Enzo PK70 S30V

I have in truth been waiting for this little knife to come out for a while. The Enzo PK70 S30V is what can only be called a luxury gentleman’s pocket knife. Pretty yes, but also functional, proving once again that bigger is not always better.

With its 7cm long, 2.5mm thick non-locking blade it meets the UK legal requirements for what the Americans call ‘EDC’ or every day carry. The blade has a Scandi grind (flat grind with secondary bevel available) with a nail nick to open it.

Satin-finished it’s made from a special powder steel CPM S30V. One of the new wave of materials on the market, created by Crucible Materials Corporation in collaboration with knife making legend Chris Reeve. It has a hardness of HRC 59 which makes for a durable and very fine edge due to the even distribution of vanadium carbides though the metal. I have been using this little knife every day for the last month and can attest not only to its edge retention and hair splitting sharpness but also the ease of sharpening using a fantastic little diamond stone also supplied by the importers Casstrom.

The Mechanism

Quite simply this is a spine-sprung folder in a classic sense that looks like it was built by a Swiss watch manufacturer. The frame is made of polished stainless steel with finely figured, removable curly birch scales (other options available).

These are flat-sided but with an immaculately executed, 45° micro bevel to soften the clean edge making holding it more comfortable. The scales are held in place with recessed star drive headed machine screws (four per side). There’s a removable pocket clip in polished stainless steel, under great tension to avoid losing this little piece of ‘man jewellery’. One central and very clever design feature of this beautiful little tool is the geometry of the pivot point in relation to the centre axis of the blade. The pivot is positioned as far towards the blade edge as possible so with reasonable care the tip of the knife can be used to bore without it folding unexpectedly. At the back towards the spine there is a lanyard hole which fits perfectly the paracord I used to make a wrist loop.

The Money

Yes this knife is not cheap at £96, but this is the kind of timeless heirloom in the making that would be a fantastic 18th birthday/wedding/retirement present etc. Like a Rolex watch is more than something to tell the time, the PK70 S30V is more than something to whittle stuff with.

For

Beautifully made will last longer than the purchaser

Against

Maybe a bit pricey for some

Verdict

An exceptional compact folder, but and given the cost is it for you?

PRICES: from £96