- odd but charming
Modern slip joints are still a hot category. So hot that they basically formed a completely new and steadily growing branch of the knives' family tree. In the beginning, a few manufacturers chose to make modern knives in terms of technology, materials, and design, but without a locking function. Today, almost all major brands have at least one such model in their catalog. This also applies to Civivi, which is a sister brand to WE-Knives, but for those who are a little more price-conscious. Today's knife or rather knives represents this "budget brand".
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| Civivi Fracture |
Since slip joints are so popular, not least in certain jurisdictions where locks are not allowed, why not look in that direction if you want to pay tribute to your fans with a knife model? To be honest, I do not know if that was the way of thinking in the development department in China, but there is reason to believe so.
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| Two for one, the models C2008A (green) och C2009E (black) from Civivi |
To involve the aforementioned fans, a competition was also announced on Instagram to name the knife in question. The winning proposal was Fracture and It's the one or rather the ones I will examine a little more closely below. It will be a "two for one" as I have two versions of this knife available.
Otherwise, they are available in several colors such as gray, blue, black, green, and orange beside the two blade styles.
Blade
Since this is a "two for one" review, the blade shape is not one but two as seen in the pictures. One more traditional drop point and the other is a distinct American tanto. But to be fair, none of them is actually that traditional since they are easily recognizable by the giant hole in the blade. It is of course mainly a design feature but also fulfills a practical function that I will talk about later.
The length of the blades is 85 mm and the height is 24 mm just above the hump that is formed by the blade hole and then quickly narrows. A long and slender blade in other words. It is matched by an exemplary thin stock thickness of 2.5 mm, which means that these knives work well despite the rather low primary edge.
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| A long and narrow blade made of 8Cr14MoV |
The steel is a step down from what we are used to from Civivi or rather, it can be discussed. But anyhow, that's not what they usually do. They have switched from D2 to 8Cr14MoV in this case. Then they have made it a bit of a sport to find where it is stated on the blade. This can possibly be the smallest (barely) readable text I have seen on a knife blade and it can be found near the handle. By the way, it is the only marking on the gray stonewashed blades. The finish is smooth and well made.
Then comes one of the few differences between the knives. In addition to the obvious that the green has a more angular profile as a result of the Tanto tip, which also results in a "secondary tip", there is one more thing that is not as visible. In fact, I had to double-check to be sure. The Tanto version is flat ground while the drop point blade has a hollow grind.
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| Besides the obvious difference in blade shape, there are different grinds on these two |
The factory edges were more than decent on both knives, which indicates good quality control. Less good is how long the edges last. During the test period, I happened to receive a couple of complementary orders from IKEA and then you know what follows. First some swearing and hard work with an Allen key, and thereafter you will be left with some cardboard. A large amount of cardboard this time. I attacked the mound armed with a number of knives, including these two
Almost immediately a big difference could be felt between the two knives.
The black, ie the hollow grind, cuts much better in cardboard than the Tanto knife does. At first I did not think there would be such a big difference in general. My idea was that it was tied to what material being cut. So imagine how surprised I was when the hollow grind turned out to be much better at woodcarving as well.
In fact, if the knife had had a more purpose built handle for this, that is thicker, it would not have been to bad at whittling either. The blade hole doesn't matter in this case since deep cuts are not relevant anyway as you know.
Both knives needs to be taken care of and honed regurlarly in order not to loose their sharpness. Honing rods and strops works fine on the rather soft steel.
Both knives have competent tips, but if I compare them, the Tanto tip is slightly sharper and a little stronger. However, it will mostly be a theoretical reasoning as I really do not recommend stabbing too hard in something with a slipjoint. But if you want to do some really detailed tasks, the angular tip is preferable.
Handle
I mentioned the concept of "modern slip joints" at the outset, and that idea includes a number of factors that place a knife in this category. One is of course the constituent materials but also how it's built. The materials in this case consist of a steel frame, bronze bushings and sides in G10. The sides is not the most coarse I have come across but is quite slippery. Given the shape of the handle the sides I wouldn't mind a little more traction. Something I rarely wish for I might add.
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| A slim but well shaped handle with plenty of space even for bigger hands |
The construction is recognizable from most better modern folding knives. It is based on a steel frame that is heavily weight reliefed. It is held together with three screws besides the pivot. One of the screws also acts as a pivot point for the back spring. This spring also means that this is a closed back knife. A lanyard hole is also found in the extension of the spring. Both frame and back spring have been provided with a gray color matching the blade. The same goes for the hardware and clip on the drop point version. The Tanto-knife comes with black screws and clip instead.
The screw heads are thankfully standardized for both pivot and sides, T8. But you still need two drivers for a complete disassembly as the clip screws are smaller T6s.
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| The spring acts like a back spacer |
As can be seen the handle is very slim on this model. It measures around 24 mm at the highest point with the exception of the finger guard which swells to 26 mm. In addition, the grip is thin as the handle measures a mere 9 mm across the back. The finger guard steals a bit of the length of the handle, but there is still a spacious 95 mm left, which is enough for most, if not all, hands.
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| The handle is very comfortable but is not a hand filler, which come as no surprise given how thin it is |
Opening and Lock
Fracture is something as unusual as a slip joint from Civivi. Most of their knives are otherwise flipper knives with liner locks with a few exceptions. But here both the features have been skipped, which simplifies the construction.
The opening is facilitated by, shall we say very spacious, hole in the blade. Whether it is a nail nick that run rampage or a hole with an asymmetrical shape can be discussed. But from an opening point of view, it works great. Anyone who does not get a grip on this blade probably lacks fingers.
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| The spacious hole in the blade is easy to grip when opening the knife |
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| Then the hole can be used for one-handed opening even if a little dexterity is required |
As a bonus, Fracture is excellent to open with one hand as well. However, I do not know if that feature is done deliberately. Or excellent is saying too much by the way. The back spring has some kick to it so in order to one-hand open the blade it's necessary to jam the thumb quite hard into the hole and keep pressure downwards while you move the thumb out and forward. Otherwise you risk losing the grip halfway, whereupon the blade wants to return to its original position and risks taking a bite at your fingertip doing so. So some caution should be observed.
Walk and talk on these knives is quite nice I must say. And that's good since these knives are large. If you want to benefit from such a long blade on a slipjoint, a good spring is required. "Pull", ie the force needed to get the blade out, is around 7. "Walk" or the opening movement is very smooth and corresponds to Civivis usually good precision in manufacturing. The explanation can partly be found in the fine bronze bushings used. Upon opening you are met by a distinct halfway stop. Again a detail I appreciate as the combination of a spring a and long blade otherwise can cut a fingertip when closing the knife.
Once out, the blade is held in place with about the same force as you find on the slightly larger Victorinox knives if you get what I mean. But considering that this is not Civivi's most common type of knife and they are thus something of a beginner in the field, I think they have succeeded well in modulating the spring force.
To Carry
Fracture has a slim handle was noted above. This is of course reflected in how the knife feels in a pocket. The length is eleven centimeters, which is quite long. But it is compensated by the other dimensions that are more modest, not least because protruding details are missing on this knife. However, the weight is really noticable, albeit in a positive way. The knives weigh in at 84 and 88 grams, which is not much. A result of a lot of material being removed from both the frame and the blade.
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| A simple clip that functions well |
The clip is a deep carry spring clip in steel. The knife is thus deeply burried in a pocket, which is both safe and discreet. The tension is really good and the ramp are both large enough and at corrcect angle. That is, it does not point outward, not even slightly. That is otherwise a big no no for me.
The clip is attached to the outside of the handle sides instead of in a notch, but the screws that hold it in place have flat heads and they are countersunk so the end result is still good. They thus do not steal space unerneath the clip.
There is one obvious detail that differs between the two knives. The green Fracture has been given a black-painted clip. As you know paint wears with time, but it held up pretty well during the test period.
But expect some patina after a while.
Functionally, this clip is really good. It may not win any prize for originality but it does its job. It keeps the knife in the right place and makes it easy to pull and put away. It can also be moved from right to left, which makes Fracture completely ambidextrous.
To Conclude
Fracture is a model I do not really get a real grip on, figuratively speaking. The literally grip is relatively good and easier to describe.
What makes it feel a little elusive is that on one level it is a bit of a strange model. In an earlier text, I called it "weird". Meaning that it's a relatively large slip joint, which already makes it deviating and not a first choice for everyone. In addition, it is a model that is intended for two-handed opening but can be opened with one hand at the same time as it has an extremely modern and very distinctive design. The latter is refreshing but I do not think it appeals to the average slip joint enthusiast. All in all, it makes it stand out in the crowd.
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| Different styles for different tastes, Fracture comes in two blade configurations |
So the question is - who is it for? I thought I saw the answer somewhere. I heard rumors that this is a more or less limited edition. Not in terms of volume as in a hundred pieces or so, but that it would be produced in one batch and then shut down. It remains to be seen but apparently it is a tribute to all the Civivi fans out there. That may be true as that impression is reinforced by the way it was named, via a competition where the winning entry was Fracture.
Then Fracture is a cheap knife. Or rather, affordable. Civivi is, as said, a sister brand to WE-Knives. They have a stated ambition to manufacture simpler knives but with high precision. Something they have become well known for. Although they have recently increased somewhat in price. But then this model is released. With a price tag of around $ 28, it is a significant step down the price ladder again. This may be why, in addition to slightly simpler steel, Civivi chose to invest in a slip joint that requires fewer components.
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| Civivi Fracture, a modern slip joint |
But despite that, there is a lot that speaks for this knife. In Fracture, you get a very well-built knife where Civivi, as usual, has done as much as possible with the included materials. Several details testify to it like a good factory edge, bronze bushings, well-sharpened edges and corners, countersunk screws and a heavily lightened frame. In addition, it actually cuts really well, even with a large hole in the blade. But if you are looking for the best cutting machine of the two, you should definitely go for the hollow grind version.
If you like the looks and can consider a fairly large or at least long slip joint then this is an odd but very good candidate for you.
A good place to get the knives are Civivi's own Amazon Store. Or go here to find your closest retailer.
Specification:
Length Overall: 195 mm
Length Folded: 110 mm
Weight: 84 g / 88 g (clip point/tanto, weighed by me)
Blade Length: 85 mm
Blade Thickness: 2,5 mm
Blade Steel: 8Cr14MoV, 56-58HRC
Handle: G10, steel frame
Lock: none, slip joint
Produced by: Civivi, made in China
/ J
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