Kunwu Padre Review: Phenomenal Fit, Finish and Action

Easily, easily, I think this is the best knife Kunwu has ever made. It is absolutely phenomenal.

People whose opinions I really respect told me I had to check one out. I have no affiliation with Kunwu, so I paid for this out of my own pocket. I had to wait 16 or 17 days to get it, and I'm good with that. It was worth the wait. The blade and that amazing blade cutout are just amazing.

Overall length is 8.03 inches, with a blade length of 3.34 inches and blade thickness of 0.146 inch. The steel is Vanax, one of the most premium steels you can get. It's a clip-point blade with a very nice, high and slicey flat grind. Handle length is 4.69 inches and handle thickness is 0.527 inch.

The handle is titanium with a frame lock. This one is right-handed, but Kunwu has dedicated left- and right-handed options to keep the handle as clean as possible, without extra holes where you don't want to see them. That's a great option. Weight is a very reasonable 5.07 ounces.

I compared it with the SIG K320 Nitron and Kizer Sheepdog. This is a really nice-sized knife. For that 3.34-inch length, the blade really does look and feel bigger because of its shape. It's a really, really attractive blade shape in my opinion. I'm a big fan.

I think it's fair to call this a very sassy clip-point blade. It has all the lines for me. It's very slicey, measuring 0.015 inch behind the edge, with a very tall flat grind and a great plunge grind. That Vanax is going to give some incredible performance.

The finger choil is very, very comfortable and doubles as a good sharpening choil. There's very nice chamfering around it, so I'm not feeling harsh corners. That makes for incredible, phenomenal ergos.

The blade cutout is aesthetically pleasing and very fidget friendly. It's just big enough, with secondary milling that gives it a little more depth and aesthetics. The shape is very friendly and makes it easy to kick the blade out. I guess I see a little resemblance to the Custom Knife Factory Evo, I believe it's called, but the handle is very different. I definitely feel like this is its own knife.

The big difference from the Arius is its incredible hollow grind, while the Padre has a very nice flat grind. I feel like a really nice, high, deep hollow grind takes a little more special something and experience. Still, slicey is slicey, and this tall flat grind is one incredible slicer.

The handles compare really well. Both have very nice clips and incredible milling in very different ways. The Padre has very nice diamond texture, while the Arius has even finer milled texture. Both have extreme internal milling wherever there can be milling, and incredible lockup. The Padre also has detailed beveling on its lock bar.

Everything about this handle is extremely well executed. The milling quality and texture are phenomenal. There's not one flaw anywhere on this handle. The chef's kiss is the Damascus pivot collar. It isn't flame titanium. That collar is incredible, and the value is just overflowing.

The action is phenomenal, with a super high fidget factor. I haven't disassembled it. It's incredibly smooth, stupid smooth, and I don't see any reason to take it apart.

The front flipper is great. I love how its design continues the lines of the handle and the knife when closed. A lot of front flippers have a very noticeable tab sticking up or out. This one still continues the shape of the knife. It looks really, really good and ties the top of the design together.

Middle-finger flicking action is excellent, and closing is buttery, buttery smooth. It's easily reach-around approved. I've had no issue putting too much pressure on the lock bar and making the blade difficult to open. It's a very, very smooth operator.

I can't say it feels better than an Arius, but it's up there. Minus the hollow grind, it has all those details.

The Tao was really, really good, but the Padre is next level. The growth and improvement Kunwu has made is phenomenal. This is easily one of my favorite knives in my collection. I knew it was going to be good, but I didn't think I would enjoy it quite this much. It's an absolute banger.

This is easily, absolutely a knife-of-the-year contender. The higher-end knives this year are absolutely crushing it, and I'm going to be shocked if the Padre isn't in my knife-of-the-year awards.