WE Knife's VARG Shrinks MagnaCut Into a 2.96-Inch Clip Point

Small folders with premium steel are having a moment, and the VARG is WE's entry in that race: 7.12 inches overall, a 2.96-inch clip point in CPM MagnaCut at 61-63 HRC, 3.37 ounces, and a handle of 6AL4V titanium with a black and yellow carbon fiber inlay.

The spec sheet reads like a larger knife that was scaled down carefully rather than shrunk. Blade thickness is 0.13 inch, handle thickness 0.5 inch, closed length 4.15 inches. The blade is flat ground and stonewashed, the lock is a frame lock, the pivot runs caged ceramic bearings, and the clip, screws, pivot cap and back spacer are titanium. The flipper is the only deployment method, which keeps the closed profile clean. One spec deserves a warning. A 2.96-inch clip point with a narrow tip and 0.13-inch stock is a fine general-purpose blade, but the point is the fragile part of the geometry. Dropping it on tile or using it to open a paint can will cost you the tip, and reprofiling a MagnaCut tip at 61-63 HRC takes a diamond plate and some patience.

Against WE's own catalog, the VARG is the argument for buying less blade. The Ocellus gives you 3.44 inches and 4.55 ounces for $380. The VARG gives you 0.48 inch less edge, 1.18 ounces less mass and a $65 smaller bill. For a knife that lives in a front pocket next to a phone, the smaller one wins on almost every day that is not a camping trip.

The Damasteel version of the same frame, the WE25074-DS1, is listed at $675 — more than double — for a blade that cuts the same. That is a collector's line item, not a working knife. The $315 version with MagnaCut is the one to buy if the point is performance.

Current pricing and stock for both variants are on the WE Knife product page.