Civivi SOKN

Review

Having a good little fixed blade knife can be very useful. If it is the right size, it can be used as a defensive knife or a good little hunting knife. Civivi and Kyle Lamb have brought out the SOKN fixed blade. The SOKN is targeted as a defensive tactical blade, but I found it to be very useful for other knife type things.

SOKN is an old Norse word meaning fight or attack. This is a fitting name for this little fixed blade, especially since it is designed as a defensive fighting knife. I still want a gun in a knife fight, but that may not always be feasible. Since it is a fighting knife, the SOKN comes with a multi use sheath. This sheath has either adjustable belt loops or a hook. The hook is so the knife sheath can be caught on the pocket when drawing the knife.

The SOKN is a very well designed fixed blade. It starts with the full tang blade and G10 handle. The inverse grip handle helps make the knife useful for both types of grip. On the end of the handle, at the butt, is a little “foot”. This “foot” lets you rest your thumb on the handle when using an inverse grip. It basically gives you more stabbing leverage. When using the SOKN with a normal grip, the little “foot” keeps your hand from sliding off the end. Another advantage to the “foot” is that it gives your hand something to catch while drawing the SOKN from its sheath. For as small as the handle is, I was able to get a good comfortable grip on it.

Blade design and steel are always important, no matter what style of knife you are using. The SOKN uses a 2.82 inch Nitro-V stainless steel blade. It is a drop point style and flat ground. Civivi also put decent jimping on the spine of the blade. I like drop point style blades. The shape of the SOKN makes it good for just about any task, including stabbing things. Because of the blade shape, the SOKN would also make a decent skinning knife. You can also use the SOKN as a replacement for a folder, when a folder just won’t work.

Back to the sheath that comes with the SOKN. The kydex sheath really helps to make the SOKN so useful. First, the belt loops are adjustable and have some pretty great snaps on them. These belt loops are designed to carry the SOKN horizontally on a belt. I carried the SOKN for a little bit this way and it worked fine for me. Where the belt loops mount on the sheath, there are 4 riveted style holes. Since the sheath kind of curves up, you can change how the knife carries. The end hole can also be used for a chain, so that you can use the system as a large neck knife. The sheath also has a sharpish hook on it. This hook is intended for pocket carry. When you draw the SOKN out, this hook catches on the inside of your pocket, keeping the sheath in your pocket and allowing the knife to be ready to go. The SOKN also has a removable, and reversible pocket clip so the knife and sheath don’t just float around inside your pocket. Pocket carry is how I carry this little knife and it works extremely well.

The SOKN is my first fixed blade defensive knife that I actually use. I absolutely love the sheath system. I am a big fan of drop point blade styles because they just work for everything I do with a knife. Nitro-V steel has proven to be a good knife steel. It is hard and holds an edge well. With a weight of just under 3 ounces, you can carry this knife anywhere and not know its there. I have two minor complaints with the SOKN. One, I would like the blade length to be a little longer. Somewhere in the 3-3.25 inch range would be just a tad bit better. Lastly, I would like a better way to mount it vertically on something like a vest. Overall, I really think the SOKN is a great little knife.

If you are looking at getting a good little defensive knife, the Civivi SOKN might be a great pick. It isn’t just a defensive knife, it can be used for all types of “knife” things. I can see keeping one with your hunting equipment, or just in your car. It really has that many uses. I prefer to call the SOKN an everyday, all around, knife. Go check the SOKN out and see if it makes sense for you.

Firearms Insider Reviews - Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Small fixed blade defensive knife

Target Market:

Anyone wanting a small fixed blade

Features, Benefits, and Specifications of this product:

Overall Length: 7.17" / 182.1mm
Width: 1.46" / 37.1mm
Overall Height (Includes Clip): 0.56" / 14.2mm
Blade Length: 2.82" / 71.6mm
Cutting Edge Length: 2.58" / 65.6mm
Handle Length: 4.35" / 110.5mm
Blade Thickness: 0.12" / 3mm
Handle Thickness: 0.35" / 9mm
Knife Weight: 2.93oz / 83g
Blade Material: Nitro-V
Blade Hardness: 59-61HRC
Blade Grind: Flat
Blade Finish: Stonewashed
Blade Type: Drop Point
Handle Material: G10
Handle Color/Finish: Black
Pocket Clip: Tip-Down, L/R
Clip Material: Stainless Steel
Clip Screws / Tubes Material: Stainless Steel
Sheath: Black Kydex Sheath With 2PCS Black Straps

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Gray Handles

What others are saying?:

5 out 5 stars on Amazon

I bought this knife to have a lightweight cutting tool that would replace my folding knife. I have been impressed with the sharpness and ergonomics of the handle. The sheath allows for several choices of carry. When I carry this knife I often forget that it’s there. Excellent blade for hiking, self defense, and utility chores. The Nitro V steel lends itself to operate in a multitude of environments. Worth every penny.

Link to other reviews:

Gear Patrol

Price point:

MSRP = $105.00

Retail = $89.25

I need it now! Availability:

Civivi, Amazon, or your local dealer

Our Rating:

Pros:

Great size
Full tang
Sheath with multiple mounting options
Multi purpose blade
Reverse grip works well both ways
Nitro-V steel

Cons:

Blade could be a little longer

Score: 8.50

Favorite Link: Traser P99A review

Vosteed Parallel Review

Vosteed has a brand new knife out and it’s called the Parallel. It’s designed to be a very thin and lightweight pocket knife. And let me tell you, they succeeded! So if you are looking for a tough, lightweight and thin knife. The Vosteed Parallel could be the knife for you.

The Handle

The Parallel features a non textured titanium handle complete with a lanyard loop. For this knife you can get in 3 different styles. I received the gray handled knife and I was completely blown away by how thin the knife is! Coming in at a thin measurement of 0.28”, I couldn’t even tell it was in my pocket sometimes. There were even a couple of moments when I actually thought I lost it, because I couldn’t feel it in my pocket. And that’s also due to the knife being so lightweight coming in at 2.29oz. When I first opened it, I was a little worried about it not having a textured grip handle. It wasn’t a problem for me at all. I can get a great grip on the knife without it trying to slide around in my hand. Having no gripping also helps make it slide in and out of your pocket very smoothly. But thanks to the very strong pocket clip, that can be swapped to either side of the knife, it stays clipped in your pocket really well. It is probably one of the strongest clips I’ve had on a knife.

The Blade

Now here is where it gets really awesome! The Vosteed Parallel has one of my personal favorite blade styles on it, a 2.90” reverse tanto blade. For me personally, I love that style of blade and I feel that it is one of the best for piercing and cutting. On the back side of the blade it has some really great rough jimping. This helps keep control when I’m cutting something up like boxes or plastic straps. I have had knives before with smoother jimping and it definitely takes away some of that control you get. The blade steel is 154CM and because Vosteed designed the knife to be thin, the blade is only 0.08” thick! I was worried about the blade breaking due to it being so thin, but it has proven to be way tougher than I thought. Plus it has stayed sharp for a while now. When the time comes to sharpen it, 154CM sharpens very easily. This blade steel is also highly corrosion resistant so you don’t have to worry about it getting ruined by harsh chemicals.

Opening

The Parallel comes equipped with only two styles for opening, that is a thumb stud and pulling back the crossbar lock and flipping it open. I personally like having more ways to open a knife like front and back flippers. Or being able to flip it open using a button lock. And this is one of my complaints with this knife. As you open the blade, the spring loaded lock parts move so that the crossbar lock can engage when the blade is fully open. This causes the blade to not want to smoothly open when you take your thumb off the stud while opening. It can kind of push the blade back towards your fingers. So you have to sort of guide the blade open with your thumb on the thumb stud. Or give it a flick when you start to open it.

The Lock

Something that is handy about this knife is you can adjust the stiffness of the crossbar lock and that also makes the blade opening a little bit easier. However, It does not fully fix that stiffness. It definitely helps though. You can do this by essentially taking apart the knife, which is not complicated, and moving both springs (one on each side) to 1 of 3 different pin holes. This can definitely help with making it lighter or stiffer to open. It just depends on how you like your knife to open. When I first opened the knife, the lock was very stiff to pull back when the blade was open. So I did that spring adjustment and that made it a lot easier to open and unlock. This is my first pocket knife with a crossbar lock on it, and I have really come to like it. The lock tabs have great gripping on them, so you can pull them back easily to fold the knife closed.

Summary

I have come across so many different pocket knives over time, but I have never come across one so thin and lightweight! I sometimes forget I have it because of how well it fits in my pocket. It has been through quite a bit of cutting and slicing. I work in an industrial environment, and this knife has been doing a fantastic job cutting just about anything I need it to. I do wish that it had more ways to open and not such a stiff lock. But that being said, it is still a great knife! This is my second knife from Vosteed, and both the knives have such great quality and designs. If you are looking for a knife that fits perfectly in your pocket and doesn’t have much weight to it, I highly recommend the Vosteed Parallel.