Three pocket knives with controls that work from either hand

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A pocket knife that works from either hand needs more than a clip you can swap. You also need to reach the opening control and release the lock without working around a handle built for your other hand.

The CIVIVI Yonder, Kershaw Iridium and Spyderco Manix 2 Lightweight each combine left-or-right tip-up carry with controls accessible from both sides. They take different routes: a compact crossbar folder, a longer aluminum-handled knife, and a broad-bladed model with a thumb hole.

Price: CIVIVI Yonder C23073-1 $67; Kershaw Iridium 2038 $87.99; Spyderco Manix 2 Lightweight C101PBK2 $191.
Where to buy: CIVIVI · Kershaw · Spyderco

CIVIVI Yonder: a shorter handle and blade

Price: $67
Where to buy: CIVIVI Yonder C23073-1

The Yonder is the compact option here. Its handle measures 3.74 inches closed, with a 2.88-inch blade and a listed weight of 2.73 ounces. That gives it the shortest closed length and lowest weight of these three knives. Its shorter handle takes up less pocket length.

Zac Whitmore’s design uses a crossbar lock, a thumb stud and a reversible tip-up clip. The clip has left- and right-hand mounting positions; the lock runs across the handle rather than relying on a release on only one face. The black G10 C23073-1 has a stonewashed 14C28N steel blade and caged ceramic ball bearings at the pivot.

Its spey-point blade has a rounded transition toward the tip, visibly different from the Iridium’s spear point. Compare the 3.74-inch handle with a knife you already find comfortable before choosing it for larger hands.

Kershaw Iridium: more blade in an aluminum handle

Price: $87.99
Where to buy: Kershaw Iridium 2038

The standard Iridium 2038 moves up to a 3.4-inch D2 blade and a 4.5-inch closed length. Gray anodized aluminum scales give it a different construction from the Yonder’s G10 and the Manix’s molded handle. A bronze-colored backspacer adds a small contrast without changing the clean outline.

Kershaw’s DuraLock uses a steel crossbar, with an ambidextrous release. Thumb studs open the blade manually, and KVT ball bearings support the pivot. The deep-carry clip can move between left and right sides for tip-up carry. These are features of the manual 2038, not the separate Launch Iridium automatic.

At 3.3 ounces, it’s the heaviest of this group, but still only about four-tenths of an ounce above the Manix. The Iridium also has the longest blade of the three, though the difference from the Manix is small. Choose it for the combination of a longer handle, aluminum construction and a slim spear-point blade.

The official product photographs show both the clip side and the open blade. Check that reverse-side view before ordering: moving a clip changes which side faces your pocket, while the position of the lock and opening studs determines how the knife operates in your hand.

Spyderco Manix 2 Lightweight: a thumb hole and a forward grip

Price: $191 for the black handle with uncoated blade, C101PBK2
Where to buy: Spyderco Manix 2 Lightweight C101PBK2

Spyderco replaces the thumb stud with its round opening hole. The Manix 2 Lightweight pairs that hole with a Ball Bearing Lock and a reversible wire clip, making opening, lock access and pocket carry available from either side. It’s the clearest alternative here if you prefer a hole in the blade to a protruding stud.

The handle’s finger choil and thumb ramp create an additional forward grip position. Spyderco also molds its Bi-Directional Texture into the FRCP handle. Those physical details distinguish it from the Iridium’s smoother aluminum scales; actual hand fit still depends on how the shape meets your fingers.

The blade is CTS BD1N stainless steel with a full-flat grind. It has a 3.37-inch blade but a shorter 2.88-inch cutting edge, a useful distinction when comparing it with another knife solely by blade length. Closed length is 4.66 inches, and listed weight is 2.9 ounces.

This buying link selects the black-handled, uncoated C101PBK2. The same product page also offers a black DLC-coated blade and a translucent blue handle, so check the selected configuration before purchase.

Check all three controls before choosing

Compare the closed handle length and grip shape. The Yonder is the shortest option, the Iridium adds aluminum construction and more blade, and the Manix offers a thumb-hole opener with a forward choil. Keep fingers clear of the blade’s closing path and follow the manufacturer’s handling instructions. Check the rules where you plan to carry it.

Price: CIVIVI Yonder C23073-1 $67; Kershaw Iridium 2038 $87.99; Spyderco Manix 2 Lightweight C101PBK2 $191.
Where to buy: CIVIVI · Kershaw · Spyderco

If you can handle one before buying, try the opening and lock controls with the hand you’ll actually use. That check is more valuable than choosing by a reversible-clip label alone.

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