Protech Godson Automatic Switchblade Knife
I’ve done plenty of video reviews of my Protech Godson knives, so I guess it was time to write one up as well. This particular Protech Godson features Emerald Jazz handles and black G-10 scales with a black coated blade. They are available in many different finish levels for incrementally higher prices. This is one level above the basic models which have no inserts and have a solid aluminum handle.
I have a healthy selection of Protech Godsons in my knife collection, and they are all wonderfully crafted knives, especially for their modest price. Protech knives are good value knives with everything from the very affordable to semi-custom pieces with hand-ground, mirror polished blades with Mother-of-Pearl inlays to basic issue stuff with basic finishes. This Godson probably cost me around $125, and I think its an outstanding blade for that kind of money.
The Godsons, like the bigger Godfathers, benefit from a very lightweight blade which makes them ideal as automatic openers. The blades spring open with authority and ultra-fast, unlike knives with larger, thicker blades. The Godson has a very thin blade due to the dagger grind.
Blade
Blade on this bad boy is 154CM, with a black PVD coating. It comes relatively sharp, but not quite as sharp as Spyderco knives. I would say that its a Benchmade level of sharpness, meaning that while it cuts paper and splits fingernails cleanly, it won’t shave hair off your arm. Still, a decent edge, and you know the 154CM will sharpen up if you want to.
Fit & Finish & Lockup
The lock is a typical button lock, with a button activated coil-spring automatic action. Very smooth, zero bladeplay and a joy to fire. I’ve taken several of these apart, and like most automatic side openers out there, the Protechs do not have washers. The fit and finish of the knife is very good, though not up to the same quality as Microtech. Having said that, at the price they come, one would not expect it to be. The scales fit perfectly into the machined aluminum handles, and the Annodized Emerald Jazz finish looks pretty good to me. The only place where I’d like to see slightly tighter tolerances is between the two handle slabs. Since the Godson has no backspacer, it is half and half sides that come together. Where the left and right handle slab touch, I would have liked to see the line almost invisible. But again, I guess I can’t complain too much at the price point.
Overall
Tremendous value for money and a very underrated knife. One of my favourites and I own several and have owned several for many years. Lots of colors and configurations out there make it a great choice if you are someone that likes to have a lot of control over the style and color of your knives.