Civivi knives?

Just so I don't sound like I'm employed by Civivi... I bought the Vision FG in jade G10 after all the hype thinking it was going to be the next great thing with the fancy new lock system.

I could not have been more underwhelmed. It isn't trash or anything but I just did not grasp the hype train that was running. Thick blade, thick behind the edge, no amazing Civivi hollow grind, the blade squeaked on the lock opening and closing, the pocket clip was an odd fit, and it was a chunk in the pocket. It feels like the opposite of everything else they've ever made. I don't even know where that one ended up. Probably the box of shame under the bed where the rest of the hardly ever to be carried go.
 
Chronovore said:
The ones I was thinking about here, in the class in question, were from Civivi and Bestech. I've actually done it with other knives and even took it to the extreme once but I'm reluctant to mention the brand for that one...
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I understand why you would be. I agree it's a spectrum. That said, pattern recognition after a great deal of experience is also a thing. I can't say I've ever found a brand to be consistently subpar. I can however name brands that have been consistently excellent with me, which is what I did earlier. I don't want to hijack the thread but can't resist leaving you with this since you mentioned Bestech. Right now this is the cheapest knife I own, I picked this up at around $35. It's the Bestech Lanza. A budget blade if there ever was one. I just want to illustrate what I mean with production excellence coming from these Chinese factories:

-Perfect centering
-Beautiful early lock up, even on that thin blade
-Consistent factory edge geometry
-Straight as an arrow in the opened position (use the seam between the boards in the pic as a visual reference)
-Seamless transition from scales to liners

Again, that's a $35 knife. It might not survive a construction site, but you can't argue with that fit and finish.

Lanza.jpg
 
Chinese factories are spun up with assistance from their government and all with the latest high tech equipment. For US or Euro firms to update to the latest & best equipment would require massive influx of capital via investors or price increases. The playing field is not level.
 
To me, Civivi is just like that single guy who doesn't smoke or drink, never goes out, never got a ticket and was never late for work either.

So, it's reliable and overall good, just sooo plain. Nothing really special to it, and nothing exciting about it.

You have for example Cold Steel that is rugged and has that tactical and overbuilt look to it...

Then you have Spyderco with lots and lots of proven and interesting designs, available in lots of different steels...

Civivi just lacks "personality" in my opinion.
 
EatingSarma said:
To me, Civivi is just like that single guy who doesn't smoke or drink, never goes out, never got a ticket and was never late for work either.

So, it's reliable and overall good, just sooo plain. Nothing really special to it, and nothing exciting about it.
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Yep, that's me (except I'm married)...I don't drink or smoke or cuss, would rather stay home than go out, got one ticket when I was 16, and have never been late for work in 35 years of teaching. 🤣 Civivi is definitely the knife for me!!!

Therefore I picked up a Civivi Faeger with Milled Ivory G10 handles and a Damascus blade for $67.50. Love the contrast between the ivory and the damascus, the fact that I can open it so many different ways (it's a fidget monster), and that it's completely different from anything I currently own. Someday I will get that $300 plus knife I dream of, but for right now, I'm pretty satisfied with this!

civivi-faeger-flipper-thumb-stud-button-lock-knife-milled-ivory-g10-handle-298-damascus-blade-c24031-ds1-3092170_800x.jpg


Thanks for everyone's input throughout my journey!!!

TripleB67
 
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TripleB67 said:
Yep, that's me...I don't drink or smoke or cuss, would rather stay home than go out, got one ticket when I was 16, and have never been late for work in 35 years of teaching. 🤣 Civivi is definitely the knife for me!!!

Therefore I picked up a Civivi Faeger with Milled Ivory G10 handles and a Damascus blade for $67.50. Love the contrast between the ivory and the damascus, the fact that I can open it so many different ways (it's a fidget monster), and that it's completely different from anything I currently own. Someday I will get that $300 plus knife I dream of, but for right now, I'm pretty satisfied with this!

civivi-faeger-flipper-thumb-stud-button-lock-knife-milled-ivory-g10-handle-298-damascus-blade-c24031-ds1-3092170_800x.jpg


Thanks for everyone's input throughout my journey!!!

TripleB67
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Very nice looking knife. Congrats.
 
Only civivi I have is a sokn fixed blade other than the kind of gimmicky (though unique) clip design it's awesome and nitro v steel is so far has performed well for everyday tasks.
 
Maximumbob54 said:
Just so I don't sound like I'm employed by Civivi... I bought the Vision FG in jade G10 after all the hype thinking it was going to be the next great thing with the fancy new lock system.

I could not have been more underwhelmed. It isn't trash or anything but I just did not grasp the hype train that was running. Thick blade, thick behind the edge, no amazing Civivi hollow grind, the blade squeaked on the lock opening and closing, the pocket clip was an odd fit, and it was a chunk in the pocket. It feels like the opposite of everything else they've ever made. I don't even know where that one ended up. Probably the box of shame under the bed where the rest of the hardly ever to be carried go.
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Some things are manufacturer issues. Some things are design issues. There are some very well-made knives that have design choices that just tank them for me. Ergonomic issues like the above are much more subjective. Some seem less subjective or at least less defensible to me. A big one for me is blades that are just stupidly thick for a folder and cause the model to be a critical miss.

On the other end of the spectrum...

GB940Rookie said:
I like this little guy. The Gent.

View attachment 3204599
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Now this is a wonderful design, only held back for my tastes by the lock choice. Thankfully, they also did a liner lock version that also happens to be a fantastic top flipper. They went with a thinner than average blade thickness and gave it a nice hollow grind. Still one of my favorites from Civivi.
 
BoCen said:
I understand why you would be. I agree it's a spectrum. That said, pattern recognition after a great deal of experience is also a thing. I can't say I've ever found a brand to be consistently subpar. I can however name brands that have been consistently excellent with me, which is what I did earlier. I don't want to hijack the thread but can't resist leaving you with this since you mentioned Bestech. Right now this is the cheapest knife I own, I picked this up at around $35. It's the Bestech Lanza. A budget blade if there ever was one. I just want to illustrate what I mean with production excellence coming from these Chinese factories:

-Perfect centering
-Beautiful early lock up, even on that thin blade
-Consistent factory edge geometry
-Straight as an arrow in the opened position (use the seam between the boards in the pic as a visual reference)
-Seamless transition from scales to liners

Again, that's a $35 knife. It might not survive a construction site, but you can't argue with that fit and finish.

Lanza.jpg
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I've had some gems from Bestech, including some stuff they manufactured for other brands or smaller companies. Coincidentally, two of the more recent ones were both Ostap Hel designs. (Also a coincidence that the Civivi I linked earlier was an Ostap Hel design. I feel like E EatingSarma 's earlier comment about "personality" is on the design side and there are just too many great designers working with these companies to make a sweeping judgement like that.) One is from their budget end and the other is from their premium end, the Duoz and the Lito respectively. Here are some stock pics.

BTW, much like the Appalachian Drifter from Civivi, the Duoz here rocks a thinner than average blade. I've used the additionally thinner grind near the handle on mine for roll-cutting cigars.

BG65A_1800x1800.jpg



BT2307B-1_1800x1800.jpg
 
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Sharp & Fiery said:
Very nice looking knife. Congrats.
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Thank you very much - I appreciate that!

I thought about going with this Faeber, but when I started this process I told myself I was going to get something different from any knife I already own. I don't have a knife with a damascus blade or a white handle. I've got many knives with a black handle and a silver blade.

civivi-faeger-flipper-thumb-stud-button-lock-knife-milled-black-g10-handle-298-satin-finished-14c28n-blade-c24031-1-5234635_800x.jpg


Again, thanks for the congrats!

TripleB67
 
While I saw a comment earlier in the thread stating a doubt that a Civivi would hold up to a year of hard use in construction work, I haven t seen a post documenting such a failure. Until then, that supposition is just conjecture.
Knife failure at work probably depends on how much stress one puts on the blade and the lock. I ve always used my blades just for cutting, not prying. I ve always treated folders like slip joints, with the lock up being a safety feature.
That said, my current favorite work knives are Cold Steels. But I m carrying Civivis more and more for work in the yard and around the house. No failures so far.
I m liking the thin blade grinds and 14c28n steel.
Maybe my income isn t keeping up with knife price inflation. And maybe my wife is right about me already having too many knives.
Since I m not going to quit using my Cold Steel work knives, I might not discover the limits of my Civivis any time soon. We ll see.
 
whp said:
While I saw a comment earlier in the thread stating a doubt that a Civivi would hold up to a year of hard use in construction work, I haven t seen a post documenting such a failure. Until then, that supposition is just conjecture.
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Correct. Conjecture.
whp said:
Since I m not going to quit using my Cold Steel work knives, I might not discover the limits of my Civivis any time soon. We ll see.
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Never saw one Civici on site and case in point. ^
 
Good steel and great heat treatment is why I recommend Civivi. So many 'cheap' knives have horrible heat treatments, crap steel and thick edges. And, they cost the same as a hollow ground, well heat treated Civivi.

If you want SpyderCo like cutting performance and quality, but can't afford them, buy anything Civivi or Sencut sells. You won't be disappointed.
 
I was going to say if you can look beyond the odd blade shape, the Kizer Cormorant is a heck of a knife. But I bought mine for well under $100 and now it seems they are discontinued and well over $100 for the exact same model. Button plunge lock, front and back flip, slotted hole in blade, hollow grind, and S35VN blade steel with black and white G10. Heck of a knife when it was under a hundo. But I admit it's an odd looking thing. I mention it because most of what can be said about Civivi I'd also say about Kizer. Some decent budget steels like 154CM and 14C28N up to PM type steels. Another odd looking one they do still make is the Drop Bear and I LOVE that one.
 
Ive held a few of them. They are certainly well made.
Id be interested if they were to go into the higher end.

Still, way better quality than benchmades, and far cheaper.
 
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