Hi Kevin, I have the M4 and love it as an Edc in my waistband concealed and I rotate knives every day. My fixed blade rotation is the M4, Guardian 4, Gekko 1510, Real Steel Gardarik M390,Real Steel Pointman and Kizer T2. I also have 5 smaller ones such as the Spyderco Perrin Street Beat and the Ruike F815 but I only carry those when I have to get dressed up. I’m a city dweller but am often in bad neighborhoods late at night and it almost impossible to get carrier permits where I live (NYC). In addition I carry 2 folders 3-3.5” & 3.75-4”. I would like to say to all those who don’t think you can edc a fixed blade you are mistaken. In a defensive situation a 4” fixed blade is much more of a visual deterrent than a folder. I just remembered the point of this comment, if your looking for a Kydex sheath for your M4 look up Randy’s knives on google and it will take you to his eBay store. He has it ready made and it’s under $40.00 American he also has one for the Gekko which by the way is an awesome knife. Keep the great vids coming.
Finally a review of the Lionsteel B35 , The M4 and B35 are both excellent knives . Though I prefer the B35 for the slimmer design for field use and everyday carry . I like the sharpened end metal extension tab on the B35 handle, it is designed to strike a ferro rod . To me this a perfect Daily carry fixed blade as well as a outdoor field use knife for fishing , hunting , camping and hiking use.
Great review, you talked about a lot of things But you never talked about the Massive difference in the steels. One is a High end super steel the other very much like D2. The M4 is far Superior In every way Just look at the Price Difference.
The M4 and the B35 are both very beautiful knives. I don't own either, but I do own the B40 and the M1. From your descriptions and review I don't believe I will be buying either, they are just too close, to near in functionality to what I already own. The one plus I see is in the sheath on the M4 and B35, they seem to be much better than the B40 sheath. The M1 sheath works fine, due to the much smaller size of the knife. Excellent review, thank you! PS: Too bad these knives aren't designed to strike a ferro rod.
The B35 has a sharpened end extension at the end of the handle , it is designed to strike a ferro rod and works fine no problems, I own this knife and it is excellent. It is designed as a bushcraft knife but it works as a great everyday carry due to the slimmer size . Armatus company makes Kydex sheaths for this knife and M4 at $40.00 .
Mark JG Thanx for the info. Based on the images of the B35's pommel I concluded that the handle scales would get in the way when attempting to strike a ferro rod. The same problem occurs on my B40, where the scales get in the way and a (controlled, even with cold fingers) ferro rod strike is very hard to achieve, compared to a classic 90deg spine. Can you expand on that? or do you know of videos/images where I could copy the technique
Great review but I have to say that the B35 looks like a grown up M1. I have an M4 and an M1 as its companion knife so I'm thinking that the B35 will be redundant.
You're talking about the thickness of the blade stock, the width of the handles etc but you're not showing us! Show us a good clear view of the things, side by side perhaps. Thanks.
Hey! How is the retention on the sheath of the B35? Can you pull the knife out with the snap closed? I saw a guy on youtube who had this problem. Not a big deal but something that would bother me. Thank you!
I ordered the M4 a couple nights ago and also ordered a Kydex sheath for it already even though I've never held one. But I know I'm going to love it. It might be the most beautiful knife I've ever seen; I can't wait to hold it in hand. I got the Kydex sheath for it because I plan on making it my EDC.
The M4 is not a Full tang design it has a large rectangular hole hidden beneath the handle scales and Lionsteel has grossly misled consumers. Moisture, water, sweat or the very worst being salt water, can obviously penetrate under the handle and then rust can develop and even though M390 is very corrosion resistant is will still rust. Regular checking that this is not occurring should be conducted periodically by removing one handle scale and inspecting. The M4 should NEVER be used for batoning with as the Skeletonised tang may well break. Many knife reviewers have just read what Lionsteel has claimed concerning the tang of the M4 being a Full tang, you are not the first to assume that they are telling the truth though more indepth research would have brought this to light. My best wishes to you and all of your family and friends Kevin, 🤝🏻👍🏻.
Are you the same guy who wrote that 1-star review on knivesandtools? Are you on some kind of mission against the M4 to save the world from this knife? I mean, I read your review on knivesandtools and this comment under at least two videos about the M4. It’s hilarious. Have you ever broken one of these knives or seen a broken one? Or have you ever seen one that’s been rusted to the point where the handle just fell apart? The horrible hole in the tang that Lionsteel lied so bad about to its customers is a well made design choice. It gives the knife a much better balance and is very well made. With perfectly rounded corners and chamfered edges to reduce any potential stress points. It’s easy to see that as a downside, when you have almost no clue about knives. But in reality it’s just a nice design choice from the manufacturer which is even more expensive to produce if done nicely (like on the M4). Maybe you should end your quest against the M4 and focus a bit more on learning. Most high quality knives feature a skeletonized tang under the scales. It’s nothing bad. No manufacturer would add this feature if it wouldn’t make any sense, because it takes longer to produce it that way.
You are right , I had the Lionsteel M4 in M390 and I sold it because it is a real pain in the ass to sharpen freehand on a diamond stone. I have the B35 now it is supposed to be easier to sharpen than M390 . I prefer 1095 steel and other carbon steels that are easy to touch up in the field and everyday carry. You may like the Great Eastern cutlery Hunter fixed blades H30 , H40 in 4 inch and 4.5 inch size inexpensive around $85.00 with 1095 carbon steel AEB-L stainless steel is excellent too on LT Wright knives easy to sharpen like 1095 and stainless excellent steel . I like the Lionsteel B35 so far , I did not sharpen it yet so I cannot comment on that. However my GEC hunter and traditional folding knives in 1095 are excellent and very easy to sharpen I like them very much.
