Spyderco Chicago

In some U.S. cities, as well as in many other countries, there are laws prohibiting the carry of knives with blades longer than two inches.

Yes, it's silly. It's also a fact of modern life.

One company took those statutory lemons and created a batch of tasty lemonade -- it's called the Spyderco C130G Chicago, and it does a whole lot more than comply with nutty laws.

This pint-sized Spydie boasts a striking set of features: a flat-ground, leaf-shaped blade of 440C stainless steel, G-10 scales, full-length skeletonized liners and a Michael Walker liner lock. It's lightweight and ergonomically friendly, even to large hands, and its wire-frame clip burrows the Chicago deep into a pants pocket.

Spyderco may have designed the Chicago as a compliant, non-threatening "suit knife," but the result is a surprisingly competent general-purpose blade. In fact, a warehouse manager of our acquaintance -- a guy who can tote any knife he wants -- carries a Spyderco Chicago as his EDC box-cutter. It's that good.

Did we mention that it's also a bargain?