<!–A New Knife Demonstrates the Best Emerging Trend in EDC • Gear Patrol<!– –><!– –>

Better Blades


One of the latest trends in the knife and EDC world is a new, thoughtful approach to the utility knife. Recently, we’ve seen the release of Gerber’s utility multi-tool, Grovemade’s solid-state desk knife and the launch of a new brand fueled by an ultralight blade that comes in a titanium frame. The latest in the lineup is Civivi’s Mandate, a utility knife that looks sleek enough to be mistaken for a prop from a Marvel movie set.

It’s about damn time. For too long, utility knives (you might know them as box cutters or X-Acto knives) have existed as cheap hardware store purchases. This new class of knife maintains the key attributes of the category — replaceable blades and a safe, straightforward design — while elevating it with high-end components and materials.

Civivi’s Mandate serves as the perfect example. Its handle closely resembles the kind you might find for $20, but it’s made of titanium that comes in different color finishes and includes a bottle opener, pocket clip and a lanyard hole that doubles as a hex wrench. In addition to the three 9Cr18MoV blades that it comes with, Civivi includes one made of Damascus steel, a type that’s well-suited to everyday use but often included on collector’s knives only. It’s precisely that sort of intersection that makes the utility knife trend so interesting.

The Civivi Mandate will go on sale this July, and you can purchase it at BladeHQ for $83.

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Tanner Bowden

Tanner Bowden is a staff writer at Gear Patrol covering all things outdoors and fitness. He is a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School and a former wilderness educator. He lives in Brooklyn but will always identify as a Vermonter.

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