Premium Pocket Whittler II Folding Knife - Compact, Durable & Sharp - Perfect for Camping, Hiking & Everyday Carry (EDC)

Before ordering, I was curious about where the knife is manufactured. This was not to determine if I wanted to buy or not, but because I like to know details about my knives. Information on this knife in general is scarce for some reason, even on the Mastercarver website.With that said, on the box, but not the knife itself, it does say “made in China” for the 555002 Pocket Whittler II, 440C Steel Blade. Perhaps the 555001 was made in the US, but I can’t find much info on that either and have only seen it on EBay for a ridiculous amount of money and no noticeable difference, at least to the eye.The blade is well centered, even if not quite perfectly. It doesn't rub the side. It has a nice snap, weight (2.38 oz) and the blade seems well made. No blade wobble and not too tight. It feels like I expect it should. There are no gaps or spaces between the liners and spring, as seen on the underside. Everything is flush and smooth. It did sound a little gritty when I first opened it, as most mass produced knives seem to these days and I could see some gray particles around the lock and inside, but nothing alarming. It may come through on the picture of the underside with a view of the lock release. With a couple of drops of oil and working the blade a bit, particles came out of the hinge and nothing is heard or felt now. The rest will come off with normal cleaning. The action is very nice and smooth otherwise. It doesn’t feel flimsy or cheap in the least.The “laminated wood grips” are excellent. Pictures don’t do them justice; they really look fantastic and have a mild textured feel to them. I wish Buck’s rosewood looked this good on the 301 I recently purchased. On the 301, the grips felt and looked like plastic. This could be mistaken for regular wood. The transition from grip to bolster can be felt, but not seen and there are no noticeable gaps. Not as good as my Buck 55, but not something to complain about either.The closest comparison I have is the aforementioned Buck 55, my favorite pocket knife to date and as perfect a mass produced knife as I’ve seen. Size-wise they are very similar, about the same length when open. The Mastercarver is slightly heavier and longer in the handle, the blade shorter. The longer handle allows a reassuring grip in hand; 4 fingers, as compared to closer to 3 with the 55.Out of the box it was decently sharp for common use. After some stropping, it was able to push-cut paper fairly well without having to slice. It won’t take much to get better for easier carving, so I have no complaints. I have other knives that are better known brands that required a lot more work to get as sharp as this one has with just some stropping.Time will tell how it will stand up to use, but at this point, I’m very happy with the purchase. I’ve sent back plenty of other knives at this point, but this one is staying. I’ll add some pictures if it becomes possible to do so (it doesn't seem to be an option right now) since there don’t seem to be many online, as well as of the box it came in. This is a great little knife with at lot of value, particularly at this price point. I can’t believe this knife doesn’t get more attention.