The "Mini/Micro" knife discussion

cchu518

cchu518

Joined
Mar 6, 2013
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Hey folks, I just wanted to see if there were any folks edc'ing a micro/mini knife?

I just ordered a Two Sun TS 41 it's a ti framelock mic with M390 steel. The whole package is about 2 and 3/4 inches closed.

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It's going to be several weeks before I get it, but I've been interested in having a nice compact modern one handed opening edc on my person ever since I moved into my new house.

A buddy of mine just got into knickn and i ended gifting him a mini copperlock, grip, delica and a native.

This made me short on modern knives but i was lucky enough to trade for a BM 940. I still have a spare native as that is my favorite full size edc but I was interested in trying something new. The Two Sun mini will be my only flipper and m390 steel blade and im thinking about adding a Spyderco Panchenko dog tag for home use as well.

Normally I edc traditionals, usually a Cadet, mini trapper and a mnandi on occasion. Are there any folks out there who edc a micro knife and what are your experiences?

Do they work well enough 80% of the time you need a knife? That's kinda my benchmark.
 
My Stainless Gordo. 5.25" oal with a 2" blade.

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The wife's. Same knife only blue bone scales instead of elk.

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We both edc these knives and find em very handy. Whether in the shop or on the ranch. Carry em horizontal crossdraw. Ya can see mine above my left front pocket. I'm standing by with the branding iron till Salty is done cutting this little guy.

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The wife's.

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I make this knife in Damascus as well:

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We must not be the only ones that think they are handy. I sure sell a bunch of em.
 
cchu518 said:
I just wanted to see if there were any folks edc'ing a micro/mini knife?
Click to expand...
THAT's not a micro / mini knife.
THESE are micro / mini knives !
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Discounting the one at about 6:30 ( a swiveling frisket knife), the two slip joints because they are not easily one hand opening . . . that leaves us with the upper left quadrant which are both one hand opening. Of those two I EDC everyday the one at 9:00. It is hair whittling sharp and I use it exclusively to slit my skin open to remove wood and metal splinters .

I often say many / most people mostly need the little box knife shown above. Being a knife knut my main EDC tends to be on the order of 3.5 to 4 inches like the full flat ground Ti Lite in the photo below with the blue handled SAK but then I cut up a lot of stuff the average person does not.
I'm just lucky I guess.

That said I have a Ladybug in ZDP-189 in my pocket now and have carried it everyday since I bought it six months ago. I don't use it much but I really, really, like the knife.

When it comes to this blade length and up to two inches of blade or so I still prefer a full size handle (think Ti Lite IV which is one of my very favorite handles). Speaking of that devilish thing here is my full flat ground Ti Lite IV with about a two inch blade. Now THAT is one seriously useful work knife ! ! !
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Yes . . . with me . . . most everything boils down to ergonomics and how well it works in use.
It is hard for me to relax and just enjoy a quarter inch thick bladed two inch long knife because it is cool.

Really though for a blade to be even shorter (barring box knives for a moment) the really short blades need to be really skinny as well like the blades in this Mini Champ SAK because they cut circles and curves and chamfer the edges of holes so well which is just why I EDC this Mini Champ everyday and have for more than five years. Oh and it has a light and a ball point pen in it . . . scissors . . . nail file . . . ruler . . .
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That is a cool little knife you have coming and with some of my very favorite steel.
Post more photos when you get it.
 
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This is a pretty common setup for me to carry. The Ladybug always lives with the keys and the Dragonfly comes with me when I want a REAL low profile EDC. I'm not sure if I would trust a flipper this small because I am a big dude and that might be pushing it a bit
 
Really nice ...dare I say curated selection of compact knives wowbagger!

Not a one hander but here'sy Buck Solo which I really enjoy!
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I picked up this adorable Rike Hummingbird for my wife a little while back, it handles everything she needs it to on a daily basis. I've got a bunch of tiny knives, I'll get some pics up tomorrow on my day off :).

~Chip
 
Horsewright said:
We both edc these knives and find em very handy. Whether in the shop or on the ranch. Carry em horizontal crossdraw. Ya can see mine above my left front pocket. I'm standing by with the branding iron till Salty is done cutting this little guy.

IdRRmKx.jpg



We must not be the only ones that think they are handy. I sure sell a bunch of em.
Click to expand...

Note to self...Always be nice to Salty. ;)
 
Around the house, in my robe or pajamas, I'm never without my Gerber LST ultralight in my pocket. :thumbsup: Lockback, half-stop, good 420HC which takes an excellent edge, weighs next to nothing and handles all those "little" things I use a knife for in the house (outside of the kitchen). :cool:
 
WValtakis said:
Screenshot_20181008-0620492.png

I picked up this adorable Rike Hummingbird for my wife a little while back, it handles everything she needs it to on a daily basis. I've got a bunch of tiny knives, I'll get some pics up tomorrow on my day off :).

~Chip
Click to expand...

I really debated this one in my head but wanted to try out a knife with M390!

Here's one that I haven't tried yet a mini Kabar Dozier lock back, 2.5" blade at a whopping 1.1 oz! Borrowed photo from the interwebz.

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I missed the one hand opening criteria. My bad.

My buddy at work carries a Kershaw Chive and we have this discussion from time to time. I think 90% of the answer to your question about it being enough for 80% of your needs comes down to aesthetics. I gave my buddy a Micra and he carried it for a while, then tried a Dime for a while then went back to his Chive. He admitted the mini tools were more useful but he simply loves the design of the Chive so he's happy to walk for tools if he needs one.

That is, carry what you love and don't worry about utility.
 
This is totally about aesthetics and preferences hence the fun of utilitarian knives! Which is why I don't carry Opinels anymore there are just far too many interesting knives out there for me.

One handers isn't a hard req. in truth my normal daily users are all slipjoints. But my latest edc rotation has me interested in one handers that are quick and convenient, easy to carry around the house and potentially a knife that I havent tried out yet. So I wanted to see what folks carried in this category as there already a ton of threads on honkin big knives which I also love but don't usually have a need for.

Btw I did find the Micra a compact package and kinda an easy do it all, but I found that I didn't need the scissor ...or wanted to use it most of the time which then made the Alox Cadet a much better choice for me
 
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My buddy really loves the design of the Chive. He comments frequently about the ease of the flipper, the slide lock to prevent pocket deployments and blade shape.

EDITED TO ADD: My favorite in this size range is the older Schrade 5OT Bruin. The Buck 501 or 503 are similar somewhat. None are modern so won't tick that box for you.
 
My knives have gotten smaller, but I don't care for micro sized knives. I will use the Vic Classic as an example of the micro size I'm referring to. The Case Peanut at a little under 3" closed is one I have been carrying as mostly a "3rd knife" with my 111mm SAK being the primary user and a Boker Urban Trapper or Steel Will Mini Cutjack as the modern. But I tend to grab the Vic SAK most of the time first.

I would definitely say that I prefer what some companies call "Mini's". I don't know if I would call the Spydero Native 5 a full sized knife as it falls about into the "mini grouping". Examples are the Benchmade Mini Presidio II (manual knife) which I like a lot and the Steel Will Mini Cutjack is another that I had been carrying since last October until I thought I'd give the Boker Urban Trapper a try. I can pretty much do 100% of my day to day cutting with these knives, but will carry a fixed blade in the woods wandering around or hiking (+a folder).

I think if a company dubs a model a "mini" then they have a larger version. The Lionsteel regular and small Opera is an example.
 
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