YOBO Aurora Black Folding Knife, VG-10, G10 Black/White, A18101B
[Yobo473]

From what I can gather, YOBO started as a Kickstarter. I purchased this knife on a bit of a lark. I didn't know anything about it, but the look caught my eye. The black background with a white line was attractive. Second, it was on sale when I bought it - under $50. So what can I share? The knife has an overall length of 8.1" - by my standards it is a big knife. It is fairly heavy weighing 4.63 oz. So it is about the same size as the RAT 1, the Vosteed Thunderbird, but it is bigger than the RAT 2. Where does its weight come from? It is a thick knife and the steel liners are not hollowed in any way. The blade is a good mid-range steel - VG-10. VG-10 is similar to 154Cm and ATS-34 steel though it is marginally less corrosive due to the added vanadium and marginally tougher because of vanadium that is used in the steel. It is a relatively hard steel that takes an edge well. The blade is 3.5" long and has a black powder coating that I expect will wear off with use. It has a flat grind. The blade stock at the spine is a little thinner than the RAT 1. The knife deploys only by flipper. The detent is quite good. I have not disassembled it yet and can't see the washers. I suspect it runs on bearings because it is quite smooth. The action is quite good. It is much better than the action on the RAT 1 I have despite my efforts to tune the Rat. The fit and finish is really quite good. The materials are not special in any way - though it is good steel - but they are assembled well, the scales align well with the liners, and the scales have nice contouring, color, and texture. It is comfortable in the hand and in use. I have two minor "complaints" so to speak but this may be nitpicking. First, the liner lock does not have any milling on the show side to make accessing the liner lock easier. So that can put a little more pressure on the thumb than other liner locks that have carve outs to access the lock - eg. the Rat 1 and 2, the Vosteed Nightshade, or the Civivi Baklash. But all those knives cost more - in some cases considerably more. Second, and this may be more than a nit pick - time will tell - the clip is not shown in the image, but it is odd. It sits in a way that makes this knife carry higher than it needs to. It carries quite high in the pocket. It is also thin. I have never seen a clip like this nor one that is affixed to the knife this way. Time will tell if it breaks. Overall though? This is an interesting budget EDC that provides good value, nice fit and finish, nice action, and decent mid-range steel. It is a conversation piece and a decent tool. I like it and I would not be surprised if you do too.