Welcome to Knife of the Week! Each week the Offgrid Editorial Team will highlight one of their favorite knives. These will range from time tested classics to the newest cutting edge designs. You won’t find any glorified box openers here, each featured knife will be a purpose driven outdoor, bushcraft, survival, or tactical tool that is ready to work when you need it the most! This week’s feature is the Glow Rhino Fermi 2 Battlbox Exclusive.
Glow Rhino Fermi 2 Specs
- Type: EDC
- Configuration: Compact Folding Knife
- Blade Length: 3-inches
- Blade Shape: Drop Point
- Blade Steel: D2 Tool Steel
- Blade Coating: Black PVD
- Lock Type: Liner
- Pocket Clip: Tip up deep carry clip
- Deployment Method: Flipper Tab
- Handle Length: 4-Inches
- Handle Material: Textured G10
- Weight: 3.05 oz
- Special Features: Tritium Tube
- MSRP: $125
About the Battlbox Exclusive Glow Rhino Fermi 2
In many ways the Glow Rhino Fermi 2 is exactly what most buyers in the compact folding knife space are looking for. It is well built, has a functional blade, it deploys easily, and has a great deep carry clip. The design is ergonomic, the scales offer excellent grip retention, the lock bar is solid, and the steel has good retention and can be easily sharpened. There isn’t much not to like here, but Glow Rhino adds one special feature that you won’t find on other knives, a tritium insert that glows in the dark and requires no “charging” and won’t fade as the night goes on!
How Does Tritium Work?
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The most common application of Tritium is found in watches like Luminox that offer night time visibility features. What you may not know is that Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, which is what causes it to glow. I’m sure after reading that many people may be worried that wearing a watch or carrying a knife with Tritium inserts is exposing you to harmful radiation. Fortunately Tritium is harmless in small quantities. Tritium is a naturally occurring isotope that is often found in ground water sources in trace amounts, though more have been dispersed since nuclear testing in the 1960’s.
If you are still skeptical, let’s get into the science of it. Tritium produces a low level radiation that is incapable of passing through human skin, and is only considered harmful if consumed in large quantities, that being said we do not recommend eating any gear with Tritium inserts even if you’re really hungry!
How long does Tritium glow?
Once again with will dive into nuclear science a bit. Radioluminescence is caused by the interaction of radiation with the atoms of a material that cause the emission of energy in the form of light. Like all radioactive materials Tritium has a half-life. This is the time it takes for half the radioactive atoms to decay. Tritium’s half-life is 12.33 years so you can expect the same level of glow for around 12 years and start to see diminished glow after that.
Performance of the Battlbox Exclusive Glow Rhino Fermi 2
Now that we have gone through some science lessons and we can proudly call ourselves Junior Nuclear Scientists let’s get back to the Fermi 2. As mentioned earlier the knife is a well built compact folder. The materials used won’t let you down and the design makes it an excellent all-around EDC user that is capable of taking on some harder use tasks. While a folding knife is not my go to for serious bushcraft tasks, the Fermi 2 is more than capable of serving as a general camp task knife or as a dedicated lightweight hiking knife.
While D2 is often viewed as a “budget” steel, it is a great performer offering excellent durability, good edge retention, and ease of sharpening while keeping costs down. Any concerns regarding corrosion are mitigated by the PVD coating that will help protect the steel when working corrosive materials.
The opening action is very smooth and the liner lock engages securely, I have experienced any hang up during deployment or lock slips during reasonable use. The pocket clip design is excellent providing true deep carry with excellent retention. All the edges the edges on the handle are chamfered and clip doesn’t have any noticeable hot spots when using the Fermi 2. Finally the textured g10 and jimping on the top of the handle frame provide good grip, without being overly aggressive.
The only aspect I didn’t love was disengaging the frame lock as it it is recessed into the handle scale making it a little tricky to disengage while wearing gloves, but that is far from being a deal breaker as it also greatly reduces the risk of user error lock disengagement.
Now on to the tritium insert. Beyond the “cool factor” this feature is actually really great when working in low light conditions. It provides a nice bright beacon when your are close to it to make it standout while no producing some much light that you have to worry about giving your position away or drawing unwanted attention while it is in your pocket.
For $125, the Glow Rhino Fermi 2 gives you a quality knife with a utilitarian design that will serve you well and give you a chance to show off your new Junior Nuclear Scientist credentials! The Fermi 2 is currently only available as a Battlbox exclusive in which can be obtained in the Mission 121 box or as a stand alone purchase.
Be sure to check out our Offgrid Deals Page for an exclusive discount at Battlbox!
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