The Quiet Carry Eddy, CJRB Maileah, and Kershaw Chive. Best Fifth Pocket EDC Travel Knives

CJRB Maileha, Quiet Carry Eddy, Kershaw Chive
CJRB Maileah, Quiet Carry Eddy, Kershaw Chive

I have carried a pocket knife most of my life. As I was growing up, my father, the surgeon, always emphasized the importance of quality steel and keeping a blade sharp. Knives were his bread and butter. “Dull blades are dangerous,” he told me. You have to push harder, and when you eventually slip and cut yourself, the gash bleeds like hell and is hard to sew back together.” 

I remember watching him sew up his hand once after he accidentally cut himself with a dull utility blade. I had never seen him so angry. “Let this be a lesson to you, son,” he said. “Don’t do stupid shit.”

 For the past five years, the Kershaw Chive has been my EDC travel blade. I love that knife, but I wanted something just a little bit larger. So I started searching the internet and youtube for what my options were. 

FYI-Knife porn is addictive.

The Kershaw Chive:

I have beat up this little knife, and it has held up spectacularly. The assisted opening is fun to use. The blade takes an edge well, it is easy to sharpen, and not a spec of rust has appeared even after saltwater soakings.

After extended use, I found out that because it has assisted opening, it makes it hard to close one-handed. Last week I was up on a ladder at home cutting blue tape and scraping paint off a window. Having to use two hands to close, was awkward and dangerous. 

The Chive has consistently “punched above its weight,” but it has its limits. It can breeze through boxes or rope or effortlessly cut through 9 feet of photo backdrop paper, but it is just too small to make cutting an apple, or bread or cheese comfortable.

Specs:

  • Blade length: 1.9 in. (4.8 cm)
  • Closed length: 2.9 in. (7.4cm)
  • Overall length: 4.8 in. (9.9 cm)
  • SpeedSafe assisted opening
  • Frame lock
  • Single-position pocket clip, tip-lock slider
  • Steel: 420HC, bead-blasted finish
  • Handle: 410 stainless steel, bead-blasted finish
  • Weight: 1.7 oz. (48.2 g)
  • Made in the USA

Fifth pocket carry:

The knife I was looking for had to meet three criteria; I wanted an approximately 2.5 inches blade. It had to be corrosion resistant,  keep an edge well, and have a closed length of about 3 inches.

I like to carry in the otherwise unused fifth pocket of my pants. The pocket is no more than 3 inches deep. It’s the perfect place for a knife. Easy to access and completely hidden if you do not use a pocket clip. 

Any blade over 3 inches long can be a legal carry issue depending on where you travel or live, and quite frankly, a 2.5-inch blade length will accomplish most tasks.

My two contenders.

I decided on two knives: the CJRB Maileha and the Quiet carry Eddy. Both are spectacular knives, but Eddy is the one that I ultimately chose.

CJRB Maileah:

Specs:

  • Blade Length: 2.39″ (60.7 mm)
  • Closed Length: 3.14″ (79.8 mm)
  • Overall Length: 5.51″ (140.0 mm)
  • Blade Material: AR-RPM9 Stainless Steel
  • Blade Thickness: 0.100″ (2.5 mm)
  • Blade Hardness: 58-60HRC
  • Blade Style: Reverse Tanto
  • Blade Grind: Flat
  • Blade Finish: Sand Polish
  • Handle Material: Black G10
  • Locking Mechanism: Liner Lock
  • Pivot Assembly: Ceramic Bearings
  • Pocket Clip: Stainless Steel (Tip-Up, Right Carry)
  • Weight: 2.29 oz. (65 g)
  • Designer: Swags of Sharp and Pointy Swags

This is a beautiful knife, fidget friendly with a new advanced budget steel. It flicks open well from the thumb studs with ceramic ball bearings. I love the shape of the blade, and it comes scary sharp right out of the box. My problem with it is that it is hard to close one-handed. It takes one extra step after releasing the liner lock to push it closed from the front flipper tab. Unfortunately, access to the liner lock is thin. You have to search to catch it with a thumb nail. The jimping on top of the blade is also problematic. It is rounded off and actually makes the bade slippery rather than give you a better grip.  All in all a super cool knife with a very comfortable handle that is almost there.

The Quiet Carry Eddy.

Specs:

  • Blade Length: 2.45 inches
  • Blade Thickness: .106 inches
  • Body Length: 3.24 inches
  • Open Length: 5.69 inches
  • Blade Type: Dropping Clip Point 
  • Blade Grind: Flat
  • Blade Steel: CPM 20CV
  • Body Type: G10
  • Hardware: 416 Stainless Steel
  • Thumb Opening: Right
  • Lock: Liner Lock
  • Pocket Clip: Tip-up Carry
  • Washers: Phosphor Bronze
  • Blade Coating: PVD
  • Clip Coating: PVD
  • Weight: 2.2 oz

The Quiet carry Eddy is possibly the most beautiful, well-built knife I have ever owned. The blade steel is fantastic, sharp as hell, and seems to hold an edge indefinitely. The ergonomics, fit and finish are perfect. The knife world is in love with bearing washers, but Eddy’s action with its phosphor bronze washers is smoother than the Maileha and far less apt to bind up from dust and dirt.

I love the cool flipping action of the Maileah, but the Eddy deploys and closes effortlessly. It is a thing of beauty.

All of these knives are wonderful, But for me, The Quiet carry Eddy is my new EDC.