Meanwhile, other knives, including karambits, fixed blades with a length over 12cm (4.72 inches) and "any folder with a blade lock mechanism which can be opened with one hand" are legal to own but illegal to carry.

A third class of knives is legal to carry. Here you'll find fixed blades with a blade under 12cm (4.72 inches) as well as "folding knives that can be opened with one hand and do not lock the blade" and "folding knives that can be opened with two hands only and lock the blade."

See the loophole? While the Nightblade employs a crossbar lock, the nail nick is technically a two-hand opening mechanism. So if you were to be searched by German cops and they found it, you could argue that it falls in the legal-to-carry class of knives and therefore can't be confiscated.

One potential speed bump we anticipate is the fact that, as DBK states, you won't need the nail nick to open it with one hand. In our experience with locks of this type, which are present on many WeKnife and Civivi pocket knives, such as the Yonder, pulling down the slide-lock tab and flicking the wrist is enough to pop the blade right out.

That's probably why DBK says "the design might save you from confiscation." No guarantees.

Country-based restrictions aside, the Nightblade appears to be a pretty sweet EDC knife. In line with We Knife's rep for quality materials, it boasts a 2.98-inch drop-point blade made of CPM 20CV steel and handle scales made of 6AL4V titanium.

The skew shown on this page is our favorite, thanks to the blacked-out blade and handle with golden polished accents, including the back spacer and titanium pocket clip.