Russhoolio's Full Review: 169 Mako with Leathr Sheath Knife 1 Ea 3440302
The Case Mako has a well deserved reputation for being an outstanding quality pocket knife. The blades lock up tightly with no wiggle. The locking mechanism is strong and tight. The quality of the steel is quite good. But overall the quality of this knife has come down over the years.
The Mako is a two hand opening "lockback" knife. A lockback knife is one where you have to push down on a lever toward the rear of the knife to release the blade. The other common locking type is the "liner lock" which is popular on one handed opening knives. I can't say for certain which,if either, is better. But liner locks make me nervous both while opening and while closing the blade due to the number of near shaves I've had with them. Both types can close on your finger if you don't pay attention. But my personal opinion is that lockbacks are safer.
The Mako is about 4 inches long when closed and about 7.5 inches open. It snaps open and closed very well, even when it's old. They typically have brass bolsters and wooden handles. Though you can get other handle materials as well. It has a picture of a mako shark etched onto the blade. For it's size it's quite heavy at about 6 ounces.
I have two of these. One was made in 1980 and the other was made around 2005. And they are subtly different. The older knife has a beveled false edge. The newer one has a right angle false edge. A beveled false edge is both stronger and more useful. The brass bolsters on the older knife also don't seem to tarnish as easily. The older one also has a higher quality etching on the blade. The older one looks crisp and sharp, even after 30 years. The newer one is somewhat fuzzy and out of focus looking in comparison.
As far as the overall functionality of the knife as a knife, both are quite good. They retain their edges well enough. And they both resist rust well.
The blade is of the clip type. That means that it tapers along the unsharpended edge (false edge) down to a sharp point. The false edge of the Mako is somewhat long and graceful. It makes for a pretty blade, but I think it weakens the tip.
The Mako's handle is a bit small in circumference for my hand. I'm over 6 feet, so I have somewhat large hands compared to most people. This knife is a little bit hard for me to hold. For someone with small or average hands, this would probably be a good fit. And the handle is slightly rounded at the edges which makes it comfortable to hold.
The sheath it comes with fits the knife well. It goes in and comes out with ease. It is a vertical carry sheath.
Because of my large hands I no longer carry either of my Makos on a regular basis. For every day use I carry a Buck 112, which fits my hand better and has a sturdier blade. The Mako does make a nice "dress knife", while still being very functional.
I would recommend it to someone who has average to small hands or who wants a knife that is both exceptionally good looking and exceptionally well made. It is made in the USA.
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