Sometimes all you need is a little blade. It will open packages, slice an apple, trim tape and cordage, even attack an onion. A little keychain blade can be all that is required. They don’t come much cheaper than this.

Purchased on AliExpress (Alibaba), this little keychain knife cost me £5.52, or a grand total of £6.49 including shipping. Looking online today I see it is even cheaper. Purported to be made of ‘titanium alloy’, the blade on this knife is not going to handle much punishment. But for an overnight backpacking trip, possibly even longer, this is probably all that I need. And if not used for backpacking, it’ll hang with a set of keys and be used for anything that comes up until it falls off or gets destroyed.

It was sold by Brights Lighting Store, operating out of Guangzho, China, but I have no idea which factory churned this out. The description is all encompassing too- Titanium Alloy Mini EDC Knife Camping Equipment Unboxing Mini Knife Keychain Hanging Outdoor Multi Tools Knife.

The handle incorporates a sprung back that keeps the blade open or closed, gives a little tension to the blade when opening or closing. There is just the slightest snap to the blade as it opens. It is quite stiff to open and I shall wait to see if it loosens with time, or requires the little star bolt tweaking.

The knife weighs 7g and is 41mm in length when folded, 70mm when open, 5mm width across the CNC machined handle. The drop point blade is just 29mm in length with a 27mm cutting edge. It was delivered with a surprisingly sharp blade and will cut paper and shave a thumb nail when dragged across. The type of steel used for the blade is not specified and it is unlikely that anything approaching a quality steel has been used. Certainly not as this price. But that is not the point. It is a cheaply made knife for occasional tasks and is not going to upset anyone if it gets damaged as a result.

A decent stainless steel split ring accompanied the knife on delivery so it can immediately be hung with keys. A short length of cordage attached instead would help to steady the very small implement when gripped between finger and thumb tips. It has a squared off profile with small sides so has to be gripped quite tightly from the sides, but is more securely held with a thumb resting over the top and index finger underneath. The non-locking and short blade length means there is no issue with UK knife law. It would be ridiculous if there were, as this is just about the shortest blade you could incorporate on a knife, that is still of any actual use.

There is no nail nick. Instead, it has a 7mm elongated hole through the 1.5mm thick spine. If used to cut foodstuffs, this is going to get bunged up with whatever is being cut, a breeding ground for bacteria, as is the little handle slot in to which the blade folds. An occasional sterilising soak in boiling water is advisable.

A great many other little short blades are churned out by other manufacturers. Three Points of the Compass has previously looked at some better quality alternatives including the 10.5g Spyderco Bug, the 4.6g Opinel No. 2 and 7g Opinel No. 3. However I prefer the slightly longer Deejo 15g (that actually weighs 14.4g), this has a blade length twice that of the little Ti knife looked at here and is more practical for food prep. It has been my sole blade on trails for some time now.

Three Points of the Compass has looked at quite a few knives and multi-tools that may, or may not, be suitable for backpacking, day treks or Every Day Carry. Links to these can be found here.