Knife Review: The GiantMouse Biblio
“Great knife; pairs well with flannel and an ironic moustache”
30-second pitch
This is a compact everyday knife with a superb, 2.9 inch blade that is both very good and very good at being a knife. In brass, it’s both practical and beautiful and although that makes it a little heavier than some people like, I had no issues. I got it at a discount, and it was steal; at full price I’d have been more hesitant. GiantMouse attracts a hipster premium, something they capitalise on in their ad copy, and their sometimes inconsistent build quality undermines this.
Rambling discursion
Fair warning, I’m predisposed to liking this kind of thing, I bought this fully expecting to like it, and I do like it. I like GiantMouse generally and think the Ace line — production versions of original limited run creations — is a really good way to get a “small batch” feel without breaking the bank. Of course, the success of that project rests on the ability to produce knives reliably and consistently to the standard set by the limited edition and that, in turn, depends entirely on who your OEM is. (Spoiler alert.) Basically, GiantMouse has a very recognisable design language and at least half of that language (the Vox half? the Anso half?) really ticks boxes for me.
This is one of those GiantMouse box-tickers: wide utility blades with a lot of space to operate; high flat grinds bedded in sturdy ergonomic handles. It’s the smaller production version of the limited-run GM1 (bigger blade, worse steel) and the bigger sibling of the Ace Riv. The blade is M390, which is great even though many reviewers think it’s boring, I suspect because they’ve been spoiled by Spyderco. M390 was developed for wear resistance on production lines and, on knives, that translates into edge retention in use, which is the selling point. Less sharpening. More sharp. More longer. The trade-off is a little toughness, so if you’re planning on battering this knife, don’t. Get a 1095 or D2 blade for that.
Blade and grind
The blade seems to be a modified Wharncliffe but, like most modern knives, in different lights it’s different things. (The addition of a deep belly makes it as much as drop point as anything.) Where it falls in the much-disputed taxonomy of blade shapes doesn’t matter as much as the fact that it’s very well thought out. You get a decent tip for penetration and a great slicing surface, all in one. It carries a a sabre grind, per GiantMouse, which really just means “high and flat”. This lends itself to cutting and slicing and the long, upswept belly — the whole edge is belly — only adds to that. All of which tells you where GiantMouse sees this knife: it’s a knife, not a spade, prybar, or emergency screwdriver and it’s intended to do knife things. If you do knife things with it — cutting, gutting, whittling, etc — you’ll be very happy. For knife things it cuts like a little laser beam with a meth problem and a bad attitude.
Ergonomics
The version I have has a brass handle which makes it heavier. Combined with a steel lock insert that runs the length of the handle it shifts the balance point backward. That doesn’t bother me in this implementation because the knife is pretty compact and weight distribution is moot. The knife is short enough to function like a finger, an extension of your hand, and so balancing blade and handle is less important than it is on a knife whose blade extends eight inches out in front of you. Brass is an attractive choice, ages nicely, and adds to the experience of ownership
It has a good cut out for access to the lock bar when closing and this cut-out functions as a rest for your index finger in use. There’s another finger choil on the blade itself that is neatly aligned with the jimping on the spine of the blade for close control. It’s a 3-finger grip and, in hand, your little finger curls nicely around the bottom of the handle. Lastly, the clip is their usual wire clip which works fine, looks really unsexy, and is reversible. Maybe it’s a Danish thing.
Opening, closing, action
The flipper action is fine and the flipper itself makes a little guard when open but this knife is much better tuned for the thumb hole action, which is snickety-quick and smart. I’ve seen a couple of people grind off the flipper tab, and I can understand that impulse. You don’t need it and removing it costs you nothing in terms of protection because the handle shape creates a guard of its own. I’m tempted to do it, if only because the flipper is a little bit of an obstacle when closing the knife, as it catches on your thumb when you unlock.
It won’t drop shut (apparently because the GiantMouse design philosophy is that you close the knife, it doesn’t close itself) but it’s smooth both opening and closing and has a phenomenal detente that sucks the blade into the handle securely and shoots it out. Maybe the only real criticism I have is that it could have used a detente ramp to make the unlocking transition a little smoother and, not unimportantly, reduce some of the thumb trauma involved.
Build and general
If I remember correctly, when GiantMouse first started releasing the Ace line, the OEMs included Reate. Now it seems to be just Maniago Knife Makers, the Italian collective. I’m guessing that as Reate’s production quality became better known, they were flooded with work from name-brands and designers, which, with COVID, might have created congestion on the production line. Maybe this influenced GiantMouse to look elsewhere. Or maybe they just have great relationships with the people at Maniago. Who knows?
Whatever the reason, Maniago — Lionsteel? Viper? — is not as consistent (in my experience) as Reate and it shows. The first version of this knife I received failed its lock out of the box. I had the same issue with a different GiantMouse knife and the remedy was the same: return and replace. The replacement is immaculate and locks perfectly. After I got it I sanded down a couple of places where the brass had been left sharp — not deburred? — and that was it. No other fiddling or tuning has been required.
TL;DR: Despite being too old to be a hipster, I like this a lot. It’s very practical for most everyday tasks, has a wicked blade, and the brass handle adds to the premium feel. There are a couple of things that seem like issues — flipper tab, etc — but nothing that is a deal breaker, and the knife is very well designed for use. Despite being a very good user, I get the impression it’s pitched as a heirloom knife in line with the general GiantMouse brand identity, and my guess is a lot of people will buy it as that. The price, per GiantMouse, is around $235 which is not unreasonable for what you’re getting. There are many that are worse. It’s at the upper end of reasonable, though, and the price is less justifiable when you take potentially inconsistent build quality into account. I wish they’d address that.
Hereafter the obligatory caveats. I have no affiliation with any of the retailers, stores, websites, or knifemakers listed, linked, or discussed in this article, other than as a customer. They have, in large part, never heard of me and likely never will. (Nor has anyone else who might be linked.)
The knife discussed is my own, it was bought with my own money — though my bank would dispute that — and that money was earned through my own unwilling wage-slavery. There are no gifts or suggested incentives that would otherwise be inexplicable. Links are provided throughout to allow you, the reader, to read further.
