EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – I fell in love with pocket knives when I was about 9 and got a souvenir knife on a family trip to Yosemite.
Have been hooked ever since.
In those early days, I collected knives that a boy could afford by mowing lawns and doing other odd jobs.
Fast forward a half-century later, part of me still really gravitates toward a good bargain knife.
And I found a new one – from a brand that is new to me.
Recently, I have been carrying around the HX Outdoors Rock Fluorite. This one really put me back in touch with my roots as a pocket knife collector.
Had not heard of HX Outdoors until a few months ago, but I have discovered that they make quality pocket knives at an affordable price.
The Rock Fluorite – a loaner from my good friend at Big Red EDC – is a small knife with some bite to it.
The first thing that pops out at you is the handle – made out of what the company calls titanium alloy with plenty of milling for extra grippiness.
It also features a 2.95-inch blade made out of D2 steel. D2 has a reputation for being a good durable budget steel.
I also love that the blade comes in under 3 inches, my preferred size.
HX Outdoors does not say what style of blade this is. A good friend calls it a “mash-up” between a drop point and sheepsfoot.
Whatever you call, it is a nice slicey blade that is great for EDC tasks.
The blade can be deployed using two methods – a handy thumb hole that is reminiscent of the Spydie hole by Spyderco and a back flipper.
Both work great but I really like that thumb hole.
Back to that titanium alloy handle. The bottom half of the handle has an indentation near the pivot end that is perfect for wrapping your index finger around.
On the top side of the knife, there is a small downward groove on the pivot end and then some ramping going back up on the blade. That combines to create a natural place to park your thumb.
That upward ramp on the blade also has some jimping for the thumb.
If you want to choke up, the handle and blade also form into a finger choil that you can use for tighter work. But if you have big fingers, though, it may not be a great idea because you are right up on the edge of the blade.
Anyway, it all adds up to a nice comfortable feel whether you use the finger choil or not.
Even when I back off from the finger choil and stay entirely on the handle, I can fit all four fingers around it easily, even though this is a smallish knife.
As previously mentioned, the handle has some milling on it, giving it a nice look.
But the milling also alleviates my one complaint with titanium – that it can be slippery. Not this knife, though, with just enough texturing to make your hand feel secure.
The locking mechanism is a good old-fashioned liner lock, which provides sturdy lockup while allowing you to unlock the knife using just one hand.
Now to some other characteristics.
The knife does have a lanyard hole for fans of that.
The pocket clip is not reversible. Sorry to all you southpaws out there.
Also the pocket clip is far from being deep carry. It leaves nearly a half-inch of the knife poking out of your pocket.
For some people, that may be a problem. Me, I usually always have a shirt that covers up any pocket knife I might be carrying.
The knife is 7.28 inches when open and weighs 3.7 ounces, which is a little weighty for a knife of this size.
Almost forgot, it comes with a cool hard plastic carrying case.
Now to the price. The Rock Fluorite is currently listed on the HX Outdoors website at $29.99, marked down from $49.99.
Verdict: This is a great little budget knife. The opening-and-closing action is great. The titanium alloy handle has a striking look that makes it seem like a knife that costs three times more than this one does.
And it came razor sharp out of the box.
All around, this would be a great addition to your everyday carry and your pocket knife collection.
My one complaint is the pocket clip, which gives a lot of peekaboo.
Here is a link to the HX Outdoors Rock Fluorite with a titanium alloy handles and to the company’s home page.
The Rock Fluorite also comes in all black with nylon-fiber reinforced handles. That one goes for $14.99. Here is a link. Note: This version has a 5Cr15 blade instead of D2 steel, and it is a slipjoint vs. having a liner lock.
And before we go, a shoutout to JB at Big Red EDC. JB regularly sends me pocket knives on a loaner basis to share with our viewers here at KTSM.
Here are some YouTube channels that I watch, respect and enjoy on pocket knives and EDC gear.
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