Fällkniven LTC review: a small but mighty knife for everyday use

First impressions

First, that name: Fällkniven LTC. The acronym ‘LTC’ stands for Legal To Carry, since Fällkniven have specifically designed this compact penknife with the stricter knife laws of various European nations in mind, including the United Kingdom. It has a non-locking blade with a length of under three inches, making it a great everyday carry knife that is completely unthreatening – it is clearly a tool, not a weapon.

Despite its diminutive size, however, this is a very useful little knife that employs high-quality materials. It’s clearly built to last, with chunky anodised aluminium scales and rounded pins. The clean, simple design leaves no sharp or protruding edges to catch on pocket linings. The blade opens stiffly, utilising nail nicks on both sides, to allow right- or left-handed use. It requires two hands for safety, with a robust backspring that is very sturdy. It doesn’t snap into place but instead glides smoothly. Once open, the knife sits easily in the hand. Fit and finish of all components is excellent.

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The short, slim blade appears to share the classic spear-point profile of a Swiss Army Knife. However, if you look closely, it has a very slight drop point – which is perhaps a subtle nod to its Scandinavian origins. It’s forged from Swedish stainless 3G laminate powdered steel, hardened to 62HRC. It is very sharp straight out of the packaging – which, incidentally, is an attractive wooden box with a sliding wooden lid, reminiscent of an old-school pencil case, or perhaps the sort of thing your granddad might have kept his dominoes in.

In the field

The Fällkniven LTC is so small that it would be easy to lose, but fortunately the scales are punched with a lanyard hole that can be threaded with 2mm Dyneema cord or similar – ideal if you wanted to keep the LTC on your keychain.

We couldn’t fail to be impressed with the blade’s performance and durability. Indeed, its capabilities are only limited by its size; otherwise, the blade will easily deal with whittling small objects from wood, cutting cordage, slicing paper or cardboard and so on. Over time, we really came to appreciate this small but supremely well-built penknife, and it found an almost permanent home in our pocket. We were pleased to find that even after extended use, the blade didn’t dull, though the aluminium scales lost their matt black finish in places. But hey, some would simply call that the patina you get from regular and reliable use.

If you’re looking for a traditional penknife, you can’t really do better than this little wonder. It isn’t big but it is rather clever. Admittedly, the LTC isn’t cheap, but then again, you’re paying for guaranteed Fällkniven quality that ought to last a lifetime – and in that sense, the asking price isn’t bad value at all.