Overview & First Impressions
Sao's SK2601 line is one pattern built seven ways: -1 and -2 in bone with titanium or steel bolsters, -3 and -4 in black G10, -5 in bone, -6 in antler, -7 in micarta. Every one runs a CPM-20CV blade in a pillow-shaped handle with a liner lock. They are handmade in Max Sao's Sichuan workshop, one at a time.
Materials & Construction
CPM-20CV at this price is the headline. It is a powder metallurgy stainless with high vanadium content, which means it holds an edge far longer than the 440-series steel traditional folders usually carry, and it resists rust well enough for pocket duty. The trade is sharpening effort: diamond stones are the honest answer here.
Design & Details
The pillow handle is the family signature - rounded, slightly convex, and shaped to fill the palm rather than sit flat in it. Bolsters change the character: titanium on the -1 feels modern and light, steel on the -2 feels like a vintage pocketknife. Bone and antler versions photograph beautifully and vary unit to unit, so no two are identical.
Real-World Use
These are slip-joint-adjacent users: great for cardboard, apples, rope, packaging. The liner lock gives you one-hand opening and a solid lockup, which traditional folders of this style usually lack. The pillow shape is comfortable for long cutting sessions, and the blade stock is thin enough to slice rather than wedge.
Ownership Notes
Note that most SK2601 listings carry a single product photo and the dimensions are not always published, so ask for measurements if size matters to you. Bone and antler handles want occasional mineral oil and should never soak. Steel bolsters will patina; that is part of the look, not a problem to fix. Sao knives are made one at a time, so fit and finish varies slightly between units in a way factory knives never do. If you want a frame lock instead of a liner lock, Sao knives build those too, just not in this series. Most of the folding knives in this price bracket use lesser steel, which is the entire argument for the SK2601. Every SK2601 variant is listed at EdcMall, though some colorways sell out and come back slowly. Ask for measurements if size matters, because the maker does not always publish blade length on this run. Between the bone and micarta versions, bone is the one that changes character as it ages and micarta is the one that never changes at all. Sao sits in a different category from the tactically styled EDC knives most buyers start collecting.
Who Is This For?
Buyers who want traditional looks with modern powder steel are exactly the audience. Collectors of handmade Chinese traditionals will want two or three finishes. Anyone who wants a blade they can abuse should pick a different knife - CPM-20CV is hard and thin here.
Final Verdict
Pick the handle material you love and the bolster you can live with, because the steel and the geometry are consistent across all seven. The -1 and -7 are the two most versatile of the run.
