Knives done right.^TM

On opening the blade fully, the liner lock clicks in with the precision of a fine-tuned machine. That liner has enouh engagement with the blade tang to inspire confidence that the blade will stay locked when making difficult or unconventional cuts..."I'm going to carry this knife," I told myself as soon as I unboxed the GiantMouse ACE Nimbus V2 folder. And, of course, when I say "carry" I mean that I will be using this knife a lot.

The ACE Biblio is compact but fills the palm well. Its grip design offers safety and comfort, especially with the porous surface of the Micarta variant. It also features an anatomically sculptured handle with a flipper, very pronounced jimpings here and there, and pinky support on the back. With all that combined, you’d be hard-pressed to find a folder of this size with a safer grip. It’s like a crossover in the knife world. It’s great for city use, but in the field, it performs much better than other lightweight EDC folders.

The Sonoma performed well as an Urban/Office option, but also worked great as an outdoor and weekend tinker knife. The cutting edge is relatively thin, but takes a good edge that’s durable and cuts really well. I tried most of the standard outdoor folder activities with the Sonoma; cutting, whittling, feather-sticking and food processing. It’s a knife that I can carry in my jeans and head off for the weekend with my kids to our country cabin. I also wouldn’t hesitate to take it on a day hike into the mountains.

A 3-inch blade made of Elmax steel, saber grind and an overall line clearly influenced by the Scandinavian puukko shape. It’s slim, slick and very pointy – a little bit upswept, which gives it some character. It’s a slim, thin knife, which easily slips into a pocket and almost disappears there – it’s actually a mere 2.50 oz. The Clyde could be not just a great office carry, but also a very capable weekender or ultralight option for trail runners, who enjoy quality ultralight gear and can’t imagine going into wilderness without a good knife.

Low weight, small size and multiple carry options make this one PERFECT backpacker’s and hiker’s knife. Just strap it to the backpack, in Kydex or leather, and forget about it – until it’s needed of course!  With an overall length of 5.5 inches it’s a little handy knife, light enough to be carried as an EDC blade everywhere. Its curved blade of just under 2.5” has a considerably long cutting edge thanks to the leaf-shape with a seriously pronounced belly – it’s not intimidating and looks socially acceptable to me.