Favorite “Gentleman’s” tactical folders

I disregarded the original post's metrics because 'gentleman's tactical' seems kinda subjective. I think lightness matters more than length here, and the toughness/ potential fighting value some people look for in 'tactical' knives has to be balanced by a degree of 'niceness' that's readily apparent to anyone who looks closely at the knife.

So it's my Begleiter! Light, strong, excellent slicey grind despite the relatively narrow blade, a slender pocket profile, objectively attractive with great contouring and much more milling than a simple tool requires, but the embellishments are all understated in comparison to the striking aesthetic of the knife itself.

It helps that it's at my ladyfriend's with me
 
Ok. Got it.

I will tripple down on the ZT 0460, as mentioned above.

I wouldn’t call it tactical, more of a”badass gentleman’s” category.
It’s only 2.3 oz and an MXG Gear clip makes it even better. It’s discontinued but should be available on the secondary pretty easily. The 0450 CF is sorta similar and I think still in production.

Here’s the 0460 with a Delica for size comparison (with MXG clip).



 
J E Made Loveless New York Special, slipjoint.

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I don’t want to throw people off by the word “tactical”. I guess a more accurate description of what I’m looking for is “non traditional lightweight, sleek folder with modern materials and clip”. The examples of Mnandi, Mini Bugout, Leek, Zinker are closer to what I’m looking for
 
How does your local government feel about button-lock autos? The Benchmade Stimulus is pretty sleek.

Cold Steel Holdout, maybe? Kind of a modern echo of the Sgian Dubh, which was intended to be a discreet knife, in the first place.

Some of the early Kershaw Launch patterns. Some are still kinda dagger-y, some are more knife-y.

Kizer Feist? Lundquist's designs overall are very sleek and modern, and he has at least three collaborations running right now.

Asher Knives was recently introduced to me, and they make some nice choices. Tough to get right now, though.
 
I can do automatics…I have a concealed carry permit

Wouldn’t a mini HALO be a badass gentleman’s carry?!
 
Well, as noted by someone previously, it all depends on how you define "gentleman" and "tactical."

However, I think that my 4" Artisan Cutlery Waistline D2 kwaikan would satisfy both definitions.

Unless you have a problem buying a knife made by a Chinese owned company, it's a beautiful knife that will fit any sized hand and would be effective a daily EDC or as a tactical "weapon" in properly trained hands.

It only costs about $50; more if you want a fancy steel but D2 will penetrate flesh, as well as any other steel, if that is your primary objective.

RmEuanBn
 
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Silent H said:
That's an interesting classification, and I think you'll get a lot of different responses based on people's varied definitions and perceptions of "tactical" and "gentlemans" carry.

As for me, I could think of a few: CRKT CEO, Southern Grind Spider Monkey, Terzuola/massdrop/WE CTF, Benchmade Mini Griptilian and Mini Bugout and the ProTech Malibu and Magic Whiskers. Some of them are slightly larger than what you had in mind, but they're right at the intersection of what I would consider gentlemans and tactical.

I would also shout out the ProTech Harkins D/A. It's larger and a dual action auto and manual knife, but it's what I would consider to be "classy tactical" with old school lines but definitely a larger knife. I always thought it would be perfect for a super suave international agent like James Bond.
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Here’s an upvote for the CRKT CEO, in AUS-8, black scales. Arrived almost shaving sharp. The pocket clip is reversible , for left or right side carry. The pocket clip arrives a bit to tightly fitted and needs a bit of gentle bending to allow it to be firmly held in the pocket, but not so snugly as to regard draw.
 
Ron Sabbagh said:
Lots of threads on “hard use” folders…but I’m an office dweller and as much as I appreciate big badassery in a folder, I’m always looking for the gentle giants. I own traditionals but for the purpose of this thread I’m looking for something more modern. Let’s say 3.75” handle length or less and with a pocket clip. Ideally I’d like to carry in my shirt pocket.

Already searching for a Mnandi but interesting in others
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Michael Zieba has got some pretty nice tactical folders. I have the S5 mini collaboration with Knight, it's a nice package.
 
I’ve carried a small regular Sebenza and a Ti Lock in my front shirt pocket if that helps.
Both are 4” closed, might be a little bigger than what you want.
 
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