So, this knife has also arrived and the review is due.
The knife arrived in a black presentation box (IMO better packaging than the original Shirogorov plain black cardboard box).
It came reasonably sharp, pretty smooth and without any visual defects, centering and lockup are perfect, ergos are great for it's size.
The Good:
First of all the fit and the finish. The knife has a bead-blasted titanium handles (the blue, gold and purple come with satin finish on the handle) with milled curved lines, milled titanium pocket clip, 3.25" 2 tone D2 blade (stonewashed flats and satin on the cross section - BTW best satin finish I've seen on a Chinese made knife so far) and my personal favorite - bead blasted screws on both sides with satin bevels - very nice touch from our Chinese friends.
Another great thing about this knife is the action. It flips fast, with a great kick and sound to it, although I must admit that the action on my Green Thorn F95T is a bit smoother (may be so due to the longer, thicker and heavier blade). On the Neon it feels more hydraulic and not free-dropping like on the F95.
BTW - I have heard from a few people already about the pivot screw being locktighted to the point that it can't be unscrewed - mine came without that problem and the pivot screw can be easily unscrewed.
The Great:
The design. It starts with the overall size (which is just a perfect one for EDC IMO), handle-to-blade ratio (it may seem as the blade is longer than the handle in the open position), the flipper tab and my personal favorite - the milled pocket clip, that screws on the outside of the handle, thus adding to the overall sleek look on both sides. Gotta give credit to the Shiros for that.
In addition - the knife doesn't feature a logo of the original maker, thus can't be sold as a genuine knife, which is always a great plus for a clone and it's perception.
The Bad:
There is one thing that did bother me about this knife and it is that if you loosen the pivot screw - the blade can hit the standoff. That happens due to the fact, that in the closed position the blade goes exactly in the dent of the standoff. So if you loosen the pivot it goes off-center and hits the side of the back standoff - that can leave a nick in the blade. Not a big issue, but you need to keep that in mind and check that the pivot isn't loose.
The Ugly:
As always with Shiro clones - the prices of the genuine and the lack of a good genuine budget alternative.
The Verdict:
This is a great blade, done well and has awesome design (can be considered as an elegant gentleman's knife) . If you like the F95/Hati, but think they are too big to carry around as an EDC - this knife is made for you!
Links to the knife could be found here: https://chinaknives.blogspot.com/2017/03/neon-ultra-lite-clone-knife-review.html
Does anyone have any experience with the anodized versions? I've been really considering this, I never realized the grey was bead blasted and the colored ones are satin. I'm thinking the bead blasted finish does alot for grip and hides micro scratches and fingerprints... I had my eye on blue or purple but now I may go for the plain ti...