CIVIVI Trailblazer, simplicity and retro charm in a knife

Knives with a simple slip joint locking mechanism are back in vogue thanks to the laws that have been adopted in the last few years by several European countries, such as Germany and the UK, which severely limit or forbid the carrying of knives that can be opened with one hand and that have a mechanical blade lock. Folders with automatic opening, flipper or pins on the blade and liner-locks became taboo overnight, with a serious impact on the market. To overcome these restrictions the ideal is a knife with a simple spring mechanism, where there is no real blade lock and where the opening with one hand is extremely difficult, if not impossible, precisely because of the resistance of the blade inside the handle.

The knife that we introduce is produced in China by CIVIVI, a sub-brand of We Knife. The Chinese company in a few years has made its way in the crowded world of knife manufacturers with a series of products with simple lines and excellent quality/price ratio. This is not our exclusive opinion: during the last Blade Show, held in Atlanta (USA) at the beginning of June 2021, the best knives in their respective categories were awarded as usual. The CIVIVI Elementum, which we introduced to you late last year, snagged the Best Buy award, confirming the good impression it made at the time. This time we want you to meet the Trailblazer model.  

CIVIVI Trailblazer, simplicity does not mean platitude

The CIVIVI Trailblazer is a compact folding knife with slip joint blade mechanism, featuring even when closed a slot along about half of the blade, which is 75.4 mm and is made of stainless steel 14C28N. The slot has the same function of the old nail nicks, that is, providing a grip area to open the blade, and offers the advantage of being perfectly ambidextrous. This, together with the possibility to move the clip (which allows tip-up carry) from one side of the handle to the other, makes the Trailblazer a knife very suitable for left-handers. 

The appearance of the Trailblazer is very essential, almost austere, but embellished by the beautiful gray stonewashed finish of the blade and the pin heads. The Utility-type blade profile is suitable for everyday tasks and observing it from the back we can see how its thickness reduces from 3 millimeters at the pivot point to 2 millimeters towards the tip. This certainly helps to make the CIVIVI Trailblazer a relatively lightweight knife without having to sacrifice material where it is most needed. The opening of the blade is rather hard, but it is facilitated by the slot and the internal bronze washers: after a little effort we are repaid with a wonderfully machined edge. For the rest, there is not much to add, since it is an essential and spartan knife, but well made and full of details to discover. As for the variants available, the CIVIVI Trailblazer is also available with blue and orange G10 grips, at the same price of about 75 euros, while the special version with a hand-polished stainless steel damascus blade and carbon fiber handle at a price of about 88 euros. The packaging is the now classic one for CIVIVI knives, that is a cardboard box containing a zippered nylon case, with cleaning cloth and stickers.

Surely the CIVIVI Trailblazer is interesting for fans of vintage concept knives, even if made with 21st century technologies and materials. Left-handed users will also appreciate its complete reversibility. 

CIVIVI Trailblazer specs and price

To learn more please visit the www.civivi.com website.