Good to hear. I like it so much I own 3 different variations of the Elementum. The shape and design of the blade makes it a great all-around utility knife. From your basic box opener and strap cutter to food prep (cleaning before and after, of course). The neutral design makes it a lot less intimidating to others if they ask to borrow it.

What sort of budget do you have? $50 $200 $600? I tend to live in the budget world when it comes to pocket knives and would recommend something like the Civivi Elementum II which has great utility, is not aggressive looking, and provides a ton of value for the money.

It is very easy to get overwhelmed with choices. I would say pick something from a reputable reseller, with a decent return policy, and pick something that your partner likes the look of. If you have the budget, buy a couple different ones to get a feel for what is and is not good in-hand and in-pocket.

A button lock knife is very popular. Many are well under $100. I’d recommend the CJRB Pyrite Alt for a blade shape more similar to a razor. if you want even smaller the Mini Pyrite Alt is a great 5th pocket carry. https://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_store.html?steel=AR-RPM9&style=Wharncliffe&usrsearch=pyrite&sortType=priceAs

KnifeCenter is sold out as well.

Somewhat related: did you ever end up buying the Kershaw Heist?

FYI: BladeHQ appears to have sold out (edited the post to reflect the change)

Ah! that’s right, the steel is different between the two. Thanks for the reminder!

3V steel in a fixed blade is, hands down, my favorite steel. You can beat the heck out of it all day long and it comes back for more. Just wonderful stuff.

I’ve always wanted a Bailout with the green aluminum handle but they put that stupid glass breaker on the end, so then you have to buy a replacement backspacer for something that is already costly. Every once in a while you can find a used one where someone has done that for you but they get snapped up within literal seconds of posting.

The last time I looked all knives with visible locks on them have had the locks removed in the photos. I first discovered this when someone pointed me to the official Kizer store on aliexpress. I was looking for button locks and all the knives I knew had them were missing the buttons in the images. Those that have purchased from there said the knives arrived as expected (with locks) and they suspected it is some legal requirement that they don’t show locking knives. But that’s pure speculation based on very few data points.

On edge, it is just a bit too tall for the lid to close, unfortunately. At 45 deg you could get 3 in there though.

I realize lots of knives can do this trick but it still makes me happy:

(Sorry for the hyper-saturated orange color. Tried adjusting the white balance and the saturation a bit without turning the rest of the image into grayscale but looks like it wasn’t enough adjustment.)

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not to give too many spoilers but: the jump in quality from the $5 ozark trail to the $10 duratech is impressive

On the other side of things…

I have both a Bugout and a mini Bugout and I love them both. But I don’t treat them like I would a knife with full liners. The concerns about flexing scales are overblown IMHO as I would rather have something flex than snap when undergoing stress. I don’t use mine for breaking down firewood or removing heavy-duty staples from lumber. This is not a knife I want to spend hours at a time using. It’s worked well for food prep (not just dehydrated) and general/easy camp tasks. Both are great in shorts or swim trunks if down by the lake/river/swamp/bog (or whatever floats your boat in summer).

Benchmade has stuck with S30V when others have moved up the ladder a bit in performance. If the Bugout was rocking Magnacut then $180 would be justified but at this point S30V is rather middle-of-the-road from a competition standpoint. They must have purchased a warehouse full of the stuff years ago, I don’t know.

I purchased both of mine on deep discount from stores clearing out stock and even then I’ve felt like I paid too much. Used gets you a better price but availability is hit-or-miss unless you go back to r/Knife_Swap where they, at times, seem to rain from the heavens.

Well, you know, if a disassembly post showed up here, I certainly would not complain.

I should have scrolled down further on the product page. I just realized the Duratech line is made by our good comrades at HANGZHOU GREAT STAR INDUSTRIAL CO.LTD

Remember that $9 folder with 8CR13MOV steel? They now make a crossbar locking version (with what appears to be better scales) and it’s only $10.50 with coupon: https://www.amazon.com/DURATECH-Folding-Pocket-Stainless-Pocketclip/dp/B09T26HZGR

I don’t even know what to say at this point. The opening mechanism is bonkers, the price even more so. And they go up to $770?? Makes Spyderco and Benchmade pricing seem perfectly reasonable.

knife/knives therefore axis/axives 😆

yeah, that’s a good point. what a strange design.