This is the best folder on the market.

You can pay more for bling. You pay for unnecessary features or overly thick steel. But none of these things will give you a better folder. And here is the other thing—you can get a great knife with great fit and finish and still have it be made in the America. I love my Reate-produced self-published blades like the Sharp by Design Micro Evo, but the Neutron is as nice and made domestically. And finally, in an era of constant price hikes and $126 MSRP Delicas, you can get a great knife for under $200. If you want the best without a bunch of baloney, in 2022, you will find nothing that tops the Neutron 2.

Here is the product page. Here is the review of the Neutron 1. The Neutron 2 costs $187.50 for flat scales and slightly more for contoured scales. Availability, as with all TRM stuff, is spotty (see “Availability Notes” below). They tend to release in batches and those batches sell out fast. I have been to the TRM factory and I can tell you they are doing everything they can to meet demand (the day we were there they were taking apart an outer wall of the building to get an even bigger machine in the shop). For reasons that I hope to make clear in this review, demand for TRM knives is through the roof. Here is a written review. Here is a video review. There are a myriad of alternative scales available through TRM.

Finally, here is my review sample (which I purchased):

Twitter Review Summary: Nothing better.

Design: 2

The Neutron 2 is a great and simple knife. But the reality is, this is a knife that does everything as well as you will find in the production world. Its not just good or great, it is in the top echelon in every category. The knife achieves this by ignoring design traps that other companies can’t resist. You don’t need Moku-Ti, integral handles, or decorative clips. All you is solid design and the Neutron 2 has that in spades.

In terms of upgrades over the original there are two main things, but of which are very small changes. First, the liners on the 2 are nested. This gives the knife a more sophisticated look and reduces chaffing in hand. Second, the clip has been upgraded. The old clip was not an over the top clip, this one is. There is one other change, a minor reshaping of the handle near the pivot, but it is very minor. Are these changes worth the money for an upgrade? Probably not, but this is a better version of the Neutron form. At MSRP, its not wasteful to upgrade, but the original is still a stellar knife. I happened to have scored an early model when RJ Martin was still doing their edges and that thing was a screamer.

The performance ratios are good. The B:H is the Golden Ratio—.75. The B:W is also above par: 1.2. Here the performance ratios so perfect in summarizing the knife. This is a high performance beast, and the numbers confirm that.

Fit and Finish: 2

With a wonderful grind, perfect centering, excellent lock up, and really good sculpting and texturing of the handles, I am very surprised at the price. The knife is easily on par with Chris Reeve and Reate stuff, albeit without all of the gaudy bling like wood inlays or Moku Ti clips.

Grip: 2

This is how you do grip. There is enough texture on the G10 to make sure it stays snug, but not enough to shred your hand or pocket. I’d love to see this sort of microtexturing/heavy machine path texture on knives going forward. Whether it is intentional or not (and I have to believe it is given how meticulous the knife is), the grip here is truly great.

Carry: 2

Thanks to a clip off the handle near the pivot and a river-rock sculpted handle, the thin Neutron 2 lives in the pocket with grace. It never fights with your keys or scratches your smartphone.

Steel: 2

M390 isn’t made in the USA. 204P is, but it is comparatively rare. 20CV is both made in the USA and very readily available. In 2022 the M390 family is no longer bleeding edge, but it is still really good and in this application, a thin slicer, you can really exploit the steel’s high hardness. Furthermore, the corrosion resistance helps with food prep. As a result, the knife is well suited for being a folding kitchen knife.

Blade Shape: 2

This is not really a drop point in the traditional sense, though the point is lower than the spine. Instead, this more like the leaf-shaped blade you will find on better Spydercos like the Caly3 and the Dragonfly II. It works spectacularly well.

Grind: 2

The original Neutron was very thinly ground with a wide cutting bevel. I found that to be a bit unstable no the edge, though over time, thanks to the Worksharp, the edge became highly polished and convex. The result was a knife that was sharp out of the box but prone to dings. Slowly but surely it became a perfect balance of slicey and stable. The Neutron 2’s cutting bevel seems a bit thinner and more stable out of the box. If you don’t use a slack belt sharpener, this knife is better out of the box. If you do, then a well sharpened Neutron 1 might (very heavy emphasis on “might”) be better over time. Either way, this is one of the best ground knives on the market and a truly elite slicer.

The “inner circle” slicers include this knife, the Chaparral (which is a very similar knife in many ways), the Spydiechef, and the Tactile Knife Co. Bexar (review coming soon). Among that truly spectacular group, I think like the Neutron 2 the best.

Deployment Method: 2

The studs here are a bit sharp, but for me, I like them. The “grab” is definitive and hard to mistake. You are not going to slip off these. If you find them too sharp, then you can coin flip the knife and have them run into your thumb nail.

Retention Method: 2

This is a real upgrade. The Neutron 1 clip was a good stamped clip, but it wasn’t an over the top clip. This one is and it is really, really good. It holds on to the pocket well, but doesn’t have so much tension that it obliterates your jeans pocket. It also stays out of the way nicely when you are using the handle.

Lock: 2

The handle has been improved a bit to allow even better access to the liner, making disengagement even better. It was never bad, like say, on the Quiet Carry Drift G10, but now it is truly thoughtless. Of course there was no blade play when locked or even when the lock is not engaged…this is a well made knife. The lock is very easy to engage and disengage.

Other Considerations

Fidget Factor: Very High

With truly hand-friendly handles and a fliptastic pivot, this knife is positively fun to open and close.

Fett Effect: Very Low

Stonewash and G10—this knife will look the same for years to come.

Value: Very High

$187.50 is a lot for a knife. It just happens that this knife easily out performs knives twice its cost. So, this isn’t a bargain basement find, but it is a truly outstanding performer on a dollar-for-dollar basis.

Overall Score: 20 out of 20; PERFECT

Let’s clear the ground—the Neutron 2 proves that you can innovate, make high-end enthusiast grade stuff in America for a decent price. There is no difference here in terms of fit and finish between the Neutron 2 and the best stuff coming out of Reate or CRK. Sure, there are more frame locks coming out of those two companies, but the tolerances, the execution, and clean machining on the Neutron 2 are absolutely on the same level as a Sebenza. This knife just happens to be about half the price and a better cutter.

In many ways the older brands, like CRK are like Ferrari—great products with a classic heritage. But as true car fans know, Ferrari and Lamborghini aren’t really pushing the envelope. Koenigsegg and Pagani are the home of true innovation (Tactile Knife Co is Koenigsegg and TRM is Pagani). The TRM Neutron 2 is the Huayra R of the knife world—an absolute performance demon. But in an odd twist, unlike in the car world, this new cutting edge performer is CHEAPER than the old school brands.

This is why the TRM Neutron 2 is the best production knife in the world circa 2022.

Availability Notes

One thing that I worry about all the time as a gear reviewer is that I review things that people can’t buy. TRM knives tend to fall into that category. One thing I would definitely do if I were interested in buying this knife, or one of is siblings, is that I would follow TRM on Instagram and on Facebook. I probably would not seek out one of these knives on the secondary market as they tend to be very rarely sold and expensive. I’d happily pay $300 for this knife, but beyond that, I would wait to snag one from TRM with the associated lower price.

If you are an impatient person you should fix that. The world of Enthusiast Gear will constantly disappoint you and tax your wallet. Supposing you didn’t come here for life improvement advice, but instead gear advice, I would recommend you snag the Spyderco Chaparral in FRN. Its not a better knife, but it hits a lot of the same high notes—compact, easy to carry, and slicey as hell. It is also pretty inexpensive.

Competition

The competition at the zenith of the market is limited but serious. In terms of overall feel only the Tactile Knife Co Rockwall, the Pena X Series Zulu Spear, and the Micro Evo from Sharp by Design are in the same league and any one of those four knives is my favorite knife on the market at any given time. I am convinced that one of these four knives is the best user on the market today. The Sebenza, for reasons mentioned above, isn’t really in the running. Its too expensive for what you get and upgrading the price doesn’t upgrade performance. No in-house Reate design has the slicing ability of the Neutron 2. The Homer in me wants to kick out the two overseas made knives leaving just the Neutron 2 and the Rockwall.

In that grudge match, I am torn on who wins. I love the slim profile of the Rockwall with its gleaming striated Ti handles. The flipping action is superb. But which knife is a better user? I am not sure. I tend to like the tall blade of the Neutron 2 as it gives the knife better performance than the narrow blade on the Rockwall (which is further limited by the fact that the grind is not a full height grind). The Rockwall is also about $100 more. Sure the material justify the increased cost, but its not like titanium handles make the knife cut better. In the end, the Neutron 2 is my choice because its not worse than the Rockwall as a knife but it costs less. Superior performance and good value—that’s the best knife on the market today.

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