Sorry for the delay. I had internet difficulty and yard work this weekend.

What do you really need in a pocket knife? I mean, REALLY need? Do you need a super steel? No. Do you need a flipper? Nah. What about MokuTi, Zircuti (which I have recently heard pronounced as zir coo tee, a hilarious example of how written language fumbles when converted to spoken language)? No, no, no. What about a harpoon tip? No. Over and over again as I think through what is absolutely necessary, it becomes clear that we are so incredibly pampered these days. We are so pampered that we actually forget what is essential and accept garbage in the place of essential. A folding knife with a 1/4” blade stock is just a bad knife. Its not that it is robust or overbuilt, it is just bad. But because we have so little true need for a folder these days, people delude themselves into thinking that overbuilt knives are somehow BETTER when, in fact, they are verifiably worse.

This exercise about essential leads me to two things: good blade geometry and a comfortable handle. That’s it. If you have those two things, you can get by quite well. Our grandparents did. Their parents did. Go back to the original folder, something like the English Barlow and you see thin blade stock and a comfortable handle (the English Barlow had one other feature that modern machining makes unnecessary—a reinforced bolster designed to give the pivot extra strength because mass production didn’t quite make things that fit together).

The Lander has more than the bare essentials, but it does include those two critical things—thin blade stock and a comfy handle. After processing perhaps 200 pounds of cardboard with a variety of knives (see here and here), I have come to the conclusion that the Lander even in its cheapest, most basic form is an excellent knife. If I were advising the Wirecutter on the “Best Knife for Most People” again, the Lander would be at the top of the list. It is a remarkably well designed, broadly useful knife for a reasonable amount of money. But how well does it score?

Quick Review Summary: A surprisingly good and simple knife.

Disclosures: First, this knife is made by QSP for Ben’s company Knafs Co. It is not made nor sold by a member of AKTI. Second, I am friends with Ben. Weird thing—the longer I do this the more people I consider friends make stuff. I won’t let those two things affect my judgment here.

In the past I have received review samples from Ben for review (see Banter and Baby Banter review). I may have received a review sample here as I was moving at the time the review samples were released. Either way I purchased this with my own money. If I did receive a review sample, I didn’t get it forwarded by the new homeowners. I wouldn’t mention that, but this is the only knife I was possibly sent that did not get forwarded.

Design: 2

This knife seems very familiar. In some ways it reminds me of a KaBar Mini Dozier. It also has hints of the Ontario RAT 2. Finally, there are touches here and there of the ESEE Zancudo here. Its like knife deja vu, but not in a bad way. The fundamentals of a folder are pretty straightforward and the fact that the Lander hews so close to those basics makes it familiar, but also quite good. Nothing here is threatening or aggressive. The entire design seems, well, friendly. But that cheery presentation mates with some real design insights. First, the knife has a negative cutting angle on the blade without going into the dreaded recurve territory. This made the Lander a superb cutter in a massive cut test I did (video here). You can see that it hung with knives that were much more expensive and had better steels. The handle design is also quite good, but I will save that for below. The clip is very good, allowing for deep pocket carry without screwing up the entire knife, like, say, the clip on the Brouwer. Finally, there is something about the size that I just can’t shake. Its small enough to drop into a coin pocket in your jeans, but large enough to handle real cutting tasks and fit four fingers. The Lander is a very good design and given its price it has attempted that most difficult of design feats in the knife world—accessibility.

Fit and Finish: 1

While the knife’s parts are nicely made, they are not put together as well as I expected. There was a bit of creak when I squeezed the knife together. The blade seemed to knock around while traveling through the blade path. And the scales were just a bit loose. After tightening a bunch of the screws I got rid of the clicking sound and the scales stayed put, but no amount of tweaking could get rid of the slop in the blade while opening. Ten years ago this would have been a 2, but now, when truly perfect knives seems to fall from the sky, its a bit underwhelming. Its not like an Ozark Trail or a budget level Gerber, but it is not as nice as Ben’s other knives like the Baby Banter.

Grip: 2

The grip here is pretty nice. The scales are nicely rounded over and their shape cradles the hand. I can get a full four finger grip on the Lander. The clip, while taking up quite a bit of space on the knife, is not that obtrusive. Its not, for example, like the Brouwer’s stock clip. Things are changing a bit on this front, just like with the rescaling I noticed in the flashlight world due to the size of torches, their battery format, and output, but more on that in a future review.

As a side note, like a few other brands, the Knafs Co Lander allows you to swap the handle scales without fully disassembling the knife. So if the stock handle scales are too slick or boring you can opt for some fancy aftermarket stuff, like the Mexican blanket colorway. Personally, I don’t find this feature useful and I have never swapped scales on any of my TRM knives or my Orion Solaris, but if you are the kind of person that matches their ink and pen, then this might be your jam. Ben also released code so that you can 3D print your own scales. 3D printing knife scales is one of the things that makes me really want a 3D printer. That and the cool hex-based, honeycomb wall storage pegboard alternative by RostaP.

Carry: 2

Again and again I kept picking up the Lander because I really liked its size. There are a lot of really small knives and a lot of knives with 3 inch blades, but this knife has a size that is just right for me—I can still get a full four finger grip on the Lander, but it stows away in the coin pocket nicely.

Steel: 1

Its not 8Cr. That’s about as much as I am willing to say for D2. Look, D2 is fine. Its just not special. Or even that desirable. Its just fine. Nothing more. Of course Ben heard the outcry over the steel and now offers an 14C28N version. I wish mine had that steel. The problem with D2 is that its just not as corrosion resistant as other steels and without some real care and attention in the heat treat step, its performance is not that special anymore. In an era of ubiquitous M390, you need more. These days D2 should only be used on true budget knives. Anything aimed at enthusiasts should come with better steel.

Blade Shape: 2

I love, love, love the blade shape here. A slightly bulbous drop point makes the knife appear less threatening and at the same time offers a negative cutting angle near the pivot resulting in cutting performance that really outpaces what you’d expect from a D2 blade. Ben’s design is a really clever way of maxing out the performance of the steel. And its helped by the…

Grind: 2

Okay, here is the thing—despite the mediocre D2 steel, the Lander’s cutting performance was superb. Its partly the blade shape, but really it is the grind. The stock is thin to begin with, but it gets thinner and thinner as it approaching the cutting edge. My post Christmas box breakdown can be seen in this video and I tested a half dozen or so knives. The Lander did shockingly well. The Lander is a master class in getting the most out of humble materials and is a reminder that grind > steel.

Deployment Method: 2

I still remember the first time I opened a RAT 2. It seemed to fly open with a detent perfectly tuned for snappy deployment. It was as if the knife was psychic. The Lander has that same snappy detent and effortless deployment. Its hard not to fidget with the knife if it is your carry for the day. Just truly lovely and right on trend given the current knife market.

Retention Method: 2

The clip is a bit big and it hangs over the top of the knife, but it is an excellent clip either way. The Lander stayed secure and locked on my pocket even in slacks. The filler tab for the unused side of the handle scales is nice and the size of the Lander allows it to be stored in the coin pocket without controversy.

Lock: 2

Despite some significant slop in the blade when it is closed and when it is traveling to the open position, once locked in, it was tight as drum. I have seen this before on other knives, but it is always weird. It kind of reminds me of erecting a tent—once all of the poles are in, a quick tug locks everything in place even if, just a second ago, it was a wobbly, unstable thing.

Other Considerations

Fidget Factor: Very High

With a just right size and a super fun deployment, the Lander is definitely part fidget toy.

Fett Effect: Low

My review unit was black with a blackwashed blade. It could sent through a vibratory tumbler with no ill-effects.

Value: High

With some real design genius and focus on what matters the Lander, even with D2 steel and a $60 price point, performs like a much more expensive knife. That’s the definition of good value.

Overall Score: 18 of 20

Part of me is very tempted to go super crazy and do a build of my perfect Lander. All of the options and upgrades are smart and the bones of the knife are very, very good. This first version, with the D2 blade, that would not be my choice for the foundation of a fully upgraded and customized version of the knife. The Smokey Mountain Knife Works version, which sports an S35VN blade, might be, but it is a staggering $175. Likely, instead, would be the 14C28N version. That’s the one to get, though even this base model D2 version ain’t bad. Its little sloppy and the D2 is underwhelming in theory, but in practice, this thing is a cutting and slicing machine that is just the right size for EDC daily carry. You won’t be disappointed by the Lander’s performance even if your are curmudgeon like me and bristle at the steel choice on a theoretical level. The Lander is proof that Ben is a very good knife designer as he squeezes every last drop of performance out of this knife making cut and feel like a more expensive blade.

Competition

There is a lot of competition here. Lots. The Civivi Lumi and Baby Banter are clear competitors. I also think the Kizer Feist, in some of its budget incarnations, is a competitor. The RAT 2 has similar features and feel. The knife is not that much larger than the Dragonfly. In this price range and size there are just a lot of knives to consider. My big issue with the Lander, one that has been fixed by subsequent releases, is the steel. D2 is, of course, fine, but it is below par for a knife this price. You can find PM steels on knives this price. Its ARPM9, but still, it is a powder steel. You can also find a bevy of knives with my two favorite budget steels 14C28N and Nitro V on knives in this price range. I think the Lumi is a better knife and I think the Baby Banter is as well. If I were considering this knife in 14C28N, I think it would be the equal of the Baby Banter and just a smidge behind the Lumi, which is a design I still deeply enjoy. The CJRB Pyrite is a budget knife and a bit bigger, but it is in the same league. In the end though the Lander’s size and cutting performance is pretty hard to match. With the 14C28N version out there, its one of the better entry level knives even in a field of stout competition.

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