We see lots of everyday-carry cutting tools here at New Atlas. But the NanoMax flip-open knife caught our eye because of the impressive width of a curved blade that looks like it could handle carving up a carrot stick as well as a stick of wood.
In the world of pocket-friendly knives, there tend to be two basic blade styles: short stubby blades akin to those you'd find on the classic Swiss Army knives, or box-cutter style blades. The NanoMax knife, now blazing a money-filled path to success on Kickstarter, looks a bit different though. When you use either the thumb hole or the built-in lever to flip it out of its lightweight titanium case, it more resembles a mini chef's knife you'd find in a kitchen than something you'd pack up in your camping gear.
And for sure, thanks to its M390 steel blade, the NanoMax knife could indeed slice up some steak to grill on your campfire, but it's also strong enough to carve away at a piece of wood to make kindling for said fire. In fact, it could even get the fire started when rubbed up against a piece of flint or a ferro rod because M390 is a super-strong high-carbon steel that we've seen used before in a few other quality multitools and knives.
The entire knife weighs only 53 g (1.87 oz) and measures just 69 mm (2.71 in) when folded, so it's perfectly suited for adding to a keychain or attaching to your backpack, especially thanks to an oblong slot through which a metal ring or lanyard can be threaded. A clip on the side also lets it ride along on the edge of your pocket. There are also some grooves on the titanium body to help with grip, and a strong locking mechanism keeps the knife in place when it's folded out.
The knife also features two slots into which you can put small vials of tritium, a radioactive material that glows in the dark and, despite its toxic potential, has become pretty standard fare on knives and multitools.
This is the first time out in the crowdsourcing marketplace for Hong Kong-based makers TiGo, which takes its name from the symbol for titanium (TI), so the usual cautions apply when pledging your cash to back the project. That being said, other backers don't seem to mind at all as the NanoMax has already raised about seven times its intended goal, currently sitting at over US$15,000 in pledges.
If you want to get in on the action, you can get one knife as part of the "Launch Day Special" for HK$579 (about US$75). When those run out, the Super Early Bird level will stand at HK$619 (about US$80) before settling in at HK$659 (about US$85). There are discounts for buying more than one knife as well.
If all goes according to plan, the NanoMax knives are due to be shipped in April 2025.
The following video shows the knife in action.
Source: Kickstarter
