let me first start by saying the stock yojimbo is already a great knife, especially for it's intended purpose, but also for regular edc use. we're all familiar with the benefits of a straight edge utility knife, and many of us could probably handle most of our daily cutting tasks with a simple utility blade that costs under $10, but what's the fun in that? much to our benefit, mike janich leveraged those benefits into his design and did so very well. the thick blade and deep hollow grind work well to make for a robust design that still manages to separate material with relative ease. if you spend more time slicing things that will break from a thick blade, maybe something like a delica wharncliffe would be better for you, but the yojimbo is no slouch at cutting and is, of course, designed for more than seeing how thinly you can slice your apple or cheese.
if you haven't seen this video, this is what sold me on the yojimbo in the first place. it's always nice to hear the designer's intent and passion behind what they do.
alright... the point...
i recently added a 5x5 pickpocket to my yojimbo. the obvious benefit for this is for faster deployment of the knife for self-defense scenarios. in my testing, i've found the pickpocket to be highly reliable at achieving a full deployment when drawing. 5x5 have developed a very nice product that fits the knife with precision and successfully accomplishes it's aim.
to my surprise, i have found other benefits to this addition as well.
first is thumb placement. i was initially concerned that the pickpocket would negatively affect the feel of the knife. after all, mj designed the knife specifically with the thumb placement along the spine in mind. however, putting my thumb on the pickpocket actually lowers the blade angle slightly, which i happen to like, and pushes the back of the handle into my palm better. i'm not sure what effect this has on self-defense applications, but it feels more comfortable and familiar to me (more on that in a minute) and seems like it would provide more blade clearance in sweeping cuts because the thumb is less in the way.
second is the familiarity that i mentioned. the pickpocket rising above the spine very closely mimics the angle of the manix thumb ramp. many of you know that the manix is my favorite knife design of all time, so this difference is something i noticed and appreciated immediately. they are by no means the same, but they are close enough to provide similar grips that were previously not available with the yojimbo. specifically, the pickpocket allows me to more comfortably choke up on the yojimbo by acting as a ramp that feels more secure and makes me worry a little less about sliding forward onto the blade in use. i shouldn't have to say this, but these grips are for lighter detail edc work and not for self-defense.
i was a little concerned that the yojimbo would be too wide in the pocket with the new addition, since it's already a wide knife as it is, but the difference seems negligible. here is the manix and the yojimbo with the clips lined up as best as i can to show the difference between the two in pocket. as you can see, the yojimbo is already wider than the manix in places unaffected by the pickpocket, and the pickpocket really doesn't make it any worse.
another concern might be that the pickpocket would get in the way of normal deployment. it doesn't. i can still access the opening hole in all positions and flick the knife open. i can also flick it by the pickpocket with my thumb or middle finger, but i'll stick with the spydie hole.
i also added a dnt3 copper backspacer to the yojimbo a few years ago, but since i'm doing a write-up and it's in the photos, i may as well mention it here as well. in my mind, this makes the back end of the knife a more formidable striking surface, but also adds for the utility of a glass breaker in an emergency. granted, it's not a hardened carbide tip, but i think it would do the job. still, if a metal tip seems overly aggressive to you, there is a guy on ig (shepardcc) that makes a similar piece out of g10 or cf. it looks cool, but also gives some extra protrusion and pressure point penetration if you have wider hands.
i'm definitely happy with this addition to my yojimbo. it adds a serious tactical advantage to an already great self-defense knife, but it also adds some serious tactile benefits for me in edc use. if you like the manix and the yojimbo, a 5x5 pickpocket may make you like the yojimbo even more. i know it has for me. but, even if you don't like the manix, you should give it a try. it's definitely worth it.
one last shot for the keyboard warriors.
