BESSEY D-BKWH Quick-Change Folding Utility Knife with Wood Grain Handle - Heavy Duty Retractable Box Cutter for DIY, Crafting, Packaging & Construction Work

I previously carried a Milwaukee Fastback utility knife daily for over a year before the wire form clip broke. It was a nice knife, albeit large, and had the slickest switchblade-like opening/closing feature. I carry a Victorinox multi-tool on my belt at all times which has a knife, but the convenience of an easier to access knife with a disposable blade became a habit.In searching for a replacement I first tried a Stanley plastic-sided folding utility knife. Compact, light, overall decent, but the clip was molded as part of the side and pretty useless. It was always falling off.I then ordered the Besse folding utility knife with the wood grain handle, very similar to this knife. I carried it for a couple weeks and it had a great clip, but it is heavy (6.0 oz.) and thick. It seems hand made and finished (rather crudely) which adds some charm, but I am not looking for charm in a utility knife. It was so poorly finished I had to file the case edges as they were uncomfortably sharp out of the box. Also it has a peg for single handed opening with your thumb but I could never do it, it is too stiff. The patented blade locking feature is just okay. The Milwaukee and many other utility knifes have a more secure method. The Besse has a hinged cover holding the disposable blade, and a flip-up lock over the cover. It is possible to swing the blade cover down without flipping up the lock, and the tab on the lock can easily be mistaken for a pull tab to open the knife. But it holds the blade and I got used to it. The lock to secure the blade open is very strong and safe; it won't accidentally close in use. My main gripe was the weight and thickness.I decided to give Besse one more try as I did like the compact size so I ordered this aluminum sided version. It is mechanically the same as the wood grain one, but what a difference the alum sides make. The manufacturing is much more precise and does't feel handmade. The sides are thin and light with full knurling. The clip is the same, and very sturdy. The strong clip and knurled sides make it almost impossible to lose or accidentally fall off your belt even when crawling under a car. The knurling does however wear the finish off your belt if that matters. It weighs 3.9 oz. which is not super light, but compared to the 6.0 oz. of the wood-sided Besse it is much lighter.After the first week of use the knife has broken in where I can open it with the thumb peg and one hand but still no where easy to flip open as the Milwaukee. Opening and closing is still mainly a two-handed operation but it can be done if one hand is tied. My method for one-handed closing is to depress the lock release with the blade pointing down and give a shake - gravity will swing the blade down and toward your fingers which is unnerving, but it only partially closes and then I grab the blade to fully close it.Overall the light weight, compact size, slim section and strong clip of this Besse has ended my search for an EDC (every day carry) utility knife and I will buy it again should I lose it. I wish it came in other colors, namely black, but if you are looking for a sturdy knife for belt carry that won't easily get lost, you could do much worst than this.