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A Lightweight Italian Slip Joint With A Blade That Dares You To Call This Knife Pocket Jewelry
The Fox Libar slip joint was released a few years ago, and I totally missed it. I was not alone in my ignorance. I am not sur sure why Fox’s marketing department felt like this knife needed to be a secret, but I eventually learned of its existence in-spite of their best efforts to hide this well designed slip joint.
There are four versions of the Libar slip joint. They are the Mi Libar with white Micarta handles, the CF Libar with carbon fiber handle scales, the OL Libar with Olive wood handle scales and the original Libar with green Micarta handle scales. I chose the white Micarta handles version for this review, because it is the cheapest of the four.
The Libar is a barebones slip joint with excellent fit and finish and a tactical looking blade that is surprisingly practical. From a value standpoint, I think it is one of the better slip joints I have tested. It lacks the bling of the pricier slip joints from Pena and Jack Wolf, but this knife is more about being practical than pocket art.
The Mi Libar is a good looking Italian slip joint that helps give Fox’s line-up a well rounded look. Gentleman’s carry folders like the Libar help balance out the large number of tactical and survival knives in Fox’s current catalog.The Fox Mi Libar is relatively lightweight even by slip joint standards thanks to its overall slim design and linerless handle.I was really impressed with the pocket ouch that shipped with the Mi Libar. It offered good retention without the bear trap like lockdown compression of other slip joint pocket pouches I have used. The Mi Libar pocket pouch is functional and kinda classy looking in an understated way. The Mi Libar back spring is not stiff at all. This is good, because there is no nail nick in the blade to help with opening. I estimate the pull rating to be at A4 or A5.At 3mm the spine of the Fox Mi Libar is plenty wide enough support a thumb when necessary. just don’t push too hard with your thumb, because it is a slip joint. I really like the choice of Bohler M390 steel for this knife. It offers great edge retention and wear resistance, so the Libar series of knives a great choice for anyone that actually uses slip joints on a regular basis. Fox chose to leave the Mi Libar handle liner free. I assume they did this to keep the weight down. This does technically make the handle a little less durable. Fox went heavy on the resin the Micarta handle to make up for the lack of liners which gives the handle a smooth almost plastic feel that I personally disliked. I would have preferred a dryer Micarta with liners and a little more weight.The aggressive swedge on the MiLibar gives the knife a tactical aesthetic that sets it apart from the average slip joint on the market, and it helps keep the overall weight of the knife down.The large ricasso btween the base of the cutting edge and the front end of the handle is a welcome design feature for folks like myself who tend to carelessly cut themselves when using slip joints. If you are an absent minded slip joint user your index finger will thank you for choosing the Mi Libar.Initially it was the look of this knife that made me add it to our slip joint collection here at Nothing But Knives, but after a few weeks of testing I was more impressed with the overall functionality and fit and fit and finish than the Libar’s unique appearance. The Libar series of slip joints make good fishing buddies. They are small and light, but capable of cleaning and prepping small fish or cutting line. The Libar blade is tall, and it features a flat grind, so it does a decent job of food prep as long as the food is on the smaller side.
Ben started a twenty year commercial photography career after a blurry stint in the navy. He spent a lot of time losing and breaking knives and other EDC gear on location shoots before starting Nothing But Knives. He has reviewed and tested hundreds of both outdoor and kitchen knives over the course of the last six years, and he was mostly sober while testing and reviewing.
