Civivi’s Practical, Affordable EDC Knife Was Penned by the Son of Knifemaking Royalty

This knife designer is making a name for himself, following in his father’s footsteps in more ways than just crafting bladed tools.

By Sean Tirman

Published April 9, 2025

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Updated April 9, 2025

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Following in your father’s footsteps is never going to be an easy path. That’s especially true if your father happens to be one of the most significant EDC knife designers of all time.

However, even in his father’s admittedly sizable shadow, Ken Onion Jr. (also known as Kenny Onion) has made quite a name for himself. His latest is a pragmatic, affordable folder called the Civivi Crabby, which proves that practicality can still be beautiful.

Civivi Crabby knife open — Small, simple and straightforward, the Crabby is a highly EDC-friendly folder that doesn’t rely on gimmicks.

Simple and straightforward

What’s especially gratifying about the Crabby’s design is how specifically EDC-friendly it is. The design doesn’t rely on gimmicks or flourishes and is instead enveloped in general usefulness and approachability.

For instance, the sheepsfoot blade — clocking in at 2.7 inches — has a slight curve to its belly, offering a wide cutting surface. Furthermore, it has a generous point that’s not particularly stabby, but offers good piercing utility for working tasks (like opening packages).

Praising a knife for its practicality might not sound like a strong endorsement, but it should be. Ultimately, knives are tools, and this one is designed to get the job done right the first time, every time.

Similar things could be said for the handle. It’s not flashy but has a solid shape and style, offering a good size and ergonomics to match. Furthermore, while the three holes toward the butt are more for style than anything else, the largest one also doubles as a lanyard attachment point, should you want one.

Praising a knife for its practicality might not sound like a strong endorsement, but it should be. Ultimately, knives are tools, and this one is designed to get the job done right the first time, every time.

Civivi Crabby knife half open — The Crabby comes in four configurations, including this classic green-and-black one.

Old reliable

Like its styling, this knife’s materials appear to be chosen not for their flair, per se, but for their reliability. In the case of a would-be go-to everyday carry knife you can turn to literally every day, this is a very good thing.

In three of the four configurations (the fourth one being the fancy Damascus version), the blade is crafted from Sandvik 14C28N steel, an old standard in the EDC space. It’s durable, tough, corrosion-resistant and easy to maintain — all essential EDC features.

Similarly, those three knives have G10 handle scales (the Damascus one comes with carbon fiber). This material is lightweight, durable, resistant to warping (especially with temperature changes) and can be made with a grippy texture. It’s an especially good handle material for affordable knives.

Other features include a liner lock, thumb stud deployment, a caged ceramic ball-bearing pivot and a tip-up pocket clip. Again, they are not fancy, but they are reliable and work well. That’s all in a knife that measures 6.41 inches, practically ideal for a pocket knife.

Civivi Crabby knife closed — The knife’s thumb stud deployment, liner lock and pocket clip are all old standards in the EDC industry.

Coming soon

All four versions of Civivi’s Crabby are coming soon and are priced between $74 and $110. To receive email notifications, sign up on the brand’s site.

However, if you preorder on Blade HQ, you can get them for between $63 and $94, depending on the configuration.