ugaarguy
Member
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2006
- Messages
- 13,828
Two and a half years ago I did a review of several serious use small knives. Of those knives I still have the Spyderco Meerkat, the Boker Plus Subcom Titan, and the Cold Steel Mini Tuff Lite. For most of this year I've been carrying a 3.5" blade frame lock of some form. As I've transitioned back to working into a more formal office for the winter where larger knives are frowned upon I've gone back to my smaller folders.
The Meerkat and the Subcom are both far more refined, but the Mini Tuff Lite (MTL) is the one I prefer to use. The grip and blade shape work better for mundane tasks like slitting blister packs of cold medicine, opening snack packages, and cutting threads off clothing. Yet, it still handles bigger knife tasks like breaking down cardboard boxes quite well.
The Subcom carries nicely because it's very thin, but its thin depth coupled with its tall top to bottom and short front to back handle dimensions don't lead to the best grip over a wide variety of circumstances. The Meerkat has nicer proportions but the finger grooves and scale indentations tend to put your fingers where the knife wants them rather than the other way around. Despite being less refined, the MTL is the most comfortable to hold in various grips. Its also the easiest to hold in a paring knife style pinch grip, which I use frequently for the precise tasks at which these small knives excel. I've also found that I prefer the MTL's Wharncliffe type blade with the tip sitting low in relation to the handle.
Other than the refinement of the others, the only other area where the MTL is slightly lacking is blade steel. AUS-8 isn't bad, but after several months of carrying a ZT with a CTS-204P blade the difference in edge retention is noticeable. I'm hoping that Cold Steel will upgrade the Mini Tuff Lite to a CTS-XHP blade like they have with their higher end folders. Despite these minor criticisms I'm even more convinced now that the MTL (currently $21 shipped with Amazon Prime) is a great value.
The Meerkat and the Subcom are both far more refined, but the Mini Tuff Lite (MTL) is the one I prefer to use. The grip and blade shape work better for mundane tasks like slitting blister packs of cold medicine, opening snack packages, and cutting threads off clothing. Yet, it still handles bigger knife tasks like breaking down cardboard boxes quite well.
The Subcom carries nicely because it's very thin, but its thin depth coupled with its tall top to bottom and short front to back handle dimensions don't lead to the best grip over a wide variety of circumstances. The Meerkat has nicer proportions but the finger grooves and scale indentations tend to put your fingers where the knife wants them rather than the other way around. Despite being less refined, the MTL is the most comfortable to hold in various grips. Its also the easiest to hold in a paring knife style pinch grip, which I use frequently for the precise tasks at which these small knives excel. I've also found that I prefer the MTL's Wharncliffe type blade with the tip sitting low in relation to the handle.
Other than the refinement of the others, the only other area where the MTL is slightly lacking is blade steel. AUS-8 isn't bad, but after several months of carrying a ZT with a CTS-204P blade the difference in edge retention is noticeable. I'm hoping that Cold Steel will upgrade the Mini Tuff Lite to a CTS-XHP blade like they have with their higher end folders. Despite these minor criticisms I'm even more convinced now that the MTL (currently $21 shipped with Amazon Prime) is a great value.
