A reader asked me to review the Coast DX126 mini utility knife. I have not had the greatest experiences with Coast folding knives, and I had reservations about this design right off the bat, but I was curious.

This compact utility knife retails for $12, and so I picked one up to test out.

My immediate impression was that this is more of an EDC utility knife for infrequent “just in case” purposes. I personally don’t like the knife, but I also haven’t found objective reasons to dislike it. In other words, this Coast knife isn’t really for me, but it does have its merits.

Coast DX126 Knife Size

As is evident in my in-hand images, this is a very small utility knife.

The Coast DX126 measures around 3″ long when closed and 5-1/4″ inches open.

Coast DX126 Knife Handle

The knife has a textured fiberglass-reinforced nylon (FRN) handle. Coast says the blade is stainless steel, but that means nothing after your first blade change.

Coast DX126 Knife Pocket Clip & Carrying

The pocket clip is oriented for tip-down carrying. I’ve got no complaints about the clip – it works as well as can be expected. There is also a small lanyard loop, which can also fit smaller split rings.

Compact carry is the priority here, and it’s hard for Coast to get things wrong.

Coast DX126 Opening Action and Liner Lock

This is a two-handed knife. You need to grip the handle with one hand, and fold the knife open with the other. Closing also requires two hands – one to release the liner lock, and the other to fold the knife closed.

I wasn’t very comfortable closing the knife at first, but I’ve gained a little more confidence with further use. I don’t have the same hesitations or uneasiness with other types of folding knives, even smaller ones, but this one has a different feel to it.

I’m far less intimidated by the knife than I was one month ago. Its motions are more familiar to me, but they’re not yet second nature.

Coast DX126 Secondary Handle Lock

The Coast DX126 has what the brand calls a Double Lock feature. They say when you need to make more rugged cuts, push the Double Lock switch forward to block the liner lock from possibly disengaging and allowing the blade to close on your hand.

On one hand, this is a safety mechanism. On the other hand, what do you mean the knife could possibly disengage and close on my hand?!

I think it’s more about peace of mind. Who is going to use a knife this small to make “more rugged cuts?”

The secondary lock is rudimentary, involving a small metal tab that is rotated into position to block the liner lock from moving, but it works.

This seems to be a “better to have it if you want it, but you’re not paying much extra for it” type of feature.

Coast DX126 Utility Knife Blade Changes

Blade changes require a little effort until you get the hang of it. To remove a dull blade, you first press the release button and then carefully pull the blade out. The knife works with standard two-notch double-ended utility knife blades. I tested it with Stanley, Dewalt, and Milwaukee blades.

To insert a fresh blade or cutting edge, carefully insert the new blade and press down on the lock release to allow the blade to slide through.

Overall Impressions

I found that the Coast DX126 to be acceptable for EDC type of intent, where a user might want to have a folding knife or utility knife in the pocket, bag, or tool box.

Speaking about my subjective preferences, I tend to prefer utility knives for frequent use, and folding knives for less frequent use. If I know I’ll be scoring materials or breaking down cardboard boxes, I grab a utility knife. For incidental use, I might carry a multi-tool or pocket knife.

This knife is more of an incidental use knife than a utility knife. The benefit here is that it has a reversible and replaceable blade, so that you don’t have to worry about having to sharpen folding knife.

Coast does describe the DX126 as a Pro Razor Knife, rather than a utility knife.

The handle is no more or less comfortable than you would expect for a knife of this size.

Overall, the knife feels solidly constructed. The metal frame is largely made from laminated steel sheets, which could be a cost-cutting measure, but it’s also a smart way to create slots for the utility knife blade. The FRN handles aren’t solid slabs; there is actually more steel inside the handle scales than I realized, giving the handle a stronger and more rigid feel.

This knife isn’t a good fit for my needs and preferences, and something about the way it opens and closes with a much-exposed blade edge makes me a little uneasy.

However, I’m not finding anything objectively disagreeable. I wouldn’t use this knife for anything but light duty use where cutting depth doesn’t need to be controlled, but it achieves Coast’s goal of making a compact knife that works with standard replaceable blades.

This isn’t a knife I plan to use a lot, but it’s still useful and usable (unlike Dewalt’s newest folding retractable utility knife).

Pricing & Availability

Street Price: $12

Buy Now via Amazon

Unfortunately, the knife looks to be out of stock at the time of this posting. This is a new product, and it seems that Amazon, Coast, and other dealers sold out of the first production run.

The Competition: Gerber EAB

The Coast DX126 is the latest knife to take on the popular Gerber EAB, which has been updated several times over the years.

One of the biggest differences is that the Coast has a tool-free blade change mechanism whereas the Gerber requires a small coin or screwdriver.

See Also: Gerber EAB at Amazon

Read More:

Gerber EAB Pocket Utility Knife is a Teeny Tiny and Very Popular EDC Tool

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Kershaw Dividend EDC Knife Review (USA-Made, ~$42) – Still Awesome

I purchased a Civivi Elementum EDC folding knife for review purposes, and although the full review is not quite ready, I wanted to share a little bit about it while it’s currently still in stock.

Here’s a little about it:

Its 3″ knife blade is the sweet spot for my knife needs and preferences – compact enough to be highly portable and convenient, long enough to be useful.

It’s a smooth flipper knife. The Ruike P801 that Anthony reviewed here is a good knife, but I do like this Civivi better – it’s smoother and has a little more character, rather than basic metal-slab handles. Flipper knives can be much easier to use than traditional thumb stud or thumb hole openers. For some, there’s also a “fidget factor” where they open and close such knives when their hands aren’t busy.

It’s less expensive premium knife. Civivi Knives, by WE Knives, is a recent budget-friendly knife maker. You have some style choices, but less expensive materials help make this knife more affordable than one made with an exotic tool steel and titanium handles.

The D2 tool steel blade and G-10 handles are solid choices. This is a knife that you could and should use on a daily basis.

It’s extremely well-made. It opens and closes smoothly, the knife shape is useful, the blade grind is nicely done.

This is a great knife, even shockingly good.

You should buy this if you want a taste of higher-end folding knife design at a lower price point. There are several color choices, as well as handle material choices if you’re willing to spend a little more.

Price: $50.20 as of the time of this posting

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See Also:

My First Civivi EDC Knife – the Budget-Priced “Hooligan”

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Kershaw Dividend EDC Knife Review (USA-Made, ~$42) – Still Awesome My First Civivi EDC Knife – the Budget-Priced “Hooligan”

The Kershaw Dividend is an EDC-sized USA-made folding pocket knife, with a retail price of around $42.

It features a 3″ blade size, anodized aluminum handles (model 1812GRY), and Kershaw SpeedSafe assisted opening mechanism.

Update: This review was originally published on 5/5/2017, and republished on 3/27/2020. Why? That’s easy – this is still one of the best folding knives under $50 and I continue to use my sample regularly.

I have been testing a sample of this knife for some time now, and have grown to really like it. It reminds me of the feeling I had when I first bought my Kershaw Leek knife, reviewed here.

How can such an inexpensive knife perform so well and still be made in the USA?

There doesn’t seem to be any compromises in fit, finish, or quality, but you’re not getting any super-premium blade steel alloys or titanium handle scales at this price point.

Somehow, I feel like you get more than what you pay for.

I find the Kershaw Dividend to be a quite nice pocket knife for EDC – everyday carry. It’s compact, but not tiny.

I like its subtle non-tacticool design.

It doesn’t have a safety lock, which my Leek seems to be unique in featuring, but the knife hasn’t opened up in my pocket unexpectently – or anywhere else – yet.

The SpeedSafe assisted opening feature works well. Press down on the flipper, and the knife swings out quickly and easily. You still have to put manual effort into moving that flipper, and it’s this that separates assisted opening knives from automatic knives.

As always, know your local knife laws and regulations before buying or carrying a pocket knife.

Features & Specs

Check Price: via Amazon | via BladeHQ | w/ Nylon Handle

One nice feature is that the pocket clip is repositionable, for tip up or down carry, and left or right. It’s set at the factory for righty tip-up carry.

When placed in a front right pants pocket and towards the rightmost outer side, the blade is held closed against the pocket wall. There is a lanyard hole, but I don’t like assisted-opening knives hanging out loose in my pocket. Accidental openings are unpleasant surprises, especially when tip-up.

The blade shape is described as being a drop point, but I would describe it more as a modified Wharncliffe.

It seems to work well for slicing-style cutting tasks, and also precision tip-work such as when scoring.

I should have cleaned the knife better before taking photos, but I thought it shows what I mean about tip-work. Some knife blades are shaped better for precision cutting, the Dividend is one such knife. But it’s not a uni-tasker. The “belly” of the knife is gently curved, but nicely optimized for general purpose use.

The flipper tab is small, but as large as it needs to be. It’s easy to feel for, and easy to press.

That’s a big benefit of the SpeedSafe opening mechanism, in my opinion – the flipper tab can be smaller. If this was a manual knife, a flipper lever that small might require too much force for a successful opening swing. My guess is that, if this were a manual knife, that flipper would only swing the blade open halfway without a flick wrist or other compensating energy transfer.

It’s a liner lock knife. You don’t have to dig your thumb in to release the lock and close the knife.

This is a well-done and comfortable implementation of a simple but strong and effective lock design.

I’ve taken a liking towards frame-lock designs, but you’re not going to find a frame-lock knife at this price.

The blade is perfectly centered, and you can see how the knife is constructed. There are two steel slabs, one serving as the liner lock, and the two anodized aluminum handle scales.

Sorry, I guess the lighting makes it look a little purple. It’s not. It’s a beigey gray.

The steel gives the knife strength and durability, the aluminum gives it a light feel and textured grip.

It’s got a backwards flag, I’m guessing to denote its USA manufacturing origins. I had to remind myself of the meaning.

The two threaded holes at the top show an alternate placement for the pocket clip.

Having 4 position options is unusual. With a lot of knives, especially inexpensive ones, you have places to move the pocket clip to, if you can move it anywhere at all. Sometimes the sole choice is “pocket clip or no pocket clip.”

Made in the USA. Nice.

Hopefully the close-up gives you an idea of what the knife handles feel like. They’re not smooth – far from it – but aren’t rough or aggressive. The texture feels like very fine grit sandpaper that has been worn down – rough and grippy without being aggressive or painful.

The pocket clip isn’t remarkable, but its versatility is much appreciated. It’s no trouble to clip to the pocket of my jeans. If removed, you’re left with a very slender knife, in case you’re a “knife on a lanyard in a pocket” kind of user.

It’s somewhat larger than the Kershaw Leek. Shown here is my new teal-anodized Leek. Honestly, I think I prefer the stainless steel Leek knives, but this one was on sale. I ordered it during a holiday season Amazon Kershaw sale a few months ago.

This isn’t the best comparison photo, but if you know the Leek, maybe you’ll see something helpful.

Here is the Leek, Dividend, and Link. The Dividend is said to be a smaller adaptation of the Link. It might not look smaller in photos, but it has a noticeably smaller feel to it.

Here’s another Link joining the fray, to the right, with a partially serrated blade.

And just the Dividend and Link.

The Link feels like more of a workshop knife, but the Dividend is smaller to carry and nearly as capable.

I have medium-sized hands, and tend to like knives with 3″ blades, which is probably why the Dividend seemed to be a great fit.

I cannot comment about the knife steel yet, but 420HC isn’t premium stuff. It’s not bad either, and seems to be holding its factory edge through quite a bit of use.

I think that the Dividend has all the makings of a Kershaw classic. Now all we need are some color options, and it’ll be perfect.

There is a glass-filled nylon handle option. But unless you had a good reason for going with that style of handle rather than anodized aluminum, spend the few extra dollars and get this one.

Price: $40-42

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Buy Now: Nylon Version via Amazon

Given my experience with this test sample, would I buy one? Definitely.

See More ToolGuyd Knife Reviews

Thank you to Kershaw for providing the review sample unconditionally.

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New Spyderco Para 3 Lightweight EDC Knife with SPY27 Super Steel

The new generation of Spyderco multi-tools started out with a trio of very small slipjoint knives, each with an additional implement. One tool had a bit driver, one a pair of scissors, and the final tool had a serrated blade. They were quite good, especially for the money, but they lacked the polish and clean look and feel of a Swiss Army Knife.

A few years later, at SHOT 2018, Spyderco debuted two new full-sized multi-tools, the Standard (with a focus on general utility tools) and the Rescue (with a focus on rescue/EMT tools). This is a review of the Standard. The product page, with specs, can be found here.

The Clipitool Standard is a knife-based multi-tool that uses two layers to pack in three different implements – a medium to large knife, a large flat head driver with a cap lifter and wire stripper, and a small bit driver with a can opener. The knife blade has a classic Spyderco shape, reminiscent of a Delica or Endura.

The blade is locked in place with a liner lock. The entire tool has an excellent, spoon-style Spyderco pocket clip. Each of the three implements has a Spyderhole that allows for one-handed deployment. The handle is black G10. The steel on the 3.5 inch knife blade is 8CR13MoV. This is a Chinese-made Spyderco. The street price for the Clipitool Standard is $51.95.

The overall design of the tool is quite interesting. The humps for the opening holes on the two implements plus a palm swell in the G10 handle create a series of finger scallops for your hand.

It is a clever touch, and while finger scallops aren’t good for your hands when using a knife (here is a video from a hand surgeon explaining why), they are relatively mild and do not compel any particular grip. The tool is not terribly tall, but it is thicker than the average Spyderco. Thanks to good placement of the clip it will not roll in the pocket like the Leatherman Skeletool has a tendency to do.

The fit and finish on the knife is highly variable. The knife blade has a truly great detent, allowing for the blade to be quickly popped open. It is also expertly ground. The bit drivers of both sizes work well and the can opener is effective.

The cap lifter is also executed well and is a one pull design (meaning it removed a bottle cap with a single try in one motion).

The handle scales however, exhibit some stray machining or chatter from the routing tool used to shape the handle. It doesn’t impact performance, but it is rather noticeable. I would also prefer more clearance on the liner lock.

There is not much room to move the liner lock out of the way of the blade tang when unlocking the knife, and as a result disengaging the lock is not as easy as it should be.

Overall, this is a very interesting addition to Spyderco’s line up and the multi-tool market place.  The knife is heads and shoulders above any other multi-tool knife, and if that is your primary tool, then the ClipiTool Standard should be at the top of your list.

If you need a more diverse array of tools, the ClipiTool Standard is a bit limited. If weight and size are an issue, I’d still opt for the Leatherman Skeletool over the ClipiTool Standard. I would LOVE to see Spyderco take the knife portion of this tool and make it its own design (kind of like what Leatherman did with the Skeletool KB knife). It is a very, very good knife.

The ClipiTool Standard is a good value, an excellent knife, and a unique addition to the multi-tool market. Unless you need a knife 90% of the time, pliers-based designs like the Skeletool are still better, but not by all that much.

Price: $52

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Specs

Related Posts:

Kershaw Dividend EDC Knife Review (USA-Made, ~$42) – Still Awesome

The folks that peruse ToolGuyd are looking for tools that can pay for themselves, tools that work, and tools that won’t break the bank. Over the years, Spyderco has made a number of knives that fit that description, but no knife in their line up is a better value than the Spyderco Chaparral with a Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon handle.

The Chaparral is a series of knives designed to be nicer everyday carry knives—gentleman’s carry. There were a trio of Chaparrals in titanium, one in carbon fiber, and one in a resin mesh combination called Raffir Noble. All were marked with great ergonomics and insanely thin blade stock. Coming in around 2.75 inches, Chaparrals were easy to carry, but still enough of a blade to handle a lot of different tasks.

But these knives had handle materials that either made them expensive, less practical or both. Then, last year at the annual knife trade show Blade Spyderco showed off an FRN version of the great gentleman’s knife. The resulting knife is not just the best value in the Spyderco line up, it is the perfect line in the sand— spend any more than this on a knife and you are buying things unrelated to performance.

The FRN Chaparral has a blade steel of CTS-XHP, an American-made powder metal steel produced by Carpenter. Known in the cutlery world as an excellent all around steel, when it was released XHP was called the perfect combination of 440C’s stain resistance and D2’s hardness and toughness. In the five or so years since, XHP has lived up to that billing.

The Chaparral package is not just a nice size with a nice steel, it is a marvel of ergonomics (it is, after all, a Spyderco). The knife has a half and half finger choil, a notch designed as a rest for a person’s index finger. This choil gives you the ability to choke up on the blade, putting your fingers less than 1/4 of an inch from the cutting edge. The rest of the handle is well designed too.

Finally, the knife sports a deep carry wire pocket clip, which not only holds and hides the knife well, it has very little negative impact on the knife’s grip.

All of this is available for around $88. The knife will give you years of service provided you don’t abuse it and it will remain razor sharp for a very long time. Even more amazing, when Spyderco redid their pricing to implement MAP, the FRN Chaparral remained untouched. A good value before MAP, the Chaparral is the absolute pinnacle of value and quality now. If you want a superior tool for a decent price, you can’t do better than the FRN Chaparral.

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Specs

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Kershaw Dividend EDC Knife Review (USA-Made, ~$42) – Still Awesome

The production knife market has gone crazy. It used to be a rare knife that cost $300. That knife, more often than not, was the much-vaunted Chris Reeve Sebenza. Now, $300 knives are common. At that price you might be hesitant to really use your knife, but as a tool, leaving $300 on the shelf seems silly.

Part of the force driving the price of knives north of $300 is the steel. Another factor is the complexity of design. Many of the new $300+ knives are titanium framelock flippers—a design that requires a bit of tuning on each blade and real attention to the knife’s pivot. Often, these high end knives run pivots that use a race of captured bearings to both smooth out the opening and make the pivot more stable. All of this individual attention costs money and drives up the price of a knife.

But as with all new technology, eventually prices come falling down. In 2017, two different knives were released that had many of the bells and whistles of high-end blades, both at budget prices.

One was the LA Police Gear-exclusive TBFKS35VN. The other was the Ruike P801. (Ruike, pronounced “Rike,” is the knife brand sibling to Fenix flashlights; both the torches and the blades are made in China). While the TBFK runs better steel, the P801 is the better knife, slimmer and more EDC friendly. It also happens to be one of the best budget knives on the planet. Here is why.

First, despite its $30 price tag, Ruike P801 is quite well made.  Every cut is clean and every edge is chamfered.

A check of the IKC (Internet Knife Community) shows that there are some issues with centering, but for the most part people found the knife to be well made. My personal P801 is flawless. The P801 also runs a captured-bearing pivot, giving you snappy and fast deployment via a well-shaped flipper tab.

The blade steel is Sanvik’s 14C28N, an excellent steel but a small step down from powder metal steels found on $300 blades. The blade shape, a simple drop point, is great, as is the full flat grind. Finally, the P801 is a slim knife. The blade is a bit longer than average, coming in at 3.5 inches, but the knife is thin and narrow. As a result the P801 carries like a much smaller knife, easily less noticeable than something like the Spyderco Delica.

The P801 comes in two finishes—a bright stainless steel or a coated stonewash which results in a worn in gray-black appearance. The knife saves pennies by using a non-powder steel and stainless steel scales instead of titanium, but beyond those two minor compromises, this knife compares well to blades costing ten times as much.

If you want a practically-priced framelock flipper with a lot of the features found on much pricier knives, the P801 should be on your list. It is an excellent knife, so good that I don’t even have to use the common budget knife descriptor “for the money.”

Price: $30

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Specs

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Kershaw Dividend EDC Knife Review (USA-Made, ~$42) – Still Awesome

Some time ago, I purchased a Buck Inertia folding knife. It features an assisted opening mechanism, milled aluminum handles, and its looks appealed to me.

I’ve used Buck knives before, but never an assisted opener from them. I was curious, and it seemed like a good opportunity to try something new. At the time, it fit the criteria of what I was looking for, USA-made folding knives that could be had for between $35 and $75. This one was $60.

My first Buck Inertia knife had a problem with the liner lock, and so I returned it for a replacement. The second seemed to work fine. And by “work fine,” I mean that there was no obvious manufacturing defect.

Part of the appeal of this knife is that it has a lock that prevents accidental openings, and it works differently than the one in my Kershaw Onion Leek knife, reviewed here. But that’s also what I really don’t like about this knife.

I’m going to cut to the chase, even though this is a short review. I do not like this knife. It seems okay, and has some nice qualities, but overall it just doesn’t work for me.

Features & Specs

When you first open the knife, it looks like this:

That little locking nub slides forward to create a smooth and seamless spine. I don’t like having to do that extra step each time. If this would be your only knife, you’ll get used to it, fast. But it’s not my only knife, and it bugs me.

The locking nub has to be in this back-pivoted position in order to be able to flip the knife open.

Here it is in the forward position, preventing the knife from being opened unintentionally, such as if it’s jingling around in your pocket.

The blade itself is usable. It’s nothing special, but I also don’t have much to complain about.

The pocket clip is deep-carry style. It’s also a little large, but I don’t mind it much, especially in the context of the locking tab.

One other concern I have is about liner lock wear. There are already gouges on the blade where it slams into the liner lock. Some wear in is expected, but this seems a little much for a knife that I rarely handle. Is the metal improperly hardened? Blade steel should be more resilient than that.

I bought the knife thinking yay, a USA-made assisted opening knife by Buck. But my immediate and lasting impression is that the knife just doesn’t fit me well.

If someone were looking for an affordable USA-made folding knife with assisted opening mechanism, I’d direct their attention to the Kershaw Dividend, reviewed here instead. That knife doesn’t have a safety lock, though. For a safety lock, look at the Leek.

Overall, I feel left down.

Oh, and the rounded and lighter color edges? That’s part of the look. I’m guessing it was anodized and then thoroughly tumbled. The same handle and blade would have worked a lot nicer if the knife was instead built with a manual opening mechanism, whether thumb stud, flipper, or the elongated hole that’s already machined into the knife. Maybe I can try to convert the knife, but probably not.

I am hesitant to recommend against buying this knife, so I’ll say this – if you think you might like it, try it out at a knife shop or buy it from an online retailer with a lenient return policy.

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This knife was purchased at retail.

Related Posts:

Kershaw Dividend EDC Knife Review (USA-Made, ~$42) – Still Awesome

If you’ve been following ToolGuyd’s knife reviews, you might have already seen my review of the Benchmade mini Griptilian knife.

I have reviewed the mini Griptilian before, but this one’s different in very notable ways.

This one, Benchmade 555-1, new for 2016, is made with a far better stainless steel – CPM-20CV vs. 154CM – and is has a more complex handle that’s made from more premium materials (G10).

Features & Specs

Check Price: via Amazon | via BladeHQ | 555HG older style

What’s New? Blade Steel and Handle Materials

The older Benchmade mini Griptilian design, shown here with a blue handle, features a 154CM stainless steel blade. 154CM is by no means a “bad” steel – it’s actually a quite good material. It’s a step up from the alloys used in a lot off knives and multi-tools.

154CM is one of the most popular knife blade alloys out there. You’ll even find 154CM being used in some of Benchmade’s more premium knives.

The new Benchmade 555-1 mini Griptilian has the same blade shape, but is made from CPM-20CV, a heavy duty stainless tool steel. According to the datasheet (PDF), this steel has very high corrosion and wear resistance.

In other words, once sharp, CPM-20CV should stay sharp for a long time. That probably also means it’s a hassle to sharpen.

This is a knife you might want to hone every now and then, to maintain the edge.

The new handle is made from G10, with anodized aluminum spacers.

It’s a little grippier, but I need more time with the knife to know for sure. This version of the mini Griptilian is also a little heavier, and while the numbers say it’s a very slight difference – ~1/3 of an ounce going by specs – it seems to feel better in-hand, with better balance. Maybe it’s my imagination.

But, undoubtedly, the G10 handles on the Benchmade 555-1 certainly do feel nice in-hand.

The Blade Shape

This version has a thumbhole, for opening the knife, and modified sheepsfoot-style blade shape.

There are a few other blade options right now, including partially serrated, and with a black finish. If thumbholes aren’t your thing, you can opt for the thumbstud version, which features a drop point knife blade.

I prefer the plain edge blade, as plain edges are easier to sharpen and often better suited for general purpose use.

My experiences with my blue-handled mini Griptilian have cemented my opinion that the modified sheepsfoot blade profile makes this knife an excellent slicer and all-around EDC knife. It can be used for limited piercing applications, although it won’t handle such tasks as well as some other knife shapes.

Compared to regular sheepsfoot knofe blade shapes, it’s the slight upwards curve of the point that makes this a modified sheepsfoot blade. The blade is hollow ground, making the cutting edge thin and sharp.

G10 Handle Scales

The handles of these CPM-20CV mini Griptilians are dressed up a little nicer.

While functional, the handles on my other mini Griptilian do look a bit cheap. The G10 grips on this one do feel sufficiently grippy, and – again it might be my imagination – a little weightier for better balance.

Some of Benchmade’s other knives have some great G10 patterns, so maybe we’ll see some better aesthetics in a couple of months or even next year. The grey G10 color is pretty bland looking.

The handles have somewhat of a more solid feeling, if that makes sense.

The Perfect EDC Knife?

One more thing to point out is that the 555-1 mini Griptilian, and presumably the other new mini and full-size Griptilians, have deep carry pocket clips.

Here’s what the non-deep-carry pocket clip looked like:

It seems to carry well. Sometime after I posted my review of the 555GH mini Griptilian, I requested a deep carry clip from Benchmade, and they happily sent it over. I’ve heard that they’ve done the same for others as well.

The knife comes in a little pouch that I’ll repurpose for something else.

This is what I look for in my ideal EDC knife, in no particular order:

• Blade under 3″
• Strong lock
• Easy opening
• Lightweight
• Convenient and comfortable carrying options
• Comfortable, secure, and safe grip
• Infrequent maintenance needs
• Good looks

My new mini Griptilian satisfies all of these requirements, but that’s no surprise, as my other one does too.

I don’t think the upgrade is worth it for the blade steel alone, but the different handle – I’m hesitant to say improved, although it is better – contributes to this being a more premium knife worthy of the bump up in price.

But in the $150 to $175 price range, there is so much more is out there. Take the Zero Tolerance 0450 for example. The Spyderco Techno and Spyderco Domino are two other knives we reviewed and can recommend that are within this price range.

In this price range, despite the better CPM-20CV knife blade steel and G10 handle scales, the new Benchmade mini Griptilian seems a little less special, at least compared to the older versions. The older version is one of the best knives you could buy for under $100. This one is among very many great knives, some perhaps better, that you could buy for under $200.

I called the older version a near-perfect EDC folder. This one comes with a deep pocket clip, which was one of only two reasons that kept the previous one from being perfect. The other was price, another factor that keeps this from being the perfect EDC folding knife in my eye.

So I guess that, aside from the price, this should be the perfect EDC knife. But then again, the knife should serve me well for a long time, long after I forget exactly how much I paid for it.

Conclusion

I bought this knife at its full retail price, mainly for review purposes. Do I regret it? No. I think that this is a great EDC (everyday carry) knife that I will enjoy using, and one that I can absolutely recommend.

The mini Griptilian’s blade shape is fantastic, and its handle is great, and the new version is made with more premium materials.

I plan to use this knife a lot more, and will report back as to whether my stance changes. It’ll be some time before I can put that CPM-20CV steel’s wear resistance to the test.

I was curious to see how much the 555-1 mini Griptilian improved upon the similar design of my 555HG mini Griptilian. Would the different materials contribute to a different and potentially better user experience? Yes, they do.

If my review makes this knife sound a little underwhelming it’s probably because I knew exactly what to expect. It’s a great performer without surprises, pleasant or otherwise. Most of my new knives offer new user experiences, but not this one. It was like trading up to a new model year car of the same one I’ve been driving for years.

Still, the handle does feel better, in terms of grip and balance, and on paper the blade steel is certainly better. Whether it proves to be better in real life will take a lot of use, and with this knife being every bit the workhorse as the other version, it will definitely be a regular part of my EDC rotation.

The new Benchmade 555-1 mini Griptilian is also made in the USA.

Should You Buy One?

Well, looking at the big picture, the new Benchmade mini Griptilians are safe bets. They’re tried-and-true designs that are sure to provide you with reliable and consistent performance.

I bought Benchmade’s first flipper knife, and it sucks. Sorry, there’s no nicer way to put it. It has great comfort and ergonomics, and a good blade shape, but it doesn’t open very quickly or securely. The blade kind of just flops out unless you flick your wrist, which you shouldn’t have to do with a good flipper folding knife.

But the mini Grip? It’s a fantastic and bulletproof design.

If you’ve got $150-$200 to spend on an EDC knife, you have lots of great options, and still even more great knives for under $150.

But how do you know what you like? I bought and used a couple of folding knives before I realized what I liked and what I didn’t.

You could lean on online reviews, but I found that just because a particular model is popular with reviewers or on enthusiast forums, that doesn’t mean I will like it.

I would say that this, and the less premium 555HG knives, are about the safest best you could find, if you can budget for them. The blue-handled 555HG shown in this review for comparison purposes is currently priced at $90.

It’s almost guaranteed to serve you very well. It’s a great knife that won’t disappoint.

Which style should you buy? I made a calculated guess that this version would work to my liking, and it worked out. But maybe the thumbstud and drop point version works better for you. If you’re unsure, stick with this style (555). And if you don’t like it, return it or sell it, and try again.

Price: $166

Also See: Benchmade Mini Griptilian Review, & More Knife Reviews

Buy Now(via Amazon)
Buy Now(via BladeHQ)

Buy Now(Other 555-1 Styles via Amazon)
Buy Now(Other 555-1 Styles via BladeHQ)
Buy Now(556-1 Styles via BladeHQ)

Related Posts:

Kershaw Dividend EDC Knife Review (USA-Made, ~$42) – Still Awesome Benchmade Weekender Knife Seems Like a Miss New Spyderco Para 3 Lightweight EDC Knife with SPY27 Super Steel

A few months ago, I asked readers What Knife do You Carry?, and received a lot of different answers. I also asked about what types of knives you might want to see reviewed.

As expected, a great majority of the answers were all about folding knives. Folding knives are typically much more practical to carry than fixed blade knives. But there were some surprising answers and review requests.

In that post, Moxy asked:

I’d love to see you test some of the small fixed blade pocket knives that are around. Bradford Knives’ Guardian 3 comes to mind. I’ve often wondered if I would find one as useful as a folding knife or would it just be more cumbersome.

I wondered the same thing, about whether a Bradford Guardian3 fixed blade knife would be suitable for EDC (everyday carry), workshop use, or even professional use.

The Bradford Knives Guardian3 knife has a 3.5″ blade (3″ cutting length) that’s made from Bohler M390 steel, a premium powder metal technology alloy that offers “good corrosion resistance and very high hardness for excellent wear resistance.”

It’s made in the USA and priced at $159.

In the spirit of trying new things, I splurged and bought one in the summer of 2014. So when Moxy asked about the Guardian3, I was already in the process of testing it.

Let me just say this upfront – if you’re looking for a compact fixed blade knife, the Guardian3 is a phenomenal knife and great choice.

Why a Fixed Blade Knife?

This is something you might be asking yourself. Why the heck would I want to use a fixed blade knife outside the kitchen?

A fixed blade knife doesn’t have a pivot or folding mechanism that could fail. They are often stronger, tougher, more durable, and also usually require far less maintenance.

If you get dirt, sand, or grime in a folding knife, you’re in for a much longer cleaning session.

The Bradford Guardian3 is smaller and lighter than a lot of hard use folders.

Fixed blade knives aren’t for everyone – check out what I say in the sheath and summary sections to see why it’s not the ideal knife for me.

From the Maker

The Bradford Guardian3 pocket knife is an ideal everyday carry knife. As a 3.5 inch fixed blade knife with a full tang, the Guardian3 is a great tool that can be easily carried and concealed on your belt so you can use it throughout the day.

Whether you’re working in a warehouse, with wiring or boxes, or you just need to open a bottle at home, the Guardian3 can take care of it.

Features & Specs

Customizations

Bradford knives can be found at a number of dealers, such as BladeHQ, and Brad also sells them directly on his site.

If you order directly from Brad, you have a couple of choices to make:

• Blade Style: False Edge (Swedge) or Sabre grind
• Blade Finish: Stonewashed, Nimbus (+$10), Black DLC (+$10)
• Fasteners: Tumbled or Black Oxide

There are also many handle colors to choose from.

I went with:

• False Edge Blade
• Stonewashed Finish
• Tumbled Fasteners
• Black/Blue Handle Scales

If I had to choose again, I would ask if Brad could build it with similar handles as this one on BladeHQ. Mine is mostly black with blue accents.

The G10 handle scales are made from layered materials, and so it’s possible for the Black/Blue handle to look like the Guardian3 I have, the one on BladeHQ, the one on the Bradford Knives site, or maybe anything in between.

That’s not to say I’m disappointed – I love the way my Guardian3 looks. It’s just that I like the blues of the one on BladeHQ’s site a little better. But, if ordering from BladeHQ, there’s no guarantee that the knife I received would look like that.

I didn’t even give this a second thought until I started writing up this post and saw the different Black/Blue handle versions on BladeHQ and Bradford Knives’ sites.

Back to the point – why did I customize the blade the way I did?

I liked the look of the False Edge blade style, but was concerned that it was sharpened even a little bit. I emailed Brad, just to be sure, and he said:

Yes, the false edge is dull, it’s left at about a .030 flat at the tip.

The false edge or “swedge” tapers down, starting at full thickness at the jimping, [and going] down to the .030 flat near the tip.

I would consider this unable to be sharpened.

This is important, since a sharpened swedge would make this a double-edged blade, a legal no-no in a lot of places.

I can’t tell you whether there’s a significant functional difference between the different false edge and sabre grinds that Bradford Knives offers. I went with the false edge based on looks.

Blade Steel Choices

I own the M390 version, which Brad continues to sell. There’s also a CPM-3V version right now, at the same price. After doing some searching on the web and reading datasheets, it seems that CPM-3V is more of a tough tool steel.

The manufacturer says: CPM 3V is a high toughness, wear-resistant tool steel made by the Crucible Particle Metallurgy process.

As a reminder, this is what’s said about the M390 steel: [M390 was] developed for knife blades requiring good corrosion resistance and very high hardness for excellent wear resistance.

So the choice is between one premium steel with higher corrosion resistance and wear resistance, and another with higher toughness. CPM 3V will likely resist chipping, but with lower chromium content it’s not going to be as corrosion resistant.

Short story: M390 is a premium stainless steel, CPM 3V is a premium tool steel.

Datasheets: M390, CPM 3V

Comfort and Usage

For a small knife, the Guardian3 is very comfortable to hold and use. It just fits right. For normal usage, the knife sits a little higher in my hand.

That’s not a very natural grip in the photo, I just wanted to show you a good approximation of how well the knife fits in my medium sized hands.

The knife is well sharpened, right out of the box. I can’t say I’ve used it on a daily basis, but I do try to use it regularly, and enjoy doing so.

I have mainly used it on cardboard boxes, paper, plastic clamshell packaging, wiring, tubing, rubber sheets.

The Bohler M390 blade steel alloy is said to be a super premium steel, and it seems to hold an edge really well. I’ll have to sharpen the blade eventually, and will try to report back with any findings in that regard.

Fit and Finish

The knife feels good, it looks good, and it performs well. What more could I ask for?

I couldn’t quite capture the how well the stonewashed blade finish looks, but hopefully these photos at least do an acceptable job.

Handle Scales

Here you can see what I mean about the layered G10 handles. But while I might like the handles to be a little bluer, I have plenty of blue knives. While not quite “one of a kind,” the variability does make this one somewhat unique.

You have your choice of single-color handles, and two-tones like this one.

If you want variety, you can purchase alternate color scales, instead of a whole new knife. Bradford Knives sells replacement scales for $35 per set, and each set comes with the special driver bit you need to swap the handle scales yourself.

You can also buy a set of different colored fasteners, for $6 per set.

That G10 texture, by the way, is just perfect. It’s simplistic, but grippy enough without being too harsh or abrasive.

What’s G10? It’s typically a high quality, dense, and wear resistant composite material that’s made from fiberglass and resin. G10 is also sometimes called Garolite, but in the context of knives it’s usually just G10 or G-10.

The Leather Sheath

The knife sheath is just about the only thing I don’t love about this knife. It’s designed for horizontal belt carry, and has a plastic liner halfway down to help guide the blade.

Every time I take the knife out of the sheath, the pointed part of the handle (between finger grooves) eats a little more of the inside. Sometimes the top of the knife scrapes off a small piece of the sheath instead.

I suppose I could order a replacement sheath from Bradford Knives, should the knife eventually wear out the sheath. Or I can find a suitable universal sheath as replacement. Or should I ever have the time, I can try to make my own sheath out of leather or Kydex, but that’s probably not going to happen any time soon.

If I carry the Guardian3, it’s in a bag, or elsewhere that’s not on my person. For that type of carrying, the sheath works just fine.

But if I can find a Kydex sheath for this, I might give it a chance carrying it in my pocket, although maybe not outside the workshop until I review the state laws again.

There are ways to convert the belt loop for vertical carry. I haven’t done so (yet?), because I rarely carry anything on my belt these days if I can help it. Maybe sometimes, on rare occasion, I’ll belt-carry a Leatherman multi-tool. Most of the time, the sheath stays at home and the multi-tool goes in my pocket. I also haven’t belt-carried a cellphone for quite a few years now.

I should also mention that drawing the knife out of the sheath requires a little care since it sits so deeply.

Quick Size Comparison

The Bradford Guardian3 is about the same overall length as a Leatherman Skeletool (review here), but you can see that the handle and blade are substantially more robust.

Which would you rather use for demanding cutting tasks?

Summary

I think the Bradford Guardian3 is a fantastic knife, and I have absolutely no regrets that I purchased it. I LOVE this knife.

But… if ToolGuyd wasn’t footing the bill for this purchase, I probably would have kept my curiosity about this knife to myself. Most of the time, fixed blade knives are a little too impractical for me.

Around the house and workshop, any knife within will often do, although I do have my preferences. Out and about, a folding knife is most often going to be more practical. In more sensitive settings, I’ll carry a small Swiss Army Knife or gentleman’s knife.

But that’s me. I wish I could carry and use this knife more.

According to the designer, the Guardian3 is:

Designed to replace your heavy duty folder and built for extreme everyday use.

I don’t doubt that one bit. Despite its compact size, this is a very comfortable and capable knife. While I have a couple of heavy duty folders, the truth is that I don’t have demanding needs, especially not the kind that translates to extreme everyday use.

Moxy asked:

I’ve often wondered if I would find one as useful as a folding knife or would it just be more cumbersome.

Well, think about how you would carry a knife like this. The sheath has a belt loop, but it’s not for slide on, slide off attachment, although I figure it would stretch out and wear in over time. And if not, you can buy or make a vertical carry adapter.

It pains me that my Guardian3 has fallen into the role of a special occasion type knife for whenever I can justify it, such as hiking trips, overnight road trips, and the such. And sometimes I’ll pack it in a tool bag just because I enjoy using it so much.

While working on this writeup, my Guardian3 has seen a lot more use than in recent weeks. I found myself reaching for it much more than my typical folders. Maybe it’ll become a permanent desk and lab bench knife, although that doesn’t do the knife much justice.

For me, this is not an EDC knife. I was curious about it, and now I know. Even though I can’t really carry this knife on a daily basis, it’s a purchase I would absolutely make again.

Bradford Knives recently came out with a Guardian3 flipper folding knife, but it’s a lot more expensive – $399 via BladeHQ. The styling of the Guardian folder doesn’t really do much for me, and $400 is above what I can justify for personal use. I can’t swing it for review purposes either, because I don’t think there would be enough reader interest.

But if Bradford Knives ever comes out with a more affordable Guardian3 sized folder, I’ll likely buy one without any hesitation.

Pricing & Purchasing

The Bradford Guardian3 is priced at $159.

Certain customization options cost more, but not much more. It’s $10 more to step up to carbon fiber handle scale, and $10 more for either of the other handle finish options.

Buy Now(via Bradford Knives)
Buy Now(via BladeHQ)

The knife featured in this review was purchased at full retail from Bradford Knives.

Related Posts:

Kershaw Dividend EDC Knife Review (USA-Made, ~$42) – Still Awesome

The BRK-R1 Zancudo is a good folding knife, and it’s surprisingly affordable. If you shop around, you can find it for as little as $30. It is rather simplistically designed, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. There are enough design distinctions that give the Zancudo its own personality, rather than it being just another low-cost folding knife.

Let me start off by saying that the Zancudo is not an ESEE knife. It’s a Randall’s Adventure & Training design, or at least endorsed by them, and manufactured by Blue Ridge Knives. Some retailers market the Zancudo as an ESEE folding knife, and I’m not sure why, hence the need for clarification. It seems that the Zancudo was in designed in part by the folks at ESEE.

I’ve talked about ESEE knives before, such as the Izula fixed blade knife, Candiru fixed blade neck knife, and EsKabar collaboration. I own a couple of ESEE knives, but they do not currently make any folding knives. The folding Izula knife is said to be in development, but the same has been true for a couple of years now.

Features & Specs

Check out our other knife reviews here!

First Impression

The Zancudo is a little smaller than I expected, which works in its favor. It’s compact and pocketable, without being too small of a knife. Its handle is a little boring, but provides a good grip. It doesn’t seem to be made of any fancy knife handle material either, and is simply described as being a polymer, which is just a fancy way of saying plastic.

The other side is made of stainless steel, which has a rather nice finish, which is a little darker in real life than how it shows in these photos.

The blade, like the handle, features an aesthetic stonewash finish.

After giving the knife a once-over and using it on a couple of test cuts, I found myself surprised that they only selling it for ~$30. I bought mine for $28 back in November of 2013, and it’s still around the same price.

Zancudo Knife Blade

AUS-8 is a good stainless steel knife blade. In general, it sharpens up nicely, but doesn’t hold an edge as well as more premium knife blade alloys. I haven’t sharpened my Zancudo yet.

I think I like the Zancudo knife’s drop point blade shape, although I can’t point out specific applications where it offers a definitive advantage. The tip lends itself well to higher precision cutting tasks, and I’m almost certain the long and straight section of the blade is good for back-and-forth sawing-like slicing cuts, such as when making clean cuts in cardboard.

Zancudo Frame Lock

I have no complaints about the liner lock, which offers solid wobble-free engagement.

If I could offer one criticism, it would be how the inner surface could stand to be a little easier on my finger. But if it was more rounded, beveled, or otherwise relieved, the knife would be more difficult to close. Open and close the knife a couple of times in a short time with the same finger, and you’ll feel what I’m talking about.

Zancudo Opening and Comfort

Opening the knife is a cinch. The blade won’t fly open, but the thumbstud does its job and the pivot has only the slightest hint of friction.

The grip is comfortable, and probably cannot be improved further on a knife this size. It’s a little unusual in how it’s much wider at the bottom than the top, more so than other knives I’ve used. I have found that the shape of the handle tends to lead my hand a little lower and away from the blade.

The thumbstud is asymmetrical, but there’s still enough of a stud for lefties to not be too frustrated with the knife. I went back and forth, opening the knife with right and then left hands, and couldn’t decide whether it was easier to deploy with one hand over the other. Lefties would probably want to remove the pocket clip and attach a lanyard pull instead.

There is some jimping (grooves) on the back of the blade, but I think they’re only there for decoration. Pressing your thumb harder into the back of the blade won’t make up for the too-few and ill-placed grooves, as you’ll simply press harder into the end of the handle.

Take another look at the photos that show the end of the handle near the back of the blade. It’s curved outwards slightly. If it wasn’t, then the small section of jimping would be more practical.

All I’m saying is that you shouldn’t look at pictures of the knife blade and think of the jimping as any more than decoration. While it might provide some enhancement to your grip, I really think the benefits are going to be marginal.

Carryability

The Zancudo is a nice sized knife. Not too big, not too small.

If you want to carry the knife in-pocket, remove the huge pocket clip and attach a small piece of paracord as a lanyard pull.

I have been carrying my Zancudo in a pouch in my bag, but eventually that pocket clip is coming off. I wish the Zancudo clip was as low-profile and streamlined as the ones on my Kershaw Leek knives.

Overall

Am I in love with the Zancudo folding knife? No. But I certainly like it enough to recommend. If it was priced at $50 instead of ~$30, my position might be different. But then again, it would offer more if it cost more.

The handle shape is good, but I’m not used to my hand being led away from the blade, which the Zancudo tends to do. It’s quick and easy to get used to, and something I never would have noticed if not for the task of analyzing every aspect of the knife for this review.

As mentioned, I think I like the shape of the knife blade, and think it might provide advantages for certain use, but after more than a year and a half of occasional EDC rotation and use, I can’t offer specific examples.

The Zancudo is a good folding knife, and one that you shouldn’t pass up. It’s made in Taiwan, and solidly built.

A couple of months ago, I posted about cheap knives that don’t suck. Spyderco’s Tenacious ($35 via Amazon) and Persistence ($38 via Amazon) are specifically mentioned there, but why not the Zancudo? Honestly, it’s because I keep forgetting that the Zancudo isn’t an inexpensive knife. The Kershaw Leeks that I reviewed also seem to leave my mind whenever I think about cheap knives, despite their low pricing.

Buy Now(via Amazon)
Buy Now(via BladeHQ)

You get slightly better pricing at BladeHQ than Amazon, but Amazon has a lower threshold for free shipping. I bought mine from BladeHQ as part of a larger order.

There are additional handle colors and blade finishes. The one I bought and reviewed here has a black handle scale and stonewashed finish blade. You can also buy the Zancudo knife with Coyote brown, desert tan, olive drab green, and red handles, and your choice of stonewashed or black finish blades.

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Kershaw Dividend EDC Knife Review (USA-Made, ~$42) – Still Awesome Gerber Gear Prybrid Utility Knife – Instant Regret

I first learned about Brous Blades last year, when I read a review of their Bionic folding knife. I didn’t buy it, as numerous reviews pointed out minor flaws here and there, such as very aggressive jimping that could make it painful to repeatedly flip the knife open.

Then, when browsing BladeHQ’s site, one of my favorite knife dealers, I came across the Bionic 2.0. A quick Google search showed that Jason Brous addressed many of the complaints people had with the original Bionic knife.

The Bionic 2.0 knife is available with several different handle colors and blade finish options. I couldn’t really find the one I wanted – a blue handled knife with silver stonewashed blade, so I bought a green Bionic 2.0 knife with black stonewashed blade, from KnifeWorks, another of my favorite knife dealers. This was my next choice of handle color and blade finish.

Let me just say this upfront – I returned the knife. I was happy with most aspects of it, but I was not fond of the locking mechanism. My initial take was that the knife was defective, although I have since come to modify my assessment. It seems that the issue was more a matter of preference. More on that in a bit, and keep in mind that what I didn’t like about the knife, others might love.

If not for the one thing I didn’t like about the Bionic 2.0 that caused me to return it, it might have become my most-carried EDC knife.

Features & Specs

The Brous Blades Bionic 2.0 knife shown here has a black acid stonewashed blade and green anodized handle.

First Impression

My goodness, the anodized aluminum handle is absolutely gorgeous! I already knew that the handle is made from aluminum, but the reality of it really sinks in the first time you hold the Bionic 2.0. This is a very light knife. Not too light, but pleasantly light.

See More ToolGuyd Knife Reviews

Although I returned my Bionic 2.0, I think that Jason Brous is a very talented knife designer, and I will be following his work for years to come.

One of the nice touches of this design is how the pocket clip can be switched from one side to the other. The opposite site features a little fill-in placeholder. It’s not necessary, but I like how it avoids the potentially jarring look of an empty groove in the handle.

Blade Deployment

The knife blade opens by means of a flipper mechanism. There is also a long groove, or what looks to be the largest, most comfortable, most user friendly, and flat out best nail nick I have ever seen on a knife. I LOVE the spine design on the Brous Bionic 2.0 knife blade. This knife blade features a rare combination of great form + great function.

There is some jimping, which is toothy, but not finger-scrapingly sharp. It is just perfect – I would have changed anything about this.

Brous managed to cram as large a blade as possible into the knife handle. Here, you can see where the bottom edge of the blade is just within the handle. There’s no injury risk that I can tell, I’m only bringing it up because it shows how thoughtful Brous was with the Bionic 2.0 design.

Opening the knife is a breeze. Sometimes I used the large groove/nail nick, most times I used the flipper. It snapped open, usually lightning-fast. Okay, so maybe not really lightning-fast, but the knife blade moved quickly.

This is one of the smoothest knives I have ever encountered. And it is repeatable too. Flip, snap, close. Flip, snap, close. You can do this over and over again. If anything, maybe the flipper mechanism speeds up, although it’s hard to imagine a manual folding flipper knife that can open any faster.

Liner Lock

And here’s the liner lock, with very shallow engagement. To me, this is too-shallow of an engagement, to the point of being intimidating. I don’t feel comfortable with this little lock engagement. With shallow engagement like this, it might be possible for the lock to fail under certain usage conditions, such as where they might be a twisting motion.

I contacted Jason Brous and asked whether this was to be expected from all Bionic 2.0 knives, or if I encountered a fluke defect.

This is what he said:

98% of our customer base wants that EXACT early lock up, all of our knives have been tested and we guarantee it will not fail. Also opening and closing the blade will help settle in that lock a little bit more. I was surprised too when I first started making knives but we had a lot of customers returning knives for NOT having early lock up. It may look scary but I guarantee ALL the locks are tested before shipping out.

Okay, so Jason confirmed this is how all Brous Bionic 2.0 knives lock up. Despite Jason’s guarantees, I don’t think I would be comfortable using a knife with such little lockup. But, don’t let my preferences dissuade you, there are a lot more positive things to say about the knife.

Knife Blade

The knife blade itself is magnificent. After I packed it up and sent it back to the dealer, I nearly cried a little inside. There is a lot of metal right behind the edge, which also seems to have a much greater grind angle than most other knives this size. All of that extra metal should give the edge a lot of added strength.

The knife blade is made from D2, which is a heavy use alloy. It’s what Milwaukee plans to use for their new EDC knives.

The Bionic 2.0 knife packs a 3-inch blade into 4-inch handle.

And here you can see how the tip of the knife nearly reaches the very end of the handle. A long time ago I discussed my opposition to the idea that knife ratios can tell you a lot about a knife. Well, with the Brous Blades Bionic 2.0, I found myself immediately thinking about how it must have a much higher than average blade:handle length ratio. This is what you want to see in an EDC knife.

The Bionic 2.0 has similar dimensions to the Benchmade Mini Griptilian that I reviewed.

Handle

The handle is a little short, but very comfortable, not to mention ergonomically shaped. The grip leads your forefinger to rest up against the flipper level, which can be a little constraining, but it’s overall comfortable.

In hindsight, if you’ve got your finger in that groove with a strong grip, it might be difficult to unintentionally close the blade on your hand should the lock fail.

Summary

Overall, the Brous Blades Bionic 2.0 is a fantastic knife. There is a lot to like about this knife, although I ultimately returned it after just one day of ownership. I didn’t even carry it anywhere.

The liner lock’s early engagement just didn’t feel right to me – my initially assessment was that this posed a substantial personal injury risk hazard. It seems that maybe that was me just being overly worried, as the designer personally guaranteed the safety of the knife, even mentioning that this was a deliberate feature that 98% of users requested or favor.

I’ll leave it to you form your own purchasing decision about the Bionic 2.0. If you’re the type that prefers early liner lock lockup, then there’s nothing to worry about. Aside from my liner lock concerns, I found every other part of the Bionic 2.0 knife to be just about perfect.

Price: $159 to $199, depending on handle color and blade finish

The Bionic 2.0 is a pricey little knife, but I think you get far more than what you pay for. The knife photographed here retails for $188 (via KnifeWorks)

Buy Now(via BladeHQ)
Buy Now(via Amazon) – note that these 3rd party sellers might not be authorized dealers
Buy Now(via KnifeWorks)

More Info(via Brous Blades)

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Kershaw Dividend EDC Knife Review (USA-Made, ~$42) – Still Awesome New Spyderco Native 5 Folding Knife w/ White Handle, REX 45 Steel Benchmade Weekender Knife Seems Like a Miss

I recently ordered two Zero Tolerance folding knives to test out and add to my EDC rotation – the short-looking 0900 that was introduced as part of ZT’s 2015 lineup, and a 0562 that was introduced as part of ZT’s 2014 releases. Both of those knives are due to arrive later this week as part of a larger order from BladeHQ.

There are a couple of other new knives that Zero Tolerance has brought to market this year, including the 0450, which was designed as a throwback to the original limited edition Zero Tolerance 0454 knife. I hadn’t considered adding this one to my EDC collection and rotation, as it doesn’t look to fit my style or needs.

The 0450 isn’t a knife I was prepared to buy for personal use. But when I saw an email from Kershaw and ZT saying that they had a 0450 sample available for review, I jumped at the chance to check it out.

First Impression

The Zero Tolerance 0450 is an absolutely fantastic EDC knife. It arrived the same day as about a dozen other pocket knives I ordered for upcoming testing. I opened the box, gave the knife a quick inspection, flipped the blade forward, closed it up, and let out an expletive or two.

I was immediately and utterly surprised with the 0450’s looks, feel, overall geometry, and flipper mechanism.

It was love at first flip! I then bumped the 0450 to the top of my testing queue.

The 0450 is elegant in a way I didn’t think Zero Tolerance was capable of. It has the same non-tactical styling that I found appealing in the Rexford-designed 0801 and 0770CF knives, but with extra gentleman-like touches.

Check out our other knife reviews too!

Features & Specs

The WOW Factor

The first thing I noticed was the Zero Tolerance 0450’s red spacers. They’re a nice touch and add just as much color as is needed.

The Zero Tolerance 0450 also has polished hardware on both sides of the blade pivot. They fasteners are domed a little, too. This is another very nice touch, as it gives two-tone contrast to the titanium handle.

There’s also gentle, but effective jimping (finger-gripping grooves on the back of the knife blade).

The Blade

The Zero Tolerance 0450’s knife blade is made from S35VN stainless steel, which is a specialty knife steel alloy that offers great toughness and edge retention. I haven’t tried to sharpen the blade yet – nor do I need to, as it arrived fairly sharp right out of the box as expected.

The drop point blade shape isn’t perfectly to my liking. The 0450 is a narrow knife, and along with that comes a somewhat narrow knife blade. I tend to prefer blade shapes with a bit more curve, such as on the Spyderco Techno I recently reviewed.

The Spyderco Southard flipper knife, which I reviewed about 2 years ago and still travel with, has a more desirably blade shape, but it’s also a bigger knife. It’s a little longer, but it’s wider, heavier, and it feels bulkier. When I carry my Southard, it is often in a bag and not clipped to my pocket.

I have only used the 0450 for a couple of days so far, but it’s handled every cutting task I threw at it with great ease.

There’s a slight swedge machined or ground into the spine of the knife. I can’t tell you what its functional contribution might be, but it adds to the aesthetics of the knife. The swedge is NOT sharpened, despite how it might look in the photos. The tip of the blade is also tapered, but only ever so slightly.

Some people like to open folding knives, even flippers, by grabbing the back of the knife blade. Good luck trying that on this one – the swedge ensures that you all but cannot.

I’ve used the 0450 so far to open packages, cut cardboard boxes, cut some paracord rope, shave off a huge splinter that was hanging off a 2×4 I brought home for a project, score plastic clamshell packaging for easy opening, and to cut up soft fruit (mainly a banana). It’s a great general purpose slicer, and I like the shape of the tip as it allows for precise cutting control.

Opening and Closing

I am almost afraid that phenomenal is not strong enough a word to describe the snappy and fluid-like smooth speed of the flipper mechanism. Zero Tolerance built the 0450 with a KVT ball-bearing opening system, which is responsible for the lightning-quick manual blade deployment.

This is one of those few knives where the blade just flies open upon command. It’s easy to close as well, one-handed if needed, but I often use two hands for greater safety.

With some manual flipper knives, I sometimes mis-flip and get a half-opened blade that doesn’t have enough momentum to lock up. That hasn’t happened with the 0450 yet, and I seriously doubt it will ever happen.

Frame Lock

As with many other Zero Tolerance flipper folding knives, the right side of the titanium handle serves as a frame lock. Unlike most of the other ZT knives in my EDC rotation (excluding the 0801), this one has a steel insert attached to the inside of the frame lock. It’s attached using a small button head machine screw, which I suppose means it’s removable or replaceable if needed.

The frame doesn’t stick at all to the blade, as some other frame locks do, and should provide years of solid lockup.

The Handle

If you hadn’t noticed already, ZT bestowed a sweet stonewashed finish upon the 0450. While the titanium handle won’t be anywhere as grippy as one with a G-10 scale, I don’t find it the least bit slippery. Maybe my stance will change when my hands are dripping with water or oil, but for now I think the grip is secure.

Pocket Clip

The 0450 comes with a deep-carry pocket clip, but not ultra-deep-carry. It works well, and can be reversed to the opposite side of the knife. Or you could leave it off and simply attach some paracord by means of the lanyard hole.

One of the other things that surprised me about this knife is how light it is: 2.9 ounces. I didn’t quite believe this, so I weighed mine. It came out to be 3.0 ounces (85 grams) – which is close enough. The Zero Tolerance 0450 is heavy enough to feel substantial, but light enough to where you can almost forget it’s in your pocket.

My phone weighs 5.8 oz, my keys 5.3 oz, and my wallet 4.3 oz. EDC folding knives and multi-tools (such as my recently reviewed Leatherman Skeletool) often share my right pants pocket with my wallet. My keys and phone go in my left pocket.

Size and Carrying

Online pictures don’t really do the 0450 due justice. It’s small, but not too small. Long, but not too long.

As with the short and wide Spyderco Techno, the 0450’s dimensions can give you a false impression of its size. Here it is, shown next to a Benchmade mini Griptilian, which I recently reviewed. It’s a little longer and a little heavier, but it’s also a lot more knife.

I thought that the Zero Tolerance 0770CF was compact, at least for a ZT knife. Well, the 0450 is smaller.

Compared next to the 0550 and 0770CF, the slenderness of the 0450 is even more apparent.

The 0450 is very comfortably small and easy to carry around. I hope that, after seeing how it compares to some of Zero Tolerance’s other offerings, you can see how I might be surprised by this knife.

How Much & Where to Buy?

The Zero Tolerance 0450 is made in the USA.

Street Price: $160

BladeHQ carries the 0450 for $160, and you can find it at other authorized dealers as well.

Buy Now(via BladeHQ)
Buy Now(via Amazon)

Conclusion & Recommendations

The Zero Tolerance 0450 is the kind of knife that I would ordinarily pass over, but I’m glad I had a chance to give it a try. It looks far better in person than I expected, and its long and slender geometries work a lot better for me than I thought they would. I tend to prefer short and stubby knives, which the 0450 certainly is not, which is why I was initially hesitant about the design. Those hesitations went straight out the window the first time I flipped the knife open.

Zero Tolerance got every aspect of this knife right. The blade flips open with a quick snap, it locks in securely, and it performs admirably. I’m not sure how well the blade shape will work for me long-term, but right now I’m liking how it can handle a mix of piercing and slicing tasks with ease.

I know that I shouldn’t be swayed too much by a knife’s looks, but the Zero Tolerance 0450 has instant gentleman’s knife appeal. It’s not quite as formal-looking as my small Moki Exo Red Fox, but it is longer, more capable, and faster to open.

So far, the 0450 is proving itself to be an excellent EDC folding knife. I’m still getting used to the blade shape, which I like, but not as much as some others.

If I had to complain about something, I’d say I wish the pocket clip allowed for even deeper carry. That’s not a big deal, as I will likely attach a pararcord pull for loose pocket carry, something I don’t often do with larger and wider EDC folders.

My experience with the 0450 has been short, and I plan to test it for a while longer. Not only for review purposes, but because I have quickly grown to appreciate its slender and very pocketable size. It’s the size and shape of a gentleman’s knife, and it looks like one too, but is built for hard use. Marvelous!

The Zero Tolerance 0450 isn’t at all what I expected, and boy do I like good surprises.

Thank you to Zero Tolerance for providing the test sample unconditionally.

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When we asked readers about which knives they carry, a couple of brands and models stood out. One of them – the USA-made Benchmade mini Griptilian.

As the name suggests, Benchmade also makes a line of Griptilian folding pocket knives that are larger than the mini version. I haven’t tried the Griptilian yet, but I have owned a Benchmade blue mini Griptilian (555HG series) for a couple of years now.

When I bought my mini Griptilian back in 2010 nearly 5 years ago, I had searched quite a few forums and saw that the mini version was more strongly recommended as an everyday knife. It’s smaller, without being too small, and large enough to be quite practical.

The mini Griptilian isn’t a very flashy knife. And for around $90, sometimes for less, I wouldn’t expect it to be.

Benchmade’s mini Griptilian is available in several styles and with different handle color options. You get your choice of a thumb stud or thumb hole for blade deployment, and a plain edge or partially serrated blade. Basic handle color options include blue, yellow, pink, and black.

The blade shape is a little different on the thumb hole and thumb stud versions.

There are a couple of premium versions of the knife, such as with coated blades. You can also build a custom mini Griptilian on Benchmade’s site, where you can customize almost every aspect of the knife, but it’ll cost you well over $100 to do so.

Check out some of our other knife reviews here!

The Quick Take

The mini Griptilian is a very unassuming knife. It’s designed in collaboration by Mel Pardue, who Benchmade says designs knives that offer great utility to the everyday knife user while at the same time presenting an upscale distinction.

If not for its stellar reputation, I might never have ordered one. This knife certainly does not have the same instant appeal as other knives I own, such as the Spyderco Techno I recently reviewed.

But it would be a mistake to pass over this knife. It’s lightweight, easy to use, relatively slim and comfortably pocketable, and quite capable.

This is one of the best all around knives I have ever used, and certainly one of the best USA-made offerings for under $100.

Features & Specs

Knife Opening, Closing, Ergonomics

The mini Griptilian is a very comfortable knife, despite its simplicity. Its resin handle looks a little cheap, but it’s comfortable, and that’s what matters.

It opens via an ambidextrous thumb hole. The mini Griptilian is also available with a thumb stud, but after some debate I thought the thumb hole would better suit my preferences. I’m still not sure if I’m right about that, but I have yet to regret my purchase choice.

The knife can be opened slowly with a rotation of your thumb, or quickly with a flick. I generally open it casually. No need to slam the knife into the blade stop unnecessarily.

I have seen some Benchmade users hold down on the Axis lock spring and flick the knife open, but I don’t see a reason to do this, as the mini Griptilian opens speedily enough with my thumb. Using the thumb hole is probably also the safer way to deploy the blade.

Benchmade’s AXIS lock is unlike any other folding knife locking mechanism I have seen before, and it works well. It’s also ambidextrous, and consists of a small spring-loaded metal stud that you pull back on to release the blade before closing.

There’s jimping on back of the blade, and around the top of the handle near the AXIS lock, giving the knife a nice sized gripping area for your thumb.

You also get a gently grooved finger curve at the bottom of the handle. Don’t mistake this for a liner lock it’s not. These steel liners offer some structural reinforcement and strength within the lightweight Valox handle scales.

It’s quite common these days for a knife to open smoothly and fluidly, but rarer for a knife to close as quickly or easily. Sometime after I received my new mini Griptilian, I put together a quick video showing how easily the blade closes.

Yes, the video is a little goofy, but the mini Griptilian still remains one of the few knives I am able to closed with one hand. This way, I can hold onto what needs to be cut or pierced, open the knife, use the knife, close the knife, and put it back in my pocket, all without having to release whatever my other hand is holding.

Even if my other hand is free, it’s still great to be able to open, use, and close a pocket knife all with one hand.

Modified Sheepsfoot Blade

Benchmade offers a couple of different blade options, including a pointed tanto blade on custom mini Griptilians, and a partially serrated blade on some regular models.

I opted for the plain edge blade, as plain edges are easier to sharpen and often better suited for general purpose use.

The modified sheepsfoot blade profile makes the mini Griptilian an excellent slicer. It can be used for limited piercing applications, but it’s really designed for slicing-type tasks. It’s the slight upwards curve of the point that makes this a modified sheepsfoot blade, compared to a regular sheepsfoot shape.

The blade is hollow ground, which means the grind is slightly curved inwards. This makes the cutting edge thin and sharp. The shape and grind of the blade allows for good control of the tip for higher precision cutting tasks, at least from what I have found.

Benchmade offers the mini Griptilian with a 154CM stainless steel blade. Alloy aficionados might consider this to be a common alloy, but it’s a tried-and-true American-made steel that offers a good balance between corrosion resistance, toughness, and edge retention.

The mini Griptilian is A-OK as a workhorse – it’s a big step up from lesser stainless steels and can handle heavier duty use.

No, 154CM is not as fancy as Elmax and other premium powder metallurgy alloys (which really are fantastic, by the way), but you’re also not paying premium alloy knife prices for a mini Grip.

Carrying Options

There are two ways to carry the mini Griptilian. Each knife comes with a plain and large pocket clip,  which can be moved to the other side of the knife if desired, and there is also a lanyard hole.

I just use the clip. It’s kind of bulky, so one day I might just knot up a piece of paracord and use the lanyard hole.

Size and Carrying

Don’t be fooled by the name. The mini Griptilian is anything but tiny. If you ask me, it’s the perfect size for EDC (everyday carry). Not too big, not too small.

It’s big enough to be practical, small enough so as to not draw stares if you need to use it in public. The bright colored handles help to give the mini Griptilian the same sort of public perception as a small Swiss Army Knife. Plus, the smaller size makes it easier and more comfortable to carry.

Where to Buy?

I bought mine from BladeHQ back in 2010, and recommend them, but there are plenty of other authorized dealers. Amazon also carries the mini Grip, but right now it’s only through 3rd party sellers.

As of the time of this review, the MSRP is $105, and the street price is around $90.

Price: $89.25

Buy Now(via BladeHQ)
Buy Now(via Amazon)

If you want a knife like this one, you’ll want to look at model 555HG, as that refers to the ones with thumb holes and hollow ground modified sheepsfoot blades. If you want one with a partially serrated blade, look for model 555S. And if you want one with a thumb stud, you’ll want to look for 556 and 556S.

The mini Griptilians with thumb studs feature a modified drop point blade, which is a little different from the modified sheepsfoot shape of the knife reviewed here. Both have subtle pros and cons. If you ask me, base your purchasing decision on whether you want a thumb hole or thumb stud for opening the knife.

Conclusion

The Benchmade mini Griptilian is a simple knife, but not unappealingly so. It’s a solid performer, and its reinforced resin handle makes it a lightweight and comfortable knife to carry.

This is a fantastic folding pocket knife, and a near-perfect EDC knife at that. Why only near-perfect? The mini Griptilian price has increased in recent years, without any obvious changes to the design. I also wish that the pocket clip was designed for deep-carry, as I’ve become accustomed to this.

If you’re looking for a good EDC knife that’s made in the USA, the Benchmade mini Griptilian is a great choice. It’s one of my favorite knives to carry and use, and I definitely recommend it.

Do you think the mini Griptilian’s ~3-inch blade is too small? If you’re interested in a discussion of the larger Griptilian, a reader sent in a review of it shortly after buying one. But if you ask me, the mini Griptilian reviewed here is going to be a better starting point for most casual users, unless you know you want or need a folding knife with a ~3.5-inch blade.

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Yesterday, I asked Which Knife Do You Carry?, to which there were many great responses. I was somewhat surprised to see that 2 readers mentioned the Spyderco Techno as their EDC (everyday carry) knife of choice. I perhaps shouldn’t have been too surprised, as I too am quite fond of this compact but capable folding knife.

The Spyderco Techno is, in Spyderco’s words, a little big knife. Although vague, this perfectly describes the knife. It might be small, but the Techno feels confidently strong.

Spyderco Techno Specs at a Glance

Why I Bought a Spyderco Techno

I bought the my Techno back in the summer of 2012, and it was my biggest knife purchase yet. There were a couple of notable aspects that contributed to my purchasing decision.

First, it’s a Spyderco. The Techno wasn’t my first Spyderco knife, and it won’t be my last. It was actually the Techno that helped convince me to take a chance on the Spyderco Southard flipper knife, their first knife that opens via flipper mechanism, which is also priced at a premium.

Second, the handle is made from titanium. I was itching to see what all the Ti hype was about.

Third, I was looking for a good solid compact knife. Too often, smaller knives are lightweight and flimsy. I wanted something a little more solid.

Finally, I wanted to see for myself how a $180-190 knife differed from the $30-75 knives I had grown accustomed to using. Surely it would provide a better user experience, right?

I actually stumbled on the Spyderco Techno by accident when looking for a different knife I wanted to order, but its appeal was quick and strong. I hesitated for but a moment before placing the order.

Check out some of my other knife reviews here

First Impressions

Although I have owned and used this knife for almost 3 years now, I remember my initial impressions, which are still as valid and true as ever.

I’m going to steal Spyderco’s words and say that I found the Techno to be a little big knife, because it really is. It feels small and large at the same time, possibly due to the blade design. But it’s not thick, and it doesn’t feel thick, it just looks that way.

Why? Because the blade is huge. The back of the Techno’s blade measures about 0.175″ near the thumbhole, which is almost 3/16″, if that helps you get a feel for the thickness. Spyderco’s spec sheet puts it at 0.177″, or 4.5 mm. This is thicker than the blades of most if not all of the folding knives I have ever seen, let alone used.

The blue handle spacer is visually striking, but doesn’t steal the show. It’s an elegant accent that definitely helps the Techno in the looks department. Without that large blue spacer, the Techno might look plain and ordinary.

Not a fan of blue? There are a number of custom-made backspacers available through 3rd party craftsman (Google image link).

Spyderco Techno Blade

The blade, although thick at the back, is flat-ground all the way to edge. It’s effective at a myriad of tasks, although it’s not the best knife for making long cuts in material, such as cardboard. It’ll do it, but knives with thinner blades will do it neater.

Yes, the blade is as stout as it looks. Speaking of looks… the knife apparently has a progressive European appearance, according to Spyderco. The knife was designed by Polish knifemaker Marcin Slysz, which probably explain the European styling.

Maybe the Techno does have European styling, maybe it doesn’t. I’m not one that can tell a difference. But what I can tell you is that the knife has stylish curving along the back, and gently curved drop point profile that makes it an effective slicer. It’s also tapered at the point, which makes it okay at piercing tasks, such as opening clamshell packaging.

Spyderco went with a stonewashed finish for the blade, as well as for the handle scales, which adds to the overall visual appeal of the knife.

Ergonomics

There are some smaller knives where you could grip the knife scales higher, but this isn’t one of them. The most comfortable grip for me is to place my thumb on the grooved back of the blade, and forefinger right where the lock is. My pinky isn’t left hanging, but it doesn’t have a full grip of the handle. I’ve actually never realized that in use, and only noticed it now that I’m writing about the Techno’s ergonomics.

This isn’t the most comfortable knife I’ve ever used, but it fits my hand nicely. Sometimes the pocket clip digs into my palm, but the tiniest adjustment of my hand fixes that. This mainly happens when the Techno hasn’t been in my EDC rotation for a while and my hand forgets which knife it is holding.

Scroll back up and take another look at the nice jimping – the grooves on the spine of the knife blade – that Spyderco engineered into the Techno. It provides a nice place to rest your thumb and is grippy without being aggressive.

Opening, Frame Lock, and Closing

Righties can open the knife with one hand, via the large Spydie hole.

Although the pocket clip can be switched from one side to the other, lefties will probably need to use two hands to open the knife. The frame lock gets in the way of left-opening, and is only easily operated one-handed with your right hand. Sorry lefties, this is one knife you’ll have to use with your right hand.

The knife locks up strongly and securely, via a Chris Reeve Integral Lock (R.I.L.), otherwise called a frame lock. With this design, a section of the left side handle scale springs inward when the knife is opened, blocking the blade from closing unintentionally.

You can disengage the lock by applying pressure against the frame lock bar, holding it clear of the blade with your thumb, and then rotating the blade to its closed position.

The Techno is easy to open one-handed, and while you can close it with one hand as well, it’s easiest and safest to close with two hands.

Pocket Clip

The pocket clip is a simple bent spring wire affair, and removable if you don’t like it. Or you can move it to the opposite side of the knife, where it can be reattached using a single Torx screw.

It’s designed to allow for deep carry, meaning very little of the knife will poke above the edge of your pocket.

At the rear of the knife there is also a small lanyard hole, which you could use with a paracord or leather pull. This makes it easier to fish the knife out of a pocket, pouch, or bag.

Blade Steel

My Techno’s blade is made from Carpenter CTS XHP stainless steel. Some versions of the knife are made with Crucible’s CPM S30V stainless steel, another premium blade alloy. CTS XHP is a specialty knife and blade powdered metal alloy that I’m not very familiar with, but it’s said to have high hardness and good corrosion resistance (XHP spec sheet).

Indeed, it does seem to have high hardness and great edge retention, as my Techno arrived sharp in the box and there hasn’t been a need for me to sharpen it yet. I must have honed it once or twice, and might give it another quick honing one of these days.

After looking at the S30V PDF spec sheet, it’s clear that the Carpenter and Crucible alloys are competitively positioned. Their alloy compositions are slightly different, but after a bit of research, I don’t think there will be much of a performance difference in real-world applications. The pricing doesn’t seem to be different either.

Final Comments About the Techno’s Size

Despite the Techno’s small size, there is some heft to it, at least compared to slightly larger pocket and folding knives that have plastic composite handle scales.

The knife measures a hair less than 3.5 inches when closed, and about 1-3/8 inches at its widest. It’s definitely an usually shaped knife, but this adds to its character. I would be hesitant to call it a wide knife, as it’s not much wider than most larger EDC-sized folding knives. The unusual aspect ratio might play tricks with your perception.

The Techno is one of my smallest knives, but not the most compact. It carries well in my pocket, but I prefer longer and more slender knives in a tool, photo, or travel bag. Or a multi-tool to save space.

Conclusion and Recommendations

This Spyderco Techno is a cherished part of my EDC knife rotation and collection. It’s a great performer, and I am much more confident in its strength and usefulness than many of my other knives. While small, the Techno has a very robust blade and excellent frame lock, giving it the rigidity to tackle almost any cutting task I might come across.

I really like this knife, and would definitely buy it again. It’s small and elegant, but without any of the adornment that you see on gentleman’s knives. The Techno’s somewhat accented but overall utilitarian appearance goes hand-in-hand with its proven standing as a hard worker.

I heartily recommend it, but with a few caveats. For making long slicing cuts in materials with the meat of the blade, instead of the tip, you’ll want a knife with a thinner blade.

How Much, and Where to Buy?

Like the Spyderco Southard I reviewed, the Techno is made in Taichung, Taiwan. Don’t let that deter you – the quality that comes out of Spyderco’s Taiwan operations is amazing.

Price: $180-190

As of the time of this posting, Amazon seems to have the best price ($177.11, less through 3rd party sellers).

Buy Now(via Amazon)
Buy Now(via BladeHQ)
More Info(via Spyderco)

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A year and a half ago, the Spyderco Southard flipper folding knife I reviewed was one of my 3 favorite knives. That’s no longer true, not for any fault of the Southard but because I simply like Spyderco’s newer Domino a little better. The Domino (172CFTI) has a different look and feel to it, and its design follows a little more closely to Spyderco’s usual styling.

Like the Southard, the Domino is a flipper folding knife, and it’s built with a very fast and fluid pivot mechanism.

Specs

• 3.13″ blade length
• 7.68″ overall length
• 4.55″ closed length
• 0.118″ (3mm) blade thickness
• CTS XHP blade steel
• 4.2 oz (119 g) weight
• G-10 and carbon fiber laminate handle material (front)
• Titanium handle (back) with steel lock liner
• Reeve integral locking mechanism (RIL)
• 4-position pocket clip

The Spyderco Domino performs well, feels great, and looks good. There’s not much more one could ask for, except for a lower price. Expect to pay $182 to $200 for a Domino of your own.

It’s a great EDC folding knife, and excels at slicing and cutting tasks where you need sharpness and precision. The blade is quite strong, but it’s too thin to pound on, making the Domino better suited for EDC and less suited for very demanding outdoors and wilderness use.

If I had to sum up the Spyderco Domino with one word, I would call it charming. It’s built for sturdy and reliable use, but its looks hooked me in. I wouldn’t quite call it a gentleman’s knife, but the Domino is certainly one of the least intimidating-looking knives I own.

COO: Taiwan

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Buy Now(Black via BladeHQ)
Buy Now(Blue via BladeHQ)
More Info(via Spyderco)

If the Domino is a little too big for your liking, the new Spyderco Dice ($175 via Amazon) might fit the bill. It’s said to be ~15% smaller than the Domino. It’s still pricey, but a great way to spend saved up gift cards and credit card reward points. The one I ordered from Amazon should be arriving any day now.

Yes, the Domino is made in Taiwan, and yes close to $200 seems like a lot to pay for an imported knife. While I would ordinarily have hesitated to spend this much on an imported knife sight unseen, my experience with the Southard has convinced me that Spyderco’s Taiwan-made knives are every bit as good as their USA-made ones in terms of fit, feel, and overall quality. The Domino has a more complex design and is built from more premium materials, and this is reflected in its price.

If you would rather spend big bucks on a USA-made knife, consider the Zero Tolerance 0550 ($160 via Amazon), which is a non-flipping folder, or the excellent Zero Tolerance 0801 Rexford flipper which has (temporarily?) dropped in price to $165 via Amazon. These two knives, along with the Domino, make up my trio of favorite folding pocket knives.

Also be sure to check out some of our other knife reviews. Want to see a particular model reviewed? Let me know!

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Let’s start off this review with a bit of math.

CRKT
(Great quality knife maker)
+
Ken Onion
(Very talented knife designer)
+
Snap-on
(Top name in mechanics tools)
=
CRKT Snap-on Wrinkle pocket knife

I previously reviewed the CRKT Shenanigan Z and CRKT Foresight pocket knives, and had very high expectations for the Wrinkle, which we briefly discussed a couple of weeks ago.

The Wrinkle is a flipper folding pocket knife with IKBS bearing system, liner lock, modified hollow ground drop point blade, and anodized aluminum handle scales.

First Impression

Within 10 minutes of opening the box, I was convinced that the Wrinkle is a good-looking knife that cuts especially well. I carried it around and used it for two weeks now, just to make sure.

The curvature of the blade is substantial, and seems to be a common trait of other recent CRKT-Onion-collaboration knives.

The Wrinkle’s rippled handle texture is hard to capture on camera, but really looks great in person. Yes, the handle feels as bumpy as it looks, but that’s not a bad thing.

The blade shape is styled as well, with the cutting edge being quite sharp right out of the box.

Aesthetics-wise, this knife was designed with high attention to details. The grooved bottom of the flipper becomes part of the choil and is a nice surface to press your forefinger against, but I generally don’t place my finger that close to the blade. Still, it’s a nice touch.

Related: More ToolGuyd Knife Reviews

Blade Deployment

CRKT flipper knives are quick and easy to open. The IKBS ball bearing mechanism is absolutely fluid and fantastic, and provides consistent and reliable blade deployment.

The liner lock slips into place securely and consistently.

Aus 8 Blade

The knife blade is made from Japanese high carbon AUS 8 steel. Rockwell hardness is states as 57-59 HRC. Generally, AUS 8 steel has high toughness, good edge retention, good corrosion resistance, and it is easy to sharpen. It’s mid-range blade alloy with acceptable performance.

There is more jimping on the spine that I would have expected, with as much as twice as many grooves as their needs to be, but it adds to the look of the knife.

The blade was perfectly centered. When open and deployed, there is no front-to-back or side-to-side play.

I find the Wrinkle’s modified drop point blade shape to be well suited for general purpose cutting and slicing tasks. It has a deep evenly-curved belly, which gives you a longer cutting edge. The tip appears to be quite strong and controllable, but is not well suited for heavy piercing operations.

As with other recent CRKT and Onion collaborations, the spine of the blade is ground down a bit to ease the effort required for deeper cuts.

The blade’s coating, which I believe to be black titanium nitride, should provide a nice level of protection against corrosion and wear, and is not easily scratched or scuffed.

Ergonomics

The handle might look uncomfortable because of the rippled texture, but it’s not. That’s not to say that you don’t feel it, but it doesn’t take away from anything.

Overall, I found the knife to have good ergonomics, and it fits my medium-sized hands quite well.

A little sweat doesn’t affect the grip, but too much and it will get somewhat slippery. Once that happens, you’ll realize that the ripples aren’t there just for looks, but to improve the grip of an otherwise sleek-surfaced handle.

The pocket clip is removable but not reversible. There is also a lanyard hole to aid with pocket retrieval.

Conclusion

I typically test knives by cutting small wires, cardboard, tape, small rope, cloth, rubber gasket material, clamshell plastic packaging, and then anything else I need to cut or slice during a natural use testing period. There were no ill results for me to speak of.

The Wrinkle is a well designed knife that looks great and performs well. I was especially drawn to the aesthetics of the knife, but not everyone will like it. The anodized finish has a sort of orange peel look to it, which adds to the rippled texture to make the handle shimmer. The handle seems to be durable and highly scratch resistant.

At $125, this is not an inexpensive knife, but I believe it to be fairly priced. Honestly, there are plenty of other hard-use knives available for less, with the CRKT Foresight being one of the first to come to mind, but I feel that the Wrinkle’s design, collectability, and Snap-on branding add substantially to its value.

If you’re an avid Snap-on fan, you will definitely want to consider adding this knife to your daily EDC rotation or collection. Since they are now only available via Snap-on tool dealers, try talking your dealer down on price or asking for a discount when you place your next large order.

If I were more of a Snap-on fan, I would wholeheartedly recommend this knife. I definitely do recommend it, but the price holds me back from giving the Wrinkle a full hesitation-free recommendation. With a $125 price tag, I would have liked to see this knife built with a more premium steel, such as S30V, which typically offers better edge retention.

• Design: interesting and unique
• Workmanship and build quality: superb
• Blade pivot and deployment: smooth and flawless
• Comfort and ergonomics: excellent
• Value: a little pricey for what you get

Color options: black (SEK74MAKK), orange (SEK74MAKO), green (SEK74MAKG), and red (SEK74MAKR).

Right now, these knives are not available via Snap-on.com, but they might be coming back. The best place to look for one of these is through your local Snap-on dealer.

Black, Orange, Green, Red (via Snap-on)

Specifications

Thank you to CRKT for providing the review sample unconditionally. Review samples are typically given away, donated, or retained for benchmark and comparison purposes.

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Most of the knives I’ve reviewed thus far, except for the small Moki Ezo Red Fox gentleman’s knife, are either industrial or tactical-looking. That’s not a bad thing, but sometimes you want a high performing knife that looks a little different.

The Case Cutlery XX Back Pocket knife is a long and slender folding knife that’s meant to be carried inside your pants pocket. You can also slip it into a sheath or bag. Just because the knife was designed for comfortable pocket carry doesn’t mean that’s your only option.

The Back Pocket is a slipjoint knife with 3-1/4″ clip point blade. Like other slipjoint knives, the Case Back Pocket blade does not lock open. It opens via a nail nick and stops at a single mid-way detent before snapping into place.

I initially found the knife slightly difficult to open via the nail nick. It softened up after a few days of use and will probably break in further over time.

The bone handle is comfortable to grip, and with this being my first bone-handled full-size knife I’m not sure how it compares to other bone-handled knives.

The bone comes from Zebu cattle shin bones (you can read more about it on Case’s website), and sports traditional jigging with dark molasses coloring. This knife is also available with other color and material options, such as dark red bone, ebony wood, and G-10.

Case really put some nice touches into the Back Pocket’s handle. The center spring is fully polished and nicely finished. It is surrounded by what appears to be brass liners, and then you have the bone handle scales.

I have not fashioned a lanyard pull for the Back Pocket yet, mostly because it doesn’t swim around in a pocket. It’s comfortable to carry, but its length makes the knife quick and easy to pluck.

As the box clearly shows, the knife is hand-crafted in the USA. Perhaps not completely, but it’s not produced via an automated assembly line. That means that each knife is going to be unique, even if all that means is that just the handle has different character.

At 4-5/8″ long closed, the Back Pocket looks longer than it really is. I found it to be a nice length, but perhaps a bit long to consider the Back Pocket a gentleman’s knife.

Verdict

I found the Case XX Back Pocket knife to be a nice option for everyday carry. It does not lock open, but there are times when I prefer a traditional pocket folder over more modern designs.

The blade is reasonably sharp right out of the box, and should be quick and easy to sharpen. It’s made from surgical steel, so it should hold up to light-to-medium use just fine. I did not hone the cutting edge prior to first using the knife, but it would have been a good idea.

Recommended for: casual/everyday use, pocket carry
Not Recommended for: anyone that needs a one-hand-opening or locking knife

Buy Now(via Amazon)
More Info & Colors(via Case)

The street price for this model is about $75-80.

Specifications

Thank you to Case for providing the review sample unconditionally. Review samples are typically given away, donated, or retained for benchmark and comparison purposes.

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Spyderco’s new Southard folding knife, their first ever flipper, is a collaborative design between the company and knifemaker Brad Southard. I am a fan of Spyderco, titanium frame lock knives, and flipper folding knives, so I had to give the Southard a try.

I normally prefer to use and carry pocket knives for an extended period of time before reviewing them, but I am so thoroughly impressed with the Southard that I just can’t wait that long.

The knife featured in this review was purchased from BladeHQ for close to its full retail price. I have ordered quite a few knives from BladeHQ in the past, and have had nothing but great experiences.

First Impressions

The Southard is absolutely amazing, from top to bottom.

There is no shortage of descriptors for the Southard knife. It’s beautiful. Elegant. Interesting. Unique. Superbly balanced. It’s practically a work of art.

While waiting for the knife to arrive, I had wondered about whether I made a bad call. Spyderco makes great folding knives, but there’s always a risk with new design explorations. Would Spyderco’s first flipper knife be a faulty flop?

The styling also had me a little worried as well. Mud-brown G-10 scales with stonewashed titanium? In the back of my mind it seemed that Spyderco was maybe trying a little too hard to be trendy.

After it had finally arrived, one minute with the Southard and all my concerns, worries, and predictions proved to be for naught.

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Stonewashed Titanium Finish

It’s difficult to capture the subtleties of the stonewashed titanium finish, but hopefully I did the Southard justice.

On the back side of the knife you can see the single-position pocket clip, lanyard loop, G-10 fame lock overtravel stop, and the curvature of the handle.

Handle and Grip

The jimping (grooves) on the back of the blade is subtle and easy on the hands. Some users might prefer more aggressive jimping, but I honestly feel that deeper or sharper grooves would be out of place on a knife this size.

The textured G-10 handle scale is a bit rough, but should soften slightly with more usage. It offers a solid and comfortable grip without tearing up my hands.

Blade Quality

The hollow-ground ~3.5″ blade is made from CTS 204P stainless steel. A quick Google search shows that this is a Carpenter alloy that’s designed to be highly wear and corrosion resistant.

Like Elmax, CTS 204P is produced using powder metallurgy. CTS 204P is sometimes described as offering slightly better edge retention than Elmax, while being a tad more difficult to sharpen.

I can’t tell right away how CTS 204P fares against other premium alloys, such as Elmax. But what I can tell for sure, both from the material data sheet and initial cutting tests, is that the Southard blade is made with one of the finest knife steels available.

This isn’t a complaint, but at 0.157″ thick, the blade is a bit stouter than I’m used to with folding knives. That’s about 5/32″.

Knife Opening and Closing

The Southard can be opened and closed with one hand.

The flipper mechanism started off a tad slow, but settled in rather quickly. I’m still just getting used to the knife, but I don’t have any difficulty deploying the blade, which glides open by means of a ball-bearing pivot system. The flipper nub is also nicely rounded and easy on the fingers.

Spyderco knives are well recognized for having large holes instead of thumb studs to aid in blade deployment. The Spydie hole on the Southard seems to be more for decoration than function, but it can be used to deploy the blade if you don’t want to use the flipper. Personally I find the flipper to be far more reliable and comfortable to use.

Blade lock-up is excellent, and I can find nothing to complain about. There’s no play or wobble in any direction.

Closing the knife is also quick and easy, with a small G-10 insert preventing you from bending the titanium frame lock bar too far.

Aesthetics

Here you can see some more of Spyderco and Bard Southard’s attention to details. The frame lock cutout is grooved and sports the same attractive finish as the rest of the titanium handle. All outer edges are smooth and rounded for improved comfort.

The Southard sports hourglass-shaped spacers and a flush-mounted bushing that’s more than wide enough for standard paracord.

Size and Comparison

It is my opinion that the Spyderco Southard will be an excellent EDC/everyday carry knife. It’s somewhat of a big knife (~3.5″ blade), but at the same time it’s also light and compact, if that makes sense.

Here’s what the Southard looks like next to my Preon 2 LED flashlight (check out my review of the Preon 2). The Southard is definitely pocketable.

The removable pocket clip is placed for tip-up carry.

I hope you can see why I consider the Southard to be compact for a knife its size. It’s not dwarfed by the Zero Tolerance 0550, but it is appreciably smaller.

And in case you wanted to see some more flippers, here is the Southard nested between a Zero Tolerance 0350 on the left, and Hinder-design Zero Tolerance 0560 on the right.

Although the Southard’s G-10 scale looks tan in many of the photos, it is actually a medium-dark brown. I didn’t think I would like the color, but it quickly grew for me.

Verdict

I have owned the Spyderco Southard folding knife for exactly one day now, but I can already tell it will give me many years of reliable service. It is exquisitely designed, but at the same time it feels strong and sturdy.

This is Spyderco’s first flipper knife, and I sure hope it’s not their last.

Recommended for: everyday carry
Not recommended for: users who need a thinner blade for making long deep cuts

Buy Now(via BladeHQ)
Buy Now(via Amazon)
More Info(via Spyderco)

MSRP is $400, street price is about $250. It has dipped below $200, on Amazon.

One final comment – the Southard is manufactured in Taichung, Taiwan. While I typically prefer USA-made and Japanese-made knives whenever possible, the phenomenal construction of this knife has deeply impressed me.

Specifications

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I have heard some good things about the SOG Flash II assisted-opening folding knife and wanted to see what the buzz was all about. It seems like a decent tradesman and jobsite knife – it’s inexpensive (less than $50), it has a good blade length (3.5″), and it opens quickly.

Our friends at BladeHQ were able to send over a test sample that I included in my EDC rotation for a couple of months. (Thanks, guys!)

First Impression

The first thing I noticed is that the Flash II is lightweight. Lightweight, but not light-duty.

The handle is made from textured glass-reinforced-nylon, GRN, which is a hard, somewhat dense, and very dimensionally stable plastic. I have also seen the handle material identified as Zytel, a Dupont brand name, in recent product listings. It feels light and cheap, but it’s tough and durable.

Blade Style and Opening

I was not very appreciative of the rather simple plain-edged blade at first, but its long straight section proved to be great for making exceptionally clean cuts in thinner materials.  It was mostly used and tested on small wires, paper, cardboard, plastic sheeting, thicker plastic, packaging materials, and foam.

The blade is 3.5″ long and is made from AUS-8 stainless steel. It can be sharpened easily and keeps an edge reasonably well. There are better steels that hold an edge much longer, but SOG really does a good job taking full advantage of this alloy. Luckily the long straight design of the blade makes the Flash II a relatively easy knife to sharpen and hone.

Some users prefer spring assisted openers to have safety locks, others don’t need or want them. I like knowing that I can lock the knife closed. It’s better to have a safety lock and not need it than want one that doesn’t exist.

Blade deployment is quick – so quick it took me longer than usual to get comfortable with the knife. The knife really does open in a flash. Push on the thumbstud a little bit to overcome the spring tension, and it flies right open. The spring-loaded lock pops up when the knife is fully deployed, wedging itself between the blade tang and knife handle.

The combination of high spring tension and needing to keep my thumb near the blade as it swings open is probably what caused my initial uneasiness. I didn’t need the same learning period with the Gerber Instant (check out the review here), and all my other assisted-openers can be deployed via rear flippers.

Pulling down on the lock button releases the blade, allowing it to be folded closed. If the safety is not engaged, it reveals a red tab to indicate the knife is ready to be opened.

Handling and Carrying

The handle is textured on both sides and also features molded grooves along the back. The grooves are not deep enough to provide much grip, but they’re better than nothing.

Although simply designed, the pocket clip works quite well and allows for deep carry. If you want to carry it on your tool belt, either clip it inside a pouch or drop it into a holster or sheath.

The pocket clip can be reversed to the opposite side, and to do so you’ll need to partially disassemble the knife with a 5/64″ hex key.

The knife is about 4.5″ long closed, and 8″ long open, but it feels much more compact in person.

Looking for something a little different? Check out our other knife reviews!

Conclusion:

My feeling is that the SOG Flash II is a good everyday knife for tradesmen and other users that want a simple but reliable assisted-opening folder. I don’t really have any problems with the design, aside from needing more time and practice with the knife before I became perfectly comfortable with the blade deployment.

The Flash II is well suited for light and medium-duty tasks, but it does feels a bit light and awkwardly shaped in-hand for heavier-duty tasks. Overall I find the Flash II to be a good performer.

Buy Now(via BladeHQ)
Buy Now(via Amazon)
Product Info(via SOG)

Recommended for: tradesmen, workshop use, outdoors use.
Not recommended for: heavy-duty tasks, urban EDC.

Specifications

If you’re looking for something like this but a little smaller and more easily pocketable, SOG’s Flash I has a similar design but with a 2.5″ blade length.

This knife is said to be assembled in the USA. After what happened last time I didn’t even bother asking SOG for clarification.

Thank you very much to BladeHQ for providing the review sample unconditionally. Review samples are typically given away, donated, or retained for benchmark and comparison purposes.

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CRKT’s Onion-designed Foresight is a beast of a folding knife, in a good way. It’s the kind of knife that you know won’t wimp out when you need to push it hard.

The Foresight has a sturdy matte black aluminum handle and strong 3.5″ AUS-8 modified plain-edge drop-point blade with black titanium nitride finish.

Handle Design

The Foresight is not a boring-looking knife, but it definitely still puts function over form. You might think that the finger grooves are meant for looks, but they actually do serve well to anchor your palm and fingers for an improved grip.

I thought the finger grooves would be a physical annoyance at first, but when using the knife I’m not at all aware of them.

Maybe it’s my imagination, but I feel that the grooves are a better gripping aid than checkering. At the very least it’s easier on the hands.

The beefy Foresight handle carries over some of the style choices Ken Onion made with the Shenanigan Z, but overall it has an edgier appearance. Ken Onion himeself describes the knife as more bad-ass, and it is.

Blade Design

This is a modified drop point blade with a prominent belly that makes it a nice utility slicer. The tip is strong and slightly tapered as well, to ease piercing tasks. At 3.5″ long the blade is a bit large for my tastes, but it seems well suited for everyday heavier duty needs.

Once again, the Foresight is a heavy-use knife and everything about it is purposely overbuilt. If size and weight is a strong concern for you, there are plenty of smaller 3.5″ knives on the market.

A quick measurement of the spine read 0.162 inches, which is nearly a third larger than 1/8″. This is not a wimpy knife.

AUS-8 is a great quality Japanese-made stainless steel that has a good balance of edge wear resistance, toughness, corrosion resistance, and ease of sharpening. It’s not a premium steel, but it’s very good.

Flipper Blade Deployment

The Foresight opens via a well designed flipper mechanism. There is a fair amount of initial resistance, but once you overcome it the blade deploys quite quickly and smoothly thanks to the IKBS bearing system.

Partial lockup is not an option. Or maybe it is, but I’ve never seen it with the Foresight and could not even force it to happen. There is no side-to-side play in the blade either.

Liner-Lock Closure

Not much needs to be said about the liner lock mechanism – it does its job without faults.

Additional Details

All of the external edges are nicely rounded and smooth.

Some people might be unhappy that the pocket clip is not reversible or removable, but it doesn’t bother me at all. It’s short and allows for deep low-profile carry.

There is also a lanyard hole at the bottom of the handle.

What’s Missing?

Jimping, but for this knife that’s a good thing. Jimping – the series of notches or grooves found on the spines and handles of many modern pocket knives – would have been out of place on the Foresight, both in terms of function and aesthetics. In its absence are smooth curves and contours.

Summary

The Foresight ships in a box that says For Those Who Serve; For Professional Use, but the knife’s design does not limit it to law enforcement and military users. It has proven to be a quite capable and high-performing folding knife. If you’re looking for a heavy-duty and reliable folding knife, the Foresight should serve you well.

Although a tad large for my liking, the Foresight is an exceptionally well-designed and well-made knife that I could find no fault with. It’s quite affordable with a street price of about $90.

The CRKT Foresight is perfect for demanding users that need a quick-opening folding knife with a large and strong 3.5″ blade size.

Buy Now(via Blade HQ, combo blade style also available)
Buy Now(via Amazon, combo blade style also available)
More Info(via CRKT)

Specifications

Thank you to CRKT for providing the review sample unconditionally. Review samples are typically given away, donated, or retained for benchmark and comparison purposes.

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