The official name is the Buck Hartsook Ultralite Knife. Small, lightweight, very sharp and durable, all of those terms apply here.

The Buck Hartsook is, to my way of thinking, a classic neck knife. It isn’t meant for robust camp chores like chopping firewood. Instead, it is simply a well designed blade you keep around your neck just in case you lose your primary knife. The Hartsook has a very slim design and weighs a mere half an ounce, so you’ll not even notice it after just a few minutes of wearing it. But, when you need it, the knife is easily accessible and ready to go.

The Buck Hartsook is crafted from a single piece of S30V stainless steel, coated in black oxide. It is corrosion resistant, which is what you want for any neck knife. Remember, unlike a blade hanging from your belt, a neck knife is going to have almost constant contact with the oils and sweat on your body. You want something that isn’t going to rust easily in those conditions.

The blade is just a hair under 2 inches. All told, the knife runs a little over 4 inches.

At this small length, it could be a bit awkward to use for those with large hands like mine. But, the Hartsook comes with an attached lanyard, which serves to extend the handle another couple of inches. This makes it very easy to hold and use.

There are two sections of ribbing along the spine. These give excellent traction when using the knife.

The sheath is kydex, with a clip on one end so you can easily attach it to the lanyard of your choice.

The Hartsook is retained in the sheath by a button. Pushing the button flexes the retention portion of the sheath back, allowing you to slide the knife out. This positive retention feature ensures you will not lose this knife because it just fell out of the sheath.

The Buck Hartsook is small, yes, but there is plenty of blade there for common tasks like making feather sticks or whittling a quick skewer for cooking. Because it is so small and lightweight, it makes an ideal backup knife to keep around your neck.

The Buck Hartsook can be found on Amazon for under $30, making it a great deal for a good quality backup blade.