A hollow grind on a 3.3-inch budget blade is a small luxury that most makers skip, because it costs time and removes material that could have been sold as thickness. CIVIVI put one on the Pteron C25098 Sample3, along with a reverse tanto profile, ivory G10 scales, and a 3.18-ounce frame. The price is $67.
Specifications: 7.54 inches overall, 0.12-inch blade stock in 14C28N at 58-60 HRC, a satin finish, 0.51-inch handle thickness, a G10 back spacer, and a closed length of 4.24 inches. The hollow grind is what makes the knife interesting in use — it thins the edge geometry quickly behind the bevel, which turns a budget stainless into a genuinely aggressive slicer on soft material. On cardboard and rope the Pteron cuts above its steel.
The reverse tanto is the other half of the equation. It gives you a strong, near-vertical tip for scraping and scoring while keeping a long straight edge for draw cuts, and it looks nothing like the drop points that dominate this price bracket. The downside is that the shape has no belly, so rocking through an onion is not on the menu. This is a utility knife with a slicing focus, not a kitchen substitute.
Compare it with the Zelthara at $82: same steel, same blade length, 0.03 ounce lighter, and $15 cheaper, but G10 instead of aluminum and a hollow grind instead of a flat. Compare it with the Kizer Ruler at $28.20 and you are paying $39 for better steel, better grind and a design that was not built to hit a price. The Pteron is the stronger buy of CIVIVI's two new folders.
Verdict: one of the better sub-$70 slicers CIVIVI has released, and a good argument that grind geometry matters more than steel names on a budget knife. Buy it for the edge, not for the badge.
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