Demko Knives Shark-Cub AUS10A Clip Point, by Thomas Christianson

The Demko Knives Shark-Cub AUS10A Clip Point is a handy folding knife with an innovative locking mechanism. That mechanism makes it easy to deploy the shaving-sharp, 2.75 inch, stone-washed, clip-point, AUS10A blade with a flick of the wrist. The black, glass-reinforced-nylon, steel-lined handle is ergonomically shaped and nicely textured for a secure grip. The ambidextrous deep pocket clip carries the knife securely and discreetly while keeping it easily accessible.

This Taiwanese-made knife cost $89.99 at the time of this writing at DemkoKnives.com.  It is a well-designed and well-made knife for everyday carry. If you are looking for a sturdy, practical and sharp everyday carry (EDC) knife, this one would be a good choice.

Background

I ran across the Demko Knives Shark-Cub recently online. The innovative “Shark-Lock” looked like an interesting concept. I wanted to give it a try. I contacted Demko Knives, and asked if they could provide me with a sample for testing and evaluation. They were kind enough to agree. Not long afterward, I received a box via USPS Ground Advantage from Demko Knives, 408 Neal St., New Castle, PA 16101.

First Impressions

The 12.13 x 4.38 x 4.25-inch shipping box contained TWO package boxes (each containing a knife), two Demko Knives Shark-Lock decals, and a packing list.

The two knives were the Shark-Cub AUS10A Clip Point that is the subject of this review, and an Armiger 4 Clip OD Green Fixed Blade Knife that I hope to review at some point in the future.

A few weeks later, I received still another box containing a Shark-Cub AUS10A Slicer Shark folding knife that I also hope to review at some point in the future.

The sturdy plastic box containing the Shark-Cub Clip Point measured 4.88 x 1.75 x 1.25 inches. The knife was contained in a plastic bag inside of the box.

The blade comes equipped with dual thumb studs for ambidextrous one-handed deployment. I really like the stone-washed finish of the shaving-sharp, 2.75 inch blade. A stone-washed finish tends to stand up to normal wear and tear better than most other types of finishes. The clip-point blade is 0.13 inches thick at the base of the spine. The blade has one inch of jimping on the spine at the thickest point to help provide better control during delicate cuts.

The “Shark-Lock” is the really innovative feature of the knife. The control surface of the lock protrudes slightly from the spine of the handle near its junction with the blade. If the blade is deployed using the thumb studs, the lock exerts some tension against the portion of the blade that rotates around the pivot point until the tang locks into position. But if the user exerts pressure against the control surface, the lock is no longer in contact with the portion of the blade that rotates around the pivot point. This allows the blade to swing freely. This, in turn, allows the user to open the blade with a flick of the wrist. This lock design also permits a longer and stronger tang than is possible with other folding-knife lock designs. So the design is both stronger and more fun! I love win-win solutions.

Testing

I tested the sharpness of the blade by shaving some hair from my left forearm. The shave was smooth enough that I quite quickly removed a larger patch of hair than I intended.

I then clipped the knife into my left front pants pocket, and carried it on a daily basis over the course of the next month. During that time, I used the knife for a variety of different tasks:
∙ Cutting open a shipment of ammo that I had ordered online.
∙ Removing the seal from a jug of motor oil while changing the oil in my car.
∙ Cutting a flap off of a cardboard box so that I could use the flap as a divider between two layers of canning jars in a box.
∙ Cutting open a carton of stale pretzels to put out for the squirrels.
∙ Cutting open several packages of devotional booklets for children, teens and adults so that I could place the booklets in the church foyer.
∙ Opening the dog’s monthly flea and tick treatment.
∙ Picking the lock on the guest room at our daughter and son-in-law’s house. They keep the room locked to keep the grandchildren from messing up the room between guests. I did not want to both them to unlock the door when I carried our luggage down. I knew my son-in-law would use his knife to open the lock, so I just opened it myself.
∙ Our grandchildren painted some pictures on wooden panels. The panels were designed with tabs that fit into notches on precut bases. The notches were not quite large enough. I used the knife to enlarge the notches on the bases so that the tabs would fit.
∙ Opening packages containing an axe handle protector and the Shark-Cub Slicer Shark referenced above.
∙ Prying apart a tinder wafer in order to expose the fine fibers in the center of the wafer. I then ignited the wafer with the ferrocerium rod on a fire starter.
∙ Cutting a pulled pork sandwich into bite sized pieces. The sandwich was too soggy to eat with my fingers, so I needed pieces small enough to handle with a fork. By the way, I washed the blade prior to using it on food, so that no remnants of my previous projects would contaminate the food.
∙ Cutting open a package of Merino wool work socks so that I could test them for a future article in SurvivalBlog.
∙ Opening packages containing various Christmas presents for our granddaughter, younger daughter, youngest grandson, and older daughter.
∙ Opening a package containing drawstring bags to include in shoe boxes full of gifts that we were donating to Operation Christmas Child. If you are looking for a fun and helpful Christmas project, I highly recommend Operation Christmas Child.
∙ Opening a package containing a case of emergency antibiotics to be reviewed for a future article in SurvivalBlog.
∙ Opening a package containing a two-person, 72-hour survival kit to be reviewed for a future article on SurvivalBlog.
∙ Removing a staple from a packet of volunteer ministry job descriptions that I was preparing for distribution in our church membership class.
∙ Cutting a number of pages out of a blank book. I was gluing notes for a funeral into the book, and needed to make some room for the new pages so that the book would not be too thick for its binding.

The Shark-Cub Clip Point functioned well throughout the testing period at all of these tasks and more. My wife, “Kari”, rolled her eyes a few times when I flicked my wrist to deploy the blade. Sometimes she just does not fully appreciate the “cool factor” of a knife or firearm. But anyone who doesn’t happen to enjoy flicking their wrist and hearing a blade snap into place is welcome to use the thumb studs instead.

AUS10 Steel

AUS10 is produced by Aichi Steel Corporation in Japan. Other well-known steels produced by Aichi include AUS 6 and AUS 8.

AUS 10 is a high-carbon stainless steel. It consists of approximately 83% iron, 14% chromium, 1% carbon, 1% silicon, 0.5% manganese, 0.49% nickel, 0.2% molybdenum, 0.15% vandium, 0.04% phosphorus, and 0.03% sulfur.

I am not a metallurgist or the son of a metallurgist. For expert analysis of the details of blade toughness, edge retention, and corrosion resistance I defer to experts such as Larrin Thomas. But, for practical, everyday use, I generally prefer some of the older, more budget-friendly steels over most of the newer, higher-end steels. That is because I find the lower-priced steels easier to sharpen than the more expensive options. It seems that in most cases, an easily sharpened steel gets sharpened more often. This leads, in turn, to more effective performance in the long run.

AUS10 might be considered a mid-range blade steel option, providing a good balance between ease of sharpening and edge retention.

Demko Knives

Andrew Demko is probably best known as the inventor of the Cold Steel company’s famous Tri-Ad Lock. Andrew worked for Cold Steel for many years, and engineered some of their greatest designs.

Andrew began his knife-making career as a seventh grader, working in the garage of his parents’ home.

Following his collaboration with Cold Steel, Andrew founded Demko knives. With the help of his brother, John, and a friend, Mike Wallace, they oversee the design, manufacture, and distribution of an impressive line of custom, semi-custom, and mass-produced knives.

Conclusions

The Demko Knives Shark-Cub AUS10A Clip Point is a great folding knife for everyday carry. It is sharp, rugged, and fun to deploy with the flick of a wrist. If you need a good EDC knife at a reasonable price, you may want to consider this one.

Disclaimer

Demko Knives provided me with a sample of their Shark-Cub AUS10A Clip Point for testing and evaluation. I tried not to allow their kindness to interfere with the objectivity of my review, and I believe that I have succeeded. I did not receive any other financial or other inducement to mention any vendor, product, or service in this article.