A new super small knife made from M390 steel promises to offer strong slashing at your fingertips in a package that's about the size of a house key. The compact cutter also comes with two other surprises including a handy bottle opener.
Crowdfunders seemingly have an endless appetite for a wide range of knives. In the past year alone, we've covered a lot of knives making a run on either Kickstarter or Indiegogo including a titanium dragon-inspired hand-sized knife with a skeletal body; a small blade with a mesmerizing open-and-close mechanism; a folding titanium surgical knife; another titanium knife that opens with a single-handed slide; and an eye-catching trapezoidal knife made from, yes, titanium.
Stepping away from all that titanium comes the tinyBlade, a truly small knife that's machined from M390 steel. M390 is enhanced with a high carbon content and contains other strengtheners including molybdenum, vanadium, tungsten and cobalt – all of which also make it extremely corrosion-resistant and able to hold its sharpness for years.
The tinyBlade, which is currently charging through a successful Kickstarter campaign of its own, houses that super-sharp steel in a flip-open stainless steel case. When closed, the knife measures just 40 x 18 mm (about 1.6 x .7 inches). A punched-out teardrop shape on the blade itself lets you easily grip the knife with your finger to flip it open as opposed to a simple groove requiring you to have at least one strong and slightly longer fingernail.
When clicked into the open position, the knife is still small at 56 x 18 mm (about 2.2 x .7 inches) but looks substantial enough to use effectively. Notches on the knife's outer edge provide a bit of grip for holding on to the tool while slicing open boxes or cutting through some rope on your next camping trip.
A small hex-shaped hole at the top of the knife that lets you add it to your keychain also functions as a wrench – should you come upon a bolt of that exact size needing tightening in your day-to-day life. Another, much more useful function, is the built-in bottle opener at the knife's other end. But the main attraction here truly is knife's size – small enough to tuck into a hard-sided wallet, slip into that strange little extra pocket in your jeans, or disappear among the keys on your keychain.
As opposed to a lot of other crowdfunded projects we cover, the tinyBlade is being offered at the relatively reasonable price of £23 (about US$30). Even better, a two-pack will run you just £35 (about $35). If all goes according to plan, the knives are expected to ship worldwide in April 2025.
This being a crowdfunding project, the usual cautions apply. That being said, the campaign has currently raised over $83,000 – which is well beyond its goal of $3,230 – so the maker, Raja Imbrahim working under the company name of "Man of Gear," will certainly have enough cash behind him to enter production.
You can see the knife in use, in the video below.
Source: Kickstarter