Olive Knives Lenta Review: A Tungsten Carbide Folder That Takes Sharpness Seriously

Introduction

Olive Knives is a young company, having started selling knives in October 2024. The Lenta is their folder that caught attention for an unusual reason: a tungsten carbide blade at a price point well above the typical budget folder. After spending time with it, the premium makes more sense once you see what is actually in the knife.

Blade: Tungsten Carbide With a Scandi Grind

The Lenta carries a 3.134 inch drop point blade in toughened tungsten carbide, hardened to 71 HRC, with a Scandi grind and a thickness of just 1.5 mm. Tungsten carbide brings very high hardness and strong wear resistance, but because it is hard and rigid, it can be more brittle than conventional steel. The thin blade stock makes this an exceptionally slicy knife, though it is not a blade to whack or baton with, and no stress testing was done to find its limits.

How sharp is it? In paper cutting, the Lenta slices through effortlessly. It may well be the sharpest knife in a sizable collection, which is saying something given how good Scandi grinds usually are at taking an edge.

Hardware: Exposed Springs, Oversized Washers, and a T30 Pivot

The crossbar lock is operated by two compressed springs that sit exposed in the handle. That openness is a feature rather than a flaw: debris rinses straight out with water, and the company has demonstrated the knife being dunked in sand and cleaned off with a simple rinse.

The pivot hardware is oversized, and the phosphor bronze washers are huge, which helps explain the extremely smooth action and should contribute to long-term durability. One detail to note before buying: the pivot uses a T30 Torx bit rather than the T6 or T8 common on folders. If you like to adjust or disassemble your knives on the go, you will need the right tool. The rear fastener doubles as a lanyard hole that threads through the pocket clip.

Handling and Ergonomics

The handle is available in aluminum G10, and the version tested here uses black textured GF nylon. The texture provides a secure grip, and the ergonomics are genuinely comfortable with no hot spots. There is a finger groove at the end of the handle plus light jimping at the ends of the liners, so choking up feels natural, while the blade spine itself carries no jimping.

Opening options include a thumb hole, though it sits close to a very sharp edge and can scrape fingernail material if you flick hard. Opening with the lock bar is the cleaner approach and works well.

Pocket Carry and Clip

The Lenta ships with a fully deep carry, tip-up, reversible pocket clip set into a recessed inset, so it sits flush and does not snag on pocket material. Combined with the crossbar lock, which is naturally ambidextrous, this makes the Lenta a genuinely lefty-friendly folder.

Designed and assembled in the USA, with materials sourced from Italy, South Africa, and the US, the Lenta also arrives in memorable packaging with a magnetic inner box, a manual, stickers, and a surprisingly fun booklet of campfire recipes.

Things to Consider Before Buying

The main question is use case. Tungsten carbide at 71 HRC with 1.5 mm blade stock is a slicing specialist, not a hard-use workhorse. If your carry habits involve prying, batoning, or heavy impacts, this is probably not the right blade. The T30 pivot hardware is another practical consideration. And the price is substantial, driven largely by the cost of tungsten carbide itself.

Buying Advice

If you value extreme sharpness, a slick slicy profile, smooth action, and easy-to-clean hardware in an ambidextrous deep-carry folder, the Lenta is one of the more distinctive options available. If you need a tough all-rounder instead, look elsewhere.

Conclusion

The Olive Knives Lenta is an impressive first impression from a young company: scary sharp, beautifully finished, and thoughtfully engineered. Treat it as a slicing tool rather than a beater, and it has a lot to offer.