Some people need their EDC knife with a 3-inch blade, bare minimum. Other folks are more comfortable with something much smaller. For that group, a keychain knife should be functional enough to handle all their everyday cutting needs and that’s exactly what the Nitecore NTK05 brings to your pocket.
Measuring just 2.2 inches long when collapsed, the folder should hang comfortably from any keychain, where it can make its place along with your keys, mini-tools, and micro-Gameboys. That way, you can have a usable knife without having to carrying something that takes up half your pocket, making for a much more convenient blade to keep around for your day-to-day duties.
The Nitecore NTK05 extends to 3.8 inches when unfolded, revealing a No.11 scalpel blade (0.8-inch blade edge), with its elongated, triangular shape and hypotenuse edge. As with any such blade, it should have the perfect profile for stabbing and incising actions, with a long enough handle allowing you to hold it like a pencil for excellent control and stability. That should make the knife useful for a whole host of everyday tasks, from slicing through tape and packaging to cutting though paper and rope. Seriously, if you use an X-Acto as an EDC blade, this should make just as capable (maybe even better) a replacement. Plus, since it’s a scalpel, you should be able to use it to make emergency surgeries if a post-apocalypse event occurs. You know, like removing an alien creature that stuck its body to your face or something.
A removable blade allows you to swap in any standard No.11 scalpel refill whenever the edge starts getting dull, eliminating the hassles of dealing with dulled out blades, while structural dowel pins prevent the blade from accidentally sliding out whether in open or closed orientation. There’s also no accidental deployment here, as a concealed lock ensures the knife stays securely shut whenever it’s completely folded in your pocket.
The Nitecore NTK05 is made from aerospace-grade TC4 titanium alloy, which boasts high strength, low-density, and strong corrosion resistance, ensuring your EDC knife can keep you company for extended periods of time. Each one is CNC-machined for precision construction, with a diagonal cutout at the end allowing you to hook it on keychain or put it on a lanyard for easy access. The entire knife is easy to disassemble, too, allowing you to clean it easily once it starts seeing a little too much action, dust, and moisture from your sweaty palm.
If you were hoping Nitecore would integrate some sort of LEDs into the knife, well, sorry to disappoint. This is strictly a keychain utility knife, with no trace of the outfit’s signature product line making its way onto it. With its combo of compact size, affordable size, and convenient use of standard scalpel blades, though, it definitely makes for an attractive option to those whose use of EDC knives don’t require any sort of heavier-duty applications.
The Nitecore NTK05 is available now, priced at $29.95.