We’re going to keep this brief because every knife blog under the sun already has limitlessly extolled the virtues of the CIVIVI Elementum. It’s made in a billion and one different configurations, sports awesome ergonomics, a really fluid opening mechanism, and a strong liner lock, and it carries comfortably via a pocket clip. The nondescript drop point blade profile is generic but it doesn’t make any promises it can’t fulfill. In other words, it just works. Call it austere if you will, we’ll call it handsome.

But there’s something we really love about the best-selling versions of this CIVIVI pocket knife here at White Mountain Knives, namely the D2 CIVIVI Elementum with the brown Micarta scales.

It might be basic, but there are two things we can’t get enough of with this knife, the steel, and the scale material. CIVIVI really hit it out of the park with this combo.

Why the Fuss over D2?
It’s not like D2 is anything extremely special, or even new. It’s not a super steel, and some might even call it generic tool steel, but in this case, it works, and there’s a very good reason for it.

Other knives in this price range are commonly made from basic stainless steel alloys, like the 8Cr lines of steel of 420HC. Some are made with Sandvik steels similar to those used by Mora, and some manufacturers opt for widely available tool steel alternatives like 1095.

But D2 takes the best from all of these alloys and leaves some of the weaknesses behind, thanks to its unique chemistry that is high in carbon, chromium, molybdenum, and vanadium. To be specific, this steel contains:

●Carbon: 1.4-1.6%

●Chromium: 11-13%

●Vanadium: 1.1%

●Molybdenum: .07%-1.2%

●Cobalt: 1%

●Manganese: .6%

●Silicon .6%

●Nickel:.3%

●Copper: 25%

●Sulfur: .03%

●Phosphorus: .03%

The heavy hitters in this alloy are the ones mentioned above. The high concentration of carbon in this alloy, which mind you, is significantly higher than in 1095, gives the steel the ability to take an exceptional heat treatment. In this case of this knife 59-61 HRC.

What that means for the rest of us is that this knife offers pretty good edge retention. Not excellent, and not as good as some harder steels and super steels like S30V or S35VN (in which configuration you can find some CIVIVI Elementum pocket knives) but it’s still pretty good. Better than the best of cheaper stainless alloys, and much longer-lasting. Also, D2 is able to take a shaving-sharp edge pretty readily.

But here’s the thing. This alloy lacks the brittleness of other, harder steels, specifically 1095 and certain super steels that are much higher in carbon. This alloy, with its high concentration of molybdenum, vanadium, and to a lesser extent, manganese and silicon, is ridiculously strong. One of the strongest tool steel alloys out there, in our opinion. It’s very resistant to shattering, and we haven’t done any torture tests but it might bend before it breaks, which in some ways is a really good thing. The edge is not prone to chipping and is hard enough to resist rolling.

Finally, this alloy contains a pretty high percentage of chromium, which gives it much better corrosion resistance than 1095, although it falls a little shy of other, better “stainless” alloys. It will rust if you tempt it with saltwater or something similar, but a thin coat of oil is all you need to prevent that. Keep it clean and you’ll never have a problem.

How About Micarta?

The other thing we love about this knife is the fact that CIVIVI used Micarta for the scales. But it’s not like that’s rare or even exclusive, so why is it such a big deal in this case?

Well, the majority of people that buy this knife are going to use it hard, not put it in a display case. Therefore, pretty materials like horn or bone would be lost here, and as nice as stainless steel, carbon fiber, and titanium are for scale materials, they’re not quite as good as Micarta (in some ways).

For instance, CF and those alloys are corrosion-resistant and pretty strong, right? Well, CF is not immune to UV damage and it can be dangerous to use metal alloys on bare skin in the cold (we’re talking really cold, like colder than 10 degrees below 0℉).

Micarta is much more comfortable in the cold and is corrosion-proof, not to mention impervious to corrosion. It also is much surer in the hand when it gets oily, wet, or greasy, and it offers a better tactical “sensation” than any of the former options when it’s very cold or very wet out.

In other words, Micarta offers a superior grip and it’s a lot tougher. Steel, titanium, and CF might be stronger, technically, but at this point, we’re talking about tolerances you’re never going to encounter. It’s like talking about how much heavier 50,000 pounds is than 40,000 pounds - can you even tell?

In all seriousness, Micarta is a great choice for this knife because it’s going to get abused. It’s tough, corrosion-resistant, tactile, and comfortable, giving you just about everything you could realistically want from an EDC knife.

Could it have been made with G10 scales instead? Sure, and we’d have the same good things to say about it. But somehow, Micarta just seems “softer” than G10. Either way, they’re both great materials for an everyday carry knife, and you can see the best of the best of those traits in this CIVIVI pocket knife.

Besides, go ahead and try to do some damage to the Micarta scales. We’ll wait. That’s our point.

Get Yours Today
Probably the greatest thing about this specific CIVIVI pocket knife is you can get one here, right now, at White Mountain Knives for basically $50. We’re offering them right now at $52.50, which at this price point, is an absolute steal.

Plus, if you’d prefer different steel, you can also find CIVIVI Elementum in countless other scale and blade materials and configurations, including D2, stainless, and Damascus steels. Take a look through our catalog and get in touch with us at WhiteMountainKnives@gmail.com today if you have any questions or want us to try to find something specific for you.