There’s something genuinely exciting about a knife that knows exactly what it wants to be — and the NexTool Knight K40 was that knife. Sent over by NexTool for a preview, this folder had me fired up from the moment I got my hands on it. It packed a well-executed blade, smooth action, and a clever little bonus tool into a package that felt right at home in an EDC pocket.
First Impressions: The Blade
The best place to start with any knife is always the blade, and the K40 delivered a really nice sheep’s foot. It carried that familiar silhouette NexTool had made their signature — a thick spine running almost all the way to the tip, giving it a near reverse tanto-like strength. The tip was robust and confidence-inspiring, and the bead blasted finish gave it a clean, purposeful look. The edge came sharp right out of the gate.
The blade steel was 14C28N, made by Sandvik — a Swedish company with serious metallurgical credentials. The nitrogen-enhanced formula was similar in process to Nitro-V, and the result was a steel with excellent corrosion resistance and solid durability. It wasn’t an exotic steel by any means, but it was genuinely good. The way I thought about it: if you were chasing pure hardness, D2 was your answer. But if corrosion resistance and toughness mattered more, 14C28N was the smarter pick — and for everyday carry, that was usually the right call.
Deployment and Locking Mechanism
The K40 ran on an axis lock — or crossbar lock, depending on what you prefer to call it — and it was very well tuned. Deployment was possible either through the thumb studs or by flicking the crossbar lock itself, which made this a wonderfully fidgety knife in the best possible way. The action was smooth and satisfying, riding on ball bearings that made every open and close feel premium. Centering on the blade was essentially perfect.
For those who liked to fine-tune their carry, there was a star screw for adjusting pivot tension, though the factory setup was already dialed in nicely. The omega springs had two positions on each side — a thoughtful detail that offered some flexibility, even if the stock tension felt just a touch stiff for my personal preference.
Handle, Scales, and Build Quality
The handle featured G10 scales with quality machining throughout. The liners had lightening holes cut into them, which was a nice nod to weight management without sacrificing structural integrity. Steel liners lined the interior, adding rigidity and a quality feel to the whole assembly.
The deep carry pocket clip was impressively deep — the kind that practically disappeared the knife into your pocket. The trade-off was that it couldn’t be swapped to the opposite side due to the bottom lock placement. That wasn’t a dealbreaker though. For the majority of right-handed carriers, it covered all the bases just fine. Spring tension on the clip was firm and reliable — the knife wasn’t going anywhere once clipped in.
The Bonus: Built-In Bit Driver
Here’s where things got interesting. Tucked into the handle was a 4mm bit driver, and it locked into place at both the perpendicular and 180° positions. It came loaded with a Phillips #1 and a slotted 3.5mm bit — useful for small tasks in a pinch.
Now, if I were putting together a wish list for improvements, I’d have preferred a 1/4 inch bit driver over the 4mm format. The wider compatibility of quarter-inch bits would have opened up a lot more options. That said, a quality replacement bit like one from the Victorinox CyberTool lineup — with its Phillips and 4mm slotted combo — could work as an upgrade. Another fun pairing I thought about was the Olight Eternal Pencil, which felt like a natural companion to a minimalist EDC setup like this one.
Measurements and Dimensions
- Closed length: 4¼ inches (11 cm)
- Open length: 7¼ inches (18.5 cm)
- Blade length: ~3¼ inches (just over 8 cm)
- Cutting edge: just over 2¾ inches (~7.5 cm)
- Weight: 90g (3.175 oz)
The dimensions landed the K40 right in that sweet spot for everyday carry — substantial enough to feel capable, compact enough to pocket comfortably without bulk.
Room for Improvement
No knife was without its nitpicks, and the K40 had a couple worth mentioning. The depth of the pocket clip was perhaps a little too aggressive — pulling it back slightly could have improved the overall aesthetic and given it a cleaner profile, maybe something closer to the look of the Kershaw Bel Air. And as mentioned, upgrading the bit driver format to 1/4 inch would have been a meaningful functional improvement.
But these were refinements, not dealbreakers. The fundamentals were solid.
Final Thoughts
The NexTool Knight K40 was a minimalist EDC done right. A knife and a bit driver — that was the whole package — and for the vast majority of everyday situations, that was genuinely enough. A knife remained the single most important tool to have in an emergency, and pairing it with even a basic bit driver covered a wide range of real-world tasks. The blade steel was practical, the action was smooth, the build quality was impressive for the price point, and the overall package felt intentional rather than thrown together.
Would I carry it? Absolutely. The K40 earned its place in a pocket.
What do you think — would you carry the NexTool Knight K40? Drop your thoughts in the comments below. And if you’re into quality EDC gear that punches above its weight, consider subscribing so you don’t miss future reviews.
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