WE Inmate Review: A Slicey Blade and Phenomenal Front Flipper

The Inmate has a 3.7-inch blade and thinner-than-average 0.100-inch stock. It's one big, slicey, thin blade. The 4.78-inch handle is 0.500 inch thick, and it weighs 4.12 ounces. For such a large knife, it feels really, really good and very light in hand.

The steel is CPM 20CV with a wickedly thin, slicey hollow grind and a spear-point shape. The handle is titanium, carry is right-hand-only tip-up, and it uses a frame lock. Jerad outdid himself on this design.

This is a fantastic front flipper and a big knife. I compared it with the Spyderco Shaman and Microtech SOCOM Elite. The SOCOM Elite is a very long knife, while I think the Shaman makes a really good comparison.

I also brought out the Chris Reeve Sebenza and Umnumzaan. The Inmate is very much in line with both of those. That's a table full of premium beauty.

The hollow grind is one of the things that really makes me love this knife. I don't see as many hollow grinds now as I used to. I still like a nice, tall, thin flat grind, but there's something fun about a hollow grind done right. This one is done very, very well. It's super thin behind the edge and extremely wickedly slicey, with a ridiculously slicey tip. WE did amazing grind work.

There's a nice swedge and an oval blade cutout. I think this is probably the most comfortable cutout shape after the Spyderco hole. To be totally honest, the oval works just as well as a circle.

The thumb jimping is nice, but the jimping on the front-flipper tab is excellent. There's a little notch that makes front-flipping so easy. That notch provides all the grip I need for an amazing reach-around or phenomenal front flip. I'm not going to fail this front flipper. The traction is fantastic.

I almost demand that sort of jimping on front flippers. Wider gaps aren't terrible and can work, but the finer jimping on this one makes all the difference. It's hugely noticeable, and I love it.

The ergonomics are fantastic, with contoured titanium and a hidden backspacer that looks really, really good. I like the milling. I almost think of it as digital rain, though I'm not sure what to call it. It looks good and leads my eyes in the right directions.

I like how the milling on the clip lines up with the handle. That's really cool. The handle is strong, with a nice long backspacer. There's also nice beveling and extra milled texture at the lockbar area, plus an overtravel stop and an insert to prevent wear at the lock.

The size and lightness really make this knife excel. The detent is absolutely on point, and combined with the jimping, it gives me some of the most satisfying front-flipping action I've come across this year.

It's a phenomenal front flipper and a very, very good middle-finger-flicker. There's nothing wrong with that flick. I just prefer reaching for the front flipper because I love front flippers and this one is so good. It's nice to have both methods dialed in and completely on point.

The design flows smoothly. Nothing looks out of place or like it shouldn't be there. It's a very, very clean design, and WE did a phenomenal job executing it. The blade centering is perfect. This is typical WE greatness, and I love what Jerad is doing with his design work.