What came out in April, the releases worth paying attention to
A strong month. Vosteed had two significant drops, Kizer released a knife we already have in our Top 5, Spyderco announced something genuinely unusual, and Benchmade previewed the Bugout's most interesting evolution yet. Here's what's worth your time.
April was a month of intentions made explicit. The Porcupine TiSlim completed Vosteed's ultra-thin titanium trilogy and immediately became the most refined version of the concept. Kizer released the Wharning, a knife designed by Johan Jordaan that we'd been watching since it was announced and that landed exactly as well as we expected. Spyderco shipped something that weighs less than a dollar in quarters. And Benchmade previewed a Bugout redesign that is either an overpriced exercise in brand extension or the clearest possible statement that the knife market is moving toward thinner, lighter, and better, depending on your disposition and whether you were planning to spend $375 on a pocket knife anyway. We'll give you our read on each of them.
"The third TiSlim and the best argument yet. The switch from crossbar to top liner lock makes this the most practical daily carry of the three."
The Parallel introduced the TiSlim concept in 2024: Grade 5 titanium handles at 0.28" overall, reverse tanto blade, crossbar lock. The Raccoon TiSlim followed with a more familiar silhouette at 0.315" and the same crossbar mechanism. The Porcupine TiSlim keeps the 0.315" overall thickness and the Porcupine's beloved drop point geometry, but changes the lock. The top liner lock, actuated by a button, keeps fingers clear of the blade path during closing, which makes it meaningfully more fidget-friendly than its siblings and the most office-appropriate member of the family. The S90V version at $179 is a remarkable proposition: Grade 5 titanium at 0.315" overall with S90V and a flat grind, at a price that would be aggressive even without the super steel. The 154CM version at $139 covers everything most people actually need from a daily carry folder.
"Johan Jordaan built a knife that means business. The wharncliffe geometry, S45VN, and button liner lock make the Wharning our current Top 5 pick at this price tier."
Johan Jordaan is a designer with a consistent voice: purposeful geometry, premium materials at accessible prices, nothing included that doesn't earn its place. The Wharning is the wharncliffe folder that the market was missing at this price point. S45VN is the right steel for a flat-ground wharncliffe that sees daily use, better edge retention than S35VN, good toughness, better corrosion resistance than D2. The button liner lock keeps your fingers safely away from the blade path and gives the knife a fidget quality that extends its desk presence. Kizer's UltreX micarta handles are warm in the hand and grip well without being aggressive. At $125 for S45VN and this quality of execution, the Wharning landed at the top of our current Top 5 and has stayed there. If you've been looking for a serious daily slicer at this price, this is it.
"The Divo Nip was a compact cleaver-inspired design in S90V. The Nip-L upgrades it to Elmax, adds a button lock, scales it up to 3.15\", and moves to titanium. This is what a proper revival looks like."
The original Vosteed Divo Nip had a specific fan base built around its compact cleaver-style blade in S90V, a genuinely unusual production folder that attracted the kind of collector attention that compact cleaver designs reliably generate. The Nip-L is not a reissue. It's a reimagining: larger at 3.15", upgraded from S90V to Elmax for better toughness and marginally easier sharpening, moved from the original handle material to titanium, and fitted with a button lock rather than the previous mechanism. Elmax is a strong choice for a blade this size, better toughness than S90V makes it a more versatile daily carry without sacrificing the edge retention that made the original interesting. At $299–309 across its configurations this is Vosteed's premium tier, and it represents them doing serious work at that level rather than repricing a mid-range knife.
"Kizer stripped the Drop Bear to its bones, removed every visible screw on the show side, and delivered it in Elmax or M390 starting at $120. It should cost more than it does."
The Drop Bear Zero is the third iteration of a silhouette Kizer introduced as their first crossbar-lock folder. The Zero takes the minimalist premise to its conclusion: the show side has no visible hardware, the blade deploys via thumb stud, and the button liner lock operates with a press-and-fold motion that keeps fingers clear. Six configurations span Elmax and M390 in aluminum or titanium handles, with DLC Ultra coating available on several versions that adds scratch resistance and reduces blade friction at a cost of roughly $10 over the base. Starting at $120 for aluminum with Elmax in satin, this is one of the more intelligently priced super steel folders currently available. The hollow grind produces slicing performance that punches well above what the 3mm spine stock would suggest, a detail covered more thoroughly in our thin blade stock article this month.
"0.8 ounces. Less than the Bugout. USA-made. Under $100 at street price. Eric Glesser designed the knife he wanted to carry and it turns out that knife weighs nothing."
The Spyderco Charisma hasn't fully shipped yet as of this writing, it's been on pre-order since January and the first production units are reportedly en route to dealers. We include it here because it's the most interesting thing Spyderco announced this year and because 0.8 ounces for a full-sized USA-made EDC folder deserves to be documented the moment it becomes purchasable. The spec that produces that weight: CTS-BD1N steel (harder and tougher at thin grinds than most comparably priced stainless), linerless FRN handle construction, a skeletal wire clip, and a Boye Dent backlock that self-closes if the knife shifts in your pocket. The blade is just under 3 inches. Retail is $130; street pricing at most dealers should land around $97. This is the knife for the person who stopped carrying because everything felt too heavy. We'll have more to say when ours arrives.
"CIVIVI named a knife after a European toad. The Damascus version is legitimately beautiful and the button lock makes it practical. We respect the commitment to the theme."
The Natterjack is a hardy European toad known for its distinctive markings and its tendency to appear where you don't expect it. CIVIVI apparently found this relatable. The knife named in its honor has a 3.19" modified clip point in Damascus steel with chunky, textured G10 scales and a button lock that makes one-handed operation clean and safe. Damascus at this price range is either cosmetic or performance-oriented, and CIVIVI's track record suggests they're not cutting corners on the metallurgy, the pattern is striking and the edge performance has been good on their other Damascus offerings. At roughly $120–150 depending on configuration this is a purchase you can justify without an elaborate internal monologue. The toad connection is, we feel, an underrated design inspiration for an EDC knife. More brands should take their naming this seriously.
"Mikey Carlson put S45VN in a sheepsfoot with crystallized titanium handles. The Draca is Kizer's premium April release and it looks like nothing else in their lineup."
Mikey Carlson is a designer with a distinctive aesthetic, aggressive geometry offset by premium materials and a fit and finish that rewards close inspection. The Draca is his April 2026 collaboration with Kizer: S45VN sheepsfoot blade on a flipper with crystallized titanium handles that develop a color gradient across their surface. Crystallized titanium is one of those finish treatments that either reads as pretentious or as genuinely beautiful depending on the execution, and Kizer's track record with material finishes suggests it'll be the latter. A sheepsfoot in S45VN is a strong daily use proposition, controlled cutting edge, no piercing point to manage, good corrosion resistance. At $180–220 this is Kizer's premium design tier for April, and it represents the brand's willingness to let designers do unusual things rather than defaulting to another drop point flipper.
"Böker scaled the Atlas up to 3.54\" without adding bulk or price. The restraint is the story, they could have charged more for a larger knife and chose not to."
The Böker Plus Atlas has accumulated more variants than most brands produce total models, and the new Backlock Big is the one that answers the most common feedback: some people wanted more blade. The standard Atlas sits at 2.95"; the Big extends that to 3.54" while keeping the weight at 3.14 oz and the price at $69.95. Two-hand opening via nail nick, solid backlock, stainless steel handle with a tip-up clip. Nothing new or unusual, which is precisely the point, the Atlas formula works, and Böker applied it to a larger blade without breaking it. At $69.95 the Big is the clearest demonstration of what the Atlas does: deliver a thin, functional, genuinely pocketable stainless folder at a price that requires no deliberation. Worth knowing about if you found the standard Atlas slightly small for your primary carry use.
"Richard Rogers. S35VN. Crossbar lock. Four colorways. $99. CRKT continues to be the brand most likely to do something genuinely good at this price point without getting credit for it."
Richard Rogers has been designing for CRKT long enough that the collaboration has its own recognizable aesthetic, clean lines, functional geometry, deployment that works rather than performs. The Sero is a 3.02" S35VN drop point on a IKBS ball-bearing pivot with a crossbar lock and GRN handles in four colorways. S35VN at $99 is a good deal by any reasonable measure, and CRKT's manufacturing quality at this price tier has been consistently solid. The crossbar lock is ambidextrous. The low-profile flipper tab deploys smoothly. Nothing here is unusual or experimental, which for a $99 daily carry folder is the right approach, you want it to work the first time, every time, without surprises. The Sero does that. Four colorways give it some personality for those who want it; the muted options are the carries for those who don't.
"Benchmade took their best-selling knife and rebuilt it thinner. Not a colorway. Not a steel swap. A structural redesign that removes the liners, replaces them with a machined aluminum frame, and adds MagnaCut. At $375 it's a conversation. At any price it's a statement."
The Bugout Vapyr doesn't ship until June 2. We're including it in April's roundup because it was previewed and put up for pre-order this month, and because the decision Benchmade made here deserves attention regardless of whether you plan to buy one. The standard Grivory Bugout costs around $200. The Vapyr costs $375. That premium buys MagnaCut steel, a Cerakote finish, a machined aluminum frame that replaces the Grivory handles and liner construction, a linerless build that removes the weight and thickness of the steel liners, and a modified AXIS lock with improved geometry and a longer service life per Benchmade's own claims. The result is 33% thinner and 0.13 oz lighter than the standard Bugout. The Taiga Green colorway, deep green frame with McMillan Tan Cerakote blade, is the most considered aesthetic the Bugout has worn in years. We have a full piece coming when it ships. For now: pre-orders are open, it's a real thing, and Benchmade spent genuine engineering effort making their flagship knife thinner. Make of that what you will.