CIVIVI Brazen Knife

I own 9 Civivi knives at this point and while many of them have different features and locking/deployment mechanisms, they're all exceptional. I don't even wanna say they're good value for being under ~$100, when they are honestly just some of the best all-around folding knives you can buy for any money. You can spend more on extravagances, geek out on exotic alloys, what have you. But Civivi is over here making whatever style you please using sensible materials and working them to top-notch fit and finish. Any one of them could be the only knife you ever need, but the quality will have you wanting more than one. I actually own a button lock Brazen as well. I had to have the liner lock specifically for the Damascus. I wish Civivi did this particular damascus pattern more often. You see similar "oil slick" patterns on lots of them but it's mostly in the smooth, high-gloss finish. With this particular knife, the etch into the actual damascus layers is deep enough that you can feel the texture throughout; and then the oil-rubbed finish makes that depth and dimension really pop. That smooth satin glow is phenomenal against the darker, more etched-in pits. It is by far their most beautiful damascus. Absolutely eye-popping light play. It's real damascus, too. Civivi layers, folds, and etches the blade stock from 10Cr15CoMoV and 9Cr18MoV. Neither are super fancy steels, but get quite hard with proper heat treating, and also have great toughness and corrosion resistance. Civivi has a good track record on their heat-treating. Their Nitro-V overperforms for this reason. Instead of exotic steels, they do more common steels really well. What's wonderous is that they manage to make such nice damascus at this price point. IME they hold their edge better than average, and get very, very sharp. The overall build and design of this is mint. The micarta is smooth, soft, and pretty finely sculpted. The overall frame of this thing is very thin, yet sturdy, with nothin really giving or moving for nothin. Shape and weight are very ergonomic for my XL-work-glove-size hands. I also dig the inclusion of a lanyard hole. The button-lock doesn't have that, unless you count the hidden one in the frame. Comparing this flipper to the button lock, the thumb stud is stiffer, but the flick has stronger actuation. This one goes for oomph, while the button lock actuates so light that it feels like nothing. Both come out lickety-split. The thumb lever for closing the knife is one of the easier ones as far as Civivi goes. The thumb stud does well to protect you from closing it on your knuckles - you can easily close this one with one hand. You barely have to press on the release and the blade moves freely. Everything is nice and smooth thanks to the caged ceramic bearing. Again, feels great to open and close with one hand. There really isn't much to say about Civivi action. They always get it right. Same with balance. Almost all of their knives are balanced towards where your index finger grips. They already tend to be light, and this makes them feel even lighter. And then they also open and close smoothly and satisfyingly. If you like the look, just buy the knife. It also happens to be a REALLY nice pocket knife. Almost too premium to put to use!

I ordered this knife after seeing Project Farms YouTube video that showcases this knife along with some other affordable options. I didn't have the highest expectations for it even after the video, but decided it looked like a nice option especially for the price. I was blown away with just how nice it actually is. Zero blade play once locked and very sharp. It flips out very nicely and looks great. I wouldn't say the grip is the most quality thing in the entire world but, it feels nice enough and should hold up to everyday use. I have many knifes including Benchmade and Microtech but honestly, I could see me using this knife more just because of the price point and I don't have to worry about damaging or loosing a several hundred dollar knife. Would highly recommend this knife as an EDC especially if you work a job that you actually use a knife for everyday task. If you loose it or break it, it's not that big of a deal, but it's still a quality feeling knife that you wouldn't want to loose or break on purpose. I'm excited to see how it holds up in the long run.

I bought my Brazen back in 2022, when I was headed to a country with vague knife laws. I didn’t want my Benchmade getting confiscated or lost, so I bought a replacement that I would be OK losing but wouldn’t hate to keep. I expected it to be pretty “meh”, but boy was I wrong. Since then, the knife has seen almost daily use. After 2+ years, the opening is still slick, the blade takes and maintains an edge without much fuss, the grip is nice (even though the scales on mine have worn smooth), the clip is still solid, and the finish on it has held up perfectly. Dimensionally, it’s thin and light enough to disappear into a pocket, but doesn’t feel slight in hand and the 3.5” blade will do whatever you need it to. I’ve used it for everything from cleaning fingernails and removing splinters to stripping large wire and deburring aluminum sheet. Give it the occasional dab of thread locker and clean it up on the stone and it’s good to go. It really is a brilliant knife for the price and I couldn’t be more pleased with it. P.S. Civivi: please make a full tang fixed blade version.

Just recieved it today. Looks mostly good so far. Locks up tight with no blade rock or wiggle. Grinds are even and fit and finish are good. One other review I read mentioned the micarta felt cheap. This is unfortunately true. It's not as dense as other micartas. Very light and cheap feeling. The rest of the knife is good but would have loved to have seen some better micarta. Will update in time if for some reason it doesn't hold up but I think it'll be a decent knife. Just glad the lock works properly. That's the number one issue I've had with liner locks. Time and use will tell about the heat treatment of the blade.

Extra sharp blade, nice finish, snappy opening. Exactly as described. Great EDC knife