Nothing against a good Cold Steel, Buck, Case, or Kershaw pocket knife, but there are a whole lot of “non-legacy” brands in the modern knife market that deserve your time and attention.

Among the best of these, in terms of value and uniqueness (not to mention the quality of materials used) are TwoSun Knives.

And one of the best TwoSun knives in our collection is the TS162 - so let’s get up close and personal with it.

What We Love About This Highlight from TwoSun Knives

First off, there is a lot we love about the TwoSun TS162, and far more we like about it than there is about it that we consider to be any sort of shortcoming.

Let’s just talk about the general look and feel for a moment. This is a really cool knife with a lot to offer users with different interests.

It has a somewhat leaf-shaped blade with plenty of slicing belly. The blade is 3.66” long, with what is basically a full-flat grind and a swedge near the spine towards tip, sort of like a false edge.

On that note, it’s a born slicer. That is, far and away, the task for which this knife is best designed. You can make long, gentle sweeps with this knife, making it perfect for food prep and general utility.

Actually, it’s not entirely unlike the classic Canadian Belt Knife style, with that leaf shape and sloping point.

That’s another thing we like about it. Some slicers have a fragile trailing point whereas other pocket cleaver-style blades are natural slicers but have a very oblique point.

The TwoSun Knives TS162 is right in the middle. The point is not so fine that it’s fragile, but it’s pointed enough that you could still use this for piercing or carving. This makes it useful as a hunter’s knife, too - that is, after all, why the Canadian Belt Knife is designed the way it is.

With a blade of 3.66”, it’s also not quite small, while not being large. In the middle of the road, it can also be used for a wide range of camp chores.

The steel is another thing we love about the TS162. This one has D2, which, though not considered a super steel, is a really high-quality choice.

D2 is a tool steel that is sometimes used to make knives because it offers fairly good toughness and edge retention, as well as an ability to take an exceptionally sharp edge.

The key components of D2 are carbon at 1.5%, chromium at 12%, molybdenum (.8%) and vanadium (.6%).

That dosage of carbon makes it possible to give D2 a really good heat treatment and very high hardness, especially compared to other common tool steels like 1095. This also makes D2 capable of taking a ridiculously sharp edge, enough to shave with.

Also, and unlike 1095, that high concentration of chromium gives D2 decent corrosion resistance. We wouldn’t call it stainless, though. D2 will absolutely rust if you let it. It’s particularly susceptible to rust in marine environments.

As for the molybdenum and vanadium, both of those improve edge retention characteristics as well as the toughness of the steel.

Another thing we like about the TS162 is the handle scale material/ We also appreciate the handle shape.

The shape of the handle has a swell towards the end, which helps keep it in the grip. There are two choils recessed into the handle that improve indexing and grip, too.

The handle scales are another win - they’re made of linen Micarta that has a pleasing tooth. It’s hard to imagine that this handle would slip even in wet or adverse conditions.

The other great thing about Micarta is that it’s impervious to water and oil. Being infused with synthetic polymers, it will not rot. It’s also naturally fairly UV resistant. Another great thing about it is that, unlike metal scales (like titanium and steel) Micarta is safer to handle in subzero temperatures.

One more redeeming quality about Micarta is that it requires basically no maintenance.

Other things we like about the TS162 are the lock type and the pivot mechanism. It’s a smooth action that needs little break-in, and the lock is a frame lock, which we consider a step above a liner lock, and we’re confident others will agree on that.

Could Anything Be Better?

There’s not a lot we don’t like about this knife. As long as you’re looking for something with similar handling and ergonomics to a Canadian Belt Knife, this is a sure bet.

But would we improve anything? Perhaps.

Two things that come to mind are the pocket clip and deployment.

While the pocket clip is tough (and stainless steel) it can only be mounted on one side of the knife. Giving the flexibility to install it on the other side would be nice.

The other thing is there’s no option for tip-down carry with this knife. It would be nice if that were an option, too.

Is that a huge ding? Hardly, but it is something we noticed.

The only other thing is the deployment method. The knife lacks thumb studs and instead has a flipper mechanism. While we love the pivot mechanism and the lock top, and the flipper is inherently ambidextrous, the presence of thumb studs - or maybe a larger thumb hole - would be nice.

Again, minor issues, if you can call them issues at all, but they are two tiny things that registered as we were mulling over what we liked most (and didn’t) about the knife.

Time to Upgrade Your Cold Steel, Gerber, or Kershaw Pocket Knife?

Ready for a replacement for your current Zero Tolerance or Kershaw pocket knife that you carry for EDC? The TS162 would make a great choice, although we carry a ton of other great TwoSun Knives as well.

Take a look through our collection to learn more about other top sellers such as the TS506, TS196, and TS45 - among many others.

Discover what speaks to you, and then refresh your EDC rotation today.