Suggestions for <2.5" Folders?

I work in a similar situation, so this thread is relevant to my interests. Unfortunately both the Dice and the Techno are over 2.5" -- neither one is probably over by enough to get you in trouble, but if you're determined to go by the letter of the law I'd cross them off. If your budget stretches to it and you like the aesthetic the Busker seems like a fine choice, but there are some lower-budget options available.

So far I've rotated between three baby Spydercos: the Dragonfly (which I see you also have), the L'il Lum, and the Meerkat.

The Dragonfly is the best at actually cutting things (large blade, nicely shaped handle) and comes in a bunch of different steel options, but I don't care for the lockback and I find that the stock clip is too low to make for ideal concealability.

The Lum is a graceful, elegant design that's also very light and slender and has a very slicey grind. Unfortunately, it comes in a very "meh" steel for the price of the knife, and the lack of a choil or any jimping makes me worry that my hand is going to slide up the handle if I'm not super careful. Would be a good choice when looking totally sweet is a high priority and it won't see much actual use.

Despite being the smallest-bladed of the three the Meerkat has become my favorite. The clip is so high that it almost disappears in a pocket, the most recent version comes in HAP40, the contours of the handle fit into my hand like a much larger knife, and the Phantom lock is a neat touch that actually works. On the down side, the orange scales are kind of ugly, it's the heaviest of the three (granted, only by about half an ounce), the SUS410 parts of the blade scratch easily, and if you really hate tip-down carry then you'll want to go elsewhere.

The latest Meerkat is a sprint that's now been discontinued, but I think you can still find them for around $100 if you look around; pricier than a ZDP-189 Dragonfly but still cheaper than a L'il Lum.
 
Have you ever considered keychain knives (a la Lady/Manbug, CS Charm, or dogtag)? Or would you like to commit to a full sized knife?
 
Mr.SATism said:
Have you ever considered keychain knives (a la Lady/Manbug, CS Charm, or dogtag)? Or would you like to commit to a full sized knife?
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I've considered them, but have relatively large hands and am concerned about the size of those handles.

Thanks everyone for the robust conversation and great photographs. Short term I'm thinking of adding the CRKT Pilar and a traditional, probably from Case. But that Olamic sure looks tempting if I can set aside some funds.
 
uvalaw2005, your question was timely. I'm about to visit the Netherlands and, while I should be GTG with <3", I'd prefer something well less than that. So...

uvalaw2005 said:
Short term I'm thinking of adding the CRKT Pilar ...
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Watched a video on it here: CRKT Pilar. Looks good for a small folder, and they're inexpensive, which means if it does get confiscated, or stolen out of my checked baggage, I'm not out a lot.
 
Hmmm... Kind of heavy for such a small knife, the CRKT Pilar, and I'm not sure sure about the grippiness of that handle. Maybe the Spyderco Ambitious? Or a Spyderco Cat G-10? The latter's blade is just under 2.5", it's a half ounce lighter than even the Ambitious, and perhaps has more desirable steel?
 
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Moki Blakiston's Fishowl, small. Light and well made as are all Moki's.
CRKT Quill. Surprisingly well made.
Peanut pattern knife.
Quite a few Victorinox Alox models.
All would register as mostly harmless to most people.
 
A price range would help too. You are getting choices from $15-365 (Olamic).

Another vote for the Delica Kahr.

A SAK or traditional are also excellent choices since they are more sheeple friendly.
 
As-promised...

Spyderco Cat G-10 arrived just a bit ago. Purchased from Amazon Prime.

Initial impressions: I have large hands. (That's "large" as in long-fingered and wide, not fat.) I wear XL gloves and sometimes even they are a bit small. This knife is (well, was) very easy for me to operate one-handed and feels quite secure in the hand. It's pretty stiff, opening and closing. I'm going to work it a bit, then give it a bit of lube in a few days, but not one-handed...

IMG_0515-15pct.JPG

Yeah, the little bastard's sharp :oops:

Been a while since I've done that. Guess I was about due. (That happened when I was closing it one-handed and incautiously raised my thumb from the liner lock, brushing the edge, while writing this report.)

Is the BD1 steel. Doesn't have the jimping the newer ones allegedly have. The lack of the jimping I don't think will be an issue. Edge is sharpened the entire length. (Some early ones were not.) Pocket clip is nice and secure, both on the knife and in the pocket. Un-clips and drops into the pocket w/o seeming bulky or weighty. Some people have complained about overly-sharp finished edges on these knives. My specimen is fine in that respect.

All-in-all I'd have to say I'm satisfied with my purchase, so far.
 
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evilgreg said:
I have to go into Chicago a lot, so in an effort to stay legal I've piled up a bunch of <2.5" options over the years. I used to just carry whatever, but after having one of my customer's employees get railroaded by Chicago police for having a Leatherman in his backpack I decided to quit taking the unnecessary (and very real, however improbable) risk of running into a cop that wanted an excuse to jam me up.

My most carried are the Spyderco Cat, Olamic Busker, Cold Steel Tuff Lite and recently the Bestech Goblin (the knife that hilariously ended my "don't buy any knives in 2018" New Year's resolution a few days into the year).

I have piles of small Spyderco knives, and the Cat with custom scales added to it is my favorite, though if I was buying another knife that size from Spyderco today I'd have to try the Lil Native, it looks like it would be very nice. My Cat looks like this:

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The Tuff Lite is cheap, plastic, and an absolute beast in use. IMO it soundly spanks all of my small Spydies when it comes to actual use, though it's not the prettiest thing and I always sand off all the rough edges on the plastic handles and break the edges of the spine with a file when I get a new one. These things are a hell of a knife, budget considered or not:

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If you want a gorgeous small knife with a million options and don't mind spending for it, I couldn't recommend the Olamic Busker more. I love mine, and it's a fun knife to fondle. That said, the finger choil at the start of the blade/pivot area of the handle is not nearly so pronounced as on some other knives this size which IMO makes this knife prettier, but I suppose also potentially slightly less safe to use with a full four finger grip. I use mine all the time and have never cut myself, but if you're looking for a deep half-circle index finger choil you won't find it on the Busker. Mine looks like this:

SUpw64a.jpg
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Where did you get the scales for your cat?
 
The Cat is the only knife I've ever had to send back to Spyderco. The lock on mine simply didn't lock.

I was going to suggest the Dragonfly. I have large hands and I can operate mine fine. If you think you might have difficulty with the Cat, maybe something with a longer handle would work for you. The Hogue Microflip comes to mind but the blade is 2.6". And it's just under $130. If you can handle 1/10 inch* over 2.5" and the price, it's worth a look.

*My solution to this is to use a diamond stone and carefully remove 1/10 inch or a bit more from the tip of the blade. But I don't mind messing with my knives to make them work better for me.
 
Besides the other very good suggestions posted above, I would also recommend the Ka-Bar Mini Dozier if you are looking for quality at a really low price. Here is a pic of the Mini Dozier next to the Dragonfly for comparison.

 
Pat K. said:
Where did you get the scales for your cat?
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Steve Ketchen, before he scammed a bunch of folks and disappeared. The Cat scales he did in ivory paper micarta are fantastic, incidentally, he did some great work for me.
 
If you want a cute little extremely pointy inexpensive (bout $25) knife, the Kershaw amplitude 2.5 is worth looking at. I like mine a lot, I call it the prison shank, cuz it just looks like a weapon lol
Edit: the scallion is a better knife I would say but is more expensive
 
uvalaw2005 said:
Greetings all. There've been a few similar threads over the years but I thought it might be worth a more current thread. Though I live in a very knife-friendly state (with a preemption statute), I work in a federal courthouse. So I'm subject to 18 U.S.C § 930 and its prohibition on carrying anything beyond "a pocket knife with a blade of less than 2½ inches in length."

I've got a few in my current line-up: Buck 55, CRKT Squid, Kershaw Scallion, Spyderco Dragonfly.

But I'd love to hear other suggestions. Thanks in advance!
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Dpx HEAT is a pretty cool knife.
 
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