Grayman Knives' Dua folding blade.
I've been carrying one of Grayman Knives' smaller offerings, the Dua ($255), for several months now, and have found that it's really growing on me. With a thick three inch blade, this little guy is just as rugged as the larger offerings from Grayman that I've reviewed such as the Dinka and the Sub-Saharan. In the beginning, I found that the knife sticks a little, making it difficult to lock and unlock the blade one handed. However, as I broke the knife in a little, this stickiness went away after a week or two.
One of the other features I liked on the Dua was that it lays nice and flat. While I had good experiences with some of the Benchmade folders that I've used in the past, I found that they are bulkier when clipped into your pants pocket even though they actually have smaller blades than the Dua. With a slim profile, this knife becomes invisible while stowed away until you decide to use it.
You might also notice that the top of the blade and handle has two teeth in it, useful to help you get a good grip on the Dua while doing some heavy cutting. Despite being a folder, I found that the Dua, like previous Grayman knives, is built for ruggedness rather than finesse.
Since my auto-assist Benchmade didn't survive the first time I left it in my pants and my wife put it through the wash, I've been rocking the Dua ever since. Tell you the truth, I don't see any need to replace it with any other knife.
Kit Up! contributor Jack Murphy is a former Ranger, Special Forces Soldier and is the author of the military thriller Reflexive Fire.
