The Knafs Yuti, the utility blade knife we have all been waiting for.

 

Hello amigos! Welcome to my review of the Knafs Yuti.

I am kicking it off with a basic size comparison. In order we have a Lander 1, the Yuti, an Olight U1, and a Drop Bear Utility. The Yuti is pretty close to the Lander 1 overall and sits square in the middle of the other two. My U1 gets very little use because of the size. Its well made but its so small that I end up cutting myself opening and closing it and dont have a lot of grip to hold onto while wearing gloves and cutting up boxes. The Drop Bear was my answer to that and its been a good tool but it is a pretty meaty option. You can see there is a large blade holder compared to the other two. So far the Yuti appears to be in that Goldilocks zone but I will let you know if that plays out in actual use.

The most requested item was feedback on the way the blade locks in so here we go!

Olight U1 - Thumb Wheel only. This was a struggle..mine had gotten tight enough I couldnt get it loose safely with just my fingers so pliers were needed to get it started. The thumb wheel is a little small but does work. The wheel is captured so you wont lose it.

Civivi Elementum Utility - T8 screw only. This worked fine but does require a tool. The screw is not captured and comes all the way out.

Kizer Drop Bear Utility - Two T8 screws. The blade wont be moving or falling out for sure...its a very solid lockup. Requires a tool but might be a good choice for heavy use. The screws are not captured and comes all the way out.

Knafs Yuti - Thumb wheel/T8 screw combo. This gives you some choices in how you use it which is nice. Also the thumb wheel is larger than the Olight making it a little easier to get leverage on. The wheel is captured and doesnt come all the way out.

Conclusion...they all work. The Knafs is the easiest with the most options. The Drop Bear is the most secure. If you change blades a lot or tools bother you this might be a deciding factor.

Have a great Tuesday and let me know what aspect comparing these you would like to see for tomorrow! Enjoy your EDC!

 

Now to compare the actions on these four.

Drop Bear Utility - Its a Clutch Lock just like your Lander 2 which means its great. Very smooth, very easy to operate, and adjustable for tension. The blade holder on this one has a little more mass than the others so it opens and closes well.

Elementum Utility - This one is not great. The plunge lock drags on the blade holder so you have to really push that flipper with authority to get it all the way open. Closing is basically a two handed affair as this one has such a lightweight blade holder there isnt enough weight for it to drop shut. It works, but its the bottom of my list.

Olight U1 - The crossbar on this is a little different. You can see in the pics that the lock mechanism has a shorter movement than the Drop Bear or Yuti. It works fine but has a unique feel that throws me off a little when using it. Mine may need more breaking in but it takes a solid push of the thumb stud to get it to open fully. That said it drops shut closed perfectly. This one has the lock shallow to the scales so its harder to get positive control over the lock.

Yuti - Opens fully and drops shut with no issues. Clearly some time was spent here dialing in the weight of the blade/holder with the locking mechanism. The feel is smooth. My one comment is that the lock itself sits a little shallow to the scales similar to the U1 making it harder to get a positive grip on. I havent had issues getting it so far but I will be interested to see how that goes with work gloves later today.

 

Let’s talk about the usability of the various utility knives I am comparing. I am deliberately not going to address how they cut since they all have different blades and, honestly, after that first one is worn out you are changing it out to your favorite utility blade replacement anyway so this is more around ergonomics, grip, and function.

Drop Bear - The largest grip of the group. The milled pattern on the Ultem gives you a secure grip with and without gloves. You get a full four finger grip and have a finger choil for choking up. The curves in the grip make for a comfortable hold even when pushing through a few layers of cardboard. The jimping covers a good area of the blade holder which also has a curved area giving you a positive spot for your thumb. The lock worked just fine with and without gloves.

Elementum Utility - The lack of a finger choil and the design of the grip result in a three finger grip albeit a comfortable one. This works fine without gloves but with gloves it becomes hard to get a positive grip and be confident in where the knife is sitting in your hand. The smooth aluminum doesn't give you much purchase on the grip which I feel could have benefitted from some sort of pattern or, better yet, any different scale material. The blade holder jimping is nicely done but could extend further. The lock worked fine without gloves but I did have some trouble getting the button depressed enough to close the knife with gloves on unless I was very intentional about it.

Olight U1 - This is also a three finger grip with no finger choil. The smooth carbon fiber is very slick and gets worse when wet making a better fit for light work than heavy duty cutting. Trying to work with gloves I had it rotate in my hand several times. When I bought this one carbon fiber was the only option but it is available in micarta now which I would highly recommend if you choose this one. There is some jimping but expanding that to more of the blade holder would make it easier for different sized hands to get the benefit of using it. The lock worked well with and without gloves despite my earlier comments about the lock sitting low to the scales.

Yuti - Comfortable 3.5 finger grip with a finger choil that lets you choke up and get a solid four finger grip as well. The milled G10 gives you a solid grip with and without gloves on. The jimping works well with you choke up using the choil but it would have been nice if it went further back letting you get that same benefit in a regular grip. The angle of the grip locks your hand into position giving you positive control which I liked. I particularly like the shape of the rear of the grip and how your pinky wraps around that giving you further security when using this one, it was well thought out. This lock also worked well with and without gloves despite my earlier comments about the lock sitting low to the scales.

For my wrap up first let's talk about the Yuti, and all of the others I tested, versus some other styles of utility blade tools. First up is the Kobalt utility knife. The big differences here are the size and action. You get plenty of grip but it's certainly not a size I enjoy pocketing. The button and swing open/close action is something I personally detest. It's not a motion I am used to nor one where I feel I have positive control. If this is a type of tool you use regularly or you have a Work Sharp RMX that you didn't convert to an auto then maybe this will work better for you. Blade changes are super quick and easy. That said it was $10 so from a cost standpoint it's hard to beat. For the trades where you use and abuse the cutter this is something to consider. You can lose it, break it, replace it, and not care.

Next is a slider type represented by the Olight Otacle. Size wise these are your smallest options. Great for packages, terrible for heavy duty use or a lot of boxes. There isn't nearly as much of the blade exposed as on the other choices, your overall grip is limited, and in most cases these don't have a pocket clip so the tool runs loose in your pocket. It was also inexpensive, I believe under $15. If you are keeping it on your desk or carrying it for minor cutting tasks this might also be a good choice for you. Depending on which one you choose, blade changes can be easy or a lengthy and unpleasant process. Also not all of these styles use the standard utility blades so be aware of that when choosing this type of cutter.

So what are my final thoughts on the ones I tested? Thanks for asking!

Yuti - The best overall. If you are only getting one, get this one. While this wasn't the first to market I think that's a good thing. The team learned from other knives on the market as they went and did some things that make this better. The size, choil, and thumb wheel/T8 combo are all stand outs in this category. And space cats…no one else lets you get space cats. As a side note after seeing this and the Lander 5 I am pretty excited about Knafs working with HB+. The quality and feel are there and I look forward to seeing what they do next.

Drop Bear - The best choice (in this style) for heavy use. The dual screws holding in the blade, larger size overall, and curved shape of the blade holder really make this one stand out for extensive use. Those same attributes kept it from being the best balance overall in my opinion but I don't think anyone would go wrong choosing this either. You have some nice scale options to choose from and in the newer models the improved toolless release gets good reviews. I haven't tried that newer one so your mileage may vary.

Oracle U1 - Honorable Mention. It's a good tool overall for light use and it's now offered in some fun scale options as well. The small thumb wheel can be a challenge however. Additionally a newer model includes a screwdriver which several members mentioned wishing the Yuti had.

Elementum Utility - While this tool was an early innovator, time has marched on and it's hard to recommend this one. It is not a bad tool but the button lock isn't as friendly for ambidextrous use as the crossbar locks are, the aluminum scales are a little small and don't offer much purchase or wear protection, and the small screw can be a problem at times. This one gets the job done but for your money I think any of the other options would be better choices.


Thanks for sticking with me through this series. Did you learn anything? Did you decide to jump on the Kickstarter from what you saw? Inquiring minds want to know! If you are interested in getting a Yuti of your own the KickStarter can be found here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/benbanters/knafs-yuti-utility-knife-with-pocket-knife-vibes/