate edge retention. It is not a wear-resistance specialist, but that tradeoff works well for a general-purpose EDC.

Mechanism & Construction

The button lock produces an extremely free-swinging blade. Press the button and gravity or a small wrist movement opens or closes it; release the button and the blade locks firmly in place.

The thumb studs technically work, but they sit close enough to the pivot that leverage is poor. Combined with strong closed-blade retention, they are more decorative than useful. Button deployment is far easier.

Lockup is excellent with no perceptible movement.

The knife is also effectively ambidextrous. The clip is reversible, and the button works from either hand, although left-handed use generally means pressing it with the index finger.

Carry & Practicality

At approximately 112 g (3.95 oz) and 18.7 cm (7.36 in) overall, the HYLA feels substantial without becoming burdensome.

The reversible clip provides deep carry, leaving only the angled rear tip visible. Nothing tends to snag, and the clean lines give the knife something of a gentleman's-folder appearance despite its size. It works well with jeans, khakis, or shorts, although nearly four ounces may be noticeable in light dress slacks.

The lanyard hole is small enough that standard 550 paracord does not pass through easily.

I view the HYLA as a substantial general-purpose EDC rather than a heavy-duty folder. For packages, paper, plastic, cardboard, and ordinary utility cutting, 14C28N is an excellent fit. Someone cutting abrasive cardboard, rope, or wood continuously should expect more frequent sharpening.

Pros

* Excellent fit and finish for the price
* Very secure lockup
* Comfortable, large-hand-friendly handle
* Smooth button-lock action
* Reversible deep-carry clip
* Attractive, understated design
* Tough, corrosion-resistant 14C28N
* Extremely easy to sharpen
* Excellent cutting performance once sharpened

Cons

* Blade slightly offset toward clip side
* Poor factory edge on my example
* Thumb studs offer little useful leverage
* Jimping provides little traction
* No useful forward grip
* 550 paracord does not easily fit the lanyard hole
* Moderate rather than exceptional edge retention

Bottom line: An unusually substantial and well-finished budget EDC with excellent lockup, ergonomics, and 14C28N steel. The factory edge needed work, but five minutes of sharpening transformed it into an excellent everyday cutter.

Great action and fitment. Colors pop. Top level at this price point.

Can’t be beat for the price. Nice sturdy drop point blade that came razor sharp, and great ergos. I use it everyday for work

Grate knife!!!

This knife is super premium, feels great for a small knife and the deploy and locking mechanism are top notch.

Great experience and a very good knife. Will definitely order again from this company.

Very pleased with the purchase. Can’t beat the quality for the price. Little case is nice addition and worth the extra coin too. Thanks Melissa Backwoods for the heads up!

Stunned black knife , open an closed softly. Really I like more than the previous one I bought together. This one is really nice, good job guys

Knife seems to be well made. Fit and finish is really good. Just started to use it regularly but so far it’s living up to expectations

This little knife has it all and its great looking ten thumbs up.

They just never told me it was delivered when it got here. Beautiful presentation though.

Great knife

Very happy with this!

Got after market packaging. Knife is nice though.

Sleek blades with great feeling handles. Sharp upon arrival and the waterproof case feels like a steel for only $8

Lindo canivete EDC , material de primeira qualidade, vou colocar na minha cole??o de um dos melhores...adoro ficar a observar os detalhes . Simplesmente clean ! N?o foi feita para ficar suja .

Tolles Messer. Sch?ner neuer Style. Hat voll meinen Geschmack getroffen. Qualit?t und Ausf��hrung klasse. Super scharf und Funktionalit?t. Mega Handhabung und Handlage. V?llig zufrieden.

Desculpe a demora para responder, excelente canivete, muito top !!! Vai fazer parte dos melhores da minha coleção. Aprovado