A closer look at the smaller blades of the Spartan Line

Spartan Blades makes some excellent larger fixed blades that are well-suited for survival, camp, defense, or military use. In fact, they are fairly well known for these knives. They also have some smaller fixed blades as well. While they may lack the length and bulk of their larger counterparts in the Spartan Blades knife line, these knives excel at tasks that a bigger blade may be impractical or even awkward at best. If you never have considered carrying a smaller fixed blade, maybe now is the time to rethink this. One of the good things about small fixed blades is that their overall length approximates that of a large tactical folder when opened. Think about it. A lot of these folders have blade lengths around 3 ½ inches to 4 inches in length, which mean overall length around 9 inches or so. So if you are used to carrying a tactical folder, you can easily adapt to a small fixed blade. The fixed blade removes the need to manually open and close the blade. It rides in its belt sheath and all you have to do is reach for the handle and the blade comes free from the sheath. These fixed blades are ideal to carry and use where appropriate. And they also ride easily on the belt especially in a seated position such as in an automobile or on board a tractor. So, let’s take a closer look at what Spartan Blades offers in the way of smaller, working fixed blades.

If you never have considered carrying a smaller fixed blade, maybe now is the time to rethink this.

To start things off, the Spartan Silver/Pro Line has the Alala. Designed by Spartan Blades and manufactured by Ka-Bar Knives in their factory in Olean, NY, the Alala has a 3.75 inch drop point blade machined from 1095 Cro-Van carbon steel and a handle of micarta - in your choice of either black or OD green colors. The blades come with an epoxy based coating to protect it from corrosion and stains. With an overall length of just 7.88 inches, the Alala’s blade stock is very thick for its compact size- measuring 0.1875 inches. This knife will withstand a fair amount of hard use/abuse and it is really easy to maintain, with the 1095 Cro-Van steel. It can be resharpened effectively even out in the field. The handle is comfortable, with a finger recess which indexes yout grip, and a notched thumb rest allows you to place pressure on the blade while cutting, as well as helping your hand stay put on the handle during use. With an MSRP of $159.00, the Alala is a great value in an American made compact fixed blade, and a perfect introduction into the Spartan Blades knife line.

This knife will withstand a fair amount of hard use/abuse and it is really easy to maintain

 Enyo, from Spartan’s Gold/Elite line, is a very popular seller for the company. The skeletonized design allows the knife to be carried either inside the waistband (IWB) or even worn as a neck knife. The blade length is a little over 2 inches, and overall length is 6 ¼ inches, so you can see this is an ultra compact fixed blade. Constructed out of premium CPM-S35VN stainless steel, the Enyo might be small but it is built to go the distance as the steel is widely known for its exceptional edge holding ability. The ergonomic shaped handle incorporates a pronounced finger recess which helps lock your grip onto the handle. There are two cutouts in the handle that sort of resemble eyes, which further lighten the knife. As an added touch, each Enyo comes with a paracord lanyard that has a Spartan helmet bead affixed to it. This knife comes in two colors - black PVD coating or an FDE tan PVD coating. Each Enyo comes with a Kydex sheath, which will match the color of the knife. If you want to carry a fixed blade but not have one attached to your belt, then the Enyo is perfect. Set it up either for neck carry or IWB and you will be rockin’ a fixed blade in a very concealed manner. The MSRP for the Enyo is $150.00. There are plenty of Enyo owners out there who enjoy their knives. It’s the most compact Spartan Blades knife made to date!

From the Enyo, we step up to the Phrike. The Phrike is another Gold/Elite Line knife which means it is made of premium materials like CPM-S35VN steel and G-10 handles. The blade length measures 4.25 inches, which is large enough to get jobs done effectively but still small enough to be carried comfortably. The harpoon style blade gets quite pointy on the business end of things, and the flat grind ensures blade strength and the ability to be an effective cutting tool for various situations. It might make an effective self-defense tool as well. There is a choice of colors for the G-10 overlays on the handle - black, OD green, or FDE. The Phrike is equally at home cutting up a steak or on your side while out and about town, at the ready in case you might need it. You can also take the knife along with you on hikes or even camping trips, where it might make an expedient paring knife for food prep chores. Speaking of carrying the knife, you’ll have two choices in sheaths for this. There is a ballistic nylon style which comes in black, FDE, or Multi-Cam. There’s also a kydex sheath in black or coyote brown. That’s really cool that Spartan gives you a choice of sheaths for this! Not too many companies offer this. If you like fixed blades that are getting up there in size, check out the Phrike. MSRP is $250.00.

You can also take the knife along with you on hikes or even camping trips, where it might make an expedient paring knife for food prep chores.

Next, we have the CQB Tool, one look at the CQB Tool and you can tell it’s not a camp knife nor a paring knife. It's made for one thing only and I presume you can guess what the specific use is. It was initially designed for the U.S. Army's Special Operations Combatives Program. A resident of the Gold/Elite Line, the CQB Tool is made from 154CM stainless steel. The top of the handle features a finger ring and the shaft of the handle has a series of finger grooves to accommodate the hand comfortably. You can insert your index finger through the finger ring and lock in your grip around the handle, which makes it very difficult to accidentally drop in the heat of battle. The saber ground blade is half sharpened, just enough sharp edge to catch an opponent’s attention. The CQB Tool comes in two colors, each with matching Kydex sheaths - black and FDE. For those who like realistic training scenarios, Spartan also offers the CQB Tool Trainer, which is a dull blade and no point. It approximates the weight of a live blade CQB Tool. The MSRP for the trainer is $45.00, and $160.00 for the live bladed knife. In the hands of the properly trained, the CQB Tool is effective and can help turn the tide.

The Spartan Blades CQB Tool

Don’t underestimate the cutting power and versatility of small fixed blades. Their small size allows them to accomplish tasks that are more difficult for larger blades, and in some cases - more “socially acceptable” in the sense that unsheathing a small fixed blade in public may not raise as much eyebrows as a larger one will, or even cracking open a flipper folder. Depending on your needs for a daily carry knife, a small fixed blade can be used in conjunction to - or maybe even replace entirely - a daily carry folder. Just depends on your needs. Spartan Blades has a small but great selection of small fixed blades.