The "Mini/Micro" knife discussion

[CanadaKnifeGuy]

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.

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.

PERFECT size for storing in the ol' "prison wallet"

I have a serrated ladybug salt with a small paracord lanyard for full grip and it's an amazingly capable knife.

Heck, I used to just carry a Gerber EAB and that's enough for most tasks... But certainly not all (like eating an apple)

 

[cchu518]

My new favorite mini knife in 2020 is actually an oldie. I've been carrying a Gerber LST a lot. Super useful size and weight!

 

[CanadaKnifeGuy]

I have a Spyderco Bug and it is tiny. Perfect for on a keychain for the odd cut, but stupid small.

The Case Texas Toothpick and the Spyderco Ladybug are the smallest knives I actually use.

I e used the spyderco bug to open those shitty airplane meal plastic wrapper coverings. Wore it around my neck on a quick-release keychain connector.

Recently spent a week saltwater fishing where I carried my Spyderco Dragonfly 2 Salt. It was all the knife I needed.

I'm presuming you didn't catch or fillet any bluefin tuna or marlin, with it.

 

[Triton]

I've had a Christy knife or three since the late 1950's. My dad was an enthusiast of the little slider, and gave both my sister and I one when we were kids. My sister Anne used hers it stop an attempted sexual assault when she was 20. They have a fascinating history with both the U.S. armed forces and certain government agencies. I use mine daily for small cutting jobs like opening packages and cutting twine in the garden.

I'm curious about the Korcraft. Does it use regular X-acto blades?

Where do you buy the Christy knife?

 

[jackknife]

Where do you buy the Christy knife?

Right from Christy. They were always a very small outfit, but now its down to just Hal Christy carrying on the work in a one man machine shop. His dad passed away and they had to sell the large building they had been in for decades in their better days. I just bought another one to keep as a bit of cutlery history, as I don't know of they will be going the way of Schrade and Camillus.

I'd say get one now if only for the history of them. But they are an outstanding little urban pen knife slicer, and the one hand out the front blade that locks in three different lengths is extremely handy. Just google Christy knife company.

 

[Londinium Armoury]

I carry a Spyderco Grasshopper in 12C27 in my 5th pocket, just as a back up, back up knife. It's actually very usable despite being very small.

 

[Planterz]

I think the A.G. Russell 3" carbon fibre lockback just might be my all-time favorite knife. I carried its cousin, the G.Sakai Preppy, for quite a while until I found a second "backup" of the AGR, which I've had in my pocket since I got it. The Preppy is nice, but is noticeably inferior to the AGR. The blade is a tad shorter and the edge is thicker, and of all the Preppys I've bought (4 or 5), all had a tad of bladeplay, while the A.G. Russells are absolutely solid. The titanium ones are nice, of course, but the carbon fibre one is extremely light. All are so thin that they disappear in the pocket (which can be a bad thing if you forget to double check before doing laundry) and unobtrusive that I carry one no matter what, even if it's redundant, because it's so unobtrusive that I can't think of a reason not to carry it. The VG-10 is more than adequate for a knife of this size, and it gets used more than most of my other knives because the thin blade and sheeple-friendly appearance makes it a great knife to use for many EDC tasks.

The 2.5" titanium lockbacks are fantastic too. Even thinner than the 3", rock solid despite its size, and like the 3", packs an impressive blade-to-handle ratio that many larger knives can't match.

 

[jackknife]

I think the A.G. Russell 3" carbon fibre lockback just might be my all-time favorite knife. I carried its cousin, the G.Sakai Preppy, for quite a while until I found a second "backup" of the AGR, which I've had in my pocket since I got it. The Preppy is nice, but is noticeably inferior to the AGR. The blade is a tad shorter and the edge is thicker, and of all the Preppys I've bought (4 or 5), all had a tad of bladeplay, while the A.G. Russells are absolutely solid. The titanium ones are nice, of course, but the carbon fibre one is extremely light. All are so thin that they disappear in the pocket (which can be a bad thing if you forget to double check before doing laundry) and unobtrusive that I carry one no matter what, even if it's redundant, because it's so unobtrusive that I can't think of a reason not to carry it. The VG-10 is more than adequate for a knife of this size, and it gets used more than most of my other knives because the thin blade and sheeple-friendly appearance makes it a great knife to use for many EDC tasks.

The 2.5" titanium lockbacks are fantastic too. Even thinner than the 3", rock solid despite its size, and like the 3", packs an impressive blade-to-handle ratio that many larger knives can't match.

Planterz, great bunch of micro knives!!!

I've always liked the Russell stuff for the predicable high quality of both the product and A.G.'s company and people behind it. I've looked hard at the A.G. Russell pen knife and the small locker both. I love mini knives and they look like they punch well above their weight class. What size are the two locking ones at the bottom?

I find that I can do 99% of my cutting with a 2 inch blade.

 

[Planterz]

Planterz, great bunch of micro knives!!!

I've always liked the Russell stuff for the predicable high quality of both the product and A.G.'s company and people behind it. I've looked hard at the A.G. Russell pen knife and the small locker both. I love mini knives and they look like they punch well above their weight class. What size are the two locking ones at the bottom?

I find that I can do 99% of my cutting with a 2 inch blade.

The 2 at the bottom are AG Russell Ultimate Pen Knives. They are slipjoints. These are the newer Chinese ones (the older Japanese ones were only titanium, although some were also made with overlays). 2" closed. The titanium lockbacks above them are 2.5" closed have 1.78" of cutting edge. I don't know what they were called, although I can tell you the model number is RUS-P6TI.

I cannot recommend the newer Chinese made 3" lockbacks. I picked up a used carbon fibre one off eBay for cheap because I was interested in getting the (rather expensive) damascus one. The quality is nowhere near the same. They're built differently (none of the parts are interchangeable). When I got it I loosened up the screws to retighten them to make sure everything was in working order, and one of the screws sheared off with very minimal torque. The carbon fibre has a texture to it, which would be kinda cool, if the texture was the same on both sides, but it's not (one side is decidedly rougher). The Ultimate Pen Knife in the picture has this same quirk, so I assume they all do. I'd recommend the G.Sakai Preppy (the 2 that flank the AGRs) over the Chinese 3" AGRs, but the once plentiful eBay supply seems to have dried up.

I'd highly recommend tracking down one of the older Japanese made 3" and 2.5" lockbacks. There's 2 big problems with that though: they're quite rare, and there's someone who checks eBay at least a few times a day looking specifically for them as well. It took me over 3 years to find the second carbon fibre one (having the WTB in my sig line had exactly zero results), and just as long to find the titanium ones (2 within 2 weeks though); there were listings that I either missed, had badly messed up knives, or were part of lots with other knives I didn't want to bother with. Who knows though...now that I have 2 of each maybe I'll be nice and let someone else snatch the next ones up.

The Simple 3" Lockbacks are pretty decent for what they are. FRN handled (thicker, but not crazy thick, and contoured), light, and well made. The 8Cr13MoV steel isn't fantastic, but the knives are only $16 or $17, so it's actually pretty decent compared to the steels commonly used on knives priced that cheap. Hollow ground and quite sharp with a needle tip. I wouldn't order one alone (unless they're running a free shipping promo), but if you're already ordering from them it's worth it just to add one or 2 to your order for yourself or to give away.