Civivi Praxis review: full-sized EDC that doesn’t take over your pocket

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Review summary: The Civivi Praxis combines a nice belly and a thin grind to make for awesome slicing ability. It’s a substantial knife, but doesn’t weigh too much (4.42 oz) and it doesn’t take over your pocket. While not hard cons per se, I would have preferred to remove the choil and expose a bit more of the liner lock, but that’s just me. All in all, it’s a solid knife for the money. Scored it 9/10.

I’ve always been a fan of large sized folders since it’s nice to have some extra cutting edge. Anything with a 3.5” blade and above, and you had my attention. In the big boys league, what sets the Civivi Praxis apart is the efficiency of the design. It has a substantial blade, but not to the point of being cumbersome; there’s also plenty of room in the handle for hands of all sizes. Let’s see if this knife is worth adding to your collection.

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Dimensions and specs
Blade length: 95 mm or 3.74 in
Blade thickness: 3 mm or 0.12 in
Blade steel: 9Cr18MoV stainless steel
Blade grind: high saber
Blade hardness: 58-60 HRC
Handle thickness: 12.4 mm or 0.49 in
Overall length: 214 mm or 8.43 in
Weight: 125.4 g or 4.42 oz

Blade and cutting performance
The thin grind and belly make for a great overall cutter. The factory edge was impressive, and I saw no need to give it a touchup out of the box. It sliced paper cleanly and opened packages without a problem. The tip is also pointy enough without being too delicate. Not much to say about cutting performance other than that it’s fantastic for EDC chores.

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For the blade itself, this is more of a nitpick, but I’m not too fond of the finger choil. Guys with thicker index fingers may have trouble wrapping around that curve without teetering off to the cutting edge. I would have preferred to omit the choil entirely so we have more cutting edge at the base of the blade or make it as large as the Manix 2’s choil. Anyway, the user can control the knife just fine without using the choil. There’s some jimping as well on the base of the spine. I think a jimp-less profile would have added to the sleekness of the Praxis, but at least it isn’t too aggressive.

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I haven’t extensively tested the 9Cr steel since I only use my blades for casual house chores, so I can’t offer first hand information on edge retention. According to the Cedric and Ada YouTube channel however (one of the reviewers I trust based on his track record), we can expect something similar to VG-10 in performance. For the price tag, I would say that’s adequate. Not as exciting as S35VN, but it will absolutely get the job done.

Fit and finish of the blade on my unit is excellent. Bevels are even, the grind lines look consistent, and the spine is straight. Centering is dead in the middle. If this level of quality control is possible for a $50 knife, this is what we should look for at the minimum in anything 50 bucks and above.

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Deployment, lockup, and detent
The ceramic ball bearings make deployment a joy. It could be made smoother with some lube, but it’s good enough for me since I don’t really fidget with my knives. I don’t feel any snags or hiccups as it opens. Just for transparency’s sake, this is my first flipper folder, and I must say I’m quite happy with it. Wrist flicks aren’t necessary to lock it all the way, but flipper does need a convincing push. Push down on the flipper like you mean it, and it will lock every time. The jimping on the flipper is the one time I actually appreciate jimping.

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Lockup is completely solid. I don’t detect any wiggle sideways or forward and back. No functional issues with the liner lock, though I must say it’s a little trickier to close one-handed since the liner lock isn’t as exposed as on some Spyderco knives. Still doable though with some practice.

Detent on the Praxis is positive without being too tight. For my unit, shaking it vigorously doesn’t cause it to deploy (if it failed the detent test, I would have sent it back). For safety purposes, I’d be mindful of the flipper tab not to catch on anything as I ease it back in the pocket, though it does take some force before the blade flies open.

Handle and ergonomics
As mentioned before, the Praxis offers plenty of handle to grab onto. I have around medium to large sized hands, and I can secure a four finger hold with some room to spare. No hotspots at any point for me. The G10 is rather smooth, so I don’t think it’ll shred your pockets. As a tradeoff, it won’t offer as much traction though. The Praxis has two finger grooves, and I think they aren’t overly pronounced, so they should fit almost everyone’s hands. But when in doubt, if grooves aren’t your thing, I’d look elsewhere. Overall though, ergos are great for this one.

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Perhaps my favorite thing about the Praxis is how it rides in the pocket. It’s a large-ish knife, but it doesn’t feel that way when clipped in the pocket. The weight is reasonable for its size, and its height when closed isn’t that bad either. I can still fit a few small items in my right pocket even with the Praxis clipped in there. It reminds me of the Endura 4 in the sense of packing a big blade in a fairly slim, lightweight package. The Praxis isn’t the most compact EDC option around, but I don’t think it’s a huge bother to carry around either. The deep carry clip is a nice feature as well.

Concluding thoughts and score
All things considered, the Praxis is an excellent full-sized low-cost EDC that’s also space- and weight-efficient. My gripes about this knife merely revolve around eliminating the choil and exposing the liner lock just a tad more, but those aren’t dealbreakers by any means. Time will tell if this blade holds up in terms of durability and reliability, and I will update this review as necessary.

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Now is this knife for you? If you’re looking to try out a quality flipper without spending too much (yet) on a high-end folder, I’d say the Praxis is an excellent starting point. This was my first flipper and I’m quite happy with the smooth action. If you’re curious about trying out a Civivi knife just for kicks and think the mainstream Elementum would be too small for you, then the Praxis might be the better choice.

For this review, the Praxis gets a 9 out of 10.
 
I don't mind the choil. I get that it does significantly reduce cutting edge on a knife that doesn't necessarily need the extra hand space given the spacious handle room but it does double as a very effective sharpening choil which is welcome on a knife in 9cr that will need regular maintenance.
 
Nice review. I picked up the Naja from their initial release line-up. It was good enough to buy a back-up. I had one of them tested and it was 60HRC right on the dot.

I'm okay with the choil, even though I don't use it as such. Honestly, I'd rather see plenty of breathing room than a choil that doesn't clear the plunge.

The 9Cr18Mov on these is actually fantastic. It's already a decent budget steel but WE does an exceptional heat treatment. Outpost 76 is my other favorite cut tester besides Pete. Here is a video that tests my Naja and also the third of Civivi's initial releases in 9Cr18Mov, the Baklash.

 
CrMov ... Only as good as it is cooked !
I have 9cr18mov that is average over all and 9cr18mov that is bellow average ..
And then I have 3cr13mov that runs with D2 ... ( Good D2 ) ..
So knife steel is like a box of chocolate , you never know what you get till you taste it ( Test it ) ...
Most Chinese knives are bolted together really well these days , ............
And 90% of the time , the only issue I come across is the blade steel ... ( Not so good )
And fair enough , on the occasion .... I find the odd knife that is really good ...
I mean , kick other knives to the curb and stomp on them good !
This should be the norm ( Good blade steel ) , but unfortunately is a bit of a rare thing ! Bad steel being overly common !
And the only way to know .............. Test that edge holding !
 
CrMov ... Only as good as it is cooked !
I have 9cr18mov that is average over all and 9cr18mov that is bellow average ..
And then I have 3cr13mov that runs with D2 ... ( Good D2 ) ..
So knife steel is like a box of chocolate , you never know what you get till you taste it ( Test it ) ...
Most Chinese knives are bolted together really well these days , ............
And 90% of the time , the only issue I come across is the blade steel ... ( Not so good )
And fair enough , on the occasion .... I find the odd knife that is really good ...
I mean , kick other knives to the curb and stomp on them good !
This should be the norm ( Good blade steel ) , but unfortunately is a bit of a rare thing ! Bad steel being overly common !
And the only way to know .............. Test that edge holding !

That's true within a certain limit. No production knife in 3Cr13Mov should hold an edge anywhere near as well as D2. For instance, the worst D2 I've ever had has been better than the best 8Cr13Mov I've ever had.

However, some knives with fake steel stamps claiming to be D2 will actually be made of 3Cr13 or 5Cr15Mov. In those cases, expect to see similarities. Another variable to consider is that factory edges are often burnt or fatigued, even if only slightly. This can cause a knife in a good steel with a good heat treatment to perform terribly and not just on the factory edge. Sometimes, it can take several times sharpening to get down to good, fresh steel.

Edge retention doesn't just pick up with subsequent sharpening because we put better edges on our knives or reprofile to better geometry. It is also because we are getting away from fatigued steel, which can be a factor for factory knives from most companies.
 
Interesting thoughts, thanks for posting. I'd be curious to see a cut test to see how the heat treat holds up compared something like a spyderco in the same steel.

Spyderco doesn't use 9Cr18Mov or at least not yet. Sal has confirmed that they are exploring an upgrade for their bottom line on the Chinese-made knives and 9Cr18Mov is a possibility. I'd love to see them using such a steel for knives like the Tenacious or their Byrd line.

Coincidentally, WE's 9Cr18Mov in the Civivi and Sencut knives will often out-cut VG-10 from Spyderco. (While it might not be as tough, 9Cr18Mov is also more stainless than VG-10.) So all around, 9Cr18Mov specifically from WE is a wonderful budget choice for EDC. With a more average heat treatment, 9Cr18Mov isn't as impressive but it's still a good step up from 8Cr13Mov.
 
Hmmmmm .......
In my testing , Decent D2 falls around 450 slices of rope ..
I have one D2 that has gone well beyond that ( TwoSun TS16 )
And then I have 5 3cr13mov ( I think - hard to pin down as most dont say what the steel is ,,, But one seller claims 3cr13mov )
Anyways , those 5 knives all are 500+ ... 4 of them being the same model SA39 , all cost $25 shipped to my door , and all did 500+ ..
4 knives , same make and model , performed the same .. And kicked many a more expensive knife to the curb along the way .
This is why I test ... Cos till you have tested , you don't know !
And if you don't know ?
 
Hey guys, don't you find the liner lock on the Praxis kind of flimsy?

Any experience with hard using the knife and the lock failing, stuff like that?

Thanks.

No. It seems fairly standard for modern liner locks in this price range. It's actually more robust than some others I have. So long as it locks up correctly at a good position, and there is not lock rock, you should be fine for normal use. I have a huge number of liner locks from Civivi and have had zero issues to this effect.

A additional help here is that the flipper tab on the Praxis and a bunch of other knives provides a little extra hedge. Again, I've never had any issues such that it would matter with any of them. However, I do tend to close my liner locks with flippers by dropping the tab to the finger that depresses the lock. If you are gripping the knife normally, that tab should be about your finger.

Of course, I say "normal use" here. I'm not talking about prying, chopping, stabbing with substantial force into hard substrate, etc.. While there are some overbuilt tank-like folders out there where such things might seem okay, such activities are generally are not the province of any type of folding knife.
 
I would love a Praxis with a better locking mechanism, something like a crossbar for example. That thin and fragile looking liner is the only drawback for me, but I have OCD lol.
 
Chronovore Chronovore , I love your hatred for 8Cr13Mov 😂 I share it. Do you still own that We Beacon? I'd be real curious to hear your thoughts on it because I love the lines.

Hey guys, don't you find the liner lock on the Praxis kind of flimsy?

Any experience with hard using the knife and the lock failing, stuff like that?

Thanks.

I've only had two civivi's and for my taste they felt flimsy. Maybe they have other more robust models but the ones that I owned had some of the thinnest steel liners I've ever come across.

That said, the Praxis does look more robust from the outside.
 
Chronovore Chronovore , I love your hatred for 8Cr13Mov 😂 I share it. Do you still own that We Beacon? I'd be real curious to hear your thoughts on it because I love the lines.

Thanks! Yeah, 9Cr18Mov is a massive improvement on both edge retention and corrosion resistance. Sure, it's not as tough and takes a couple more minutes to sharpen but it's still easy and holds up so much better for my regular carry tasks.

Yes, I still have a pair of Beacons. They are excellent, among my favorites from WE. Of course, mine are modified. The titanium flats on those made them perfect candidates for texturing mods. They do an okay job with 20CV. The heat treatment isn't as good as Spyderco or fancy stuff like Shirogorov but it's okay. It has plenty of edge retention for my needs.
 
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