CIVIVI Baby Banter Knife

Throw this in your pocket with your car key, a Fisher Space Pen and your AirPods and you're good to go with room to spare! Spoiler: I really, really like this knife. To begin, I'm a 6'4'' pianist—I'm not a little dude, and I don't have small hands. However, I love small things. I like the smallest, lightest option to minimize total weight. Plus small is just fun (maybe it's psychological because I'm dealing with tall person problems...). A friend purchased the Baby Banter the day of its release, and he let me handle it. I had to get one. So I sold my Para 3 LW and ordered a blue Baby: it came in today. - The action on this knife is so smooth. When I let my buddy try it he asked, "Is this assisted?" The ceramic bearings are just nuts! It flicks open with the action and momentum of a bigger knife. It has the most satisfying "THWICK" as the liner lock engages (which is well designed as well). - The thumb studs are large and not super sharp or aggressive. They make deployment very easy. - The G10 is fantastic. Previously the only knives I've had with G10 I didn't really like until the Elementum, and I don't love those scales either. But something about the weight and the finish on the Baby's scales just complete the package. The blue is bright and different from all the navy I have (heh heh). It has the perfect amount of grip without being super aggressive (and I'm looking at you, Byrd Robin 2). There's a slight dip in the scales on the show side to allow access to the liner lock; I've seen complaints that the OG Banter's liner lock protrudes above the scales, so this is a thoughtful design element. - The liner lock has good jimping that is very aggressive, but not finger-shredding. The Elementum has much smoother jumping, but the BB's is not an issue. It's grippy, and the lock isn't too stiff. - The choil is a total game changer on this knife. My brother has a squid, and it's a nice little knife. But it's short in my hands! This choil is great and turns a very pocketable knife to a four-finger gripper. My only complaint (with the entire knife, and it's more of a concern) is that there is no "guard" or lip where the choil becomes the blade. Spydercos do this really well, and, yeah it's not quite as slick looking, but it gives a little safeguard. Maybe in use this won't be a big deal, but I am a little concerned about sliding my index finger on the blade. [EDIT: I did throw a simple lanyard in the large lanyard hole; this lets me get a better grip on the knife without using the choil.] - The pocket clip is the icing on the cake. You know deep carry? It's super deep. You like recessed clip screws? It's got it. BUT WAIT—the clip itself is recessed, so you wind up with only the pivot screw slightly raised from the scales; otherwise, it's a one-level surface along the whole side of the knife. That's amazing attention to detail, AND for a knife that's $60. - It's just adorable. - I'm curious to see how this steel holds up as it gets into nerdier hands. But it came really sharp out of the box (which had a Baby Banter and an Elementum sticker, I might add). - My biggest complaint is that the thumb studs protrude beyond the G10 scales. This means that between the tight pocket clip and the studs, it's difficult to clip the knife in your pocket. As time's gone on, this has been a big annoyance. Still, I love the knife. But it's annoying. The nefarious stud is on the left side, and it's not a lefty friendly knife, so I don't understand why that thumb stud was designed to be such a pain. Overall, this is a folder that I'm super excited about. It feels like really good value. The attention to detail is really great, and as much as I love Spyderco and my N5LW, this knife really makes it hard to take it out of my pocket for another knife (as if the Elementum didn't give my beloved N5LW enough of a run for its money). Really, when you can get something this nice for this price in this package, how much more of a knife do you need for EDC? For me, it's opening packages and light-use cutting stuff. Definitely this is my new favorite EDC knife, and I highly recommend to anybody that doesn't need a tank! I'm excited to see some variants :)

YES, it definitely is! I have a few pocket knives, but I was recently shopping around for something small to carry at work. I wanted something that could fit into my coin pocket in my jeans, but frankly I just don't NEED a full 3+ inch blade for most tasks. Not only that, but I didn't want anything intimidating if I pulled it out while I was working. I know a lot of people are obsessed with Spyderco so I was debating between the Dragonfly and a few others with blades around 2". I was very happy with the quality of the Civivi Elementum I bought a while back so I took a look at this little thing. I pretty much love everything about this design. + Thumb studs. Most of my pocket knives use flipper tabs for deployment, but the thumb studs really grew on me. I can slide this out of my pocket, and reverse flick it open with my middle finger instantly (or opt for a slow smooth open with the thumb). Bearings are super smooth, just like my Elementum. + Pocket clip. The deep carry clip is recessed into the handle so it doesn't catch when sliding it fully into your pocket. +Blade. The stonewashed blade looks great, and so far the nitro v steel seems to be maintaining a decent edge. Great blade shape for piercing or slicing. (The size is adequate for 99% of MY daily needs, but maybe not everyone.) + Ergonomics. Forward choil means I can get a full grip on the knife, and have great control over the tip. Good gimping where it's needed. Clip is unobtrusive and isn't really a hot spot for me. + Size. Very compact. Fits in my jean coin pocket with room to spare. Light weight, but it's not so light that it feels cheap. - Negatives? Sometimes the stud will catch on the edge of my jeans while sliding it back into the pocket. Very minor hiccup, and really the only thing I could nitpick after using it every day for two months. Honestly I grab this thing every day over any of my larger pocket knives. 100% satisfied with this purchase. So far it has been the PERFECT knife for my daily use.

Where do I begin with this little wonder?!? Snappiest action I’ve seen on a small knife. Seriously this deploys in a blink of an eye. The small size makes it the perfect 5th pocket carry. That choil is great for choking up for precision cuts. Own a few Civivi knives (Qubit, Elementum II, and Yonder) yet I keep reaching for the Baby Banter every time over those classics. I work in retail in refrigeration. Most boxes I need to open are soaking wet. This little beauty gets wet everyday for hours on end. Not signs of the slightest corrosion. Definitely worth the price. Small knife handles big things!!

Great little knife for everyday carry. Finishing is great and was sharp out of the box. But tricky opening with one hand due to size.

Nice and good quality