Spyderco-Byrd Starling

The Starling is the smallest folding knife from Spyderco's child brand Byrd.

The total length of the Starling is 4 3/8 (111 mm) with a blade of 1 15/16'' (49 mm) . Total weight is .65 oz (15 gr). A very small and very light knife.

The blade is made of 8Cr13MoV steel coated in black carbonitride. The blade is sharp from the factory and is easy to resharp, edge retention is quite good unless you decide to use your keychain knife to chop wood. The blade features byrd thumbholes for one hand opening, they work great and even better if you have small hands.

The handles are made of reinforced fibergalss (FRN) and are textured, there is also texturing in the spine and the thumbhole making the grip and the operation of the Starling surprinsingly good for its size.

The lock is a backlock mechanism at the middle of the handle, it is very strong and works really well.

A ballchain threaded thru the lanyard hole is included to attach the knife to a keychain, purse or to use it as a zipper pull. The size and weight makes it a pleasure to carry and the performance is really good making the Starling a very nice keychain knife with a very affordable price.

You can read more or order from Spyderco for about $16.

Buck Summit

The summit is a folding knife with a couple of extra tools created mainly for campers but also useful in urban environments.

The knife is a liner locking folder with a 3'' modified clip point blade, half serrated made of 420H steel. It offers thumbstuds to open and locks in a secure way. We found it good enough for normal cutting jobs with good edge retention and sharp from the factory. The grip is very good due to the shape of the handle with a generous area to rest your fingers, the inlays in the handles make the grip secure and non slippery.

At the back of the knife you will find a very generous lanyard attachment point and two small tools with their own thumbstuds. One is a can opener and bottle opener combo that can also be used to clean nails and minor cutting jobs. The second tool is a screwdriver that can work on both flat and philips screws. Both tools work very nicely and are well built.

The last tool in the Summit is a corkscrew, that in our modest opinion is a little hard to explain combined with a knife. Some other tool would have made more sense, anyway if you need a corkscrew this one works in an acceptable way.

The Summit is a good knife interesting if you go camping or as a multi use tool, it doesn't have a pocket clip and the corkscrew is not very useful, if you can deal with those problems then the rest is really very good.

You can read more from Buck's website or order from BaseGear for $55.

Byrd Meadowlark

The Meadowlark is small folding line produced by Spyderco for its child brand Byrd.

The Meadowlark is 6 7/8'' long overall, the blade measuring 3'' (76mm). The total weight is 4 oz (116gr).

The blade is made of 8Cr13MoV steel, it is very sharp from the factory and cuts very well, sharpening and edge retention are very good for this kind of steel.

The lock mechanism is a backlock the dent in the handle acting as an extra safety feature that makes almost impossible to accidentally release the lock while handling the knife firmly. As tested in other Spyderco/Byrd knives this kind of lock works very well.

The handles are made of steel, they are nice to handle but can get slippery in humid environments or if your hands are greasy, the comet shaped hole is used to open the knife with one hand operation, the hole works well and it is larger than other similar thumbholes.

The Meadowlark has a steel clip to carry the knife either tip up or tip down, the clip is firm but not very hard to clip and unclip the knife, it may have a little play after several months of use but can easily be readjusted.

The Meadowlark is a nice EDC knife without outstanding features but serviceable and very affordable, the excellent lock makes it safe to use and the construction should last many years.

You can read more and order for $28 from Spyderco.

Victorinox Soldier

The Soldier is the original model issued by the Swiss Army, it is a simple multitool with just 4 elements and the handles are made of an aluminium aleation referred as Alox.

The soldier features a blade, can opener with small screwdriver, bottle opener with large screwdriver and wire stripper and finally a reamer/awl.

The blade is excellent, non locking but stronger and thicker than blades in other popular SAK models, it is certainly beyond the category of letter opener and can be used for most common cutting jobs without any problems. Production year is stamped on the blade.

The can opener, bottle opener and screwdrivers are the same as in other SAK models, they are strong and functional and in case of need can be used for prying or scraping jobs without breaking them.

The awl/reamer is probably the most characteristic item in the soldier since it is not common in other models; it is a very pointy and sharp piece of steel that can be used to create holes, punch, scrape, pry little things and other similar jobs. It can be a handy tool since many times we found a pointy/sharp object is needed and we never have one. It can also become useful as a last resort self defense tool.

The handles made of Alox metal are very strong and very stylish, they have a fine knurling job that make the grip excellent and non slippery. The only detail is that there are no toothpick or tweezers in the Alox handles as you can find in the plastic ones. There is no lanyard hole or attachment point so you have to carry it loose in your pocket or in a belt sheath.

The soldier is a classic knife that is stylish and functional, if you just want a stylish pack of basic tools of high quality this is an excellent idea.

You can get it from Amazon for about $25.

Buck Transport

The transport is a keychain folding knife by Buck made in collaboration with Peter Whittaker.

The transport is 2 7/8'' long when closed (7.3cm) and the blade length is 1 1/4'' (3.2cm). The transport locks and unlocks using a button on the side, interestingly the knife is also locked preventing accidental opening.

The transport features a bottle opener incorporated and a lanyard half-hole at the back of the handle. The lanyard hole is generous enough for splitrings, paracord, ballchain and other options. There is no pocket clip.

The handle is made of nylon, is strong and has a good grip but may be a little slippery if your hands are wet or greasy.

The blade is a drop point made of 420J2 steel. It cuts well and it is pointy enough to penetrate cardboard and similar materials, the short blade will make large cutting jobs difficult but for small tasks such as opening boxes, cutting cord and similar tasks works perfectly well.

One thing we liked is that the transport really doesn't look scary at all, you can deploy it and use it at the office, when camping and other public places without scaring anybody. A practical little knife that is accesible and easy to use.

The transport is available in red, pink, gray and blue handles for about $18 from REI. You can also read more at Buck's website.

Kershaw Twocan

The twocan is an interesting combination of a knife and a pair of scissors by Kershaw.

When closed the twocan is just 2-3/4'' long (70 mm) and weights 0.9oz. The material is stainless steel, it has a nice solid carabiner that has good pressure and can be used to clip the tool to a backpack, belt loop, keychain, etc we don't think the carabiner can open by accident so the risk of losing the tool is very low.

After deploying the first blade you have a wharncliff style knife that is 1 1/2'' long, very sharp and pointy from the factory can be used to open boxes, make sharp cuts, remove splinters and many other tasks.

Things get interesting when you deploy a second blade that opposes the first one and has a spring mechanism converting the knife in a pair of scissors. There is no handle so you use the scissors pushing the spring blade with your thumb. The scissors cut excellent because the blades are very sharp and the fit is perfect, they will get a little difficult to use for long cuts because your hand will get in the middle of what you are cutting but for small precision cuts they are great, small rope, fishing line, paper, cardboard are cut without any problems.

The twocan is a great combination of a pocket knife and scissors in a small size and with superb quality construction.

You can get it from Knife Center for $20.

Key Knife

The key knife as it name indicates is a small keychain knife in the shape of a reguler key. The blade of the knife opens from the key and when stored it is hold by friction.

The key size is just a little longer than the regular keys we have here, it can certainly camouflage in a keyring as another key but with just a little inspection you can notice it is not a regular key because the blade can be seen. In other words the blade does not hide completely behind the key.

Opening and using this little knife is easy, it works fine to open boxes, cut paper, envelopes and other minor cutting jobs that are common for a keychain knife.

The grip if you need to cut something a little more resistant is not very good because the key as a handle makes the blade a little fragile and it has some noticeable play in the joint with the key so we wouldn't recommend serious cutting jobs with this little knife.

It is certainly a very interesting tool to have in your keychain in case of need, the only problem is that you may forget you have it.

You can get it for about $24 from Garrettt Wade.

Chris Reeve Small Size Sebenza Classic 2000

Sebenza is among the top names for quality production knives, the Small Sebenza 2000 is a folding knife with a 2 7/8'' blade.

The handles are made of titanium 0.15'' thick. The blade is S30V stainless steel and the spacers and pins are 303 stainless steel.

They are constructed so that a part of the handle bends over when the blade is extended to lock the blade in the open position. This is one of the strongest locking mechanisms of any folder anywhere.

The titanium helps making this knife very light, the total weight is 3 oz, the grip is good with a good place to rest your index finger and protect your hand if you need to use some force when cutting or chopping. The lack of texture might make the grip slippery in some occasions, this is a common problem with titanium handles. The knife comes with a lanyard hole and thumbstuds to assist the opening.

The materials and construction make this a top quality folder and if you are lucky to have one in your hands you will notice it is a real beauty yet very strong and usable. One of the top choices for an EDC knife if you plan to go high-end.

You can get it for $330 from KnifeCenter.

Tool Logic's SL Pro

The SL Pro is a folding knife including a flashlight and an emergency whistle.

The knife has a 3'' blade made of 420J2 Stainless steel with a bead blast finish or a black titanium oxide coating. The blade is 50 percent straight and 50 percent serrated to make it more functional, it cuts well and can be easily opened with one hand using the thumbhole. When opened it locks in place using a framelock mechanism.

The knife handle is made of Zytel plastic and incorporates at the end an emergency signal whistle that is not as strong as ad-hoc emergency whistles but certainly enough to get attention.

The top of the handle has a holder for a LED flashlight, the flashlight is interesting because it can be removed from the knife and there are several options for the opposite end of the flashlight, you can get it with a magnetic rotative swivel, you can get it with a firesteel firestarter, a cuff key and other interesting options. We assume you will be able to buy a sepparate flashlight with a different end and use the one you prefer as a modular system. The version we tested came with the magnetic swivel end that you can use to attach the light to any metallic object and use it as a task light. The tool comes with a pocket clip for pocket carry and a lanyard hole.

Neither the knife, the whistle or the flashlight are the best in each category but they work well and we liked the combination of a knife a light and a whistle in a small folding pocketable knife.

You can read more information and get it for $60 from Tool Logic's website.

CRKT Zilla Tool

The Zilla is a futuristic multi-tool from CRKT. It is a combination of pliers, knife and screwdriver with a clip for pocket carry.

The pliers are spring loaded, one of the handles being released from the body, they have the classic wire cutter in the middle and are shaped like think needle nose pliers. Operation was good but the different sizes in the handles make leverage not as good as in the other more typical multi tools, for small precision jobs the spring loaded mechanism is very good.

The knife is opened using a flipper at the opposite end of the pliers, once opened it locks in place using a liner lock mechanism and the flipper acts as a guard for your finger. The knife was fine for most cutting jobs but it is probably not suitable if you need to use force with it. The grip of the knife was a little ackward since the tool's body is not wide enough.

The screwdriver is an hex bit driver located at the opposite extreme of the pliers, it can take any standard hex bit, the tool has room for 2 bits in its body which is a good thing to have. The driver was by far the best part of this tool with very good torque since the whole body of the tool can be used for leverage, even the pliers handle can be used with some care to take out some rebel screws.

The pocket clip is strong but maybe not long enough and the pliers end will be visible outside of the pocket, the clip can be removed if it doesn't work for you and you prefer to use the included nylon sheath.

The zilla is a nice looking tool with a very good screwdriver, an interesting set of spring loaded pliers and a regular knife, if you use often this 3 tools it can be a good tool for you.

You can read more and order for $40 from CRKT's website.

Benchmade 7 Hook

The 7 hook is a tool designed for emergency situations that can be used for general purposes due to the low profile of the tool and how it can be carried.

It is basically a hook knife with a elongated handle, the handle is covered in black PVC and the tool is made of 440C stainless steel. The hook at the end is very sharp and can be used to cut seatbelts, clothes, nets, cord and rope.

The tool comes with a nylon sheath so it can easily be strapped to a vest or a backpack and be ready to be used when needed, besides the emergency uses we found the tool very practical to cut rope and cord while camping or hiking without the need to use a blade, we didn't test it with seatbelts but there should be no problem at all.

The tool is 4.30'' long and weights 1.6oz. Being made of a single piece of steel there are no weak points that can break and there is no sharp edge besides the hook to avoid cutting yourself in an emergency. Using the tool is simple, the grip is very good with knurling at the top and a good ergonomic handle.

The 7 hook is a very safe emergency tool that can become a low profile general purpose cutting hook in many situations.

You can order for $40 from Benchmade, with a choice of 3 colors for the Sheath.

Surefire Delta Force Knife

The Delta Force is a premium folding knife made by Surefire, the knife is a S30V steel blade with a thick titanium frame, besides the knife the Delta Force has some aditional useful tools that are barely noticeable.

When closed the knife is 4.7 inches long extending to 8 inches when opened, the blade length is 3.37 inches. The total weight of the knife is 4.6 oz.

The frame has some interesting tools the index finger guard is shaped to work as a screwdriver, at the top of the frame near the thumbhole there is a wire cutter/crimper that can cut up to 12 gauge wire. At the back of the handle there is a small fixed blade that can be used as a seatbelt cutter or for cutting cord without opening the knife. The center of the frame provides a 1/2" hex wrench and toothed slot for loosening smaller nuts down to 13/64" size. Finally at the back of the knife there is a window breaker tip made of 440 reinforced steel.

The grip is very good due to the large handle with ample space to rest the index finger and allowing several different grips, the pocket clip is strong and reversible and it is very low profile interfering almost in no way with the grip of the knife. The S30V blade cuts very well and is extremely strong, the titanium frame body is resistant to corrosion even of sea water and virtually indestructible. The lock is a liner lock that works very well and seems to be very safe.

Without a doubt the Delta Force is a premium knife with some very unique features that make it a very recomendable folding knife for EDC, the knife itself is excellent and the extra tools make a very interesting package. It may be a little large for EDC purposes but that varies.

You can read more at Surefire's website. Checking for stock is recommended for this knife.

Buck Hartsook

The Hartsook is a very slim and light fixed-blade knife designed to be used in a necklace or similar.

It is made of S30V premium stainless steel coated by black oxide. The overall length is 4 1/4'' (10.8 cm) and the blade is 1 7/8'' (4.8 cm). The total weight (without sheath) is .5 oz (15gr).

The blade is nicely shaped with thumb grip ridges in the opposite edge in two places. This ridges can be using for scraping and other jobs where the plain edge could be damaged. The shape of the handle is nice to hold and the grip is quite strong, the one piece construction makes the knife very reliable and safe to use.

The neck sheath holds the knife well and is secure enough to wear around your neck without serious danger but as with any sharp object around you being careful is recommended. Being very light and strong the Hartsook is an affordable choice for a fixed neck-carry blade that can be used in a very huge number of activities such as camping, fishing and general cutting jobs.

You can read more about it in Buck's website or order for $23 from KnifeCenter.

Atwood's Mini Son of PryThing

This is a very small tool that can be used as a knife, a pry bar, bottle opener, scraper and nail remover, other uses are possible depending on your imagination.

The MSOPT is about 3 inches long and it's made of S30V steel with a satin finish. As the picture shows the tool is really very small and cute. The blade is sharp and can be used to open boxes, cut wire and other jobs. The bottle opener works perfectly and the front of the tool can be used to pry, scrape, clean and remove nails. The only small detail to remember is not to put your thumb over the blade when you use the bottle opener, unless your thumb is very thick or the blade very dull but the blade comes very sharp from Peter's shop.

The MSOPT comes with a cord handle, either rubber or paracord and it has a hole that can be used for a lanyard. They come with a kydex sheath that is setup for neck carry but can also be used in your keychain, in your backpack or dropped inside one of your pockets.

The blade being sharp means you need to store your MSOPT in the kydex sheath to carry it and while the tool is really small it is not so small with the sheath so it may be a little bulky for your keychain.

In short words this is a very very nice and useful little tool that is not only beautiful and cute but also very strong and does many things very well.

You can read more and order for $80 from Peter Atwood's website.

Spyderco Spin

The spin is a very small keychain/EDC knife by Spyderco it measures 2 7/16'' (63mm) when closed and it has a 5/8'' (41mm) blade, the total length when opened being 4 1/8'' (105 mm). The total weight is 1.35oz (38gr).

The blade is VG-10 steel with a wharncliff profile maximizing cutting surface for its size. The slightly rounded tip is good for precision cutting and can even work to clean small places or fingernails.

The handle is stainless steel with a laser engraved spider web, grip is good due to the very ergonomic shape of the handle your fingers will be safe from the blade even if you have to put some pressure in the knife. The lock is called an Integral Lock. This is basically a Liner Lock with a twist created by Chris Reeve it uses the the handle scale as the lock’s liner in this way the back of the handle is used as the lock removing the need for internal liners and making the knife very very slim.

The Spin comes with a stainless steel pocket clip that is used to clip the knife tip-down to your pockets and can also work as a money clip if you prefer to use it in that way. There is also a lanyard hole for a wrist lanyard or neck carrying.

A very small knife with an excelent design, solid construction and a surprising ability to cut the spin is a great little knife with a low profile that won't scare anyone. It can look like a stylish accesory or money clip and be used as a serious cutting tool when needed.

You can read more or order for $80 from Spyderco's website.

Boker Trance

The Trance is a folder designed by Chad Los Banos for Boker USA following the succesful line of the Subcom and Rescom folders. The Trance is the big brother in the Los Banos family with a 2.75in blade and a total length of 6.25 inches. The total weight is 3.2 ounces.

The trance follows the Subcom design with a handle that is half zytel and half steel the zytel has a good texture and helps the grip, the half-steel is slippery but I don't think the grip is a problem even when only half of the handle is textured.

To open it the Trance has round metal thumbstuds and a flipper, you can use either the thumbstuds or the flipper to assist the opening. The flipper when opened offers a surface where your index finger can rest and be protected from the blade if you need to push hard on the knife. It's particularly easy to open the knife in a wrist-flick movement using the flipper and closing it is a smooth movement. Users that are familiar with the thumbstuds can of course just ignore the flipper.

The blade made of AUS8 steel is very sharp from the factory and sustains the edge very well after most normal cutting jobs. Sharpening is not a problem with this type of steel.

The lock is a framelock mechanism that holds very well and can be operated with one hand if needed. The Trance has a pocket clip that can be moved for tip-up or tip-down carry, the clip is very strong and long enough to avoid losing the knife but as in the subcom model clipping it to a pocket can be a little harder due to the tension of the clip.

Summarizing the Trance is a very nicely designed folder small enough to be an EDC knife and big enough to perform excellent in typical cutting jobs, the construction is very solid and everything works as expected a great option for its price range.

You can get the Trance from EDCdepot for $30.

Spyderco-Byrd Crow

The Crow is a small pocket knife by Byrd a branch of spyderco knives. The knife is 6 5/8'' long (168mm) and has a 2 13/16'' blade (71mm) so it is safe under most regional regulations to carry (check yours). When closed the knife is 3 7/8'' (98mm). It weights 3.5oz (100g).

The blade is made of 8CR13MoV steel, strong enough for most cutting jobs without being a premium material making the knife less expensive. The handles are made of anodized aluminium. The locking mechanism is a liner lock that seemed to be quite stable in our tests.

To assist one handed operation the Crow has a generous thumbhole that makes opening and closing the knife with one hand a simple operation. The pattern in the handle has a nice pattern that makes the grip quite solid.

The shape of the knife and the blade are quite good with a small curve to rest the index finger behind the blade that helps with tighter grips if needed. While the Crow won't be impossible to break it really seems to be solid enough to be used as an EDC knife going thru normal cutting jobs without a problem. The price makes this a very interesting product.

You can read more and order from Spyderco for $28.

Atwood's Imp

The Imp is a very nice small knife by Peter Atwood, the total length of the knife is 3 1/8'' inches and it is made of 3V steel.

The knife is 5/32'' thick and has a chisel style blade. The handle, in this case, is plain steel wrapped in paracord. The end of the knife is shaped to be used as a screwdriver tip which is a very nice detail.

The steel used holds the edge in an excellent way, the shape of the blade and the knife in general is very confortable to use and very practical to cut, as a knife made from one solid piece of steel it will be completely unbreakable and very reliable for the most demanding cutting jobs. The cord handle offers a good grip and the crenelations opposite the blade help a lot and add a nice detail.

The Imp comes with a kydex sheath and beaded chain, so it is probably designed to be a neck-carry knife, if you prefer to carry it in your pocket a mini teklok belt clip is available for an extra $5.

A very good looking and serviceable knife that is probably among the best we have seen for neck carry, maybe a little bulky for some people to carry in a neckchain.

You can read more or order for $95 from Peter Atwood's website.

Strider PT

The Strider PT is the smallest folding knife in the Strider family. Regarded by many knife experts as the Ferraris of knives Striders are with or without fanatism among the best knife manufacturing companies and deserve their position.

The PT is a 3 ¼” blade with a Titanium frame and checkered G10 scales, the blade is S30v stainless steel with Strider's trademarked special coating featuring the tiger stripes.

The lock is a framelock and is probably one of the best framelocks ever built the integral locking tab has the cutout on the outside rather than on the inside so that the stress against the lock is transmitted straight thru the tab without the cutout becoming a point for the lock to bend out of engagement with the back of the blade.

The G10 scales offer a very nice grip not slippery at all without being rough on your hands, if you ask me it is more on the rough side than the slippery side and that works for me. The thumbstuds are well placed and proportional for a confortable opening and closing action. The pocket clip is strong and long enough for pocket carry or straps.

From the factory the PT is very sharp, the edge holds very well to most normal cutting jobs and it is very easy to sharpen when it gets dull.

The PT is as strong as a knife can be with a titanium frame and an S30V blade it is probably indestructible, the lock is completely reliable and without a doubt you can use this little knife for very serious cutting. The knife is indeed expensive but considering the building process that has a lot of custom hand made parts and the final quality we can ensure you are paying from what you get. It is up to a matter of taste about the design if this is the ultimate pocket folder for you or not.

You can order for $300 from TAD Gear.

The Guppie

The Guppie is a futuristic multi-tool combining a knife, screwdriver, wrench, carabiner and flashlight.

The wrench can open up to 1/2'' using an endless screw, it has a good grip and will work well as long as the bolt is not inside a narrow place since the tool is quite wide.

The carbon knife has a thumbhole for one hand opening, it is very sharp out from the box and will be fine for most cutting jobs. The screwdriver has a bit holder with 4 different bits, it has very good torque. The bit holder is attached to the Guppie via magnets and is removable and also holds a LED flashlight, not very bright but can be helpful to find something inside a backpack or help you find a keyhole. At the other side we have a stainless steel pocket clip that can be used as a money clip if you want. The carabiner clip can be used to attach the Guppie to a belt loop, backpack strap or a d-ring, it looks strong but is, of-course, unsuitable for climbing. After opening the carabiner the end can be used as a bottle opener.

The Guppie is a handy multi-tool with an interesting look and good carrying options including both a pocket clip and a carabiner. If you frequently use either a wrench or a screwdriver combined with a knife the Guppie is a nice combo to have. As many other novelty multitools the final evaluation is very subjective.

You can order and read more about it in CRKT's website.