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Our Photo Gallery Review of Spartan’s Lightweight, Hard Use Pocket Knife
The Spartan Blades Talos is the company’s first budget friendly folding knife. If you are looking for a barebones hard use work knife with a quality steel blade this may be the answer. The G-10 handle is small, but comfy, and the knife is relatively easy to fieldstrip for cleaning and maintenance.
The Spartan Talos is right at home on a ranch or farm.
Specifications
Overall Length:
7″
Blade Length:
3.12″
Handle Length:
G-10
Blade Material:
CTS-XHP
Blade Thickness:
.12″ (33mm)
Weight:
2.3oz
Designer:
William W. Harsey Jr.
Lock Type:
Liner
Blade Grind:
Flat
Made In:
Taiwan
The Talos is a smaller barebones version of the Spartan Halsey. The Talos has a CTS-XHP steel blade with excellent edge retention. We did a lot of cutting and slicing before we had to sharpen it.The blade of the Spartan Talos is short and a little thick behind the edge, so it is not an effortless slicer. However, it is extremely tough. It can take a beating.The edge of the Talos bites well, and makes short work of stick sharpening. The Spartan Talos only has a liner on the locking side of the handle. The one sided liner helps make this knife extremely lightweight, but I assume this does compromise it’s durability to some extent. However, we were very tough on this knife during are review process and the G10 handle held up well. The Talos has pillar style standoffs rather than a backspacer which helps keep the weight down.The Talos sits low, but is not a true deep carry pocket knife. However the extra real-estate above the pocket does help to make it easy to grip when removing it. The clip of the Talos holds firmly in place, but not so tight that it is difficult to remove the knife.The textured G10 handle of the Spartan Blades Talos is comfortable and easy to grip even when wet. The CTS-XHP steel blade of the Talos offers excellent corrosion resistance, so it is a great choice for wet weather.This photo gallery needed one more shot of the Spartan Talos on an old tractor.The Talos is easy to disassemble and reassemble for maintenance and cleaning. This picture only shows a nylon washer, but this knife has a combination of oil infused bronze and nylon washers. If I was better at my job, I would have made sure both washer types were visible in this photo. The Spartan Blades Talos offers a great compromise between weight and toughness. It is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a medium sized lightweight work knife.
Ben started a twenty year commercial photography career after a blurry stint in the navy. He spent a lot of time losing and breaking knives and other EDC gear on location shoots before starting Nothing But Knives. He has reviewed and tested hundreds of both outdoor and kitchen knives over the course of the last six years, and he was mostly sober while testing and reviewing.
