So many brands are hell-bent on chasing scale. Jimmytronics, however, has spent the last four years going the opposite direction. The New York based studio has spent the last few years creating tiny, truly unique EDC gear – including the titanium Sardine Nano we unboxed on our Instagram earlier this summer (yes, the one that ships sealed inside an actual peel-open sardine can).
Now the team is finally thinking bigger, and its first full-size effort is the Tarpon Utility Knife.
From Bait Fish to Game Fish
The fish naming the brand has adopted is absolutely intentional. A sardine is bait, and a tarpon is a six-foot silver missile that fights like hell so the jump in product scale tracks nicely. Where the Sardine ran tiny X-Acto craft blades, the Tarpon accepts any standard utility blade, making it much better suited for everyday carry.
Built Like a Tool, Sized Like a Money Clip
The body is machined from solid 316 stainless steel held together with 416 stainless Torx hardware. The tool measures in at 4.69 inches long and weighs 100 grams.
The whole knife stands just 8.5mm tall, about the same as a short stack of quarters (seen in the brand’s side-by-side comparison images), which makes it slimmer than pretty much any folder you’d otherwise be pocketing.
A Cerakoted 17-7PH stainless wire clip (offered in a handful of colorways) and a lanyard hole handle carry duty. Up front, a knurled disc lets uers swaps blades with nothing more than a simple twist.
A Switchblade That Isn’t
The blade fires out the front of the handle rather than folding out the side, but unlike a true OTF auto, there’s zero stored energy waiting to launch it. You’re still required to do the launching.
A press of the Fin Lock frees the blade, a push of the slider (or a lazy wrist snap) sends it forward, and it clicks home locked. There’s a TC4 titanium spring for extra peace of mind.
The result is a fully manual, fully ambidextrous action that scratches the same fidget itch as a $400 OTF automatic, and with just a fraction of the mechanical complexity.
Spec Sheet
Brand: Jimmytronics
Model: Tarpon Utility Knife
Body Material: 316 Stainless Steel
Blade: Standard High Carbon Steel Utility Blade
Spring: TC4 Titanium Alloy
Pocket Clip: 17-7PH Stainless Steel (Cerakote)
Overall Length: 119.5mm / 4.69″
Overall Height: 8.5mm / 0.33″
Weight: 100g / 3.5oz
Deployment: Manual Out-The-Front
Designed In: New York, NY
Manufacturing Origin: China
Pricing & Availability
The Tarpon is live on Kickstarter now with pledges starting at $68. Each knife ships with a spare blade in the box, and like everything Jimmytronics makes, it’s backed by a lifetime warranty.
Recap
Jimmytronics Tarpon Utility Knife
Jimmytronics goes full-size for the first time with the Tarpon, a coin-stack-thin 316 stainless utility knife whose flick-friendly manual OTF action is currently tearing through its Kickstarter goal.
