Steel Will Cutjack Mini Review. A more affordable ball bearing flipper with Bohler M390

Low-key 91 this one is for you.
Much like the primitive technology Youtube channel, this one is all about the hunter
gatherer lifestyle.
And by that I had to hunt for a minute online for the number to Dominos then go gather the
pizza from the teenager behind the counter.
And thats where Steel Will comes in with their new CutJack Mini, which is perfect for breaking
down your Pizza Carcass.
The mini you say boy, how about sharing those dimensions like the overall length and weight,
the blade size, the cutting edge, the handle size, the grip area.
The spine thickness, the handle thickness, and the tallness of the knife when closed.
Is there a less awkward way to say that?
The Cut Jack Mini is a new version of the CutJack, and the smaller version of the high
end cutjack coming out later this year.
The regular cutback is called the C22, and this is the C22M-2BK.
Which sounds confusing... but just know that the cutjack is a series of knife, that may
have different pivot systems and blade sizes.
This particular edition of the Cutjack is made in Italy and features a blade made from
Bohler M390 steel.
The drop point blade has a high flat grind... with a satin finish.
The Cutjack mini is the more compact version of the cutjack... if you want a larger blade
in the mid 3 inch range go with the full size cutjack.
The blade pivots on a ball bearing system, and is locked up with a liner lock.
The ball bearing system means the blade is deployed quickly and consistently without
much effort- even with a minimal press of the flipper stud, gets it to deploy.
Remember the Kershaw unassisted Fraxion that felt assisted... well this one and that one
are my two easiest and most fluid flippers.
The flipper stud is sort of edgy, and you might take some super fine grit sandpaper
to lightly knock down the hotspots... they aren't bad- but if you fidget flip it throughout
the day it might wear on your tender thumbs.
The liner lock seems strong enough, and I beat on my stump with it a bit to see if I
could get it to fail and it didn't.
I mean the lock magicians at Cold Steel might, with their puny lock tester... so you can
send them yours and watch the guy talk for 15 minutes about Tri-ads.
Maybe they already have the video up?
Also I did not try and stab a car hood with this.
But the lock isn't hard to disengage either.
The detent is strong and only the hardest baseball pitch flicks will let the blade fly
out... the strong detent is also what makes the blade pop open and lock so easily.
The handle is fine... just a tad on the small side- but that's the point of this version
of the knife... get the bigger one if you want a larger handle.
Or get the small one and complain about it... here is my hand on it, if you are familiar
with my hands.
The G10 scales are lightly textured and provide a little bit of grip, and they sit atop of
skeletonized stainless steel liners.
There's a back spacer chilling back there, giving the knife a splash of blue color.
The pocket clip.
Its reversible to the right or left side in a tip up configuration only.
Its fairly strong nothing I really hate about it.
Its not deep carry either
So let's do a quick comparison between other flippers while dozens of mosquitoes fly around
me, some cheap and some not cheap.
The Cutjack is probably the highest MSRP flipper in this... it's about $144 at knifecenter.com
that seems mainly due to the blade steel and smooth ball bearing deployment.
Now doing a quick search on knife center and bladeHQ... it's hard to find M390 in a sub
$100 blade and on KNife center the Cutjacks are The budget M390 blades, so keep that in
mind.
My only other M390 blade is my Benchmade 765 and thats a $300 knife.
So we know the cutjack is smooth... let's look at some other flippers.
The Enlan EL-01 is much bigger chinese knife and uses 8cr13Mov steel, and it's like $12.
It's heavy and a big blade, although the flipping action is smooth, you have to hit it harder
to deploy it consistently.
It's a little too heavy for pocket carry for me.
I reviewed this a year or two ago.
I like it.
but it's a tank.
How about the Kershaw Fraxion, also a compact blade, smaller and almost 2 ounces light than
the cutjack if you need an ultra light unassisted flipper.
It has a deployment consistently comparable to the Cutjack.
It uses the same cheap steel in the Enlan though, and is made in China.
Nothing wrong with that- but it's a fine $30 knife.
Then the small Sanrenmu 7089 has a fixed pocket clip, and is small... probably the least fluid
of all the flippers here, and also with the smallest handle...
Probably my least favorite flipper here... not a bad blade.
Then the final flipper, the Benchmade Precinct flipper or 320... this has a nice fluid deployment
and a nice handle and finger pivot.
This knife is the 2nd most expensive but uses 154cm blade steel, which some people seem
to think is crap now... but I like it on my Benchmades because it takes a razor edge fairly
quickly.
It does have a detent that makes closing a tad awkward, and probably the least smooth
lock out of all these knives... but I like the ergonomics the best and it ain't heavy.
Ok... so let's wrap it up.
The Mini Cutjack is one of the cheapest knives you can get in M390- so it might be a good
entry level knife you if want to start paying for premium steel.
Out of the box it's like a medium sharp, and can shave hair with a little more effort than
a Spyderco.
Spydercos always seem to be my sharpest knives.
It's a smooth well made knife, with a good lockup and fast consistent deployment.
Steel will provided this knife for review.
If you like this review subscribe, give the video a thumbs up, and leave a comment.
Check out some of my other review you'll see here, if you'd like to waste some time.
Thanks for watching.

Steel Will Cutjack Mini Review. A more affordable ball bearing flipper with Bohler M390

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