Gear Review Side by Side

Duplicate Knives?

Last Friday I published a gear review of the Tactical 6 in1 multi tool knife by Snake Eye Tactical.  I found it on Amazon.com on sale for about fifteen.  After it arrived, I found on Amazon another vendor named "SHUBHADA" selling what looks like the exact same knife for five bucks less.  So here is my comparison!

As Always, there are no affiliate links here.

Similarities

I ordreed different colors to help me keep them seperate:   the Snake Eye is blue and the SHUBHADA is red.

As you can see from the photos, the designs are quite similiar.  Both are pretty much the same size, both are available in a variety of colors, and both feel about the same for weight. They also both have a belt clip that look identical. 

They both have a single combo blade that is half serrated, and both have the stupid freaking bottle opener on the back of the blade.  Yeah, I have an opinion on that one.  Also, both have the same "thumb stud" to deploy the blade with one hand, and they both function poorly in this area.  Also, they both are missing a fingernail grip.  Ugh.

Both tools have what looks like an identical ferro rod, and both ferro rods produce good sparks when I strike it with a ferro rod striker.  And they both have that cool super-tiny flashlight!

Subtle differences

If you take a close look at the seat belt cutter, you can see the angle of the cutter blade is slightly different.  This suggests that the design and perhaps actual manufacturer are not the same.  Also, the glass breaker bit is slightly shorter on one compared to the other.  And the SHUBHADA has its name printed on the knife, where the Snake Eye does not.

There are a few other subtle differences.  The knife blades aren't identical in shape and size:  the Snake Eye is perhaps an 1/8" longer, and the pattern of the serrations on the knife blade are not identical.  These subtleties also suggest a different desgin and manufacturing facility, but I don't believe will impact the use.

This part is kind of weird for the SHUB... when I push on the flashlight while it's stored in the knife, the ferro rod jiggles out a little... and when I push the ferro rod all the way in then the flashlight jiggles out a little... maybe a 1/16 of an inch.  No such nonsense on the Snake Eye.

Significant differences

There are some larger differences that really stood out:  The SHUBHADA came with a sheath, where the Snake Eye did not.  It's not all that great of a sheath, but it will hold the knife (either one actdually) and can attatch to a belt or shoulder strap.

The SHUBHADA came with instructions including how to change the power cells in the flashlight and it came in a box--which I believe helps to protect the poduct during shipping.  Also, the SHUBHADA had a plastic insulator disk protecting the flashlight from accidentally turning on during shipping, to help keep the power cells fresh.  Very nice.

While they both have that cool tiny flashlight, the Snake Eye seems to be built better on this part.  I found the SHUBHADA light would turn on from time to time and it was a little loose in its holding bay, but the Snake Eye flashlight stays solid in place.

Interchangable parts?

Neither the ferro rods nor the tiny flashlights are a good fit for the "other" model, so they don't really interchange well.  This also suggests different manufacturers and slightly different designs.

Summary

I still wouldn't hold out either one as a super-special knife, but they are good for the money and make a good gift.  Although the $10 version is cheaper, overall I'm happier with the $15 one even if it doesn't have a sheath.

Either way, I'm happy to own both.