Hightron Mini-Ventura and Pathwright: more bang for your buck

Hightron is a Chinese sports knife manufacturer known for its combination of precision craftsmanship and modern design. Specialising in folding knives, the company is distinguished by its use of durable materials and advanced production technologies, as well as its particularly affordable prices. The brand focuses on elegant and functional styling, with an emphasis on ergonomics and technological aesthetics. Hightron caters to a global audience, offering direct sales through its website (www.hightronknives.com) where it presents an ever-expanding catalog and ongoing promotions. The company's philosophy is to combine aesthetics and reliability, offering tools that are as beautiful as they are effective. Their knives are appreciated for their construction quality and competitive price-quality ratio. With a growing presence in the European and American markets, Hightron is establishing itself as a benchmark in the industry.

Mini-Ventura and Pathwright: two folding knives from Hightron

We chose two Hightron folders to see and touch the Chinese company's products for the first time, and our choice went to the Pathwright and the Mini-Ventura, an axis-lock and a liner-lock respectively, both of which are characterised by their rational aesthetics and, above all, an attractive price.

Let's start with the smallest one, the Mini-Ventura, an absolute entry-level knife with a retail price of less than thirty euros. It is an EDC folding knife with a D2 steel blade and G10 handle, designed with female users in mind and for those with smaller than average hands. We'll tell you straight away: if you have large hands, forget it. The Mini-Ventura is not really for you: opening the blade with a side flipper is really difficult for those with "shovel hands". If, on the other hand (pun intended), your hands are small, you'll be happy, because the smallish folder is tailor-made for that. What actually creates a distinction between big-handed and small-handed users is the opening, as the Mini-Ventura grips well once deployed. The surface of the G10 scales is finely textured, pleasant to the touch and above all with an effective non-slip effect. The grip underside is well made and effective in accommodating the fingers, while the knurling on the first centimeter of the blade's back provides an effective, albeit short thumb rest. The blade of the Mini-Ventura features a clip point profile and is made of D2 steel with a stonewashed finish in white or black. The blade length is 72.4 mm with a thickness of 3.09 mm. The blade is opened by acting on a side flipper and the pivot pin moves on ball bearings. It should be noted that there is no mark or logo on the blade, which is rather unusual but which I don't mind at all. For a knife that costs the public less than 30 euros, the blade is beautifully finished and comes with a good factory sharpness. The overall length of the Mini-Ventura is 174 mm. The mechanism is a tried-and-tested liner-lock, a bit hard to deploy but well executed.

The relatively high thickness of the blade and the lack of millings to lighten the liners make the Mini-Ventura a relatively heavy knife for its size: 94 grams is not a small amount, but in our opinion it improves the way this knife'fits in the hand. This version is equipped with a clip that allows "deep seat" carrying, i.e. deep in your pockets. The steel clip, decorated with the manufacturer's name, can't be repositioned from a side to the other, but this is not necessarily a problem. There are also many in the world who do not feel the need to move the clips from one side of the grip to the other and who prefer to see handles that are not riddled with holes for this purpose. There's not much more to say: this Hightron Mini-Ventura is a cheap but well-made entry-level knife, certainly suitable for those with small hands and a small budget. In addition to the version photographed, with olive-green handle and white stonewashed blade, there is the possibility of having it with a black blade and in an "all black" version, again at a list price of $28.99, which corresponds to about 26.50 euros.

Let's now turn to the Pathwright model, a light and versatile knife with an 85-mm long clip point blade made of Sandvik 14C28N steel. The first thing that strikes you on opening the blade is its reduced thickness: usually knives of this class have a blade thickness of 3 mm but in the case of the Hightron Pathwright it is 2.2 mm. This results in an overall weight of 90 grams, which for a knife of this size is not bad. The Pathwright uses an axis-lock mechanism, i.e. a spring-loaded bar perpendicular to the hinge side of the blade that drops into a recess at the back of the blade. To close the blade, simply slide back the two small pins (slightly) protruding from the handle, an operation that becomes immediately intuitive. To open the blade you can do the same: simply slide back the pins and give a light flick of the wrist and the blade will deploy with great ease; otherwise, you can operate the opening pins on either side of the blade. In both cases the operation is simple and safe, thanks also to the ball bearings on which the blade pivots, which guarantee maximum smoothness. Let's go back to the blade again: its declared hardness is 59 HRC and it stands out for its very well-made factory sharpening. It is not obvious to find it on a knife that, all things considered, costs less than sixty euros.

The handle of the Pathwright is very basic, almost austere, with a length of 115 mm it is also suitable for users with an above-average hand size. The scales are made of deep black G10 and share the excellent non-slip workmanship we have already encountered on the Mini-Ventura. The liners are practically non-existant and this also contributes to reducing the weight of the knife. Only the section where the locking mechanism operates is lined with steel for about three centimeters. On the back of the handle we find a through-hole for the safety strap and a non-reversible clip that allows the knife to be carried tip up. The Pathwright is also offered with olive-green G10 grips. In conclusion, the Pathwright can also be regarded as an excellent entry-level knife: it has everything a knife needs for everyday carry and has a discreet, unobtrusive appearance, which never hurts. Certainly it could be more refined, but that goes for everything.

Hightron knives have a very impressive price/quality ratio and one of the solutions found to save money has been to use very simple packaging. In recent years we have become almost addicted to Chinese-made knives coming with a lavish packaging, including padded cases, boxes with embossed lettering, stickers, cleaning cloths and other amenities. Hightron knives are sold in simple cardboard boxes containing only the knife and a protective plastic bag.

Hightron Mini-Ventura and Pathwright technical specifications and prices

Find out more at www.hightronknives.com.