This Gorgeous EDC Blade’s Swiss Army Knife-Like Feature Could Prevent Confiscation

The first folder designed by Dutch Bushcraft Knives, WeKnife’s Nightblade, deploys via nail nick. That could be handy in some countries.

By Steve Mazzucchi

Published December 9, 2024

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Based on lots of recent hands-on experience, we’ve come to appreciate the quality of materials and construction of pocket knives produced by Civivi and its parent company, WeKnife.

So when we saw the Nightblade, a stunning new collaboration between the latter and Dutch Bushcraft Knives, our interest was piqued.

While the Nightblade employs a crossbar lock, the nail nick is technically a two-hand opening mechanism. So if you were to be searched by German cops and they found it, you could argue that it falls in the legal-to-carry class of knives and therefore can’t be confiscated.

Not only is it the first folder dreamed up by DBK (a pair of popular Dutch YouTubers turned designers), but also the nail nick deployment is rare for a knife of its type.

While its common to find such a mechanism on multi-tools such as Swiss Army Knives and multi-bladed pocket knives such as Case’s Mini Trapper, you don’t often see them on beefier EDC folders.

What were they thinking? We found out.

weknife nightblade full — The Nightblade is the first folder from DBK, which, as you might guess, normally focuses on fixed blades.

Legal loopholes

With a bit of sleuthing, we tracked down the reasoning. As DBK states in an Instagram post announcing the Nightblade: “The nail nick is a friendlier approach and works way nicer when sharpening on water stones. This knife opens so smoothly you won’t even need it to open it with one hand…. yet the design might save you from confiscation in some countries.”

While the first part of that statement is cool, the second part could prove pivotal for knife enthusiasts who live in countries with exacting knife laws. Just for example, let’s look at the Dutchmen’s next-door neighbor, Germany.

According to knife-blog.com, German knife laws are pretty restrictive, outright banning such items as balisongs, switchblades and OTF (out the front) knives.

Meanwhile, other knives, including karambits, fixed blades with a length over 12cm (4.72 inches) and “any folder with a blade lock mechanism which can be opened with one hand” are legal to own but illegal to carry.

weknife nightblade folded — For the uninitiated, the nail nick is that little indentation in the blade, enabling you to open it with a fingernail.

A third class of knives is legal to carry. Here you’ll find fixed blades with a blade under 12cm (4.72 inches) as well as “folding knives that can be opened with one hand and do not lock the blade” and “folding knives that can be opened with two hands only and lock the blade.”

See the loophole? While the Nightblade employs a crossbar lock, the nail nick is technically a two-hand opening mechanism. So if you were to be searched by German cops and they found it, you could argue that it falls in the legal-to-carry class of knives and therefore can’t be confiscated.

One potential speed bump we anticipate is the fact that, as DBK states, you won’t need the nail nick to open it with one hand. In our experience with locks of this type, which are present on many WeKnife and Civivi pocket knives, such as the Yonder, pulling down the slide-lock tab and flicking the wrist is enough to pop the blade right out.

That’s probably why DBK says “the design might save you from confiscation.” No guarantees.

A cut above

Country-based restrictions aside, the Nightblade appears to be a pretty sweet EDC knife. In line with We Knife’s rep for quality materials, it boasts a 2.98-inch drop-point blade made of CPM 20CV steel and handle scales made of 6AL4V titanium.

The skew shown on this page is our favorite, thanks to the blacked-out blade and handle with golden polished accents, including the back spacer and titanium pocket clip.