Scott Einsmann designs knives for people who carry one knife and use it, and the CIVIVI Flydown is the smallest expression of that idea so far. A 2.74-inch 14C28N drop point on a 4.13-inch canvas Micarta handle, 2.4 ounces all in.
Specs: 6.88 inches overall, 2.74-inch drop point in 14C28N at 0.12 inch stock and 58-60 HRC, 2.5 inches of cutting edge, flat grind, satin finish, 0.55-inch thick handle with stainless pins, black Kydex sheath with two straps. Fixed blade, no lock, no clip on the handle.
The blade-to-handle ratio is the design argument: 2.74 inches of blade on a 4.13-inch handle is a knife built for controlled cutting rather than reach. In practice that means a four-finger grip on a blade short enough to use in tight work, which is what most people actually do with a small fixed blade. 14C28N is the right steel for the job — tough enough to tolerate a little abuse, stainless enough to ignore, and quick to sharpen on a pocket stone. At 2.4 ounces the sheath weight becomes the deciding factor for carry, not the knife.
Against the SŌKN at $105, the Flydown saves $33, gives up the tanto point and 0.08 inch of blade, and drops from 3.04 to 2.4 ounces. Against a folder of similar size, the fixed blade wins on lockup certainty and loses on pocket carry. If you have ever had a liner lock disengage under a hard cut, you know which side of that trade you are on.
Verdict: a sensible $71.70 small fixed blade with a good steel and an honest handle material. Buy it as a hunting or hiking companion or a bag knife; do not buy it expecting to pocket it. The Kydex and the two straps mean CIVIVI expects you to mount it somewhere.
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