WE's Black Void Opus: 2.84 Inches, 2.77 Ounces, $265

Small knives are a design problem disguised as a size problem. Shrink a handle and you lose grip; shrink a blade and you lose reach; shrink both and you get something that looks like a toy and cuts like one. WE's Black Void Opus 2010V-1, another Justin Lundquist design, takes the opposite approach: it keeps a full 4.02-inch closed length and 2.77-ounce weight while fitting a 2.84-inch blade into a package that vanishes in a fifth pocket.

The specification sheet is unusually complete. Overall length 6.86 inches, handle thickness 0.52 inch, blade stock 0.13 inch, blade in CPM 20CV at 58-60 HRC with a flat grind and black stonewash finish, handle in 6AL4V titanium with a twill carbon fiber inlay, stainless liners, titanium clip, screws and pivot cap, and a nested liner lock. Deployment is a front flipper, and the pivot runs on caged ceramic ball bearings.

The front flipper is the divisive part. It requires a thumb to push up and back along the spine, which is fine for people who grew up with front-flipping traditionals and maddening for people who expect a tab to flick. What it buys is a knife with no protrusions: closed, the Opus is a smooth bar of titanium and carbon fiber with nothing to catch on a pocket seam.

Compared with the WE Angst, the Opus costs $100 more and gives up a fifth of an inch of blade in exchange for titanium, carbon fiber, and a more elegant profile. Compared with a Benchmade Mini Bugout, the Opus is heavier per inch but runs a far better steel and a far better pivot. Compared with the Kizer Drop Bear 2.9, you pay roughly double for the same blade length and get a much nicer handle.

Verdict: the Black Void Opus is a dress knife with a working steel, and the carbon fiber inlay is what sells it. Buy it if you wear trousers with a fifth pocket and you want the smallest knife that still feels like a real one.