Can't remember what the number is . But I think we all know which one we're talking about here.

Part of the story was this: I was looking for a long overdue replacement of my Mini Presideo that I hawked a long time ago (back to the theory of good old American Capitalism ). But I figured I'd get another one when the time was right. I think I sold that about 2 years or so ago. Give or take.

Anyway, I started getting the idea for getting another small folder again. As of late, my sweet tooth for big folders had taken over, and I wanted a switch. Small and tough was the order of the day for me. Had my share of the little guys (Besides the Presideo, I've also owned my share of mini grips, a small HK folder, and of course, the daddy of all small BM's, the 705), so I wasn't completely sure what I'd like to get. At some point, I wasn't sure if I wanted another mini presideo again (at least not right now). I narrowed it down to a pair. The Ultra Presideo (which is another I might get at some point in the future), and the one this threads about: The mini bone collector.

Having owned it now for a short time, I don't have a whole lot to say in usage (that'll come as time goes on). This is probably more of some of the little nuances I noticed about this particular knife, with some pictures to follow.

Of course, this is just one man's opinions, and YMMV .

Out of the box, I was pretty impressed how this thing was put together. I realize nowadays, with the strive for perfection at a fever pitch, it's a very subjective thing. With that said, mine came shaving sharp (note I said shaving, meaning you're not gonna run the blade above your forearm, and have your arm hairs just melt off your arm....you need to be looking for a plasma cutter for that ), no blade wiggle in any direction, and good solid lockup. So in my mind, we're good to go. Blade, for those interested, is slightly off center, but not rubbing the liners at all (and with that said, I don't think "quality control" has gone down the dumper LOL ).

So essentially, out of the box, it's ready to work.

Overall, I'd say this thing is "Crisp". Sounds like a weird term, but it's the only one I can come up with right now. The edge was crisp (which is to say like I alluded to earlier, it's shaving sharp, and the grinds are done very well with no burrs or anything like that. But it's not plasma cutter, nor scalpel sharp).

Opening and closing has the same attribute. It opens very crisp. Meaning it's a little tight, but also smooth. The detent is very firm, but you don't need a gorilla push with your thumb to get it open either. As well, I didn't notice any stickyness when unlocking either (again, not a deal breaker if it is for me). I suspect over time, it will wear in some, and for giggles, I may add some CRK flourinated grease to the pivot area (that's been my lube of choice these days for all my folders), and see what happens with it. One thing I wasn't able to do was the axis bar opening trick with this one. That's how firm the detent seems to hold this one. Not a biggie for me.

The blade shape for this is a "drop point sheepsfoot". Well OK, that's about the only description I can come up with. But it's very similar to an old mini grip that I used to have (it's the one, if you're not familiar, that had the oval hole instead of the round one, and had 440c steel, instead of the 154cm that the grips sport these days). In fact, I think it's pretty much a spitting image of the old grips (which, truth be told, I prefer over the current version. Not that it's bad, but I liked the way that the grind at the spine started thick, and then tapered thinner down as you went towards the edge). For me, it does give the knife slicing capabilities, but also some toughness so far as doing some "dirty work", like some prying and lifting if need be. One little thing I did do is "drill" into the side of a box with some stuff in it. And it did so with ease. I guess you could call it "mild torquing". But the lock held up fine, and the edge didn't even break a sweat, part and parcel because of the thicker tip. I think the thicker tip gives an added dimension, and thus, more versitility. As well, I didn't encounter any rolling or chipping with the D-2. So while the super duper wooper steels are nice, it's good to see some of the "old time" steels can still get it done for you

Here's a couple of grind shots, with one comparison shot to a couple of my other small frys.

Left to right, if you're keeping score at home, Small HK folder, Bone Collector, and the 705. Very noticeable that the Bone has the thicker grind from the top.




Hold that thought, more to come

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sabu71,

It's good to see that this great knife is getting the recognition it deserves.
IMO it has all makings of a great all around knife.
I have the large one and my trigger finger is slowly creeping up the key board to pull the trigger on a mini version, I have some pimping Ideas for the scales.
Nice review and congrats.

The handle shape is another thing that drew me to this one. As I stated earlier, I was seriously looking at getting the Presideo again, or even the ultra. I loved the way it just "melted" in my hand. I found that design to be very ergonomically friendly for me. I think the Bone has taken that handle shape, and added some nice enhancments to it. For one, it seems to be less wider in the middle than the Presideo was, but it didn't thin it down to the 705/707 width either. The slight cutout on the bottom of the handle (towards the lock side) also enhances the grip without giving up much material.

I can't recall exactly, since it's been a while, but I think the Bone is also a few millimeters longer than said Presideo. And ergo, my fingers didn't feel scrunched up when holding the knife in a saber grip. Also, while we're on the subject, the knife was not short changed by not having jimping on the blade spine.

That was nicely compensated with the grooved g-10, and also with the way the lock side has that "birds beak" shape to it. I'm usually not that much of a grooved type person (I've held some knives where it was almost overkill for me) but this was done very well. And the wider, deeper grooves towards the spine of the handle helped provide a nice purchase point for the middle of my fingers.

In addtion, the "jimped backspacer" I've found to be very handy, particularly in a reverse grip. Just wide enough to provide a gripable surface, but not enough to tear your hands up (with that said, I don't exactly have "pillow hands" either, so it wouldn't bug me much, but it might for some folks.). With that said, I didn't notice any hot spots when I was doing the "drill cut" of the box I mentioned in my previous post. I was really thinking it was like a craftsman screwdriver, grip wise. It's there, but it's not gonna hurt your hands either if you need to provide a gorrilla grip.

I really liked the color scheme with the handles. I'm usually don't care either way, but I liked the contrast with the blade (which seems to be a cross between satin and stonewashed finishes). While we're on the subject, I haven't had any rust issues, or any staining either, particularly with some minor food prep I did with the knife (BTW, it did very well with slicing some small tomatoes, and did a fair job with some cheese, something I was concerned about since cheese slicers are thinner usually). But I usually rinse off my blades when I'm done using them. I'm not OCD about it, mind you, I just give it a once over with some soap and water. As we head towards the summer, we'll see how it goes, but historically, I've never had any rust problems with tool steel.

I used to really hate having the two toned g-10 with my knives (it was one of the things I balked at when I was contemplating buying an Ares, and back when I was a bit more picky about looks ). But after I got a Rift for my birthday, my stance changed. I love the two toned look now. I was thinking about getting the walnut scales, but I chickened out, and went with the original. At a later date, if they're available, I may get some wood .



Saber grip shot. Like I said, for it's size, it's got a lot of room to roam, YMMV





Final thoughts next

Overall, in a nutshell, this is a very versitile, solid folder. Can't remember if I said this, but it took the best of the older mini grips, and the best of the mini presideo, and morphed them into the Bone Collector. I'll also go out on a limb here, and say it's also got a little bit of toughness that you'd find in say, a Strider. But also has the slicing capabilities of knives with thinner grinds. In short, it provides a nice happy medium for everyone. I think you'll find something you like about this one. There may be some stuff that you don't care for, but I don't think this one's done to one extreme or another.

One last thing I forgot about. For the versitility, and rock solid build that this knife offers, it carries very light. It's another "happy medium" it's not feather light, but it's not as heavy as say, a Presideo. I ended up removing the clip, and I just throw it in my pocket. I barely noticed it was there, even in a pair of slacks. And given the fact that it's offered in a few different handle colors, I think this is one you can take to the office, and not have it raise eyebrows .

quote:

Originally posted by archer:
It's good to see that this great knife is getting the recognition it deserves.
IMO it has all makings of a great all around knife.
I have the large one and my trigger finger is slowly creeping up the key board to pull the trigger on a mini version, I have some pimping Ideas for the scales.
Nice review and congrats.

Thanks much Archer . I'm glad you liked it. Like I said, at some point I think I'll spring for a large one. I ended up selling my large Presideo (again, needed the moolah, and I hadn't carried it for a while.....knife knut's dilemma ). Given I loved (and still do) that one, and the mini, I may have to get me a big un. It does have the potential to be a classic down the road. Time will tell of course, but I think given it's been out for a year or so now, I've yet to read anything remotely bad about it.

In the post "If you had the funds..." I said this knife deserves special mention and I could never have done it better than you.
You highlighted exactly the main points and balances deserving of this little gem.
I'll say it again, other high end knives worth 2, 3, or 4 times more don't hold a candle to combination of useability, ergos and toughness this knife has.
BM really pulled it off with this one and I think it is destined to be a classic.

Thanks much...I'm flattered .


There is something to be said about the stuff that's considered a "big ticket" items (ie your custom maker stuff, Gold Class, Striders, Sebbies et al). I'm not one to bag on someone who spends x amount of dollars on a folder (hell, I've done it myself). It's what makes me happy, and I'm sure others as well. For others, probably not so much. And to me, it's all good, from both sides of the equation.

With all that said, however, every so often a gem like this comes along, and it seemingly is one of those "sleeper" knives that you barely hear about.

On it's own merits, and at it's price point, this folder is deserving of recognition amongst the best known folders out there, and, in my mind, will give said folders a nice run for their money (and in some cases, maybe even outperform them).

Like I said, thus far, I love what I'm seeing with this one, and it has lived well beyond my expectations . It is a winner...period

I hear ya Sabu17, It's all opinion and subjective and has nothing to do with bieng judgemental and as far as I remebered somebody in the other post asked for it so we keep it honest and straight.
In any case, well thought out and said!

sabu71, after carrying the mini-bone collector around for a while myself, I agree with your review very much. You wrote it all, so I'll only say it suits me just the same way. Nice write-up and pictures!

Am i mistaken in saying this is just a cosmetically changed mini Griptillion?
After rereading what you say its close.
Anyhow i always hated the Gript. as it just looked odd but at least its price has dropped since i last looked at one a few years ago. Mainly i dislike the actual grip as it looks like a "pear" with a blade attached.

Anyhow i like this knife, Ive yet to hold one tho.
It reminds me of a slightly modified mini 950 Rift with some really good steel in it.
I also like the hole and no thumb studs as i find them useless on Axis equipped knives.
Many nights ive sat surfing the new flicking my 950 and 943 and just used the axis lock and never touched the blade, That got boring fast tho. But that is a stupid grip for such a good locking system.

Good thorough review btw, Adding lots of pics is always a big plus as ive seen many reviews with no pics and im like "WTH" I wanna at least see what this guy is talking about!