Tiny fixed-blades: Sicut Mark III Leilira, or Mintan models

R

Return of the J.D.

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After a browse through Alloway's Desert Survival Skills, it occurred to me to look into the availability of one of the knives he mentions there: the Sicut Mark III, also called the "Leilira". This is a tiny fixed-blade knife, maybe of a size to fit into an Altoids tin. It's double-edged, with the blade bevels on one side, to allow for easier scraping and sharpening. It's got a large thumb-hole, for control, and is basically a single piece of steel. Really minimalist, supposedly inspired by a sharp stone flake carried by the Aborigines in their headbands and used as a knife.

Googling this, I find a more-recent model called a "Mintan", which is a little more traditionally knife-shaped; it has more of a single edge (apparently the law in some areas had issues with the Leilira's dagger-like configuration), though that edge is shaped kind of like a narrow tanto point, presumably to incorporate two different edge configurations.

I'm intrigued by the idea--tiny fixed-blade knife, the idea being to use its tiny size to let it be part of one's routine carry in situations in which a larger knife wouldn't be happening. ToolLogic's little credit-card-kit blades are kind of along the same lines, though I'd be interested in trying out something a little thicker and more-robust.

1. Any idea where/how the Sicut models might be obtained in the U.S.?

2. Any knives of similar nature that ought to be considered for such an application--tiny little fixed-blades, for general-purpose survival use?

Thanks!
 
The Anza model TW is only 4" long, which is roughly the size of the knives that you mentioned. I love the one that I have. It's a tough little knife, but its diminutive size limits its utility.

I know that you're asking about fixed blades, but have you considered a folder? Your question appears to suggest that you're looking for a knife that can be stored in a very small space. A good, dependable folding knife may suit your needs.
 
have you looked at a buck hartsook?
B860BK.jpg


S30v, 4" oal.
 
for the price 10.00 without a sheath the ag russell woodswalker would be hard to beat I own 2 I had 3 but gave one to my brother it has about a 2 and 1/4 inch blade single edge but scalpel sharp it's a handy knife a good whittler and a dandy skinner..
 
RescueRiley said:
for the price 10.00 without a sheath the ag russell woodswalker would be hard to beat I own 2 I had 3 but gave one to my brother it has about a 2 and 1/4 inch blade single edge but scalpel sharp it's a handy knife a good whittler and a dandy skinner..
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that is a great point.....:thumbup: the WW is a great little knife.... i have one of scott tanguay's modded WW's....
 
There are Wenger and ToolLogic "survival card" multi tools with kinda neat knife blades in them. And a few other useful tools all in a very compact package. I've thought the knives alone would make really neat neck/keychain knives if someone were to craft a decent sheath.

Kabar just released the TDI Last Ditch. Kind of a smaller more minimalist version of their TDI series.

You can also easily DIY a small knife from an existing one like this very nifty Victorinox conversion.
 
I have a one of these - http://www.randallkingknives.com/Snitch.htm - that I bought here on the forums. In the sheath it's slightly longer than an Altoids tin but being so slim you could easily use a ranger band, velcro or double faced tape to secure the kydex sheath to the outside to the tin (I've been thinking about drilling a tin so the sheath can be mounted using screws but then it's less water tight...). It's a 2 finger knife but with a loop of paracord you get a pretty good grip. When using it I can slip the loop over my last 2 fingers & let the knife dangle until needed, very handy and very small. :thumbup:
 
I've got a Sicut Leilira. They're not a bad little knife. They were issued to Australian SAS troops in their survival kits until the law changed which made it harder to get "daggers" into Australia. (Daggers are still legal here but you have to get an import permit before bringing one into the country.) After the changes the SAS opted for a small folder rather than the Mintan for their survival kits.
You can buy both of these knives from http://www.knivesaustralia.com.au/knives.html#SICUT
 
please , allow me to set you straight on the sicut leilira and mintan > DO NOT BOTHER YOU WILL REGRET IT . these are soft steel , hard to sharpen , made in pakistan, chisel ground POS , designed by a guy who hates forumites as a principle ! the grinding on these is also crap .
 
I agree with Fonly on the Buck Hartsook. It just needs a thinner sheath to make a good knife for a tin. I like Atwoods a lot too.

I add single-edged razor blades to all my kits. I tape two razor blades together with clear shipping tape. If you were using a tin, you could just tape them inside. Scaple blades or Exacto knife blades could be added the same way-- I have a couple taped to the slipcover sheath on a Bucklite mini tool. A simple box-cutter would make a instant mini knife that would fit in a tin. The Olfa touch knives would be perfect:
olfablades_1938_3193903



The mini Superknife would work too:
mini_superkinfe.jpg



The folder that came to mind while reading the opening post was the Boker Subcom. It is very thin and you could take the pocket clip off to use in a tin. The Boker Trance is about 3-3/4" folded and the flat design again would make a great knife for a tin-based kit. SAK Classics are a natural for mini kits too.
 
Scott Gossman makes a PSK that is a blade only knife, and pretty small. I recently modded mine to add scales. There are pics around.

Scott makes great stuff.
 
Thanks for the input so far; more is welcome!

Just from the look, and a little thinking about how they'd likely be used, I think the Randall King Snitch and the Buck Hartsook look particularly promising. General shape of the Sicut Mintan looks like it'd get cutting force where you wanted it, too, though I'm grateful for Sirgalant's warning about the steel and grind.

I've used a ToolLogic, and I find the whole setup really clever, with great potential usefulness for its niche. The steel quality is disappointingly soft, and the blades that come in fully-serrated configuration look like they'd be hard to keep sharp if you're relying on just the rocks you can find.

Ka-Bar I respect highly, but I would imagine the TDI handle configuration might be pretty limiting when you're not using it as a kerambit. Say, if you wanted to scrape a hide or something.

Actually, this niche would be an interesting one to explore for those who like drastically reconfiguring decent kitchen knives, like the Ontario Old Hickory variety (1095 steel!)

I'm also interested in some of the smaller neck-knives out there--anyone have any opinions about Benchmade's and CRKT's offerings in that genre?

Any more thoughts, examples, etc.? Keep 'em coming!
 
Woods walker, I have one in my psk all the timegreat tiny little inexpensive knife you can't pry or batton with it but as a cutter it's perfect
 
RescueRiley said:
Woods walker, I have one in my psk all the timegreat tiny little inexpensive knife you can't pry or batton with it but as a cutter it's perfect
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I would agree on this or the ones that deovolens picked as minimal knives. I'll throw the Becker Necker in the same class as a short "real" knife. The Victorinox stainless serrated paring knife makes a super lightweight cutter that is cheap enough to be included in any survival kit.

I think what Return of the J.D. had in mind is a modern equivalent of a stone flake. I came on the same idea years ago while watching a documentary on an aboriginal group somewhere in a jungle setting. The women were using single-edged razor blades for all kinds of work. That is why I started putting them in all my kits. They fill the same role as stone flakes used for all kinds of day-to-day cutting tasks. I do think Return of the J.D. was looking for cutting tools a little more robust than razor blades. The small Atwood knives probably come the closest to a quality tool in the same idea as the small knives he gaves as examples.

For everything we're gone over here, I think the Buck Hartsook takes the prize for size/steel quality/cost. Take a look at the photos in this thread: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=456643&highlight=hartsook .

The point we need to cover is: what would such a knife be used for in a survival situation?

  1. General purpose: small repairs to clothing, cutting line, etc
  2. Food prep (peeling, slicing)
  3. Cleaning small game
  4. Shaving tinder
  5. Firesteel striker

For all the time, trouble, expense, weight and size, I think a couple razor blades or box cutter make more sense in a small kit like an Altoids tin. Once you break away from the Altoids-sized stuff (which I reject as too limiting), you can start getting to more useful knives like an SAK, other small folders, or the smaller neck knives--- with dozens of good possibilities in production and semi-custom models.
 
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