Civivi Elite Brova CE25093-2, Dark Brown Stonewashed CPM S35VN, Black Aluminum, pocket knife
€154.99
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4.5/5(1 review)
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RC, Duino (Trieste)
Friday, August 7, 2026
In general
Value for money
Expectations
I don't like small, skinny knives; they hurt adult hands, but thanks to the parabolic handles this one fits very nicely in the hand, a pleasant exception.
The Brova is extremely thin overall, much thinner than the PM2.
I love Spyderco, but after more than 20 years of collecting I've developed "Spydy fatigue". I needed some variety, and Spyderco prices are now simply unreasonable.
After several CPM steels from Chinese brands with poor heat treatments (Kansept S35VN, the worst S steel I've ever tested: rubbery feel, extremely underperforming, junk; D2 and NitroV were good), I feared another bad experience. Instead, Civivi delivered a very good heat treatment, even if the HRC is only moderate by US standards at 58-60.
The blade came extremely sharp; with my experience I refined and polished its excellent out-of-the-box sharpness further, and it passed all my accuracy tests (splitting tests, extreme standards — the KT staff know). The hollow grind is superb, extremely keen and homogeneous; it's like having a straight razor in your pocket... awesome, and I use straight razors even for shaving (I'm a wet shaver, and I also make straight razors).
I have a bias for modern premium steels: Maxamet, 15V, CruWear, Magnacut, K390, 4V, M4... my favourites. But this S35VN reached extreme sharpness very early; one of the best S-steel series I've ever tested, with standards similar to Spyderco, and even more keen on the Brova thanks to the extremely acute geometry and hollow grind.
I have all the main S steels: S30V, S35VN, S45VN (too much chrome, the worst, never over 15%; less is better), Spy27, S110V... This S35VN set new sharpness records, amazing; it even beat CruWear and 15V for sharpness, surprisingly.
The lock is good for light EDC tasks, light-duty use (for heavy duty: CS Recon1).
This new ELITE series is not marketing; it's genuinely ELITE, well worth it, highly recommended.
Pricey, but the quality is high and Spyderco prices are now unreasonable, too high.
For cost-effectiveness, buy the Sencut Serene D2; for premium, buy the ELITE Brova S35VN.
My favourite Brova is the bronze blade with black handles, followed by the grey one; I bought both.
I hope to see more ELITE models with US steels and thicker handles, in warm materials (micarta, G10, wood) and longer 4-inch blades; a hollow grind is always welcome.
Overall Brova 9/10
Genuine ELITE, recommended
