CIVIVI Brazen Knife

I own 9 Civivi knives at this point and while many of them have different features and locking/deployment mechanisms, they're all exceptional. I don't even wanna say they're good value for being under ~$100, when they are honestly just some of the best all-around folding knives you can buy for any money. You can spend more on extravagances, geek out on exotic alloys, what have you. But Civivi is over here making whatever style you please using sensible materials and working them to top-notch fit and finish. Any one of them could be the only knife you ever need, but the quality will have you wanting more than one. I actually own a button lock Brazen as well. I had to have the liner lock specifically for the Damascus. I wish Civivi did this particular damascus pattern more often. You see similar "oil slick" patterns on lots of them but it's mostly in the smooth, high-gloss finish. With this particular knife, the etch into the actual damascus layers is deep enough that you can feel the texture throughout; and then the oil-rubbed finish makes that depth and dimension really pop. That smooth satin glow is phenomenal against the darker, more etched-in pits. It is by far their most beautiful damascus. Absolutely eye-popping light play. It's real damascus, too. Civivi layers, folds, and etches the blade stock from 10Cr15CoMoV and 9Cr18MoV. Neither are super fancy steels, but get quite hard with proper heat treating, and also have great toughness and corrosion resistance. Civivi has a good track record on their heat-treating. Their Nitro-V overperforms for this reason. Instead of exotic steels, they do more common steels really well. What's wonderous is that they manage to make such nice damascus at this price point. IME they hold their edge better than average, and get very, very sharp. The overall build and design of this is mint. The micarta is smooth, soft, and pretty finely sculpted. The overall frame of this thing is very thin, yet sturdy, with nothin really giving or moving for nothin. Shape and weight are very ergonomic for my XL-work-glove-size hands. I also dig the inclusion of a lanyard hole. The button-lock doesn't have that, unless you count the hidden one in the frame. Comparing this flipper to the button lock, the thumb stud is stiffer, but the flick has stronger actuation. This one goes for oomph, while the button lock actuates so light that it feels like nothing. Both come out lickety-split. The thumb lever for closing the knife is one of the easier ones as far as Civivi goes. The thumb stud does well to protect you from closing it on your knuckles - you can easily close this one with one hand. You barely have to press on the release and the blade moves freely. Everything is nice and smooth thanks to the caged ceramic bearing. Again, feels great to open and close with one hand. There really isn't much to say about Civivi action. They always get it right. Same with balance. Almost all of their knives are balanced towards where your index finger grips. They already tend to be light, and this makes them feel even lighter. And then they also open and close smoothly and satisfyingly. If you like the look, just buy the knife. It also happens to be a REALLY nice pocket knife. Almost too premium to put to use!

I ordered this knife after seeing Project Farms YouTube video that showcases this knife along with some other affordable options. I didn't have the highest expectations for it even after the video, but decided it looked like a nice option especially for the price. I was blown away with just how nice it actually is. Zero blade play once locked and very sharp. It flips out very nicely and looks great. I wouldn't say the grip is the most quality thing in the entire world but, it feels nice enough and should hold up to everyday use. I have many knifes including Benchmade and Microtech but honestly, I could see me using this knife more just because of the price point and I don't have to worry about damaging or loosing a several hundred dollar knife. Would highly recommend this knife as an EDC especially if you work a job that you actually use a knife for everyday task. If you loose it or break it, it's not that big of a deal, but it's still a quality feeling knife that you wouldn't want to loose or break on purpose. I'm excited to see how it holds up in the long run.

I bought my Brazen back in 2022, when I was headed to a country with vague knife laws. I didn’t want my Benchmade getting confiscated or lost, so I bought a replacement that I would be OK losing but wouldn’t hate to keep. I expected it to be pretty “meh”, but boy was I wrong. Since then, the knife has seen almost daily use. After 2+ years, the opening is still slick, the blade takes and maintains an edge without much fuss, the grip is nice (even though the scales on mine have worn smooth), the clip is still solid, and the finish on it has held up perfectly. Dimensionally, it’s thin and light enough to disappear into a pocket, but doesn’t feel slight in hand and the 3.5” blade will do whatever you need it to. I’ve used it for everything from cleaning fingernails and removing splinters to stripping large wire and deburring aluminum sheet. Give it the occasional dab of thread locker and clean it up on the stone and it’s good to go. It really is a brilliant knife for the price and I couldn’t be more pleased with it. P.S. Civivi: please make a full tang fixed blade version.

Just recieved it today. Looks mostly good so far. Locks up tight with no blade rock or wiggle. Grinds are even and fit and finish are good. One other review I read mentioned the micarta felt cheap. This is unfortunately true. It's not as dense as other micartas. Very light and cheap feeling. The rest of the knife is good but would have loved to have seen some better micarta. Will update in time if for some reason it doesn't hold up but I think it'll be a decent knife. Just glad the lock works properly. That's the number one issue I've had with liner locks. Time and use will tell about the heat treatment of the blade.

I have been through a lot of budget knives and nothing has come remotely close the the Civivi Brazen. In day to day life, the only thing premium knives in this class do better it to be lighter. This is a fidgeter's dream come true. The knife fires perfectly as a flipper. The pressure on the detent is just about perfect and when the detent breaks, this think is pretty much guaranteed to lock up. The same is true of the thumb stud actuation. When the detent breaks, the blade is going to glide smoothly and solidly into lockup. Release pressure is moderate and the jimping on the lock release allows for a positive but not uncomfortable lock release. There is a light detent on the blade just outside of unlock, and a slight pressure on the back of the blade will send it into a solid rest in the frame. Ergonomics are a personal thing but I have maybe thinner than average fingers for a 5' 10" man and I find the ergonomics to be very good. The knife is fully ambidextrous with respect to firing the blade, and the pocket clip follows through with mounting options on both sides. Workmanship here is exceptional for a knife that sells for half way to one hundred dollars. The fit and finish on mine is excellent. In particular, the edge grind is even on both sides of the knife and on both lengths of the Tanto blade. A lot of budget knives have uneven grinds where one side is ground deeper into the blade and this means that the edge is not centered on the length of be blade. This knife had that really good, tight and even grind that you see on much more expensive knives. In addition, the bevel grinds have very fine lines at the different facets on the knife. The pattern on the scales is perfectly uniform and even across the width and length of the scales and the lanyard loop is well placed. I have the Tanto blade. I was never really a fan of the Tanto design, but a while back I bought a Kizer Carbon Fiber Begleiter and I fell in love with the Tanto blade on that knife and thought I would go with it on the Brazen. It is the Tanto blade that (in my opinion) makes this knife live up to the Brazen name. Where the Begleiter blade is think and elegant, this blade has an aggressive and meaty look to it, though it is actually an excellent slicer. It just looks great in this design. Even if you are not a Tanto fan, this is one of the few Tanto blades that I see even Tanto haters rethinking that position (as I did when I bought the Begleiter, which is a ballerina to the Brazon's Boxer stance. I love this knife. I have much more expensive knives that don't give me the pleasure of this knife and can highly recommend it. Anyone considering spending less on any other knife should seriously consider upgrading to this knife and you can spend more and not get a knife that is going to to anything any better than this knife. Let's go do some cutting up!

Very nice knife, it was extremely sharp. Cut myself just accidentally closing the knife on my finger. The Demarcus is very nice. Well built and feels very light compared to what I usually have had. The opening action is very smooth. Only minor complaints are that it took Sometime to get used to how light it was. Also it opens so smooth it is very quick. Just thing you have to get used to. The only dislike I have is the clip is on the opposite end of the knife compared to most others and makes it weird when pulling it out of your pocket to turn it around then open it to use it.

Extra sharp blade, nice finish, snappy opening. Exactly as described. Great EDC knife

This is a great little knife right out of the packaging. The action is smooth but firm. The handles are a wonderful large, patterned texture that is great to grip. The flipper makes it a satisfyingly fidgety blade to carry. The Damascus is beautiful and always gets a response out of people who see it. It is a nice alternative to toss in my pocket when I need a slightly larger knife on hand.