Civivi Elementum Knife

I'd never heard of the Civivi brand. I assumed it was another one of those generic cheap Chinese brands that just sells the leftovers from factory runs, something like that. Now, there are tons of knife snobs out there who'll probably laugh at me for saying it, but this knife is actually pretty good. And it turns out, the guys who make it seem to actually care about making good knives.The steel itself feels sold, not to brittle, not mushy. It's been holding an edge nicely. Of course, one doesn't judge a knife by the factory edge, that's like judging a TV based on what the picture looked like at Costco—as in, it doesn't at all represent what you're going to get when you use it for real. The only thing the factory edge tells you is that it can *take* an edge, which, well, that's probably most knives you're going to run into.The handle is simple, solid, and comfortable. The blade shape is new to me, I've never owned this style of blade, but is comfortable to use when actually knifing things with a knife that need to be knifed. It's easy to maneuver usefully. Opening and closure is easy and straightforward, no struggling with it at all.The Elementum feels maybe a little heavier than it ought to. I suspect that's a sign of the thickness of the blade, but again, I'm no expert. It's comfortable enough to keep on hand normally, in a purse or even an actual pocket. This is the size of knife that, if you're a chick, you can easily carry if you have one of those "Thanks! It has POCKETS!" garments. As in, you don't need anything huge, just bigger than the average women's pocket.If you carry a purse (or a man bag or whatever, I just call mine a purse) it plops right in there and I'm perfectly happy just letting it swim around in the bottom of the bag. They do give you a simple, kinda cheap-feeling zip up nylon case for it, if you're worried about sand or random junk in the bottom of your bag.Overall, the whole thing feels like—despite not being a big brand—something made with care and attention to detail, using surprisingly decent material. I would gladly buy another Civivi, even though I'd literally never heard of these dudes before I looked them up.

I've had a lower-end Leatherman multitool for about 25 years. I used it as a utility knife and didn't give it a second thought. Recently, I fell into the EDC / pocket knife rabbit hole and discovered that I really needed a folding knife: something that could serve as both an occasional cutting tool and a fun fidgeting toy. Countless reviews by YouTube personas such as Nick Shabazz, Metal Complex, and the Knife Beater helped me to narrow down to a handful of choices. I went with the Elementum because it seemed like the safest choice: for the materials, reputation for good build quality and action, general purpose drop point blade shape (I was interested in sheepsfoot too, but that is more specialized). I think this could be a good one-knife collection for someone on a budget, if it's possible to show some restraint. I also like Elementum because it avoids "the appearance of a weapon", at least that's my impression. I can imagine a general audience becoming anxious if they see you with a much more aggressive looking knife, even if it has the exact same function. I also wanted a blade under 3" to make the knife compatible more with state laws.The knife has fulfilled my expectations and lived up to the hype. The action was stiff at first, to the point where I couldn't easily flip it all the way open using the flipper tab or flick it closed after unlocking the blade. But after fidgeting around with it for a while, it has loosened up quite a bit and I have no complaints. Overall, the knife feels very high quality: the handle is comfortable and grippy, the liner lock feels good to disengage, and the blade feels sturdy when it is locked. There is enough of a choil to choke up and not cut myself, and the jimping on the back of the blade helps in this mode. The profile, grind, and finish of the blade are visually appealing, and the blade has had no problems with the small cutting tasks I have been using it for.The only caveat for the Elementum that I can think of is the price - at around $50 when I purchased it, it's a little expensive compared to competitors. I like the flipper tab, but if I got something else I would try another deployment mechanism like a thumb stud or thumb hole for a different fidgeting experience.

This blade came highly recommended after I'd done my research on the web. Watch the video that l comes with the rest of the ad about this knife on Amazon. What you're seeing in that video is the knife that you're going to get. It's a nice little knife and for everyday carry, it's more than adequate. There are certain aspects of the design of course that the average person is going to say are not quite what we need but not in this price category. It's worth what they're charging. It seems smaller than the knife we're seeing online, and it's not quite as solid maybe than what we'd like to have. But the blade itself is super Sharp, it's well engineered, and for what I paid it's actually in my book worth more than what they're charging. Yes I will probably end up replacing it for everyday carry. But then it will go into my collection to stay forever. You can't argue with a well-made blade and that's what this is. When you get it you're going to find out real fast then it's razor sharp and crafted from quality steel. They put a lot of into this knife when it comes to utility. Just remember it's going to hold that edge on the blade for a long time. And for everyday carry, we all know that a good blade just needs a nice sharpening once a while. So make your purchase of this very well engineered knife. I'll tell you one thing ... you won't regret it.