Nick, as we are getting of age, we need to learn to accept the fact that from time to time we would take it out, but fail to deploy. It’s all good, take care.
You are absolutely right about the riv being a pilar upgrade. The Pilar was the first knife I fell in love with and the riv answered all of my wishes for upgrades. Great knife, I carry it often.
Fast-forward two years ahead of this video, I recently purchased an Ace Riv. Everything you've reported is absolutely true. Especially the, What I was calling, phantom lock-bar stick. Thanks to you I can make the adjustment. Also, my hands are XL glove size, which makes it difficult to open, in that I have scraped my hand with the backside of the tip upon opening this tiny knife because it gets lost in my hand so to speak. I really like this knife, but it's a bit too small for me. Anyway Thanks for what is the best review so far on the Ace Riv.
I guess I’m just lucky, I have non of the issues regarding opening the Riv , my hand just fit it perfectly, so my fingers naturally lands off the lockbar, finger flicking,thumbing or flipping is just a joy. Yours and bearded Gears review of the Riv convinced me so pick one up to day and yeah a 💎 for me
Seems aimed at the Slysz Techno 2. Looks great, I would definitely need to add a pinkie paracord loop to that lanyard hole to make it a 4-finger knife for me.
On the same page, sold mine because of the lock bar issue. Loved the design and knife though. Bought the Fox Baby Core Micarta instead. Not quite as beaautiful but close in form and Vox design and more functional for me thanks to the liner lock. And still some cash left after all 😀
Love the Riv! Though I did replace the clip with a Ripp’s Garage Tech milled Ti clip. (Any clip made for the Spyderco Techno will work.) That cured mine of any lockbar issues since it gives a sturdier place to grab. XL motorcycle gloves and the Riv still fits me well.
Hi Nick, just want to suggest you the Kansept Weasel you could look at. It's quite new and a non locking flipper as well. I believe that makes it quite interesting, especially for the UK or for Germany(I live here myself), since locking flippers are illegal to carry here.
I'm not sure how they've managed to price this above the Biblio. I get the titanium scales, but even the micarta version is more than the Biblio. Elmax is nice, but for an EDC pocket knife, so is M390.
Henry Spencer - What I’m saying is that from where I’m standing, there’s nothing that would justify me paying more money for this over the Biblio. Like for like, it’s less knife for more money. If we’re taking manufacturers into account, I’d rather support an Italian company than a Chinese one anyway.
@@JohnSmith-yx8kf if the amount of material matters more than the amount of work put in, than I'm sure you'd be happier with the Biblio. Personally, Reate is my favorite production OEM and I'd rather support their work and pay a bit extra for their quality.
I have the ace grand with elmax steel and green micarta handle and the ace iona with m390 and green aluminum handles love em both I have the riv and biblio coming innthe mail today I csnt wait I absolutely love giantmouse def my favorite knife company period
I just got this innthe mail the all titanium riv I like it but it's hard to flip cause the frame lock is in the way I dont know if I should keep it ir send it back and get something else I love the biblio too
Ok this knife, I’ve found the flipper tab works much nicer if you hook your pointer finger, and add pressure to the forward-most side of the pocket-pecker.
I love this knife so much I have two. People called it a mini Biblio. But it’s not. It’s a completely different knife. Although it may look similar. It is not just a shrunken version of another knife.
It's not just a shrunken version of a knife, it's a shrunken version of several knives that are all basically the same. The Biblio, Grand, Suru, Pilar, 5.5, etc.
I picked up this knife based on this Riv-iew. Exactly what I was looking for; a much much nicer Pilar. I can see the frame lock issues, but it's been super Fidget Friendly™ for me.
I know you don't normally do fixed blades, but I'd like to see your take on their GMF1. Knifecenter has them now, though they still have the wrong material on the GMF1-P. (It's 690Co)
I have the Ace Biblio in the black micarta. I really want to love the knife and make it part of my EDC, as it's well made, and just a different damn good looking knife. The finger choil is just too small even with my not so large hands. Nick's hands can't be that much smaller than mine as there was no mention of The Ace Riv having an uncomfortable finger choil.
It is essentially a smaller frame-lock Biblio. I own a Biblio but rarely carry it. The biggest problems I have with it are that the action is poor (soft detent and rough pivot bearings) and I can't seem to tune it and the deep carry clip isn't very deep. It also feels extra thick in the pocket, which surprised me, as other contoured knives I own seem to disappear. I think it is because it carries so high in my pocket.
Looks like here in Australia I’m just going to have to eat...humble Pilar? (Sorry!) As beautiful as it is, if the GM Riv is north of $200 in the US, it’ll be more like $400 here, if indeed it is even available. Never mind. Thanks as always for a great review Nick, no one else on The Toob comes close.
Vowed to get out the knife game before I delved into custom money. But production wise if I find a knife I like the look of 9 X out of 10 it’s a Jesper voxannes . Guess we just speak the same design language!
i love vox designed knives and own a few (gm2, biblio, large pilar, the newer d2 pilar from bhq) but i wish there were more options for people with xl glove sized hands. everyone talks about using smaller knives for better pocket space but for large hands small knives usually fit poorly. vox's designs are pretty flexible in terms of hand sizes but still...
Have a look at the Fox Baby Core (a smidget shorter and a smidget thicker, but overall very similar in size. Also, rides deeper in the pocket)... costs around $70 at Blade HQ without going all the way to the bottom with the materials as the PIlar does.
Your issue with lanyard holes is probably a result of the LBHs. On a knife this small, I'd almost certainly put a lanyard on it for a better grip. Cool knife for people in places like Boston. Not nearly enough premium knives that fall under 2.5."
Dude, I want this. It basically IS an upgraded pilar. I picked up the crkt large pilar a couple days ago and love the ergos, but I went on my blade groups and bitched about how crkt wastes all these fantastic designs by not offering real upgraded tiers apart from a D2 model that still just has Teflon and stainless steel scales. Crkt could have done a pilar with titanium, s30v or s35vn, and ball bearings and charged 120-150 bucks for it and I think people would have eaten it up.
The Pilar 3 has bearings and killer ergos. Fit and finish is good. My blade came perfectly centered. Yeah, it's D2 but it's not 210 bucks either. Love my Pilar 3.
@@mostmuscular619 yes I have both and the riv is actually better ergonomically. The biblio has a sharp little “bite” when forward gripping. Both good though.
Giant Mouse has had recurrent deployment challenges from over-tight retention-holes, ramps, etc. Jake @beardedgear detailed one instance with his ACE Sonoma frame lock, and I had the same with my V2 - Natural Canvas Micarta Sonoma liner lock. Ended up hitting the retention hole on mine with a jeweler's diamond burr/Dremel to polish the edges, and now the knife deploys smoothly and consistently. Knives with over-tight retention (at $200+) shouldn't be "a thing" in this day and age.
The Pilar 3 might be a more interesting knife, it feels like it's splitting the difference between this and the original Pilar while staying pretty inexpensive.
The Riv is everything the original Pilar wanted to be. The Biblio is everything the Pilar 3 wants to be. I love the Pilar too. I wish CRKT would make a Ti/S30V version of a Pilar 3.
Always thoughtgiant mouse was a daft name for a knife but when I go on the hunt for a knife I often feel like a cat on the prowl. You’d think a giant mouse would be easier to catch 😂
At first I too though $210 was a CRAZY price. Then I used one of these and totally understood! It was definitely a case of what I've come to call "small Inkosi syndrome"....that being said I'm a little biased because I'm a huge GM fan.
Not sure it grew a lanyard hole it didn’t need. It may be a vestigial lanyard hole that it is evolving out of. Lanyards are the appendices of knives. We can only hope.
@@starkparker16 Big fan of his also. There is a concept and legacy behind folding knife design that I think Vox and the Glessers share. I definitely don't want to dis Eric when I express this.
Why do people get upset when a knife exists that they can't afford? They look for any excuse to bad mouth it or say that it's overpriced. Never understood the point of that. Their comments are pretty funny though. 😆
Kinda funny that you complain about the bottom drawer materials on the Pilar, and at the same time complain about the price... Anyway, I think we should all appreciate the fact that if knifes simply get cheaper it probably means that the guys in the factory get paid less.
Oh no. This knife has shown me that the line between Upgrade an Derivative can be non existent. In a collection of, say, 10-15 knives, the Pilar occupies a niche where the law of diminishing returns is very steep. The thick stock blade on that particular geometry means that it would benefit very little from a super steel upgrade. Throw in a Some titanium scales and my 67 dollar customized Pilar looks very favorably against this knife that is 3x the cost. Unless you are VERY particular about what you want, and iff this knife checks all the right boxes, I don't see how this knife can be worth more than 130 dollars.
@@CVNOU The original techno was released in or around 2012, Giantmouse started I think around 2014, not sure when Biblio was released, but definitely after 2014.
At 210.... I'll stick with my Pilar 3. The Pilar 3 runs on bearings, has better ergos, D2 steel, has a good deep carry pocket clip, is a fidgety knife you can spydie flick all day and..... it's not 210 dollars.
This entire channel (and i do enjoy it) is a perfect demonstration of how stupid both youtube reviews and human culture are becoming. This is a knife review channel....He hasnt cut a single thing besides the boxes they come in. Knife pr0n is not knife review. “But is the blade centered....and it weight 0.7 ounces more than the bugout...now back in my safe.”
