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CIVIVI Ki-V Review; One Design Choice Short of Greatness

Recently I posted the below video review of the CIVIVI Ki-V. It’s a first for Knife Thoughts, in that I disassemble the knife during the video. I also do a little sharpening, just a light touch up, with the WESN Pocket Sharpener. Check out the video for my full thoughts on the Ki-V.

The Ki-V seems to be selling out quickly at most dealers. I got mine at White Mountain Knives (by the way, use code “KnifeThoughts” for 10% off there). CIVIVI has them available for direct purchase as of this posting, and you can get one with a 5% discount through my affiliate link here.

In case you don’t want to watch the full 35 minute video review (hint; you should), here’s a short written companion review:

I love that the design is as close as I’ve seen a modern folder get to the Kiridashi aesthetic. It has an upward angled straight edge that works great for utility tasks, especially pull cuts. The handle is actually relatively ergonomic for how tiny it is (and it is tiny, at under 2.5″ closed), due to its simple shape and contoured G10 scales. Plus, it just looks good with the blacked out hardware, handles, and blade.

I think CIVIVI did a good job of it from a manufacturing standpoint: the detent is snappy and secure, it came centered with no play side to side, and it’s ground very well for slicing.

That said, I have to say, I think the designer made a poor decision in adding the flat area on the tang without jimping. That flat area is where the pad of my finger sets to flip the knife unless I intentionally do otherwise, as it’s a natural indexing point. So why would it be made flat with no jimping for purchase and with the face directly toward the pivot so that pressing into it doesn’t break the detent? It would flip more intuitively and consistently, for me at least, if the two jimped parts of the tang met at a rounded corner that also had jimping.

I messaged the designer and they said the knife was designed that way because they prefer front flipper style flipping. I think it would still work just as well with front flipper style opening, but much more intuitively and consistently with a classic light switch style flipping action, if the two jimped areas met at a rounded corner with continuous jimping.

Overall, I’ve still really enjoyed carrying and using this knife for the last week. Sure, sometimes my finger slips off the flipper and it doesn’t open correctly, but most of the time it works. When it does work, it flips snappily and is really fun to open and close. It’s also just a cool little tiny knife to throw in your watch pocket, and has worked well for the small tasks that make up the bulk of EDC cutting. If they made another version with the design adjustment mentioned above I would definitely buy it, especially if they made it with a just under 2.5” blade.

Is this version worth getting? I think that it is if you are comfortable with front flipper style action and / or you just want a fun little knife with kiridashi flare and CIVIVI’s high level of manufacturing quality.

Some links in this article are affiliate links. That means that if you click them and purchase the product you won’t pay any more than you normally would, but I get a commission from the sale. This is just a way for you to support Knife Thoughts. Be sure to try my discount codes “KnifeThoughts” or “KT10”!

I sincerely thank you for your time, support, and interest! Don’t forget to tell your friends about KnifeThoughts.com, subscribe via email, and share this article on social media. You can find Knife Thoughts on YouTube where I have hundreds of knife videos, as well as on Instagram and Facebook! You can find all my latest links at LinkTr.ee/KnifeThoughts

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Knife Thoughts 2021 GEC Rendezvous Retrospect

This past weekend Great Eastern Cutlery held their yearly open house gathering for enthusiasts, which they call the Rendezvous. I always look forward to the Rendezvous with great excitement, and was sorely disappointed that it had to be cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic. I was able to attend this year, and I want to share my experience here; there was a lot of what makes me love the Rendezvous that was the same, but there were also some new aspects to this year’s event.

What is the Great Eastern Cutlery Rendezvous?

The Rendezvous has always been the best time for Great Eastern Cutlery enthusiasts to gather and discuss the knives they love, and also an opportunity to obtain some of the more rare and unusual knives by GEC. I have gone to the Rendezvous each year since 2014, and you can read about why you should go to the Rendezvous at this link. I love the Rendezvous because it brings together a wide range of people all with one thing in common – a love and appreciation of the best production traditional knives being made currently, at the place of their manufacture. Everyone is willing and ready to show off their collections, discuss past and future knives, and everything else GEC and traditional knife related. You also get the opportunity to “see behind the curtain”. Bill, William, Joan Mae, and other employees are welcoming and magnanimous with their time. You get the feeling they are proud of the products they make and happy to discuss them with their most loyal customers. Finally, there’s the opportunity to meet and talk with GEC’s dealers. Aside from the people, which are the true draw of the Rendezvous, attendance also gives access to purchase the Rendezvous Special and SFA knives. The Rendezvous Special is a knife made in limited numbers and released in part on each day of the event to commemorate the gathering. I’ve collected them since 2014, and they’re usually rather unique with special cover materials or shield and always an etch signifying the year. SFA stands for Special Factory Assembly, which are knives made from parts from previous runs of knives in unique configurations (formerly called parts knives, which you can read about at this link). These SFAs are some of the lowest production number knives, often falling between 2 and 20 made of each configuration, and therefore highly sought after and honestly just really cool. Both the Rendezvous Special and SFAs are only available during the Rendezvous at the factory store. So there’s a lot to love about the Rendezvous as it’s always been that draws regulars back, and new people out, every year!

  • The ticket system was a great call by GEC
  • Bill showing off the Rendezvous Special

What made the 2021 Rendezvous different?

Being that the last was 2 years ago due to the pandemic, I expected some changes for the 2021 Rendezvous. The first change was in the date of the event. It had always been the first full weekend in August. I believe that was chosen because it coincided both with the Titusville Oil Festival and, more importantly, the Queen Knife Show. However, with Queen out of business since 2018 and the Oil Festival cancelled both in 2020 and 2021, there’s no longer any particular reason to have it then. They moved it to June, the weekend after Blade Show. When I asked why that date was chosen they indicated it was for the nicer weather, which is a pretty solid reason being that much of the event happens outdoors. This year did end up having beautiful weather throughout both days of the event. Another difference was in the line for the event. As crazy as it sounds, people line up outside the factory overnight to get in line early enough to get the Rendezvous Special and best picks of the SFAs. 2014-2016 I didn’t line up, just rolled in and was lucky to get the Rendezvous Specials. However, 2017-2019 I lined up about 2am, 12am, and 10pm respectively and was always well under 10th in line. I drove up after work the day before this year, and on the way saw online that there were over 10 in line already. I expected it to be much busier this year, but not so much earlier than normal. To be honest, I was shocked and concerned I wouldn’t be able to get a Rendezvous Special. Thankfully, not many came after that post before I made it there and I ended up under 20th in line (which gave me a good shot at the Rendezvous Special). As the night progressed more and more came, especially around 4am. The discussion between those waiting overnight is always enjoyable and interesting, but it’s still a long wait. At about 6am, an hour before the store opened, Bill Howard (GEC owner / president) came out and showed the Rendezvous Special knife and described their new system for purchases at the event. For 2019 they had indicated they would use a ticket system to order the factory sales during the Rendezvous, but didn’t end up implementing any system. Although no major issues arose, there was some definite jostling and even I think some position pilfering. So I was happy to hear that they were using a ticket system this year. Each person in line was given a ticket, like those used for lotteries and 50/50s, denoting their place in line. 5 people were allowed in the store at a time, and each time someone left the person with the next sequential ticket was allowed in. As you left the store you were able to take another ticket so that you could go in again, but only after everyone who was there had a chance to go in once (special thanks to Rosie for handling the ticket system all day both days). I think this ticket system worked brilliantly; it allowed attendees to be able to mill around and talk and see the displays rather than holding their place in line, it made the experience in the store less stressful because it wasn’t so crowded that you could barely move (like recent previous years), and it made for a fair system for those who came later to still get a chance to go into the store while allowing those who arrived early to go back in if they desired. Speaking of going back into the store a second time, like in 2019, they enforced a limit of 2 knives per purchase. So if you wanted to buy more than two knives you’d take a second ticket on your way out and then were allowed back into the store once that ticket was called.One other big change for this year was the time of the picnic on Saturday. Previous years the picnic, which is the last portion of the event, was always at lunch time. This year they moved it to 4pm, with the factory store closing at 1pm. I am not sure whether this was a positive or negative change, as it does give some rest time for attendees and preparation time for GEC staff between the show and the picnic, but it also makes for a longer day and some down time. I think this year’s Rendezvous kept much or all of what I’ve always loved about it, but with some changes that made for an overall even better event.

What did I take away from this year’s Rendezvous?

I took away a treasure trove of experiences and lessons from the 2021 GEC Rendezvous, not to mention some incredible knives! I really just thoroughly enjoyed seeing and talking with the Rendezvous regulars. The density of Great Eastern Cutlery and traditional knife knowledge gathered at the Rendezvous can’t be found many places, and certainly isn’t something I have gotten to experience with such a community vibe in any other setting. I also felt that there were a lot more people going around to the table displays at this year’s Rendezvous, and I got to meet a lot of new GEC enthusiasts. I’ll be honest and admit that I greatly appreciated the comments from several people who said that they enjoy Knife Thoughts, and even heard a really touching story about how reading my blog and watching my videos helped a fellow enthusiast through some tough days. A lesson I’m taking from this year’s Rendezvous (that I also took from 2019’s but didn’t implement) is that I need to prepare my Knife Thoughts display better. I should plan, for sure, what knives I want to sell and how much I want to charge for them. I had a box of knives I was considering selling, but ended up deciding not to sell some of them (one of which was after someone had decided to buy it). I also only had a general idea of what I would charge for them, when I should have had a price sheet made ahead of time to reference. I ran out of stickers to give out towards the end of the first day, which I use in place of business cards. In the future I’ll order extra ahead of time, and I also want to get other Knife Thoughts swag to give out. I also meant to have Waynorth Cutlery shirts (available here) for sale, but didn’t order them in time. Having a second person to tag team watching the table would be really helpful, so that each of us could go in the store or walk around and talk without the table being unattended. By the way, huge thanks to Dan and Ben for watching my table some. Finally, I’d like to get a banner to better show that the table is “Knife Thoughts”. I ended up not going to the picnic this year, but next year I’d like to plan my time better so that I can be rested and ready to attend and enjoy the picnic.

I had a great time at the Great Eastern Cutlery 2021 Rendezvous. If you enjoy these knives and it’s feasible for you to come to Titusville, I think you’d be happy you did. I have started a (completely unofficial and unaffiliated with GEC) Facebook group for those who plan to attend the 2022 Rendezvous, which you can find at this link. Make sure to check out the video below where I show and discuss the knives I got at this year’s Rendezvous. I hope to see lots of new faces mingled among the regulars at the next GEC Rendezvous!

I sincerely thank you for your time, support, and interest! Don’t forget to tell your friends about KnifeThoughts.com, subscribe via email, and share this article on social media. You can find Knife Thoughts on YouTube where I have hundreds of knife videos, as well as on Instagram and Facebook! You can find all my latest links at LinkTr.ee/KnifeThoughts

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Waynorth Cutlery T Shirts Available from Knife Thoughts!

A while back, the news came out that Great Eastern Cutlery would not be manufacturing any more SFOs (special factory orders) in the future. While I knew that they weren’t taking new dealers for a while, I was surprised to hear that there wouldn’t be Special Factory Orders for the typical dealers and producers. In particular, I was concerned that Charlie Campagna wouldn’t be able to continue his new Waynorth Cutlery brand.

Waynorth Cutlery #93 Lambfoot for Charlie Campagna, 1 of 27

Charlie has produced many of the most popular GEC knives. From TC barlows to Harness Jacks, Charlie’s designs have helped propel GEC to its current stratosphere of popularity. Recently Charlie created his own brand in Waynorth Cutlery. “Waynorth” is what Charlie uses as his online screen name, particularly on BladeForums. A few knives were made under Waynorth Cutlery, with only the #93 Lambfoot and #86 Black Jack having the Waynorth tang stamps.

I’m sorry, but I can’t guarantee you’ll look this stylish in your Waynorth Cutlery shirt.

I personally have been a fan of Charlie and his designs throughout my time as a GEC enthusiast. My first GEC was a TC barlow, and getting to talk with Charlie and see his collection was always a highlight of the yearly Great Eastern Cutlery Rendezvous. So one of my first thoughts when I realized GEC might not make any more SFOs for Charlie was wondering how I could help keep Waynorth Cutlery active.

Framed “OIL THE JOINTS”

The idea came to me to create some non-knife gear related to Waynorth Cutlery. I contacted Charlie to see if he would be alright with me producing some shirts with his Waynorth branding. We had a great conversation wherein he let me know that I had his blessing to go forward with the idea. Fast forward through several months of trying different ideas and designs, till a fellow GEC enthusiast offered to create digital illustration facsimiles of the Waynorth tang stamps. They turned out incredibly great, in my opinion, and I went ahead and set them up for purchase. I had used print on demand services previously both for Knife Thoughts and my normal job, and I am happy with the quality and service provided by Printful.

Mockup of the dark version front

So, I’m happy to say that Waynorth Cutlery shirts are available now on Knife Thoughts! There are two versions; one in black heather with “OIL THE JOINTS” unframed as on the tangs, and the other in heather dust with “OIL THE JOINTS” framed with an outline. I think both options look great. The Bella + Canvas shirt is soft, comfortable, and fits well to my preferences.

Mockup of the dark version back, with unframed “OIL THE JOINTS”

These are not priced to make a huge profit on each shirt, but a portion of the profit from each will go directly to Charlie. I think these offer a great way to show your enthusiasm for Waynorth Cutlery, Charlie, and GEC. So, if you’d like to pick up a Waynorth Cutlery shirt for yourself, go to this link or to the Shop tab in the top menu. I hope you enjoy the shirts and I’d love to hear your thoughts on them!

I sincerely thank you for your time, support, and interest! Don’t forget to tell your friends about KnifeThoughts.com, subscribe via email, and share this article on social media. You can find Knife Thoughts on YouTube where I have hundreds of knife videos, as well as on Instagram and Facebook! You can find all my latest links at LinkTr.ee/KnifeThoughts

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Knife Construction Methods; Pinned vs Riveted vs Screwed

One of the most important factors in how a knife functions is how it is put together. Among folding knives the three most common methods of holding the parts of a knife together are pinning, riveting, and screwing. Each of these three construction methods have their own merits and downfalls. In this article I will discuss the characteristics of each construction method and my opinions on them.

Pinned

Pin construction is probably the oldest and simplest of the three types discussed here. It involves a cylinder or tube, usually of some kind of soft metal like brass, being placed through consecutive holes in the handle. The pin transects the covers, liners, and usually a backspring or lockbar of the knife. The pin can either be held in place with glue, as often seen on fixed blades, or by the act of peening. Peening is when each end of the pin is hammered to create expansion, which holds it in place against the handle material.

Pin construction is most often seen on slipjoint knives, and is highly associated with “traditional” aesthetics. The only modern (i.e. one hand opening, locking, pocket clip) knives I can think of that have pin construction are Spyderco’s stainless steel handled knives.

Case knives tend to have traditional pinned construction, with the pins even with the surface of the cover material. Many traditional knife enthusiasts prefer the look of true pinned knives over other construction methods, because it gives a cleaner overall appearance.

Unfortunately, pinning is probably the least maintainable of the three methods discussed here. If a pinned knife becomes loose you’ll have to rehammer the pin, which can be both delicate and imprecise. Since friction is the only force holding the parts in place, the pieces of a pinned knife can move more than those in riveted or screwed knives.

Despite pinning’s practical downfalls, I still love how a pinned knife looks. There’s something indescribably classy about a pinned construction knife.

Pin construction knives.

Riveted

Riveted handles are often confused as pinned, but there’s an important difference between the two. A riveted handle has heads that actually form an overhang, or structural barrier, upon which they rest. This makes a significant improvement in durability over pinned construction, because the overhang precludes gradual development of space and play. While riveted handles are even less maintainable than pinned handles, as they can’t be taken apart without extensive work, they generally don’t need any maintenance when made correctly. That said, it’s important for riveted handles to be done correctly, with the end user in mind. When done so the action can be extremely smooth but still solid and without play.

Spyderco sometimes uses rivets. Particularly, some of their “lightweight” and plastic handled knives are held together by rivets. On some, like the Manix 2 Lightweight, the pivot is held by a screw so that it can be adjusted if necessary. I have had several riveted knives from Spyderco and have never had an issue arise from the riveted construction or its impedance to disassembly, and have found them to rarely need maintenance.

Interestingly, Great Eastern Cutlery made knives are often not only “pinned” in a traditional sense but also “spun”. That means that some of the pins are expanded via spinning, rather than hammering, which creates a rounded surface to the pins that isn’t level with the covers. I would consider these to be riveted. Some traditional knife enthusiasts dislike the look of these spun rivets, but they certainly provide more rigidity to the knife’s construction.

Victorinox excels in their application of riveted handles. From the exposed rivets on their Alox models to the hidden ones on their plastic handles knives, Victorinox makes solid but smooth knives with a consistency that’s arguably unparalleled in the industry.

For me, the durability of riveted handles far outweighs the difficulty in disassembly and maintenance, when they’re done right.

Riveted construction knives. The Northwoods Heritage Jack on the left with combination pin and rivet construction and Spyderco Manix 2 Lightweight with rivet and screw construction.

Screwed

Screwed constructions is most common in modern knives, but has growing prevalence in slipjoint knives also in recent years. Most modern, i.e. one hand opening and locking, knives are made with screwed construction.

Screw construction uses screws that can, generally, be adjusted and even removed using the appropriate bits. There are several variations on how screws are used, but they often either screw into a tube from both sides of the knife or have a “male” and “female” screw on either side of the knife that screw directly into each other. I find screw construction knives typically require removable threadlocker to remain solid and not loosen through use. That said, they definitely offer much easier disassembly and more maintenance options.

While screw construction is ubiquitous on modern knives, more and more slipjoint knives with traditional influences are coming to market with screw construction. CollectorKnives / LionSteel, Benchmade, Spyderco (which has had their SlipIt line for a while), Rough Ryder, and many other brands are bringing more knives to the market with traditional aesthetics and slipjoint mechanisms but foregoing traditional construction for screw construction. I love to see more people become familiar with slipjoint and traditional knives and, though I don’t like the look of screw construction on them as much, I appreciate the accessibility that screw construction offers through its greater adjustability.

Screw construction knives.

When it really comes down to it, I believe all three of these construction methods are valid and acceptable. Certain knives work better as one method than the other, whether from an aesthetic or functional standpoint. I think the main factor that determines if a particular construction method works for a particular knife is whether that method is applied correctly to a high quality level and with consideration for the knife’s overall aesthetic and intended use.

I sincerely thank you for your time, support, and interest! Don’t forget to tell your friends about KnifeThoughts.com, subscribe via email, and share this article on social media. You can find Knife Thoughts on YouTube where I have hundreds of knife videos, as well as on Instagram and Facebook! You can find all my latest links at LinkTr.ee/KnifeThoughts

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CIVIVI Dogma Review; Modern EDC Knife with Traditional Inspiration

Over the last couple years I seem to have become a fan of WE knives. First, I got the MassDrop Keen. The Keen was designed by Ray Laconico and manufactured by WE, and it is one of my favorite knives. WE gave the knife a level of quality that lived up to its beautiful design. Then, Ben Petersen of Knafs Co sent me a WE Banter for review. I enjoyed the design more than I expected, but there was no doubt that it was an extremely well made knife. Next, I took advantage of a Black Friday sale to finally get a knife I’d been wanting since its release, the CIVIVI (WE’s more budget friendly brand) Wyvern. I was particularly happy with the Wyvern; I felt that it kept the quality construction of the WE knives I had despite the more budget friendly (but still more than adequate for practical use) materials, and provided a really great value.

Then, I had an issue with the Wyvern. The detent, which keeps the blade securely in the handle, seemed to have loosened. This allowed the tip of the blade to rise above the frame of the knife, what you might call a “proud tip” in a traditional knife, which I wasn’t comfortable with. I contacted CIVIVI customer service and, frankly, was blown away by the experience I received. The people whom I emailed with were responsive, friendly, and helpful. Not only that, but my issue was fixed by the US based service center much quicker than I expected (or have experienced from some other brands).

After that process, CIVIVI asked if I’d be interested in reviewing any of their knives. Since I had about 10 of them on my (extensive) “To Buy” list, I was excited for the opportunity. I gave them a list of a few I was interested in, and they sent out a Dogma. So, because I always want to be upfront and transparent about these things, I want to be clear that I was given this knife for review and did not purchase it. That said, I always do my best to be impartial and consider how it would affect my opinion of a knife if I HAD purchased it at market price.

The Dogma immediately hit me as a knife strikingly well suited to my tastes. It had the practicality of a modern knife; a nice deep carry pocket clip, flipper opening mechanism, G10 scales, and D2 steel. At the same time, the traditional inspiration is obvious; it has the distinctive overall shape of a Lanny’s Clip slipjoint pattern and the G10 scales are clearly modeled after jigged bone covers. It also has the incredible snappy action I’ve come to expect from WE / CIVIVI, thanks to the dialed in detent and ceramic ball bearing pivot. Another thing that I think WE / CIVIVI does well, and remains true on this knife, is their primary grinds. This knife is made to cut things, but it looks good doing it with its big sweeping clip point blade shape.

Speaking of cutting things, I found the Dogma to work admirably in EDC usage. I cut cardboard, opened boxes, did food prep, assisted yard work, and even some house projects with the help of this knife and it handled all those tasks as you’d want it to. The D2 steel seemed to hold an edge like D2 should, which is pretty well. It’s not a “super steel”, but I don’t need a super steel for my knife use. I haven’t needed to full on sharpen it yet, as stropping has kept it hair shaving sharp. The finish on the steel is a bit unusual, as there is some horizontal wavy or cloudiness in addition to the vertical satin finish. I am not sure what is the cause of this reflection, but it doesn’t seem to affect the performance of the steel.

I do wish the blade cutout was functional. For example, on the CIVIVI Wyvern the blade cutout is a viable opening method (although it isn’t as easy to use as the flipper). On the Dogma I am not able to use the blade cutout for thumb opening, and it seems to be aesthetic only. I’m not sure that it adds much for me aesthetically, so I’d have preferred the cutout either be usable as an opening method or left out completely. It is possible that the cutout was included as a nod to the nail nick or long pull opening methods on the traditional knives that I believe inspired the design of this knife, but it’s not a connection that is immediately apparent.

Overall, I really like the CIVIVI Dogma. I’m happy to see the clip point blade shape more represented in modern knives lately, particularly in Chinese made knives (like the SRM 9201 above). I have found carrying and using the Dogma to be a pleasure, and it has proven to be both practical and enjoyable. I think CIVIVI is doing good things for the market, and there are several knives I’m looking forward to checking out soon from them. If you want a budget friendly modern knife with some traditional inspirations, I think the CIVIVI Dogma is a good option at ~$56.

If you’d like to purchase a CIVIVI knife, please do so through my affiliate link. You can get CIVIVI knives for the same prices as at most dealers direct from the manufacturer, and buying through this link helps to support Knife Thoughts. As always, don’t forget to go out and do good!

I sincerely thank you for your time, support, and interest! Don’t forget to tell your friends about KnifeThoughts.com, subscribe via email, and share this article on social media. You can find Knife Thoughts on YouTube where I have hundreds of knife videos, as well as on Instagram and Facebook! You can find all my latest links at LinkTr.ee/KnifeThoughts