Rive is a fairly new company who's trying to assert themselves in a very competitive industry. Rive's mission statement is to make tools that are innovative with cutting edge components. On their site they say, "Inspired by the renegades, rebels, and rogues." That's cute considering today we're checking out the companies only offering at the moment, the Rogue Mini.
The Rogue Mini is a cute but formidable pocket blade that comes in at 3 inches closed, with an overall of 5 inches, and a 2 inch blade. The whole page is pretty no nonsense and screams utility. I've been carrying the mini in my pocket loose seeing there isn't a clip on it. There is a nice lanyard hole you could use to hook it to your keys or a carabiner though.
Even though the mini is really small it's comfortable to use, I thought the handle being squared and angular it might make it a little uncomfortable, but the angles are rounded enough to prevent that. I am able to fit a good three fingers on the handle when in use, and the cutout for my index finger allows good purchase. The handles on this particular model are a tan G10 and they provide some good traction without being overly grippy. The mini locks up with a liner lock, it's not overly complicated or fancy in any fashion but it works. It's very easy to disengage due to the wide index notch and the spring is not overly strong.
The blade is a modified sheepsfoot and is deployed via a flipper tab. I found flipping out the blade to be super quick, the strong detent and short blade make it come out like a bullet. The strong detent is welcomed, with this bouncing around in my pocket I definitely don't want it to pop open accidentally. The caged bearings are a nice touch, you probably don't need them on a blade this small, but it does add to the overall smoothness of operation. The sheepsfoot blade has enough of a tip that opening blister packs, boxes and some other items wasn't too difficult. It's not super pointy like a clip point or other style but it does a decent job considering. The blade is AUS8A, not the most cutting edge steel, but it's been around and it's time tested. With a blade this small I don't think you're going to be using it enough to worry about edge retention or long cutting sessions.
The Rogue Mini is an interesting little blade, the company put a lot of thought into this compact design. This knife isn't for everyone, but I do see pictures on social media often. It's a testament to the company's brand presence and their showing customers what they're capable of. I look forward to their next release and see where Rive is goes next.
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