I finally got a neck knife. I had never seen the need for it, but my wife and boys got it for me, and it’s so convenient and practical that I’m now ready to recommend it. It’s the Boker Magnum Lil’ Friend Micro. It weighs only 1.3 oz (plus a small amount for the Kydex sheath and neck chain). While it rattles a little in the sheath, that’s an easy fix — just soften the sheath in the oven, insert the knife, and squeeze here and there to remold. Squeeze more or less depending on how much retention you want.
It is full tang, with a lanyard hole in the pommel; very useful, as adding a lanyard will help get a grip on this tiny thing. I can barely fit two fingers on the handle. A sandblast finish on the 440 stainless blade is very cool, and it’s hollow-ground to make a sharper cutting edge. It comes with a tan, textured G10 handle, which is an epoxy-impregnated glass fiber material that is extremely tough and stable. This material is not as tacky as Micarta, but it does have a good texture, which helps with the grip.
Speaking of grip, one critical feature is the pronounced finger choil. It’s perfect. If it weren’t there, you’d find it nearly impossible to get a grip on this little thing. It also has thumb jimping and finger jimping for the second finger on the grip; this gives it good tactile feedback.
The neck chain is a little weak, but that can actually be an advantage — if you snag it (while climbing, for instance), the chain will break before it hurts you. I’m going to substitute a bright yellow Dyneema (Amsteel) cord, but I won’t be climbing with it, because it tests at 500 lbs.
Another good add-on might be a key-chain float in the lanyard hole. If you ever drop this knife in the water, you’ll never find it, so a blaze orange float is potentially a knife-saver.
~Sno