Ferrum - Modern Trailer Percussion (Full Edition) Keepforest's FERRUM, produced by Vladislav Martirosov and Arseni Khodzin, is a modern trailer percussion powerhouse with a huge variety of cinematic percussion from epic and massive cinematic hits, punches, anvils and doors impacts to cymbals, bells, tiny metals and metallic foley. Ferrum College is a private institution that was founded in 1913. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,050, its setting is rural, and the campus size is 700 acres. It utilizes a semester.
I have been on something of a budget knife kick recently and the Ferrum Forge Mini Archbishop is part of that wave of knives in for review. You might notice that I have been dragged kicking and screaming into an era when a $60-$75 knife is considered an 'entry level' blade. But the times have changed and refusing to acknowledge that is probably unwise. The market, it seems to me, has broken into four segments:
Budget Knives: Under $30
Entry Level Knives: Under $75
Mid Priced Knives: Under $150
Enthusiast Knives: Over $150
The Mini Archbishop is right in that transition point and Ferrum Forge has them on sale (as do retailers) for under that magic $75 price point. In that space, this is a knife that utterly dominates the competition, offering high end design, superior fit and finish, and perfectly competent materials at a truly bargain price. This knife is basically what would happen if the Dragonfly and the Gent had a baby. Those are two knives I really like, so I think you can get I really liked this knife.
Here is the product page for the Ferrum Forge Mini Archbishop. This is a knife designed by Ferrum Forge and produced by WE Knives. There are three main variants: a black, tan, and this OD green G10 versions that run around $65-75 depending on the place of purchase. The Ferrum Forge site has them on sale for $68, a stellar price. There was also a Ferrum Forge website exclusive with CF handle scales and that ran around $95. Here is my video overview. Here is video review from Slicey Dicey. There is no other written review. Here is my Mini Archbishop, purchased with my own money:
Twitter Review Summary: Best knife under $75, bar none.
Design: 2
With a well implemented choil, a great blade shape, two effective ways of opening the knife, a subtle and strong clip, a clean, letterboxed appearance, and a great overall size, the Mini Archbishop is a very, very solid design—clearly an evolution of the Gent combined with touches of the Strider PT and the Spyderco Dragonfly. As a side note, I want to commend Ferrum Forge for embracing the 'open' choil. By allowing the sharpened edge to go all the way to the choil they give you an easier edge to sharpen, more cutting edge, AND no real diminishment in safety. Having had this on a few knives now, including my beloved Hinderer Mini Dauntless (let me tell you—that is one great knife), this is the way to do it.
The performance ratios are good. The b:h is .79 (VERY GOOD). The b:w is 1.14 (above average). The knife does feel like its ratios would imply—this is a very compact carry that has some good real estate for cutting.
Fit and Finish: 2
WE Knives are expertly made and this $75 knife is no exception. Absolutely top shelf in every way. And here is the strange thing, even without knowing it was a WE I knew they made it. There is something about the WE method of making knives that leaves an unmistakable feel to the knife. And this is true with a lot of really good companies. Chris Reeve knives have a signature feel to them. So do Lionsteel and Bark River Knives. GEC knives also have a groove to them. In some ways this makes their knives boring, but rationally speaking, it is only a good thing—consistency you can count on and if you like the particular things WE does well, then you will love this knife.
Grip: 2
With a full forward choil, an indexing notch that doubles as an access to the liner lock and a bit of a bird's beak at the end of the knife, the Mini Archbishop is superb in the hand. There is a ton of a control here and before you rush to the comments below to point out how small the blade is remember what a scalpel looks like: tons of handle and a tiny blade. Same thing here, but better looking. The G10 is just the right level of grip, too. All around a superb knife in the hand.
Carry: 2
Thanks to a diminutive package with a very small flipper tab, the Mini Archbishop carries like a dream. The new, dead simple over the top pocket clip helps as well.
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Steel: 2
9Cr…hmm…this is my first knife with 9Cr. It is supposedly (or supposably if this were a YouTube review) a rough equivalent of 440C. It has carbon and chromium counts similar to VG-10. So far the performance has been very, very good, not unlike VG-10. Let's hope it sharpens like 440C as I have found VG-10 to be way too fiddly on the sharpener. Because of this uncertainty, consider the 2 provisional, but a steel that functions like VG-10 and sharpens like 440C would be a low 2 for sure.
Blade Shape: 2
With an eye-pleasing drop and plenty of belly, this is a knife that works all day long thanks to his blade shape. So often people rave about blade shapes that, in the end, look good but would be a nightmare to sharpen and use (see: Americanized tantos, recurve blades). I am not sure what these people are doing with their knives but if the blade shape actively stymies sharpening the knife, you should look elsewhere.
Grind: 2
With a thin stock and a wide cutting bevel, the Mini Archbishop is a great slicer and a fantastic food prep knife even with its tiny-ish cutting edge. You can rock through some cured meats with ease and switch to slicing apples pretty thoughtlessly. Its not going to skin a deer, but you shouldn't be thinking any knife of this size could do that.
Deployment: 2
This knife deploys three ways: a flipper, a slow roll via the opening hole, and a middle finger flick. This is the third knife I have with that kind of deployment. The other two were the Reate Baby Machine (meh) and the Boos Blades Mini Smoke (one of my favorite knives of 2020 and a great all around EDC choice). The size and thin, slicey grind makes this knife a lot more like the Mini Smoke and the finger flick is easy and consistent. But if you are finger yoga challenged or have plump sausages for fingers, the flipper works great as well with that classic WE Knives noisy clack.
Retention: 2
Over time I came to dislike the OTS (off the shelf) clip of the Gent. It didn't match the subdued aesthetic of the knife, it wasn't all that forgiving in terms of material it could work with (too tight with some material and polished and slippy with others), and finally because of its spindly dimensions it was tough on pockets. Jop mac os. This clip, which seems to be a FF original, corrects all of those issues. I strongly prefer this clip over the Gent's clip and, in fact, this is one of my favorite clips out there behind, though barely so, the Spyderco wire clip. Its starting to show up on other FF knives, and that is a very good thing.
Lock: 2
Let's be clear—a framelock is neat, but a linerlock is better. No need to have an overtravel device, no concern about hotspots or the classic IKC pedantic debate about lock relief cut on the inside or outside. Plus you get all of the detenty goodness you need for an excellent flipper. The framelock is to the linerlock what those three wheeled cars are to regular cars—sure they look different (my choice: the Vanderhall Edison 2), but they are fundamentally limited, even if you add a bunch of upgrades.
Here, the WE Knives linerlock is, of course, excellent, locking and unlocking with ease, not moving at all when engaged and producing zero blade play.
Other Considerations
Fidget Factor: Very High
With a poppy detent and an amazing finger cut out for finger flicking, the Mini Archbishop is about as fidget friendly as it gets.
Fett Effect: Low
G10 and blasted steel show zero wear. The clip on the other hand, does show scratches.
Value: Very High
This is a design that has just stuck in my pocket, despite a bevy of other knives I could carry. Pairing good design and smart, budget friendly material choices make this a fantastic knife, especially for those with less disposable income.
Overall Score: 20 out of 20
My lack of long-term experience with 9Cr is the only thing that holds me back from giving this knife a perfect score. It is undoubtedly a great blade and for the money you will not find better. At its original price, it is a good deal. At the reduced price you can find it for now, the Mini Archbishop is a blade every knife knut should try. Try it and I am convinced it will stick around. After a month with this knife I got rid of the great, but lesser Gent, a knife I really liked. This truly is a Gentified Dragonfly and that is a tantalizing package.
Competition
This space is crowded in the knife market. The CRKT Drifter is pretty good and around half the price. But the additional $30 is very well spent with better steel, a nicer clip, and a wonderfully set up pivot and detent. This is twice the knife the Drifter is. The QSP Parrot is another beloved cheap knife and again, this knife blows it away. It is, of course (again) twice the price. The same can be said with the LAPG TBFK, which is closer in price, around $40. While the TBFK has better steel, this knife is a vastly superior design and there are clear touches that show that this knife is better made. The real question is: How much better is this knife than the CJRB Small Felspar? I don't know what the answer is to that question, but the Small Felspar is in for review now. For the money, there is no knife out there that is clearly better in my opinion.
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