Spyderco UKPK Penknife Lightweight FRN Folding Knife (2.94" Satin) C94PBK3

This knife harkens back to the pocket knives of 30 and more years ago, but in very good ways. It opens easily with one hand using the thumb and not the fingernail. It’s lightweight. Solid. Smooth. The blade can slice a tomato as easily as it can sharpen a pencil (do they still make pencils?). It’s as good as a locking blades for utility purposes as long as you don’t try to use it as an ice pick (do they still make ice picks?)

The UKPK is designed to comply with restrictive knife laws in the UK, Germany, and a few other countries that have issues with locking knives. It significantly mitigates the risk to the user's knuckles with a 50/50 choil, which prevents the knife from closing when gripped normally. Legal motivations aside, this is a fantastic knife. I've owned both blade shapes; this drop point version has some flat, some belly, and a very usable tip. Thin stock, a full flat grind with distal taper, and a reasonably-sized secondary bevel make for a knife that's unusually good at cutting things. Recent production has upgraded to BD1N steel, which can be heat treated harder than the original BD1.

While I enjoy small knives I’ve learnt that for me a 3 inch blade is the bare minimum for my practical use. The UKPK is a knife with an interesting background and is a reminder that for the majority of edc tasks, a slip joint is perfectly adequate. A silcey blade in a crazy lightweight package with the amazing wire clip, and while it’s certainly not cheap, it’s good value for a US made spyderco. Well worth adding to your collection!