Got out most my one handed folders to make a reference chart of them. Thought I'd post here since others might find it useful, along with a mini-review of each knife.
Thickness refers to handles, weight is in oz, measurements are my own and may be slightly rounded off.
The knives - http://i13.tinypic.com/4v65z4w.jpg
Milli: Older 440v model. My favorite knife right now. Thin, light, strong and cuts quite well. Very comfortable, well-balanced and easy to control. 440V has been stable under a reprofiled edge and fairly heavy cutting.
JYD2: Large, rugged folder. Very thick lock bar, grippy G10 scales and a secure handle design. Excellent blade shape and grind. Ergos are a little off for me, doesn't quite feel perfect in the hand. Flipper works very well and the action was very smooth from factory. Edge was slightly more acute than the other Kershaws, cutting more rigid media well out of the box. I think Kershaw should put a choil on the knife though, since there is plenty of room to make one and the knife is very comfortable held in that position.
551 Grip: My first and only BM. Was surprised at how well the out of box edge cut, I always expected something more obtuse from BM looking at their photos. Very comfortable handle with plenty of room for your thumb. Axis lock is well made and strong. Great blade to handle ratio and handle design that wastes less space than the larger Spydercos and JYD2. Considerably lightweight for its size, though a little more blade heavy than I prefer.
Cara Cara: This was my favorite knife and only tactical EDC for some time. One of the most ergonomic handles, very stout construction, well implemented choil and the blade steel exhibits excellent edge retention and stability at very acute edges, though it's a little more likely to rust in my experience than my others knives. Blade was reprofiled flat to the stone and the internals were polished, making this knife very smooth in the action. Is better than knives costing 4x as much.
Storm: Smaller, black coated version. Not my favorite knife, but not bad either. Ergos don't fit me right, but work well enough for me to use it. I ground the tip of the thumbramp off and that helped. The lock is very solid and easy to operate. Dislike the thumbstuds, the flipper works ok but takes some practice. Coating is durable. Blade steel rolls and burrs more for me than my other knives. Out of box edge was very obtuse and took much reprofiling to get as acute as I prefer. Good blade geometry and decent blade shape. Not a big fan of recurves but that plus the upswept front make an interesting blade shape for use.
Mini Cyclone: Stout feeling and exceptional in fit and finish. Handle is very ergonomic but like most Kershaws feels slightly off to me. A/O works well, wish the on off feature worked when the knife was closed. Great blade shape and grind, though a very obtuse edge angle limits cutting ability. Will take much reprofiling before It's as thin as I like and the large thumbstuds will make the process more troublesome. Solid knife at a fair price, not sure if I'm going to keep or trade this one yet. Seems kind of big and heavy for the amount of cutting edge you get.
Leek: Great smaller folder. AO is fast and convenient on the knife. Carries very well in the pocket. Handle is comfortable, but again just a little off for my hands. Factory edge again was very obtuse and took a lot of reprofiling before the benefits of the thin geometry behind the edge were seen. The blade was also mirror polished some. I really like the bladeshape, a wharncliffe with a hint of curve towards the tip end. Considering a G10 or Framelock model.
Native: My third one. I traded the first two, decided to give it another chance. Bought it, though I'd carry it. Modded the handle to make it more ergonomic and started reprofiling the blade flat to the stone. Haven't carried it for a while now. I seem to go for my Trance or Leek if I want to carry something around this size. It's a good knife, I just prefer larger knives and have other small knives I choose over it, so it's going to get traded or given to a friend. I'm fond of how light it is and the efficient use of handle space. The lack of a thumb ramp gives the thumb plenty of room, something I'm picky about.
Trance: Black CE version. Wanted a Trance since I saw the preview renders Daywalker posted a long time ago, finally got one just recently in the raffle on the Boker forums. Fantastic knife. Extremely slim and fairly light, carrying very well in the pocket. The tall handle makes it more comfortable for me than the Leek. I like how the cutting edge sits a little lower than on most folders, it makes cuts easier to control. Love the FRN texture, feels just as good as G10 to me. Good guard that also functions as a flipper. Strong lock that doesn't budge at all during heavy cutting or spinewhacks. Very durable coating. One of my favorite folders, plan to get a PE version since that's what I tend to carry more. Has been a great work knife.
Wharcom: Like the Trance, it has excellent FRN texture, a great framelock and positions the cutting edge at a very comfortable level. The wharncliffe shape works great for a small folder like this IMO, it's inspired me to mod my Buck Hartsook into a wharncliffe shape. Thumbstud can work as a Wave. The knife is thin, small and light, making it easy to stash in a number of places. Very secure grip for such a small knife. So far every CLB knife I've used has more than lived up to the hype surrounding them.
Thickness refers to handles, weight is in oz, measurements are my own and may be slightly rounded off.
The knives - http://i13.tinypic.com/4v65z4w.jpg
Milli: Older 440v model. My favorite knife right now. Thin, light, strong and cuts quite well. Very comfortable, well-balanced and easy to control. 440V has been stable under a reprofiled edge and fairly heavy cutting.
JYD2: Large, rugged folder. Very thick lock bar, grippy G10 scales and a secure handle design. Excellent blade shape and grind. Ergos are a little off for me, doesn't quite feel perfect in the hand. Flipper works very well and the action was very smooth from factory. Edge was slightly more acute than the other Kershaws, cutting more rigid media well out of the box. I think Kershaw should put a choil on the knife though, since there is plenty of room to make one and the knife is very comfortable held in that position.
551 Grip: My first and only BM. Was surprised at how well the out of box edge cut, I always expected something more obtuse from BM looking at their photos. Very comfortable handle with plenty of room for your thumb. Axis lock is well made and strong. Great blade to handle ratio and handle design that wastes less space than the larger Spydercos and JYD2. Considerably lightweight for its size, though a little more blade heavy than I prefer.
Cara Cara: This was my favorite knife and only tactical EDC for some time. One of the most ergonomic handles, very stout construction, well implemented choil and the blade steel exhibits excellent edge retention and stability at very acute edges, though it's a little more likely to rust in my experience than my others knives. Blade was reprofiled flat to the stone and the internals were polished, making this knife very smooth in the action. Is better than knives costing 4x as much.
Storm: Smaller, black coated version. Not my favorite knife, but not bad either. Ergos don't fit me right, but work well enough for me to use it. I ground the tip of the thumbramp off and that helped. The lock is very solid and easy to operate. Dislike the thumbstuds, the flipper works ok but takes some practice. Coating is durable. Blade steel rolls and burrs more for me than my other knives. Out of box edge was very obtuse and took much reprofiling to get as acute as I prefer. Good blade geometry and decent blade shape. Not a big fan of recurves but that plus the upswept front make an interesting blade shape for use.
Mini Cyclone: Stout feeling and exceptional in fit and finish. Handle is very ergonomic but like most Kershaws feels slightly off to me. A/O works well, wish the on off feature worked when the knife was closed. Great blade shape and grind, though a very obtuse edge angle limits cutting ability. Will take much reprofiling before It's as thin as I like and the large thumbstuds will make the process more troublesome. Solid knife at a fair price, not sure if I'm going to keep or trade this one yet. Seems kind of big and heavy for the amount of cutting edge you get.
Leek: Great smaller folder. AO is fast and convenient on the knife. Carries very well in the pocket. Handle is comfortable, but again just a little off for my hands. Factory edge again was very obtuse and took a lot of reprofiling before the benefits of the thin geometry behind the edge were seen. The blade was also mirror polished some. I really like the bladeshape, a wharncliffe with a hint of curve towards the tip end. Considering a G10 or Framelock model.
Native: My third one. I traded the first two, decided to give it another chance. Bought it, though I'd carry it. Modded the handle to make it more ergonomic and started reprofiling the blade flat to the stone. Haven't carried it for a while now. I seem to go for my Trance or Leek if I want to carry something around this size. It's a good knife, I just prefer larger knives and have other small knives I choose over it, so it's going to get traded or given to a friend. I'm fond of how light it is and the efficient use of handle space. The lack of a thumb ramp gives the thumb plenty of room, something I'm picky about.
Trance: Black CE version. Wanted a Trance since I saw the preview renders Daywalker posted a long time ago, finally got one just recently in the raffle on the Boker forums. Fantastic knife. Extremely slim and fairly light, carrying very well in the pocket. The tall handle makes it more comfortable for me than the Leek. I like how the cutting edge sits a little lower than on most folders, it makes cuts easier to control. Love the FRN texture, feels just as good as G10 to me. Good guard that also functions as a flipper. Strong lock that doesn't budge at all during heavy cutting or spinewhacks. Very durable coating. One of my favorite folders, plan to get a PE version since that's what I tend to carry more. Has been a great work knife.
Wharcom: Like the Trance, it has excellent FRN texture, a great framelock and positions the cutting edge at a very comfortable level. The wharncliffe shape works great for a small folder like this IMO, it's inspired me to mod my Buck Hartsook into a wharncliffe shape. Thumbstud can work as a Wave. The knife is thin, small and light, making it easy to stash in a number of places. Very secure grip for such a small knife. So far every CLB knife I've used has more than lived up to the hype surrounding them.
