Really impressed with the vosteed raccoon! Cheers!

Also first knife with ball bearing pivot. Gotta say, I’m pretty impressed so far!

Civivi Praxis, modded with KrBcustom sprinkle scales.

Not sponsored. I just really love the Sparrow!

The Kizer Sparrow is on sale until 11:59PM 5/2 (EDT)! Down to $39.50 or $31.60, depending on the version, from its normal price of $79. I love this model, and I really hope it can sell enough to keep from being discontinued!

Ergonomics

The Penguin's handle (length 4.00", thickness 0.46") is mostly flat and straight and features + flares toward either end to keep the hand from sliding off. Every corner is nicely rounded, the back subtly curved, and the left scale indented at the index finger for easier access to the thumb stud and the liner lock. The minimally shaped handle doesn't provide the securest grip, but it is darn easy to simply grab in whatever manner you need: since it doesn't direct your hand at all, you can easily transition between a hammer grip, pinch grip, index-over-the-tip grip, etc. without a second thought. My M/L hands find this handle comfortable and versatile, but larger hands will probably be cramped.

There is an inch of unaggressive jimping at the base of the blade, and the rounded tip accommodates the index finger nicely for precise draw cuts. The spine has its corners nicely knocked down. The clip sits really flush with the handle and hasn't been noticeable at all regardless of grip. It can be mounted for left-handed use! If you like soft, smooth micarta, you'll enjoy both the linen and denim variants!

The Sparrow's handle (length 3.976", thickness 0.56") is contoured and much more shapely. The micarta scales swell convex in the back and bow concave in the front. The convex back fills out the hand nicely while the concave front seats the fingertips comfortably. The front of the handle features a long scoop for the index and middle fingers and a long, shallow slope for the ring and pinky fingers, and in the middle is a little hump. In practice, the fingers sit mostly level with each other: the index and middle fingers sit up near the end of the scoop, and the ring and pinky fingers sit midway down their slope, around the same elevation as the former two fingers. The back of the handle features a subtle curve.

Between the contouring and the scoop, slope, hump, and curve, the handle provides an extremely comfortable grip that's level and secure. This extra shaping does mean switching grips will require some repositioning, but the handle's not so shapely as to make this impossible, and for my M/L hands, there's easily enough room in the scoop and slope to shift my fingers around. The shaping and contouring lend the knife great presence even with gloves on.

There is no jimping on the Sparrow's spine, but it does have its corners rounded off. The clip is not reversible for lefties. The clip sits a bit proud, but in every grip position, I've found my palm hovering over the clip and not really feeling any hotspots. If you prefer your micarta to have a distinct burlap texture, you'll enjoy these scales! My only complaint is that the very top of the lockbar is a tad sharp—it's sharp enough to be uncomfortable if you thumb it hard but certainly not enough to cause injury.

Action and Lock

Both are smooth. Both are shake-shut and have gotten smoother over time! Strong detents! Below are videos of the action early into the knives' lives:

• Penguin (bronze + Teflon washers + Boeshield T-9 lube): https://i.imgur.com/OcoweIS
• Sparrow (ceramic ball bearings + factory lubrication): https://i.imgur.com/KACk4zy

Both lock up nice and early, though the Sparrow was much more secure from the factory. Both of my Penguins started off engaging maybe a quarter of the liner under the tang if I was lucky on a hard flick, but after reassembly and breaking in, my user Penguin readily engages four-fifth of the liner even when opened gently: https://i.imgur.com/Pmwtpr0. The Sparrow started off about the same as the broken-in Penguin and after breaking in fully engages the liner. Both feel fairly secure in use, especially after breaking in, and neither gives me any cause for concern especially since they're light-duty knives.

Both showed a miniscule amount of lock stick when new, but neither now exhibits stick.

Factory Edges and Blade Shape Considerations

• User Penguin (blade 3.125", edge 2.875", thickness 0.12", flat grind height ~0.625"): a bit uneven. The bevel wavered along the length of the blade, and the edge angle was inconsistent. Also, it was quite dull. The silver lining is that the tip, which is arguably the most important bit, came with a nice, shallow grind! You can just about see it reflecting light differently than the rest of the blade in this picture: [after sharpening to correct the factory edge] https://i.imgur.com/ypLeUyU
• Safe queen Penguin: an even and sharp edge from the factory.
• Sparrow (blade 3", edge 2.75", thickness 0.12", flat grind height ~0.5625"): perfect edge from the factory!

Between the straight sheepsfoot of the Penguin and the curved sheepsfoot of the Sparrow, two knives have been covering all my knife needs. The Penguin's tip has been very powerful in draw cuts (boxes, paper, leather, etc.), and the rest of the blade has been good for most other cutting tasks except cutting down onto a flat surface. This is where the Sparrow comes in! Its belly can cut down to a flat surface anywhere from the end of the blade to the middle of the blade which is the point the flipper tab starts interfering.

Thanks for reading!

Full album: https://imgur.com/a/dWAaBzY

Hello budget knife community, I was looking to see if anyone had experience with aftermarket clips for the QSP variant. I bought the titanium model and would love to add a ti pocket clip. I wrongly bought the Civivi titanium clip thinking it would fit. My other guess would possibly be the Kizer titanium clips. Anyone have any experience in this? Thanks in advance!

Prefer the stainless Ekko. The buttons on the KC exclusives are mushy.

Totally get the hype now

So im in the market for a cheap small pocket knife. Nothing too fancy. Although blade needs to be around 5-7cm as knife carrying is a legal grey area where i live.

Ive stumbeled upon the gerber paraframe mini. Ive heard many bad reviews of the regular paraframe. Does anyone have experience with this knife? Otherwise it seems like it fits all my criteria. Also does anyone know what steel they use? Havent been able to find any exact specifications of steel.

I’ve been looking for a knife recently and I really like the look of something like the crkt ceo but I’ve read that it isn’t very good quality. Anything similar that’s decent quality? I’m hoping to get something around $100 usd.

CRKT Hootenanny and Opinel no. 6 sub $50.

Both feel great but the Opinel is a pleasant surprise.

Bought to give as a gift but liked it too much

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https://preview.redd.it/57bvvb2s69xc1.jpg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fe2f60a551187999ff3455f123bddc95ac68ac09

Really digging the design but not enough to throw 1000 dollars on it

Only TwoSun can make a knife this week and keep it under $80. Crazy value.

Lightning Fireball, Civivi Elementum, and Spyderco ManBug. The ManBug gets the most use by far