Tacknives Slugger V2: A Budget OTF Owner's 14C28N Deep-Dive Praises the Smoothest Large Automatic Under the Scarab 2's Shadow
Some budget-knife posts are photos with a caption; some are mini-reviews disguised as new-knife day. The Tacknives Slugger V2 post on r/BudgetBlades from September 9 is firmly in the second camp — an owner's write-up so detailed it reads like a spec sheet with opinions attached. The headline change is the steel: the original Slugger ran D2, and the V2 upgrades to 14C28N, the Sandvik stainless that has become the budget tier's favorite all-rounder. The owner's verdict on the result: the smoothest budget large OTF out there.
The details justify the bold claim. The jimping gets special attention — a wide, fine, stair-step switch that is kind to the thumbs, with a drive train the owner describes as well tuned, especially for a single-spring setup. The 6061-T6 handle milling is so good, he says, you can hardly make out the seam where the two scales meet, and there is very crisp but smooth serrated jimping around the whole body for a solid grip no matter where you grab it. Practical touches stack up: an inset steel pocket clip with inset screws so nothing snags on the way in or out of a pocket, saw-cut G10 inlays on both sides, a kydex holster in the box, and a total rebuild kit with everything from the switch to the drive train. For a budget OTF, that parts kit alone is almost unheard of.
The context makes the praise land harder. The Slugger is openly chasing the silhouette of the Microtech Scarab 2 — one of the most coveted large OTFs in the hobby, at a price several times higher — and the V2's upgrade path shows the category maturing. A year ago, a budget large OTF meant questionable steel and sloppy action; now the conversation includes 14C28N, proper milling and rebuild support. The owner's closing note — that he owns every kind of OTF except the flagship tier — frames the Slugger as the value pick for people who want the big automatic experience without the four-figure damage.
The comment section kept it short and sweet: so good, nice, and one member jokingly demanding a picture of the blade deployed. For anyone in the market for a large automatic on a budget, the Slugger V2's steel upgrade addresses the biggest historical weakness of the category, and the included rebuild kit answers the second-biggest one — what happens when a budget OTF breaks. At its price, the Slugger V2 is the kind of knife that makes the Scarab-shaped hole in your collection feel a lot smaller.