Overview & First Impressions
Not every new release needs to be a titanium flex, and Trivisa clearly knows it. The Puppy-LM TG01 is the brand's budget entry, pairing a compact SK5 blade with micarta slabs and the same crossbar lock mechanism as its expensive siblings. The price sits where impulse buys live, and that is exactly the point: it is a knife you hand to a buddy, lose behind a couch cushion, and replace without grief. Few folding knives at this tier even attempt a crossbar mechanism.
Materials & Construction
SK5 is a Japanese high-carbon steel in the 1075 family, heat treated here to a sensible working hardness. It will not hold an edge like the M390 up the product line, but it sharpens on a cheap stone in two minutes and takes a scary-hairy edge when fresh. The handle is genuine micarta over steel liners, with a texture that grips better when your hands are wet. Pivots run on simple washers, and the whole package weighs just enough to feel like a tool instead of a toy.
Design & Details
The blade is a short sheepsfoot-ish drop point, around two and a half inches, tuned for package duty and kitchen-adjacent tasks. There is a deep choil so your index finger never slides forward, and the spine has a mild thumb ramp. The micarta comes in green with visible canvas weave, and the clip is a plain steel wire number that sits deep. Nothing here is decorative, which is the honest way to hit a budget without cutting the wrong corners.
Real-World Use
This is the knife that lives in the truck door, the range bag, or the kitchen junk drawer. Breaking down deliveries, trimming garden stems, opening feed bags, the Puppy does all of it without ceremony. The crossbar lock means you can close it one-handed while holding a box flat with the other, a genuinely useful trick that liner locks fumble. Expect to touch up the edge every couple of weeks under daily use, and expect the touchup to take about ninety seconds.
Ownership Notes
Because SK5 is high carbon, it will patina and it will rust if you ignore it. Wipe the blade after cutting anything acidic, oil it monthly, and the steel darkens into a handsome grey that hides scratches forever. If you like dressing up budget knives, the lanyard hole takes a single lanyard bead nicely and adds a bit of character for pennies. Keep the pivot oiled and the crossbar channel clear of grit. Compared against the usual EDC knives in this price bracket, the Puppy holds its own on mechanism alone, and the micarta only improves with age.
Who Is This For?
Buy this for the teenager learning knife discipline, the second knife for the tackle box, or the beater you do not panic about at the jobsite. It also makes a genuinely good gift because the crossbar mechanism feels far more expensive than it is. Skip it if you want corrosion immunity without maintenance; SK5 asks for five minutes of care a month and pays you back with an easy edge for years.
Final Verdict
The Puppy-LM is the easiest recommendation in the whole Trivisa launch, precisely because it promises little and delivers everything it promises. A real micarta handle, a working crossbar lock and honest carbon steel at this price is rare, and EdcMall stocks it alongside the rest of the debut lineup. Buy two: one to carry, one to gift, and thank yourself in six months when the first one is still cutting fine.
