Over the years, I've grown used to carrying a fairly large folder on a daily basis. Unfortunately, a big folder is not allowed in some jurisdictions and on several occasions I've also had to leave my EDC folder at home when travelling in countries with strict knife laws.

So I just came back from another trip abroad and thought about this again. Maybe it would be a good idea to get a smaller folder for backup, something stronger than a SAK but still compact and low key. In other words, a smallish utility knife that I could EDC in knife-unfriendly places and wouldn't raise anyone's eyebrow nearly as much as my Endura. So I've been thinking about a blade around 2 1/2", at least 440C or better steel, a decent lock but reasonably light and slim plus inexpensive (in the event it had to be ditched/got confiscated somehow anyway).

Another option would be a small multitool like the Leatherman Micra. Too bad the knife on that one seems to be fairly lousy. I've also checked out a small Gerber multitool (forgot the exact name, similar to the Micra) but it looked cheap and poor quality.

I have always had a problem with "Multi Tools" because you usually end up with something that can not do the job, or hauling things that you never use.

For knives I really like compact and low key.
I really do not need a "Rambo" style machete knife.
For a knife I just need something sharp, and usually less than 3 inches long.

edit.
I have a Spyderco Endura.
Praise to Seki-City!
It is a great knife, light, compact and one hand opening.
The blade is only slightly longer than the blade on my Swiss Army Trekker,
but people freak when they see how fast the old Seki can come out, yet have no reaction at all to the SAK.

The biggest problem is with looking dangerous, and the Spyderco looks dangerous.

I wouldn't bother to EDC anything smaller than the Buck Prince or "The 55" I have both of these made in USA knives and their sure enough buck tough! Now Buck might have some more good small folders but I can only vouch for what i own and use, although all their knives are covered by Buck's 4 life warranty so you might want to check out some of there other offerings. In fact i under stand from a, most reliable source, that Buck even has a keychain sized "tactical knife" too.

Interesting in that I agree with your assessment of the P4, however, I've done serious things with my Squirt E4. The wire strippers work quite well and the narrower tip is useful for working small wires. I wish they put the wire stripper pliers on their full size Leatherman tools.

Second time I recommend a Skeletool today. Not that I love the thing so much, but it's minimalist and highly effective. Sounds like just what you need.

Why not carry 2? I carry a nice Kershaw folder, fairly light weight, drop point blade with partial serrations, easy to carry, easy to open. I also carry a SAK classic in my change/watch pocket. That gives me another blade, scissors, toothpick and tweezers.

I keep a multi-tool in my car glove box and in my backpack for more emergent situations.

Carrying both knives is easy, and if I should forget one I'm very unlikely to have forgotten the other so I always have at least some sort of edged tool with me.

I picked a couple of the Leatherman Micra's on ebay, decent little multi tool. The blade isn't much but given the overall size it's ok. I gave one to my girlfriend for EDC and put the other in a "tool and repair" kit that I keep in my backpack and that I was inspired to put together after reading a thread from "Hacksaw" a while back. Anyone know what happened to him by the way? He seems to have dropped off the edge of the world.

JohnE

As you can see my Leatherman is 4" folded and 7" unfolded it came with my Leatherman Blast

you might try it, it's what I EDC

Mike

The SOG Blink looks like a potential candidate at $55 with a 2.25" AUS 8 blade.

http://sogknives.com/store/BBA-99.html

The little Buck Gent might fit the bill as well. It's $34 with a 1 7/8" 420HC blade. It looks about as docile as any knife could.

http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&productID=2920

For a small folder, I really like the Gerber EZ-Out Jr.. Not sure if the steel is 440 or not, but the blade is 2.5", made in USA last time I checked, feels solid, holds a nice edge and at $25-30 will not hurt long if you lose it.

For a smallish multitool, I'll throw in for the Leatherman Juice line. Smaller than their fullsize stuff but more useful than the keychain-sized Micra/Squirt line.

Why not just carry a Spyderco Delica or Native? The Delica is just a smaller Endura and the Native is just a slightly different design although both have the same VG-10 steel.

I dislike the clutch purely because the very end of the pliers have no ridges making it more difficult to grip something. Otherwise it's a decent little thing for the size.

Not that you need more things, but Spyderco makes their Byrd-line multitool, and I believe Gerber has the Guppy (is that correct?)

I got a LM Kick/Micra over Xmas. Forgot to mention that I had a Squirt, which is virtually identical, but with pliers instead of the scissors. I really like the Micra, it's in my lab coat at the hospital. Less intrusive than a real knife, the scissors get used a lot and work well so far. BTW, I have the SOG version of the Micra, and their scissors went dull quick and hard to resharpen. It, and the Squirt, are now shelf queens, sitting in my car's glovebox.

I am a huge fan of the Swiss Tool Spirit by Victronioxonly 3.5" long info can be found HERE

For a simple knife, I have always liked my Kabar Dozier Folding Clip Point . 3 inch blade, very slim in the pocket because the handle is zytel only (it is for cutting, definitely not for prying). AUS8 stainless blade. I picked it up for $20 online and think it is excellent for the money.

I love leatherman's knives too, unfortunately blade launcher makes them illegal to carry here in michigan which severely limits my choices.

For a simple pocket knife I carry a Gerber L.S.T. LST Fine Edge
( carry the LST 400 )

Tom,
Look into the SOG Twitch II. I have had one since they first came out. Very nice and holds an edge well. Very sturdy, and with the clip removed, you won't even notice it in your pocket. I also have one in my DR PSP's and it fits great. I would add a link, but I am on my iPhone and it's a pain.

Looks like they would work too. I like the looks of the Twitch II myself. They all appear to be AUS 8.

Twitch I

http://sogknives.com/store/TWI-7.html

Twitch II

http://sogknives.com/store/TWI-8.html

I love multi-tools (favorite is the Wave) and I always carry a small lockback in my pocket. But recently I got a A. G. Russell "Woodswalker."
[http://www.agrussell.com/product.asp?pn=AGPRS] It is a fixed blade knife, the blade 2 3/8" long with a 3 1/2" handle. You can get a neck sheath if you wish but I got the all cowhide leather wallet shaped sheath that slips into your back jeans pocket with only about an inch of the butt end of the handle protruding. This allows for very discreet carry, yet you have a fixed blade knife that no one would think is intimidating. Certainly not to be characterized as a military type or spec ops kind of thing. It is a very small and slender tool, elegant in a way, of very fine metal and very sharp and easy to keep sharp. It is just right for cleaning small game & pan fish, peeling an apple, cutting all smallish cordage, etc. It would be a great paring knife. Very handy. For casual roaming and adventuring it is ideal for most small cutting jobs. And the price is right at $19.95. I think I am going to buy 3 or 4 more of the knives because they are only $9.95 a piece w/o the sheath. I have a large camp knife, a Becker Brute, that takes care of most bigger tasks IF I want to haul it along. But really, most cutting tasks are small and the little Woodswalker is just right for those.

I agree completely on the E4. It is a very handy tool in a very small package. Leatherman really needs to do a Juice or Wave version of this tool. I have used my E4 countless times at work and around the house. I am not fond of the knife on the E4 so I usually end up carrying something along with it. The benchmade benchmite is pretty nice for a very small package. I haven't used one but a friend swears by the Kabar Doziers. The are a bit bigger but probably a bit easier to manage than the benchmite.

- Eric

Gentlemen, thanks for the advice! Right now I'm leaning either toward the Squirt or Benchmade Benchmite.

If you have any more ideas please feel free to share. Just keep in mind that I'm looking for a small, light blade for discreet and legal carry, something that doesn't have "tactical" written all over it and would easily fit inside a pocket without indexing too much. So no Spydercos or Leatherman Wave, please - I EDC those already but now I need a backup folder for going to places where bigger, meaner folders and multitools are either illegal or inappropriate.

I have one, and I much prefer the lower end of the Juice range. The S2 is much slimmer and has all the basics - knife and scissors, flat and Philips screwdriver, bottle and can-opener, pliers and wire-cutters.

(I actually carry the next one up, the Cs4, which adds wood saw, awl and bottle-opener, none of which would be important if I was as concerned about space and weight.)

I have one of those, too. The pliers are mostly useful as tongs. I suppose it depends on what you want it for. The blade is OK for opening packages and a great many similar light jobs. It's not a survival knife by any means. Nothing at this end of the range would be good for batoning.

I tend to carry a little Squirt P4, SAK Classic, and a mini-Griptilian. Covers all my basic likely daily tasks. The pliers on the P4 are great for *light* use. The Classic has the scissors, toothpick, and usable nail file. The mini-Grip has the blade.

Sounds like your main focus is a decent small blade - I would say go with the Benchmite over the Squirt then. The Squirt is a handy tool but the blade doesn't lock, is a bit awkward to use due to the multi-tool thing and while it is sharp it is profiled like a chisel (ground on only one side). On the other hand the Benchmite does have a locking blade with reasonable quality steel and a decent edge profile. With a small lanyard on the handle the ergonomics aren't bad and are definitely better then for the Squirt.

I have had both for several years and I tend to carry the Benchmite in my pocket while the squirt is relegated to my portable kit (a usb memory stick container) that is close by but not always on my person.

Try out the benchmite, you might also look at the Ken Onion Chive knife by Kershaw. It is about the same size. I tried one and prefer my Benchmite.

In the discreet category another small folder comes to mind - the Wenger Alox moneyclip. Swiss army knives are pretty innocuous and one that is obviously a money clip is even less likely to attract attention. It doesn't lock but the blade is much better than the squirt and the scissors come in pretty handy occasionally.

Similarly several smallish swiss army knives from Wenger and Victorinox have locking blades - for example the Wenger Evolution S10 has a 2.5" locking blade and its looks should be pretty discrete. A co-worker swears by his Victorinox Adventurer, it is a bit bigger but still looks pretty "harmless" since it is obviously a swiss army knife.

Find a good knife store (or do some surfing online) and see what will work for you.

- Eric

One question.
Does it have to be a locking blade knife?

If it doesn't then you suddenly have many more choices.
Everything from Shrade to Seki.

I love my Gerber Clutch and use it just about every day. I have the Shortcut as well, but find I use the pliers more. I've had it on my keychain for 3 years, and despite looking well-worn, it still works perfectly.

I am also going to look into the Leatherman. I like the pointier knife on it, and I think the screwdrivers might be a little better.

Hi Izzy. I bought one of those from CountyComm, and cord-wrapped it like in the demo. But I haven't tried sharpening it. My uncle's giving me a decent grinder next time I visit him in Ohio -- does sharpening the obvious edge leave enough surface to act as a pry bar? Will it keep the edge? And once sharpened, what do you use for a sheath? (If anyone else wants to add their input...) Thanks. -Gary

Whoa, really? Does this include the CX models?

What are you wanting to do with your utility knife? On the utility side, I'm always a SAK fan. I carry more than one knife though. If I had to only have one, it would be a SAK...just for the utility. They are what I reach for most often. I have a micra on the keychain, but use it infrequently. I have a Spiderco that I rarely use. I've stopped carrying my Buck 110 (but still love the knife...sentimental I guess).

I do carry a SAK and a VIC Spirit. I also have one bigger rescue knife. But as mentioned above...the SAK is usually #1 and gets frequent daily use.

I was going to suggest the delica, basicly a short endura or an emerson stubby. Fullsize handle, but with a california legal sized blade...but it seems you wants a utility knife that won't scare the "gentle masses"
In that case I'll second (or third or whatever number we're up to lol) a simple swiss army knife. Rarely raises an eyebrow except for the worst knife-a-phobics, cuts well and "should" be legal anywhere a sharp is permissable. I perfer Victorinox over Wenger, for no tangible reason...
If a locking blade nesecary go for the Wenger if you want the classic sized swiss army knife, or Victorinox makes some locking models in there slightly larger offerings like the trekker.
Best of luck to ya

-Bill Liptak

Thanks for the tip man, I tried that on one of leatherman's newer knives, the c33T, thinking that since the pocket clip was attached separately it would work real good. Unfortunately i was not able to get the knife back together again without the blade wobbling side to side. No amount of tighting would correct this, so I put it all back the way it was. Did you have any wobble to the blade with your custom job or was it just the clip? Or did i just completely read your post wrong?

Yeah, you'd think so but the knives are most definitely illegal here in Michigan and you can buy them at Bass Pro Shop, Target, Meijer's, Wal-Mart and most hardware stores! We're just a bunch of law breaking thugs up here in Michigan, but when I emailed the Michigan state police regarding knife laws they sent me links to Michigan Compiled Laws that unbelievably even covered knives made from stone! Which are quite legal at any length, but the blade on my leatherman fuse that justs makes it over 3 inches in length will land me a felony if i'm caught with it after shoplifting a candy bar.

Anyway, thanks for listening to me vent and for all the help.