Affordable high quality everyday carry pocketknives make us go wild. If you’re looking for a small knife suitable for EDC, the Civivi Baby Banter might be an option for you.
Civivi from a family of affordable options
We’ve covered several options that Civivi and their parent company, WeKnife, manufacture. In addition to Civivi, WeKnife also has another brand, Sencut, which also produces great options that won’t break the bank. The companies manufacture their knives in China, but that does not mean they’re cheap.
While many of the blades produced are of a hard high carbon content stainless steel, Civivi and co do produce carbon steel blades and even some made from Damascus.
The Baby Banter
Truth be told, the Baby Banter is not a knife that we fell heads over heels in love with. This is a matter of taste and preference. The knife itself is rather small, and we’re just used to manipulating larger knives. There’s nothing deficient mechanically with the knife nor with its construction.
The overall length of the Baby Banter is 5.46” and the blade is 2.34”. The width of the blade is a bit more than a standard knife of this size, so the blade is an acquired taste.
The Baby Banter that we received has a G10 handle and the blade is Nitro-V steel. Opening of the knife is facilitated with one hand via the ambidextrous thumb stud. For a locking mechanism, the Baby Banter is outfitted with a liner lock.
For those of you who like added measures to secure your gear, the Baby Banter is outfitted with a lanyard hole.
If you’re looking to use the Baby Banter as an everyday carry knife, you’ll find that the spring steel pocket clip is strong enough to keep the knife in place. Depending on your carry preference or which hand is your strong hand, the pocket clip can be removed and swapped over to the other side of the knife for you south paws out there.
The Baby Banter in the field
We used the Baby Banter for a number of months. One of us tested it in an occupational setting, using it as a go to for every cutting need–mostly shopping department stuff. While the knife got the job done, the size of it, again, was something that left more to be desired. Granted, this is a personal preference and is not indicative of the functionality of the knife.
When I ran with the knife, it fulfilled my needs as an EDC pocketknife, however the same complaint persisted–size.
Working the knife one handed was not an issue at all. The faux ivory G10 handle was comfortable and the knife did not slip when being used. When closing the knife, working the liner lock was not an issue–just care needs to be exercised with such a knife when working it closed with fingers in the line of fire.
The Baby Banter was plenty sharp out of the box and only needed to be honed a few times when it was being tested. Cutting packing tape and cardboard did take a minor toll on the knife. Sharpening was not a super fast process, as the Nitro-V steel is hard, however sharpening is not out of reach.
The quick and dirty
Pluses: Affordable. Sharp out of the box. Held and edge for quite awhile. Good for EDC.
Minuses: Too small for some applications. Sharpening takes some time.
Overall, the Baby Banter is not a bad pocketknife option. If you’re in the market for something small like this knife, it might suit your needs. The knife would be great for everyday carry, outdoor activities, to have as a travel companion, or something to throw in the range bag. I’d recommend this product to someone who’s in the market for a knife like this.
