A cutting tool is an essential component of any survival kit. For quite some time, though, the best quality blades tended to be too large for small kits. For mini kits like those made out of an Altoids tin, some sort of razor blade style knife was about the best you could do. While not the worst option, I’ve been hunting for something a little more substantial. The Gerber Mini Paraframe knife fits the bill nicely.

Now, I’ve been hearing for a while now that the quality of products coming from Gerber lately has been all over the map. Some folks love their stuff, others think it is mostly crap. Idon’t own many Gerber products myself, but if the Mini Paraframe is representative of the quality, I’ll be buying more of their stuff.

The clip point carbon steel blade is a hair over two inches in length and is razor sharp right out of the package. Add in the three inch handle and you have about five inches total length when opened. This is a locking folding knife, using a liner lock to keep the blade in place when it is in use. I generally like liner locks, though admittedly they require two hands to close the knife.

At about two ounces, the Mini Paraframe is feather light. There is a pocket clip attached to the stainless steel handle. Personally, because the knife is so small and light, I just toss it in my pocket and don’t bother with the clip.

I have large hands and over the years I’ve found many small folding knives somewhat awkward to use, sort of like trying to write a term paper using nothing more than the stub of a pencil. However, there is just enough handle on the Mini Paraframe for me to grip comfortably.

Being so small and thin, the Mini Paraframe fits nicely into an Altoids tin, making it exactly what I was seeking for my mini kits.

At around ten bucks on Amazon and elsewhere, the Gerber Mini Paraframe is a great option for a small folding knife, suitable for every day carry (EDC) as well as your various survival kits. It is available in serrated, partially serrated, and fine edge (my own preference).