The CRKT Squid A/O and the Case for Assisted Small Folders
A collection post that ends with a verdict is more useful than one that ends with a photo. This owner walked through his CRKT Squid history: the original non-assisted model disappointed him because it simply was not one-hand operational, and the assisted versions, including the compact and the XM, solved exactly that problem.
The specification explains both reactions. The Squid A/O carries a 2.37-inch 8Cr drop-point blade in a stainless handle with a frame lock, a rear flipper and a thumb stud, and the assisted opening does the work that a small, stiff detent cannot. On a knife this size there is very little blade to grab and very little leverage at the flipper, so an assist converts a two-handed knife into a one-handed one without changing the dimensions.
The steel is the honest compromise. 8Cr is not a steel anyone brags about, and the owner says plainly that he wishes it had better edge retention, then adds that it sharpens easily. That is the correct reading of a budget stainless: it will need attention more often, and the attention takes two minutes. On a knife that cuts tape and packaging, the practical difference between 8Cr and a premium powder steel is small, and the price difference is not.
The comments added the natural upgrade. One owner retired his Squid XM in favour of a Civivi Pintail, which gives up the assist but gains S35VN, and wondered whether an XM exists in S35VN. That is the same trade every small-folder buyer faces: assist and a low price, or better steel and a manual action. The Squid's stainless handle also makes it heavier than the polymer-handled competition, which is worth knowing if the knife is going into a light carry.
The verdict is that the Squid A/O is a good answer for someone who wants a genuinely small knife that opens one-handed and does not cost much. It is a poor answer for someone who cuts a lot of abrasive material or wants a knife that disappears in a pocket, since the steel handle and the assist both add weight. Buy it as a compact work knife, not as a lightweight, and expect to sharpen it.