CIVIVI Yonder Review: A Top-Tier, Affordable EDC Knife

After gathering and testing a whole bunch of knives, it takes loads for me to get excited a few new design. However, often there’s a blade that cuts and carries so nicely I’m compelled to inform the world about it. I’ve been carrying the Civivi Yonder in my EDC rotation for 3 months and I reduce examined it towards two wonderful folders. Its efficiency in day by day use and head-to-head testing put it on my listing of my favourite EDC knives of all time. 

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• Value: $67 (Retails for round $60)
• Very lefty pleasant
• Weight: 2.8 ounces (measured)
• Closed Size: 3.74 inches (measured)
• Open Size: 6.63 inches (measured)
• Thickness: 0.45 inch (measured)
• Blade Inventory Thickness: 0.09 inch (measured)
• Thickness Behind the Edge: 0.01 inch (measured)
• Sharpened Edge Size: 2.73 inches (measured)
• Spade-point blade 
• Blade Materials: 14C28N
• Blade Hardness: 58-60HRC
• Crossbar lock
• G10, micarta, or wooden scales 
• Caged ceramic ball bearings 
• Designer: Zac Whitmore

Blade Metal

The Yonder has a 14C28N blade, which is hardened to 58 to 60 HRC. Dr. Larren Thomas of Knife Metal Nerds did a test of several popular budget knife steels and 14C28N got here out on high.

“After reviewing many of those steels I believe 14C28N is the perfect. It has excessive toughness, above common corrosion resistance, and first rate edge retention. It is usually ‘wonderful blankable’ and straightforward to sharpen with any stones…,” he says. 

So whereas 14C28N isn’t any S30V, it’s an amazing metal alternative for a knife beneath $100. 

Design 

Zac Whitmore is without doubt one of the most universally preferred and revered individuals within the knife business. He put his years of expertise utilizing and reviewing knives into designing an EDC blade. Whitmore designed the Yonder with the assistance of his good friend Ben Peterson — one in all my favourite knife designers. He wished to make a knife that may work nicely for a variety of individuals with a impartial, comfy deal with. The knife can be utterly lefty pleasant with a reversible pocket clip and ambidextrous lock. The blade is supposed to be utilitarian, robust, and an amazing cutter. The top product is a knife that’s made to be a companion via all life’s adventures. 

Testing the Civivi Yonder

I discover it’s finest to do reducing assessments as a comparability in order that I can reduce a fabric with knife A and see if it’s higher than knives B and C. I put the Yonder up towards the Kershaw Bel Air and CJRB Pyrite Light — two of my favourite knives of their respective value factors. 

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Cardboard is a go-to knife testing medium as a result of it’s constant and in the end is what plenty of EDC knives find yourself reducing in actual life. As a substitute of slicing up a flimsy Amazon field, I used a pleasant thick grade of cardboard to see what these knives can do. The Yonder reduce cleanly and with little effort in a straight push reduce. The Bel Air had barely much less resistance and the Pyrite Mild had noticeably extra whereas making the identical reduce. What I seen whereas reducing was the minuscule variations in blade thickness and grind geometry. 

The Yonder and Pyrite Mild’s spines measured 0.09-inch thick and the Bel Air’s measured 0.07 inch. Simply behind the sting the Yonder and Bel Air measured 0.01-inch thick and the Pyrite Mild measured 0.02-inch thick. So the 2 knives that sliced the perfect have a thinner grind. The Bel Air and Yonder even have plenty of stomach to their blade form, which aids in slicing. 

As I moved on to creating S-shaped cuts and utilizing totally different grips via the cardboard, the outcomes had been constant. The Bel Air was the highest canine, with the Yonder trailing simply behind it, and the Pyrite Mild required probably the most effort. A function that held the Pyrite Mild again was its massive finger choil, which snagged cardboard on a couple of events and halted the reduce abruptly. The Yonder doesn’t have a full flat grind, and it’s extra of a excessive saber grind. That grind helps the knife not get sure up because it pushes via materials, which was particularly noticeable whereas making sharp turns. 

Once I began reducing the paracord although, the tables turned. The sweeping blade form that helped the Bel Air and Yonder reduce via cardboard held them again on cordage. Paracord is pretty slick in comparison with different cordages and when a blade has plenty of stomach it can slip down the blade moderately than being reduce. The Pyrite’s straighter blade form traps the paracord in place and slices proper via it. The Yonder ended up in third place whereas reducing paracord near the grip and with simply the third of the blade close to the tip.

All three knives had been equally good at piercing. The distinction is the Yonder’s tip is stronger, which makes it far much less more likely to snap off whereas doing questionable issues (prying) together with your pocket knife. 

The Yonder is a small knife, however it has the ergonomics of bigger knives. Whereas doing the S-cuts, the Pyrite Mild instantly produced sizzling spots on my hand. The Yonder was completely comfy all through testing. I by no means felt the pocket clip and I by no means felt like I wished extra deal with size. It’s value noting that I’ve massive fingers too — I’m 6 ft, 6 inches with an XL glove dimension. Regardless that the Yonder doesn’t have a choil, you possibly can choke up on it for making element cuts utilizing the flat spot that’s proper close to the plunge grind. The jimping simply above the thumb studs have simply the correct quantity of grip with out being too aggressive. The jimping and total deal with form locked my hand in place and I may use much less grip pressure whereas making troublesome cuts. 

The Yonder is an elite group of EDC knives which can be virtually excellent within the pocket. The deep carry clip holds the knife securely and discreetly. Its slim width and brief total size leaves loads of room for keys or a cellphone in your pocket. Its dimension additionally makes it straightforward to retrieve these gadgets out of your pocket with out interference. 

The Yonder’s motion is about nearly as good as a crossbar lock can get. It doesn’t have that snappy really feel you get from a well-tuned detent on a body lock, however the blade opens with authority with little or no effort. It should additionally roll out easily, which isn’t all the time potential with a powerful detent. 

Aggressive Choices

I actually just like the Yonder, however it’s additionally value these different nice knives. 

• Civivi Baby Banter ($59): A smaller knife with a greater motion, however the Yonder is a greater cutter total. 
• Vosteed Porcupine ($69): An awesome choice if you need a barely larger knife. 
• Kershaw Leek ($61): A USA-made knife that’s an amazing slicer. However, it’s an assisted opening knife. 

What the Yonder Does Greatest

The Yodner is a real EDC knife and it excels at being straightforward to hold and reducing via all kinds of supplies with ease. It’s additionally among the best worth EDC knives at round $60. In my over 200 piece knife assortment, I don’t have a knife beneath $100 that I like greater than the Yonder. 

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The place the Yonder Can Enhance 

I really like this worth model of the Yonder, however a premium model would get probably the most out of this knife’s nice design. I believe titanium and S110V would flip this nice worth knife into among the best EDC blades ever made. 

Closing Ideas 

Zac Whitmore’s years within the knife business exhibits in his flawlessly designed Yonder. You’ll be able to see the small, considerate particulars that solely come from expertise all through the design. These particulars add as much as a knife that’s a pleasure to hold and use.