That starts, most notably, with the blade steel. The blade measures 3.75 inches and still has its signature clip point shape, making it an outstanding all-around cutter, whether you need to perform long slices, tight precision work, piercing and whatever else.
However, while the standard model utilizes 420HC steel — a commonplace, albeit hard-working option — this one gets swapped for S35VN — a lauded, higher-end material more typically associated with premium pocket knives.
It’s a pretty significant upgrade, jumping up the material quality by a couple of magnitudes. Yet, it’s still a tough enough steel to remain useful in an outdoor setting without too much risk of damage.
Get a grip
While the steel swap is certainly noteworthy, especially to knife nerds such as myself, the more obvious eye-catcher of this release is its handle. Whereas the standard 101 had an ebony handle like its 110 sibling, this one sees it changed in a couple of major ways.
For starters, the wood is swapped for El Dorado Richlite, a type of paper-based resin composite (more commonly known as Micarta). This material is extremely tough, stable, resistant to extreme temperatures and chemicals, highly water-resistant and even lightweight.