Holgram's Folder Collection

Holgram

Holgram

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🔵 S‑Tier — My Top Action Pieces

Holt Specter #926 (Gen 4) – M390
American‑made, maker: Joseph Holt
Titanium liner lock · Feather milling scale · smooth clip · Dual anodization (blue / purple) · Near‑mirror polished blade

This is, quite simply, my Excalibur. The auditory experience is extraordinary — a crisp, glassy detent break paired with a refined, musical close that is unlike anything else in the collection. The flipper action is exceptional.

Visually, this is probably the most striking knife I own.

OZ Roosevelt #890 – Magnacut
American‑made, maker: Daniel Osborne
Dark‑washed titanium scales with golf‑putter milling, stonewashed hardware and backspacer

The action is maybe the best: extremely tight tolerances throughout. Everything feels intentional and well balanced. The milling adds grip without visual distraction, and the finish works very well for real carry. A reference‑level example of clean mechanical execution.

SPK Lamia (Gen 4) – Elmax
American‑made, maker: Alex Steingraber
Titanium framelock · Milled scales · Domed pivot screw · blade milling · Standing lady inside scale

What truly sets the Lamia apart is the lockbar disengagement: it is, by far, the best and cleanest lockbar release of any knife I own. Disengagement is effortless, controlled, and ergonomically excellent. It also has a fantastic natural shaped scale that is very comfortable in the hand in many positions. The auditory experience of the engagement of the lockbar is surprisingly good, unlike the Holt, Roosie, or SBD Mini Evo it doesn't have the single snap but it sounds really good still.

Brown Mini FSD #368 – CPM‑154
American‑made, maker: Craig Brown
Stonewashed, hollow ground, satin blade · scale and clip milled in style #3

One of the most satisfying knives in the collection. All deployment methods are excellent: the front flipper, rear flipper, and reverse flick are each dialed‑in and deeply satisfying in their own way.

The blade and overall knife shape are superb, striking a rare balance between visual appeal and functional intent, refined without feeling sterile. Overall, this is a top‑notch piece.

The auditory experience is very satisfying. There is a almost vicious quality to the sound.

Brown Mini Cortex #106 – Magnacut
American‑made, maker: Craig Brown
Thumb stud · hollow ground, satin blade · scale and clip milled in style #2 · 88V backspacer

Herman Ishtar #261 – M390
Polish-made, maker: Bartosz Herman
Hammered Ti scale · Subliner · Hammered Ti Clip · Purple ano backspacer

HMC Transient 3.2 (V3) – Magnacut
American-made, maker: Jim Vandeveld
Ti Subliner · Squarebody · Tumbled handles · Window · Black Ti accents · Zir - satin blade

Prince Customs Protean Frag #449 – CPM-20CV
American‑made, maker: Princeton Wong
Wharncliffe blade · Frag-milled titanium scales

This knife is really light in the hand and has excellent knife forward balance. The detent is phenomenally crisp. The auditory experience is one of the best, really good ergonomics too.

Prince Customs Protean #97 – CPM-20CV
American‑made, maker: Princeton Wong
Drop point blade · Skiff single-row bearings

Shirogorov Neon Zero Monkey Edge Frag Pattern 2026 – Elmax
Russian‑made, maker: Sergey Shirogorov
Smooth blasted and light tumbled blade and frame

Grimsmo Rask #1306 – RWL34
Canadian-made, maker: John Grimsmo
Acid washed & tumbled blade (mirror sharpened by Way of Knife) · Dark blue ano (Way of Knife reano) crosshatch milled handle · Ice blue ano hardware

Machinewise Mojave #722 – S90V
American-made, founder: Deylan Crawford
Stonewashed blade · Deep Distressed, purple ano, turtle milled handle · lanyard hole backspacer · raw clip

Rob Johnson Hemlock #21 – RWL34
Latvian-made, maker: Rob Johnson
Satin hardmilled blade · Sunburst milled, satin handle

Tactile Rockwall – Full DLC Thumbstud Version (Magnacut)
American‑made
Incredible action and beautifully consistent. This knife feels like a true precision instrument.

Koenig Mini Arius #G1B6 – M390
American-made, maker: Bill Koenig
Titanium framelock · Corda-milled scales · Raw hardware

Where the Mini Arius excels is in visual cohesion. The corda milling is exceptional in the tactile feel.

🟣 A+‑Tier — Benchmark Action, Less Design Character

Sharp By Design Mini Evo – Nebula FatCarbon (1st Batch, M390)
Reate‑made, designer: Brian Nadeau

The action is exceptional: a perfect detent break, very crisp deployment.

While executed well, it feels distinctly like a Reate knife in hand — competent, refined, but lacking the unique personality and maker‑driven character that defines the knives in my S‑Tier.

Tactile Rockwall V2 – Full DLC Flipper Version (Magnacut)
American‑made
Incredible action and beautifully consistent. This knife feels like a true precision instrument.

🟢 A‑Tier — Excellent High‑End Performers

Ochs Worx Solarstorm EDX – Copper FatCarbon (M390)
Reate‑made, designer: Eric Ochs

TRM Neutron 2 – Mike Irie Factory Hollow Grind Edition (Magnacut, 80s Camo FatCarbon)
American‑made, owners: Les & Marianne Halpern
DLC coated hardware and clip by TRM

🟡 B‑Tier — Strong, Reliable Users

Skallywag MDV V2 – Full Black PVD (D2)
Designers: Michael Donvito, Jack Nevils & Bram Frank

The most tactical knife in my collection by far. The Bram’s Triangle opening is an absolute gem and makes it uniquely enjoyable. The flipper action, which is a secondary mode of deployment leaves a lot to be desired, and the full D2 steel scales effectively enable this thing to be used as a small boat anchor.

Ontario RAT II – Custom Titanium Scales (D2)
Made in Taiwan, designers: Jeff Randall & Mike Perrin
LynchNW titanium deep‑carry clip, Blacksmith finish · TiN coated scales · gunstock external milling on scales

A budget platform elevated by custom titanium scales that are very grippy and TiN coated. It features a LynchNW titanium deep‑carry clip in the Blacksmith finish, making it more concealed to carry but noticeably less comfortable in hand.

Doug Ritter RSK Mk1‑G2 – Lynch NW Titanium Clip Ano (Magnacut)
American‑made, designer: Doug Ritter, made by: Houge

CJRB Pyrite Light – Damascus
Chinese‑made

Ferrum Forge Stinger Ti Framelock – UniCopper Carbon Fiber Inlay (Nitro‑V)
WE Knives‑made, designers: Elliot & Chris Williamson

Spyderco UKPK Salt – LC200N (Green FRN)
Feather‑light, rust‑proof, and legal nearly everywhere. Excellent for humid environments, sweat, or no‑worry carry. I bring it to the UK or my camping trips there.

🔴 C‑Tier — Underperformer Relative to Price (But Beautiful)

SBD Mini Tempest – Full Black PVD Bowie (M390)
Reate‑made, designer: Brian Nadeau

I maintain everything with KPL Original on the pivots and KPL Knife Shield on all metal parts for corrosion protection.
 
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Added my Ferrum Forge Sting Ti Framelock and the OZ Roosevelt #890
 
Added my Holt Specter #926 (Gen 4) and SPK Lamia (Gen 4) – Elmax
 
Added the Brown mini-FSD, Koenig Mini Arius, and Prince Customs Protean. I hit the 10,000 character cap in the original post and had to shorten some sections. Maybe someone can let me know what to do to add more.
 
Here is are the photos of my latest folder, the Protean, a truly excellent folder.
 
Welcome. Great reviews and no disagreement from me. A few to consider if you love great action if you haven’t experienced these yet.

Thys Meades
A2 knives
Mitch Clark
Shams
Certainly you’ve tried Shiros !!!

Also. I think the SBD Mini Evo is the most incredible action for the money out there. About $400 and it punches way above its price point.
 
Thank you very much — I really appreciate the kind words and especially the action-focused recommendations. I look forward to experiencing the recommendations on your list and will start looking into them now.

I actually haven’t experienced any of those yet aside from the Mini Evo. On the Shiro side, I’m holding out for a really nice Neon Evo — I let one slip once already, so I’ll very likely pounce on the next good opportunity. That said, the proprietary hardware is a turnoff for me, even though I genuinely like the design.

I’ll also admit I may have been a little harsh classing the Mini Evo at A+. It happens to be my father’s favorite knife and is currently on permanent “borrow” with him, so it doesn’t get as much hands-on time from me.

Even so, while the action is essentially on par with the Holt, to my hands it’s unmistakably a Reate knife — which is a compliment in terms of execution. It just seems to lack some of the maker-specific design signatures and finishing nuances that, for me, define the S-tier pieces. Purely personal preference.

Thanks again for the thoughtful recommendations and the great discussion — these kinds of exchanges are exactly what make the hobby enjoyable.
 
I carry quite a few of them but by far the Tactile Knife CO. Rockwall thumbstud full DLC has gotten the most pocket time. It has great action, is very discreet in the pocket, cuts great, the DLC shows absolutely no wear, great ergos and looks nonthreatening and good that non-knife people are not afraid and even appreciate.

Really great knife.

The Koenig is getting some use these days too, but I might swap it with the Protean as my secondary, I am not sure.

Now there are some knives I carry exclusively to particular situations. Like the UKPK to the UK camping trips and the modified Rat II if I am checking a knife in luggage. One did come up missing before... and so on.
 
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