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Pros: Handle Material, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness
Cons: None
A fantastic edc that has been over-hype
This elementum is the perfect edc for an inside suit pocket or a clutch purse. When open, it’s the exact same handle/blade length dimensions as the ESEE 3. Sure, all the thicknesses/tallness are different, but it’s one of the most practical and all around useful size ratios. I’m used to cold steel as an edc but all I can think when I hold this knife is “thin!.” It’s great for a waistband or suit jacket carry and many folks might be overlooking its best attributes in lieu of all the passionate discourse about a button… Love it, hate it, it’s not an auto and it’s just another lock device. Nothing earth shaking, but certainly not something to be mocked. It’s clever. Not for the fidget factor, but for how it allows you to carry in the pocket. No flipper tab or thumb studs to snag, super thin, smooth but matte and grippy micarta - and if you remove the pocket clip, you have a disappearing smooth oval with no sharp edges that is less intrusive than a bic lighter. Civivi has dialed in their micarta - it’s not as dark as it appears in the KC photos, it’s closer to a light grey, but it may take time for oils to darken it. It’s texture is akin to the Kizer Sheepdog micarta or the ESEE linen micarta for their 3/4/5/6. It’s Fantastic. A smart dude once said “Everywhere you care to look, you will find that the wealth of the wealthy springs directly from the poverty of the poor.” I don’t know about all that, but this micarta is the bomb. Once you get the hang of the button, it’s just as fast as thumb studs or a flipper tab and your hand lands close to where it needs to be. I think this button is fantastic for the profile it allows you to carry with. It will not open in your pocket, it’s the right tension. It’s hard to describe - I was skeptical about this elementum and ordered it half expecting to return it, thinking it was probably a gimick. it’s cliche, but you really DO have to hold it in your hand to ‘get it’ I don’t find it as fidget-inducing as the AD-15 or a flipper Sheepdog, ANY knife will become a fidget toy if you have enough free floating anxiety… This is a phenomenal knife for $68, sorry. The edge is sick - it’s perfectly symmetrical, shaves hair right out the box and has a gentle hollow grind that’s easy to maintain. What’s not to love? Ok my one gripe, just to seem objective, is that it REALLY looks like a painted blade (it’s not, it’s stone washed) but it REALLY looks like it’s painted. I’m not a Civivi fan boy - this is my first one. Is it overhyped for silly reasons? Maybe. Is perfectly treated 14c28n and great micarta with a bangin’ edge and a novel lockup mechanism worth $68? Umyeah. c’mon man. It’s a no-brainer, Jack. I’ll do you one better: I prefer their 14c28n to S35Vn - fight me!
