Bestech’s Visionary Gentleman’s Knife Is a Masterclass in Multi-Lock EDC Design

This slim, pocketable cutting tool boasts a sleek, futuristic design, but its real highlights lie in its materials and mechanisms.

Bestech

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By Sean Tirman

Published 3 hours ago

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Updated 49 minutes ago

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While there isn’t an EDC Knife Naming Institute, I occasionally come across bladed tools that perhaps could have benefited from such an organization. Bestech’s Wet Nellie — which might bear the worst name of any everyday carry cutter I’ve ever seen — is one such knife.

Despite its off-putting moniker, this futuristic take on a gentleman’s knife has it where it really counts: in its materials and mechanisms. Not only is this gorgeous EDC blade magnificently rendered, but it also has a curious dual-lock situation that helps set it apart even further.

Folding knife with a gray blade and a gold and silver patterned handle on a textured dark surface. — This slender cutting tool features a titanium handle and MagnaCut blade — both crowd pleasers in their own right.

Fan-favorite factors

If there’s a combo of blade and handle materials that might take the award for biggest fan-favorite of the year, it might be the one this knife has. Bestech (alongside designer Grzegorz Grabarski) spared no expense on this 8.04-inch EDC beauty’s build.

Let’s start at the pointy end. The knife’s uniquely shaped 3.53-inch drop-point blade is built from a material that hardly needs introduction: MagnaCut super steel. It also boasts an eye-catching grind and some leverage-friendly spine jimping.

Folding knife with a silver blade and black handle featuring gold accents on a textured dark surface. — Interestingly, this knife has an integrated frame lock that is also button-actuated — users can operate it in two ways.

The flipper-deployed blade is mated to an equally sleek and slender titanium handle. The handle’s angles are further accentuated by the scales’ futuristic, geometric milling pattern, which also serves to add some grip.

Better still, that pattern is shared by the equally angular pocket clip. Furthermore, the whole thing features a pleasing two-tone design that lends it even more character in all four colorways.

Blue and silver folding knife handle with geometric line patterns on a textured dark surface. — The machining on the pocket clip matches the texture of the handle scales, which is a nice touch.

Operation innovation

As materially and stylistically interesting as the Wet Nellie is, its mechanisms are arguably more likely to induce curiosity. While most EDC knife designers are content to grand their offerings a single lock, this one has two … sort of.

The chief locking mechanism is an integrated frame lock. It’s a tried-and-true classic that’s secure and sturdy. (And it was invented by none other than knifemaking icon Chris Reeve.)

Folded silver metal pocket knife with geometric patterns on the handle on a textured dark surface. — The flipper deployment is relatively low-profile, making it less obtrusive when the knife is closed.

However, this knife has a secondary actuator that helps fix perhaps the biggest issue with frame locks. Typically, to disengage a frame lock, the user must put their finger in the path of the folding blade and push the lock out from under the blade.

To avoid this, the knife features a button on the outside of the handle, near the pivot, which disengages the lock without putting your fingers in the path of danger. It’s a relatively simple, yet clever addition that adds versatility and, therefore, more value to the knife overall.

Closed blue folding knife with a metal clip on a textured dark surface. — The machining on this knife is particularly exquisite.

Pricing and availability

All four colorways of the Bestech Wet Nellie are now available on the brand’s site for $255 (down from its $300 MSRP.)

Silver folding knife with a textured handle and a sharp, pointed blade on a black textured surface.

Bestech Wet Nellie

$255 at Bestech

$300 (15% off)

About the Author: Sean Tirman is an associate editor at Gear Patrol who specializes in EDC, cannabis and outdoor gear.

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