In amongst the current tsunami of button lock pocketknives, Civivi released the Qubit. And the button lock Elementum. And the Altus, the Chevalier, the Cogent…pardon me if I missed one. My point is that Civivi, bless ‘em, are so prolific in their releases of new knife designs that you could get whiplash trying to keep up as they zoom past. I nearly missed the Qubit myself, but by chance I stumbled upon it online, compared its specs to other designs available and decided there was one compelling reason to add it to my collection. One reason it seems most reviewers had missed. So I grabbed a Qubit from Adventure Carry, and decided to share my thoughts here on all the things that make it great…and the one big difference that makes it amazing.
One great Civivi Qubit feature
The Qubit is light. It comes in at around 80 grams on my wife’s little digital kitchen scales. That’s light enough that I forget it’s in my pocket. The Qubit’s light weight comes down in part to the fact that its aluminium scales have no liners, steel or otherwise. So the knife is an easy carry.
Another great Civivi Qubit feature
Those same lightweight aluminium scales are available in red, blue, green or black anodisation. Photos don’t do the colours any justice. The bright, satin anodisation really pops. Okay, maybe not so much on the black one – duh – but the three other colours are amazing. Amazing enough that I own the blue and the red and I’ll have the green version soon enough. Let’s be real here, most knife nuts are not beyond buying a knife simply because it’s a great colour, right?
Yet another great Civivi Qubit feature
The action on the Qubit is great and the actuation button - call it a locking button if you like - is flush with the scales, possibly even slightly recessed. That’s a small detail that makes all the difference. Case in point: I was using another of my button lock knives to pry open a carton of laundry powder recently (I’m a tactical laundry guy), and as I moved my grip forward, I accidentally squeezed the button and unlocked the blade. Yes, I am a clumsy idiot, but if you are concentrating on the task at hand it’s easy to forget about where you’re gripping your knife, and if the button sits proud of the scales you can find yourself in trouble. The flush button on the Qubit makes it far less likely that you’ll ever accidentally squeeze it and unlock the blade.
Finally, THE feature that sets the Civivi Qubit apart
Okay, enough stalling – for me, the feature that puts the Qubit head and shoulders above so many other designs is nothing to do with the scales, the light weight or the button. It’s the blade. And not just the shape of the blade, although it is indeed a great shape. It has a sharp tip, a useful belly and a generous choil. But it’s the very thin stock and depth of the flat grind that makes the Quibit a pleasure to use. In a world of knives that are often 3mm thick at the spine, the Qubit is around 2.3mm, and ground down through the depth of the blade to a super fine edge. This makes it an incredible slicer. If you’re tired of chonky blades that seem to ‘split’ material apart rather than slice, the Quibit’s blade is a revelation. I own two Ferrum Forge Stingers, a design revered for its cutting performance, but for my money the Qubit has it beaten hands down in the slicing stakes. And it blows me away that there are so few reviews that make even a passing mention of this sliciness that I feel really gives the Qubit…the edge. (Sorry.)
Bonus round - fancy pattern blade fans rejoice!
If the thought of a light, comfortable and well designed performance slicer doesn’t already have your trousers well and truly on fire, perhaps some Damascus will do the trick. The green handled version of the Qubit has a very attractive Damascus blade that’s sure to get fans of swirly steel patterns drooling.
Summing up
Knife trends are definitely a thing, and at the moment it seems like a new button lock design drops every week. I love a good button lock, but of course we knife nutters all have our favourite lock and action styles. So I’ll put this to you – even if button lock knives aren’t normally your first choice, don’t overlook the Qubit. Lurking in front of that button is a blade design that delivers stellar slicing ability. And isn’t that a bit part of what knives are all about?
You can view the Civivi Qubit Here.
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A massive thank you to Kym from Copyriot for this entertaining write up on the Civivi Qubit.
