Have never owned/handled an Arius, but do own the CKF Evo 2.0. So can't say I agree or disagree, but considering how much I love the Evo 2.0, this now makes me want the Arius more to find out. Would really like a flipper delete version of the Arius.
It shows you have a very varied taste to be able to appreciate a couple of knives with such different lines yet see the similarities I hadn’t thought before how much these two have in common.
Very much enjoyed this. I'm on the pre-order for the CKF EVO 3.0 through NC Blade. Looks like it will be a year before I get it, but it will be a welcome addition to my Arius!
The action on the latest gen Arius and on my Shiro F3 feels very similar to me, especially how they don't drop shut, they FLOAT shut. Simply incredible knives, both.
Such a great video, Jake. Thank you. This really helped me in my decision to order the Rotten Evo 3.0. Mine arrives next week. I loved the head-to-head comparison,but think bias (of course) played a big part in the Arius prevailing.
Very nice comparison. I was all in on the Arius until you got to how thin the Evo blade is behind the edge. These are knives so I kind of feel that the cutting category should be overweighted
I have only handled one Koenig Arius and it was amazing. Never handled an Evo so not sure, but if I were going to buy one the Koenig would be the winner.
The Arius is easily my favorite EDC knife. The fact that's it made in the USA is icing on the cake. With that being said, my buddy owns an Evo 2.0 and I've been on the hunt for one ever since I first handled it. Amazing knife. I hopped on the pre-order for the Evo 3.0 and will continue to hunt a 2.0 at a decent price...but the Arius is still the king.
Love the review. Very well done. Arius is not for me but you make it hard to stand firm in that position. But the knife flip.... damn you! I keep cutting myself trying to be so cool. It takes me an hour to get through your video because I rewind after rewind to try and see this flip in action. Smooth criminal. Keep the 🔥content coming.
So I only own 1 koenig arius and its the plain jane gen 4 batch 5. I love it. Best knife ever. I sold alot of spydercos after i got my arius 😆. However I do love the look of the rotten evo. I will have two of the 3.0s next year. Now im glad that the 3.0 will have the larger blade like the evo 1.0. I recently got to handle an evo 1.0 and the 2.0 and i was surprised at how small the 2.0 was.
The Arius has been on my short list just can’t find it in the setup I want. I’m hoping I can find one by the end of this year. I was going to say that I’d get one when the hype went down but it’s been going for years now.
Great knives, I've got an Evo 3.0 and it's a grail! Currently in 2023 Arius is $800 and Evo 3.0 is $720. I'd like to find an Evo 2.0. I like my knives to have that aggressive look. The Arius is a bit too elegant for my tastes. You might consider an extra category, Badassery. Might get an Arius some day but currently it's a ways down my list. P.S. Your shirt gave away the end results, lol.
Awesome comparison man 🔥... My gen 4 Arius falls freely scary fast, so that's kind of weird yours doesn't do the same. And mine is running stock bearings, I do have some Skiffs but I haven't installed them yet cuz the stock action is so damn good.
For me to offer any `comparative rationale’ on these would be relatively pointless as both have excellent merit (my opinion) on most points that leaves most comparisons, wanting and I would be honoured to own any one of these knives. I have a favourite, aesthetically, and that is the Arius, it’s just a sleek showboat , a piece that gets my engine reviving , just saying 😀 thanks for the vid Jake ✌️
Not much bad to say about either of these knives. I prefer the EVO over the Arius but they are both winners. It really comes down to personal preference IMO
Loved the arius first time I saw a picture, once I got one it did not disappoint, saw the evo thought it was a cool but a bit ridiculous, Now It’s grown on me and really considering it. So this is a really interesting comparison. Thanks 👍 It’s clear they’re both great but will never get rid of my Koenig!
Two of the sexiest production knives out without a doubt. I just picked up a non flipper arius today. Maybe the stars will align for the ckf one day as well
So you say you have used the arius a lot over the passed couple years but have only stropped it a couple times and pretty much still has a mirror all the way across? I find mirror starts to fade pretty quickly with use. What is a lot of use to you and do you sharpen your own knives?
I do sharpen my own knives on my KME, and stropping with decent compound I find makes it pretty easy to maintain an edge, most of the cutting I’ve done with the Arius has been cardboard and packaging, but it’s been through quite a few zip ties etc as well.
For me the CKF would be the winner. I think its better made and feels more special. To me the Arius always looked like a well tuned chinese CNC knife from WE, ZT, Kizer, etc.
Enjoyed the video as I enjoy most of your Head-to-Head. This one felt a bit skewed. Like you made it so the Arius won. I know this is subjective, but it felt unfair. Ergonomics - Arius by a smidge Cutting - Evo by a smidge Carry - Evo by a smidge Action - Arius by a smidge Looks - Evo by a smidge Fit and Finish - Arius by a smidge Value - In two knives where they are so close, where they were tied. One of them is less expensive (granted, by a small amount) but you also get extra hardware with the Evo. Finally, as someone who also owns both, I would sell the Arius over the Evo. It would be far easier to get another Arius than another Evo in my opinion
Makes me sick how badly I want an evo lol! I've got the money to buy one, just completely missed the pre order like an idiot cause I was so focused on getting my Craig brown fsd
I’d say the arius is a hot girl with curves in all the right places , where as the evo is one of those pretty ones that a totally insane & a heap of fun! Basically a hot mess 🤷♀
God the koenig is so boring 😴. What do they got like 2 total blade shapes. Omg 😲, it's the best knife with most boring design ever. Omg a new scale so cray! Boring!
Jake this really isnt a apple to apple compairson, The Koenig is pretty much a custom knife they have 2 guys and Bill Koenig putting knives out. The CKF Evo 2.0 is great. How many russians you thinki where running around making this batch? my guess is 25 lol.BUT IT STILL NOT THE KNIFE Mike aka Rottendesign puts out. He is a wizzard. His regrinds go for as much as the Koenig alone. His regrinds turn great knifes from great knife makers into unbelievable knives. And his tolerences are on CRK level. To be fair, you need to compare a Evo from Mike S.aka Rottendesign, thats if you can drop 3k for one of his or find someone to let theirs out of their sight for you to do a review lol. The Arius is a great knife but its n ot on the Evo level. And just look at Instagram. the Evo 2.0 set I.G on fire,. I'm so sick of see this knife on my feed (jealousy) lol. But like you said you have a histoy with that knife and every man has is own opinion,
I don’t think comparing a 3K custom Evo from rotten to a small batch production knife from Koenig could be mistaken as more fair than this comparison, but to each their own I suppose 🤣🤣
This was awesome to watch. I was kind of surprised that the Arius took the win as much as it did in my comparison. Both are excellent!!
Have never owned/handled an Arius, but do own the CKF Evo 2.0. So can't say I agree or disagree, but considering how much I love the Evo 2.0, this now makes me want the Arius more to find out. Would really like a flipper delete version of the Arius.
It shows you have a very varied taste to be able to appreciate a couple of knives with such different lines yet see the similarities I hadn’t thought before how much these two have in common.
Great video man. 2 incredible knives. That camera focus is fast! Which camera are you using?
Very much enjoyed this. I'm on the pre-order for the CKF EVO 3.0 through NC Blade. Looks like it will be a year before I get it, but it will be a welcome addition to my Arius!
Yes and yes, with these 2 that’s all that’s needed. Thanks for the video
The action on the latest gen Arius and on my Shiro F3 feels very similar to me, especially how they don't drop shut, they FLOAT shut. Simply incredible knives, both.
another interesting comparison. Very well done. Thanks
Such a great video, Jake. Thank you. This really helped me in my decision to order the Rotten Evo 3.0. Mine arrives next week. I loved the head-to-head comparison,but think bias (of course) played a big part in the Arius prevailing.
Arius takes it for me but I'd love to have both. Can't find either for sale. Luckily I have an Arius. Awesome comparison.
Very nice comparison. I was all in on the Arius until you got to how thin the Evo blade is behind the edge. These are knives so I kind of feel that the cutting category should be overweighted
It was 650 countoured plain Jane, 685 textured from the edcfoundry drop! I only need to rotate here and then boom, the tip is in. That’s what she said
I just scored an evo two weeks ago. My arius comes today. I’m gonna watch this again with both in hand. Evo does look better IMO!
Another point for the Arius for having the D - Shaped pivot. I feel like every high-end knife should use them, such an underrated feature.
"This one I've got to rotate all they way down here to get the tip in" Jake from Bearded Gear
I have only handled one Koenig Arius and it was amazing. Never handled an Evo so not sure, but if I were going to buy one the Koenig would be the winner.
My top 2 knives I want in my collection
The Arius is easily my favorite EDC knife. The fact that's it made in the USA is icing on the cake. With that being said, my buddy owns an Evo 2.0 and I've been on the hunt for one ever since I first handled it. Amazing knife. I hopped on the pre-order for the Evo 3.0 and will continue to hunt a 2.0 at a decent price...but the Arius is still the king.
I think closed the arius looks nicer but open the evo takes the cake. That blade shape is too good. Great vid man!
Good God. "interesting" doesn't even come close. Insane comparison. Great video.
Thanks dude!
I wanted an Arius so damn bad before this dropped, now I want one even more. Not sure why I expected anything different though.... Good vid man!
Love the review. Very well done. Arius is not for me but you make it hard to stand firm in that position. But the knife flip.... damn you! I keep cutting myself trying to be so cool. It takes me an hour to get through your video because I rewind after rewind to try and see this flip in action. Smooth criminal. Keep the 🔥content coming.
Been looking forward to this one!
So I only own 1 koenig arius and its the plain jane gen 4 batch 5. I love it. Best knife ever. I sold alot of spydercos after i got my arius 😆. However I do love the look of the rotten evo. I will have two of the 3.0s next year. Now im glad that the 3.0 will have the larger blade like the evo 1.0. I recently got to handle an evo 1.0 and the 2.0 and i was surprised at how small the 2.0 was.
I have an Arius coming I can't wait to finally try one of the best knives of all time.
The Arius has been on my short list just can’t find it in the setup I want. I’m hoping I can find one by the end of this year. I was going to say that I’d get one when the hype went down but it’s been going for years now.
I’d say get whatever you can and checkout the fb fan page and see if you can make a trade for the configuration you want.
Great review....The additional parts with the CKF should tip the scale in its favor for value. ⬇️🐇🕳👁🐏❎2️⃣
Agree!
Great knives, I've got an Evo 3.0 and it's a grail! Currently in 2023 Arius is $800 and Evo 3.0 is $720. I'd like to find an Evo 2.0. I like my knives to have that aggressive look. The Arius is a bit too elegant for my tastes. You might consider an extra category, Badassery. Might get an Arius some day but currently it's a ways down my list. P.S. Your shirt gave away the end results, lol.
Awesome comparison man 🔥... My gen 4 Arius falls freely scary fast, so that's kind of weird yours doesn't do the same. And mine is running stock bearings, I do have some Skiffs but I haven't installed them yet cuz the stock action is so damn good.
I definitely give the aesthetics to the evo as well looks sick as fuck
Can't seem to find any of those Koenig knives in stock anywhere
They sell out very fast when they drop
Looks, carry and cutting are the most important categories, Evo wins! 😁
2 absolute powerhouses🔥
Haven’t watched yet, and I’m scared to. I don’t even want to think I about having to pick a fave 😂
For me to offer any `comparative rationale’ on these would be relatively pointless as both have excellent merit (my opinion) on most points that leaves most comparisons, wanting and I would be honoured to own any one of these knives. I have a favourite, aesthetically, and that is the Arius, it’s just a sleek showboat , a piece that gets my engine reviving , just saying 😀 thanks for the vid Jake ✌️
I really need to check out an Arias. The size has always turned me off.
Koenig has a mini Arius in the works!
Great video!
I prefer the Herman. Love the milled scales.
Not much bad to say about either of these knives. I prefer the EVO over the Arius but they are both winners. It really comes down to personal preference IMO
A button lock arius would be *incredible*
Loved the arius first time I saw a picture, once I got one it did not disappoint, saw the evo thought it was a cool but a bit ridiculous,
Now It’s grown on me and really considering it. So this is a really interesting comparison. Thanks 👍
It’s clear they’re both great but will never get rid of my Koenig!
I have and love the arius and the mini goblin there both well made knives ive never held the evo but its a beautiful looking knife
Two of the sexiest production knives out without a doubt. I just picked up a non flipper arius today. Maybe the stars will align for the ckf one day as well
I knew you was going to pick Koenig from the very beginning of the video just because of your shirt
I love the evo jimping!!
So you say you have used the arius a lot over the passed couple years but have only stropped it a couple times and pretty much still has a mirror all the way across? I find mirror starts to fade pretty quickly with use. What is a lot of use to you and do you sharpen your own knives?
I do sharpen my own knives on my KME, and stropping with decent compound I find makes it pretty easy to maintain an edge, most of the cutting I’ve done with the Arius has been cardboard and packaging, but it’s been through quite a few zip ties etc as well.
@@beardedgear sweet yeah i use a kme too and have found it to work really well. Would love to try a wicked edge some day though. Sweet head to head!
Like the Evo but I like lanyard loops on my knives. The Arius would get the nod for that reason alone.
New arius runs $810 got mine from Koenig it’s self for a bronzed textured arius.
@bearded gear great vid, can I buy the CKF off of you?
Finally!
koenig every time
For me the CKF would be the winner. I think its better made and feels more special. To me the Arius always looked like a well tuned chinese CNC knife from WE, ZT, Kizer, etc.
While wearing a Koenig shirt?🤔 Bias much???🙄😉
Thought the same thing, Jake may have been influenced 😜
Can you get one that at least fits 🤷🏻♂️😬
Just bought the all titanium evo 2.0. Wish it was only 600$!!!
Enjoyed the video as I enjoy most of your Head-to-Head. This one felt a bit skewed. Like you made it so the Arius won. I know this is subjective, but it felt unfair.
Ergonomics - Arius by a smidge
Cutting - Evo by a smidge
Carry - Evo by a smidge
Action - Arius by a smidge
Looks - Evo by a smidge
Fit and Finish - Arius by a smidge
Value - In two knives where they are so close, where they were tied. One of them is less expensive (granted, by a small amount) but you also get extra hardware with the Evo.
Finally, as someone who also owns both, I would sell the Arius over the Evo. It would be far easier to get another Arius than another Evo in my opinion
another point cause ckf's come with extra hardware. One more point to the Arius for being USA made, but I wanted the Evo to win.
Cost on Evo 2.0 is rite around 950 10 months later! On the secondary that is!
I own both an Arius wins hands down
And then Boom the tip is in. 😅
Strongest. Detent. WIns.
I'm currently trying to trade my evo 3.0 for an arius
Love of your life vs one night stand.
Koenig Arius 2-tone goes for 550$ at bhq.
Makes me sick how badly I want an evo lol! I've got the money to buy one, just completely missed the pre order like an idiot cause I was so focused on getting my Craig brown fsd
Does a head to head knife comparison sporting one of the contenders t shirts lmao
Then there’s me.. paying $750 on secondary for an Evo 2.0 🤦🏼♂️
Am I out of date or is the Evo not just a Chinese Produced Knife assembled in Russia?….. 👀
That thing's basically a folding cleaver.
I actually sold my arius after buying the evo😂
The evo lost in the first 2:11 minutes of the vid.
Already know Imma disagree 😂
I’d say the arius is a hot girl with curves in all the right places , where as the evo is one of those pretty ones that a totally insane & a heap of fun! Basically a hot mess 🤷♀
No wharnie's have belly
God the koenig is so boring 😴. What do they got like 2 total blade shapes. Omg 😲, it's the best knife with most boring design ever. Omg a new scale so cray!
Boring!
Jake this really isnt a apple to apple compairson, The Koenig is pretty much a custom knife they have 2 guys and Bill Koenig putting knives out. The CKF Evo 2.0 is great. How many russians you thinki where running around making this batch? my guess is 25 lol.BUT IT STILL NOT THE KNIFE Mike aka Rottendesign puts out. He is a wizzard. His regrinds go for as much as the Koenig alone. His regrinds turn great knifes from great knife makers into unbelievable knives. And his tolerences are on CRK level. To be fair, you need to compare a Evo from Mike S.aka Rottendesign, thats if you can drop 3k for one of his or find someone to let theirs out of their sight for you to do a review lol. The Arius is a great knife but its n ot on the Evo level. And just look at Instagram. the Evo 2.0 set I.G on fire,. I'm so sick of see this knife on my feed (jealousy) lol. But like you said you have a histoy with that knife and every man has is own opinion,
I don’t think comparing a 3K custom Evo from rotten to a small batch production knife from Koenig could be mistaken as more fair than this comparison, but to each their own I suppose 🤣🤣