This is yet another mid-length review, this time for the Urban EDC Supply exclusive version of the Lander 1. This knife is not in stock anymore, so this is really just a completist’s review. If you want to hunt one down I wouldn’t blame you in the least. This is an excellent knife. Before we get started, I want to make clear that I paid for this knife. I am also friends with Ben. That last caveat doesn’t strike me as all that pertinent—Ben is friends with pretty much everyone in the IKC. He is a really nice guy.

Iteration is a beautiful thing. Like a time lapse from a nature documentary, when done well you can see small changes having a huge impact. It is also an excellent business strategy, getting people to spend more money on something they already own. Sure, you can have a Corvette, but don’t you really want a Z06? You have a Z06, but it is not quite rare enough and fast enough for you? Try a ZR1. Iteration, it seems, is beloved by both Mother Nature and MBAs. That might be a first.

Quick Review Summary: This is the ZR1 of the Lander 1 line up.

Here is the original review. There are no other reviews of this version of the knife. Here is the product page. The knife comes standard with two sets of scales—a pair of tan Seigeiha scales and a pair of contoured but smooth tan G10 scales. The design of the Lander 1 allows them to be user swapped. This also opens up a vast secondary market for new scales. Ben even released the files that allow people to 3D print their own scales at home, if they are so equipped and inclined. There are three versions of the Lander 1–a D2 version, which was the subject of the first review, a 14C28N version, and this version. The main difference is that this version came with two sets of scales and runs M390 blade steel. If you have a choice, this is the version of the Lander 1 to hunt down. It is quite a good knife. There are, of course, multiple iterations of the Lander, some with cross bar locks, some with larger form factors, and some with both. For me, this is still the best design—its the right size with a mechanically simpler lock. It might even be Ben’s best folder design—the Baby Banter is in second—I still love that little flickable gem. I find this knife much better in the hand than the Banter itself. I have not yet tried the MKM Yipper, so I am reserving the right to change the knife that wears the crown of Knafs Land. If you are right handed, this is the knife to find and I think it is still the best knife Knafs has made.

The only real upgrade, aside from the scales, is the steel, but the steel is great. The leap from D2 to M390 covers more than 50 years metallurgical upgrades and the difference in performance is substantial. I have yet to sharpen this year old Lander 1 while I sharpened its D2 brother quite often. Another change—the color of the scales—isn’t my favorite. The light tan scales, especially the smooth contoured ones look dirty almost immediately and its largely because these scales get color from the indigo dye in blue jeans. I wear blue jeans probably every day that I am not at work and I change into them when I get home. I do have some tan jeans and I noticed that they do not impart color at all. Perhaps a different color would be less likely to look dirty. It is a minor point, especially given that the Seigeiha scales look the same even after a year of carry.

I did find that this build was a bit tighter than the original Lander I reviewed. The screws on that one all needed some tightening, but here, this thing came tight as a drum out of the box. It was also dead centered, something the first one, wasn’t. I don’t think these were made by different companies, I just think there might have been tighter QC. Either way, that one small thing from the original was fixed here.

The things that made the original great are all still here—the brilliant handle design, the simple yet effective blade shape, the thin blade stock, and the effective over-the-top clip. The knife’s true calling card—the poppy deployment that calls to mind the snappy opening of a RAT I is still as fun as the original. This is an upscaled version of a knife that, to me, felt like an instant classic. Its just something simple done very well.

If you want a Lander, there are plenty of options to choose from—there is even a clip point version. But if you want the best version of this very good knife, time to grab the blaze orange vest and get hunting.

Having fixed the two sticking points from the original, this is an easy

Score: 20/20

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