- when "micro" became too small
I have to admit that I don't really know how to feel about this knife. It comes from SRM and has been given the unexciting name 418S. I would guess the "s" stands for "small", if not it should. Because there I land no matter how I look at it, that the knife is extremely small and that dominates everything I have to say about it.
In fact, I had a bit of a hard time deciding whether to consider it a knife or a gimmick. Maybe it is something for the pocket, maybe not. A Keyring knife was suggested to me but how on earth do you use a folding knife quickly and easily if it's stuck there? Incidentally, I don't have a bunch of keys, so it's still out of the question for me.
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| SRM 418S |
Who designed this little thing is, like most things with SRM, not public. It's an "in-house" production, so either a gentleman or lady sits in his/her chamber and knocks knives together or it's a design team somewhere in the background. In any case, I think they should have tested this idea one more time before releasing it. Or they just thought it was cute. Because it is.
This time they had apparently set out to see how small you could make a knife that follows template 1A for a "TFF" or "Titanium Frame lock Flipper" equipped with a flipper tab at the front. The result was this miniature.
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| SRM's candidate for the title "world's smallest front flipper" |
Twitter version: SRM 418S, the miniature that doesn't know if it should be a ploy or a knife.
Blade
It is not long but it is narrow and thin. It is the blade of the 418S I am talking about and nothing else. It translates concretely to 32 x 13 x 2.1 mm. In terms of shape, it is a small clip point with a distinct swedge. As a decorative element, the blade has been given a milled indentation along with a hole. On the back, not one but two groups of milled grooves are also found. For better traction I suppose. However, there is a lot of detail to squeeze into such a small area.
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| The 418S has a clip point that offers several visual details |
The material, like the rest of the details on this knife, is relatively mature. Here you find an old "Mora knife favorite" in Sandvik 12C27. Not the most modern but very fine steel to be found on a micro knife. As if it were to be used. The finish is blasted and matches the gray shade of the handle well. A lot of text is added in the form of an SRM logo on one side and SRM's other logo (!) on the opposite side along with the steel type and model designation. And yes, of course, a serial number just because.
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| A blade with relatively fine steel, too much text, and lousy sharpening |
Then follows my biggest objection to this whole concept including this knife. What the hell am I supposed to use it for besides cutting strings and opening taped boxes? A larger knife handles those tasks at least as well, but with this one, you can't do anything else.
In addition, the factory egg is not much to write home about. It capsizes considerably during its short course. It is not surprising as it is very difficult to grind something this small that is not perfectly straight. But it gives the result that the knife is not extremely sharp either. Then, of course, two millimeters is not thick in absolute terms, but it is in relation to the 30 mm edge available here. It is, for example, thicker than an EKA Swede 88 for comparison. In addition, the saber grind only gives a bevel of 7 mm and this micro-blade is a full 0.6 mm thick behind the edge.
Handle
Well, this handle follows all the conditions that make it meet the template I mentioned earlier. The one for frame lock knives made of titanium. This particular variant is made from the TC4 common in China. Nothing bad to say about that material.
Here, however, you don't get much of it. Specifically, 51mm in length, and the two sides that are 2mm thick each. This gives a total thickness of the handle of 8 mm. The height is 14 mm.
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| The handle is made of titanium |
The surface is nicely blasted, or at least it looks like it. Anyway, it's nice but a little prone to scratches. The construction of the knife is like that of all larger knives in the class consisting of two titanium sides held together by a screw in addition to the adjustable pivot screw in this case. The screw goes straight through a back spacer, also made of titanium. It has been provided with a pattern that, however, does not provide any extra traction.
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The blade stop on the knife is attached to the blade and is so small that it is only one-sided, which is not common in knives.
In the hand, this knife belongs to the "barely two finger knives" category. This means that there is basically only one way to grip them and that is in a saber grip with the thumb on the top and two fingers around the handle. Then a thumb can be placed on the side of the blade as well but then only a small part of the tip remains to work with. My thumb easily covers the entire blade. So it must be to pick out skewers with.
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| I don't know, this is the only way the knife can be held |
Opening and Lock
It is in this area that this knife wants to join and compete, I suspect. Several manufacturers have released knives in the "micro flippers" class in recent years. To my knowledge, the number of "micro front flippers" is not as large. And that's what this is.
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| In order to function, the flipper tab must protrude a bit in front of the handle |
In relation to the rest of the knife, the flipper is huge. However, not compared to anything else, so it requires a lot of finger gymnastics in my case to be activated. Once you succeed in that, there is a reward waiting. The little blade is very quick out of hiding. So SRM has succeeded in that part. But to get that far requires getting used to it, as due to its size the tab is very sensitive to the angle at which you press.
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| The frame lock is well made |
The lock is a miniature frame lock. Therefore, they have the same properties as a larger relative, i.e. overtravel stop and a steel insert that can be replaced. Why that would happen, I don't know, but it works anyway. However, the function of the lock is very good, with no movement in the blade and despite the size, it is relatively easy to release.
To Carry
The 418S weighs in at 24 grams, has smooth sides, and is three centimeters long. Do I need to say more? Yes, all sides are rounded too. The result can only be one. The knife disappears into the pocket. I know that is usually said about many knives but in this case, it is true.
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| Not much that steals space in the pocket |
Given the format, the knife lacks a clip and it still wouldn't have been possible to use, so that's good. It does, however, have a hole for a lanyard. Use it! The risk of dropping a knife this small is obvious.* Especially as the minimal weight means you don't know where the knife is.
To Conclude
Along the way, I have come to the conclusion that I probably do not consider the SRM 418S as a real knife but as an etude, a practice piece. Not for piano in this case but for knife makers. The question in the office was "can we miniaturize a knife in this class?" The answer is obviously yes.
The 418S has everything a fully-grown knife should have. A blade with fairly advanced details including double rows of "jimpings", cosmetic details, decent blade steel, and a floating stop pin. The frame and blade have been given the same finish as a larger knife and you will find both a lanyard hole, an adjustable pivot screw, a frame lock, an overtravel stop, and a lock bar insert. It gives a lot to study in a small area.
Then SRM really likes billboarding. That is also found here. In addition to what is found on the blade, albeit in microscopic text, the logo has also found its way to the pivot screw as well. It is certainly almost impossible to see there, but it would have been enough for a small knife like this.
There have been other micro-knives in the class with varying results, such as the CRKT Jettison Mini, which was both early and quite lousy, or, for that matter, the Civivi Mini Elementum, which I reviewed here earlier. If you broaden your view beyond flipper knives, of course, many brands have done very small knives as Spyderco with their Lady Bug and Cold Steel with the Micro Recon, which is, however, slightly larger.
And the small difference in size matters a lot. For me, the smallest I find useful is probably something about the size of a Spyderco Manbug, maybe a Ladybug. This knife from SRM is simply too small to serve any practical function for me. But sure, I have other miniatures too which include a couple of slip joints. But they are also not used for anything.
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| The 418S is the smallest in SRM's current family of knives made of titanium |
However, the SRM 418S is well made except for the sharpening, has all the details that go with the territory, and is the smallest front flipper I've tested. So if you're looking for a fun gimmick to open packages with that also offers quality and is actually quite nice, this might be something for you!
Specifications:
Length Overall: 84 mm
Length Folded: 32 mm
Weight: 21 g (weighed by me)
Blade Length: 32 mm
Blade Thickness: 2,1 mm
Blade Steel: 14C27
Handle: Titan, TC4
Lock: Frame lock
Produced by: SRM, made in China
/ J
* I say this as I have misplaced two of my other mini knives for now. Both Spyderco Grasshopper Black and Civivi Mini Elementum are on the loose in the Wikström home. I will probably lose this one too. It has already been hiding inside the couch for a couple of weeks at one point.
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