Fura Mini Folding Pocket Knife Review

The Fura Mini Folding knife fits the bill for a small pocket knife. It’s possible to flip the Fura open, and it’s a fun fidget, too. Read on!

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Official Specs

That’s not where I got mine, but the price is better, and that link is a store that accepts PayPal. I consider that a win. (They also have the one I’m reviewing in stock, which the other store does not.) Here’s a link to the Fura Mini Folding Pocket Knife product page.

Versions

Of this exact knife, there are a number of colorways. The options are Colorful, Gray, Blue, Earthy, Golden, and Purple. Then there are two other very similar knives that I feel are worth mentioning here. Almost the same knife, but with slightly different blade shapes. They don’t have proper names on GearBest, but one is a cleaver, and one is a kind of Wharncliffe shape. And both of those come in many colorways, too.

Package and manual

For such a fine knife, the package is quite austere. There’s a white cardboard box with no printing. Not even a sticker, best I recall! And of course, no manual because one’s not really needed whatsoever.

I don’t have complaints about the lack of packaging/manual. This is a simple knife; neither of those things is needed.

Look

Of course, the look here is a copy/clone of the Serge Panchenko Bean Flipper. I’m not here to debate the ethics of a clone versus the original. I can say that the knife by Serge isn’t something I’ll buy, so it’s nice to have a cheaper alternative with the same look.

The look of this knife is absolutely fantastic. Easy to see why it’s called the Bean- it’s small and not shiny, and very rounded (when looking from one axis). The scales of the original are titanium, and these clone scales also look like titanium. Whether they are or not, I don’t know. But they have the look! (And aren’t heavy, so I actually lean toward the possibility that they are titanium!)

Sound (Open/Close/Lock)

To open and close this knife, a specific hold and action are required. It can’t be … unintentional. That isn’t to say it’s hard or cumbersome, but you really must flick the handle just right. As with [probably] any flipper, doing this a few times makes it very easy. It requires very little actual force to open.

Closing the knife is also easy – The blade is held open by just a detent on the handle. So closing is just a matter of pushing against the back of the blade. Also very easy, and requires little force.

This means there’s no lock on the blade. I can say that the blade unintentionally folded on me twice in use, but it was my carelessness (and lack of experience with non-locking folders). I didn’t cut myself, and it wasn’t really that bad. But it’s something to be aware of.

As for how this blade sounds to open? Very smooth. I think this blade runs on bearings (not spacers). When the blade flicks open, it makes a very pleasant little “click”, and closing is nearly silent.

Build and Feel

The original by Serge has titanium scales and an S35VN blade. The scales and blade on this clone are purported to be the same (or at least, they claim TC4 titanium scales). The metal feels like titanium to me. I realize that’s an absolutely horrible metric, particularly since this is stonewashed. But just the weight of the scales and the balance of the knife… I could believe this is titanium. That said, it doesn’t matter to me. I like the knife as a whole enough that these aspects are not a big deal.

The knife came to me very sharp and in great shape. The blade was well centered, and everything was very smooth.

Size

This is a small knife. In fact, that’s why I originally bought it. I normally carry a Spyderco Manbug, and sometimes a Dragonfly 2. But since receiving this little Fura, I haven’t carried either of those once.

Closed, it’s 78.23mm, open it’s 120mm. The blade is 45mm.

I keep the knife in my coin pocket.

Steel / Cut / Oats

The steel is quoted as S35VN. I have no real reason to doubt that, but I also have no real way to test that. The knife arrived sharp and has kept its edge well over a month, or so I’ve been using it. It’ll still slice paper easily, and I haven’t even so much as touched the edge up.

Retention

This version doesn’t include a pocket clip, lanyard, bag, or anything. I carry mine in my coin pocket – it’s perfect for that. There’s a hole on the back of the scales, which would be great for attaching a lanyard, however.

Value

I paid $30 for the knife, and I was happy. At ~$20 with free shipping, I am going to pick up at least one other style.

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Notes

• I paid for this knife with my own money. I was not paid to write this review.
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