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Böker’s Super-Affordable New Tiny EDC Knife Isn’t Like the Others

Contrary to popular belief, this blade is actually easier to access quickly than more conventional options.

Close-up of a hand holding a tan textured object with a metal clip featuring ridges.Böker
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By Steve Mazzucchi

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When it comes to everyday convenience, most people assume a folding knife with smooth deployment and retraction is the best bet.

That can be the case with larger options, where toting a full-tang blade on a belt and wrestling with a sheath takes some effort.

Hand holding a small folding knife with a textured tan handle and a black stonewashed blade.
Just 3.35 inches long, the Li’l Friend is nevertheless qualified for a range of everyday cutting and slicing tasks.
Böker

However, when it comes to tiny knives, you are arguably better off with a fixie than with a flipper.

Helping to make that case is Böker’s latest diminutive drop, the fittingly named (if grammatically dubious) Li’l Friend Micro.

Neck tech

To use a folding knife of any size, you typically have to extract it from your pocket and then deploy the blade. 

No matter how quick that might be, it’s got nothing on the Li’l Friend, which comes with its Kydex sheath and ball chain. 

Hand holding a black textured sheath with metal eyelets and a chain attached.
The sturdy Kydex sheath protects the blade when not in use; it also doubles as a carry method.
Böker

That means if you wear it as a neck knife, all it takes is a tug of the handle and you’re ready to cut. 

You can even thread the chain through the lanyard hole for even faster, albeit less secure, access.

Hand holding a small Boker folding knife with a black blade and tan textured handle.
You’ll be surprised how many everyday tasks are totally doable with just 1.38 inches of sharpened D2 steel.
Böker

As for this knife’s quality, it is on par with some of the top tiny folders, at a significantly lower price. 

For example, the 1.38-inch drop-point blade on this 1.34-ounce small wonder is made of affordable D2 steel. 

Small black leather sheath with metal rivets holding a compact knife with a textured handle.
Carried this way, you’re always just a moment away from having your blade ready to go.
Böker

Valued for its edge retention, toughness, and ease of sharpening, it’s the exact same material used in WESN’s beloved, similarly sized Microblade, which starts at $89. 

Because there’s no folding action involved, the Li’l Friend has fewer potential failure points and a longer life expectancy. 

Close-up of a beige textured knife handle with black screws and a partially visible blade.
Beefy, ergonomic G10 handle scales give you just enough purchase to get the job done.
Böker

Heck, you could even still use it if the grippy G10 handle scales were to fall off, the full-tang blade stripped down to the barest essentials yet functional till the very end.

Availability and pricing

The Böker Plus Li’l Friend Micro is available now for $50.

About the Author:

Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone’s bike seat is at the proper height.

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