Benchmade Shrinks Its Special Ops-Bred SOCP Folder Down to EDC Size

Few knife lines can claim a resume quite like the SOCP. Short for Special Operations Combatives Program, it’s the hand-to-hand fighting system Greg Thompson developed for soldiers operating in full body armor, and the skeletonized ring dagger he designed alongside it has been riding on plate carriers and battle belts for well over a decade.

Benchmade translated that formula into a folding knife with 2020’s full-size 391, and now the Oregon City outfit is scaling things down with the all-new Mini SOCP Folder.

Next to the 391, the Mini drops from a 4.47-inch blade to 3.76 inches, while overall length shrinks from 10.13 inches to a far more pocketable 8.67 inches. That’s still a whole lot of knife, mind you. This “Mini” out-blades Benchmade’s own full-size Griptilian.

At 4.31 ounces, the Mini actually weighs a fifth of an ounce more than its bigger sibling, a byproduct of trading the 391’s molded CF-Elite scales for textured G10 over steel liners.

The steel gets a legitimate upgrade in the process as well, swapping D2 tool steel for CPM S30V. And a Cerakote finish in Flat Earth or Graphite Black keeps the partially serrated spear-point blade color-matched to its sand or black handle.

Deployment is what the Mini SOCP is all about. The blade can be flicked open via a thumb disk or thumb stud, but you can also fit the included pocket hook, which catches your pocket seam on the way out so the blade is already open by the time it clears your jeans.

Carry is just as configurable. Run the full finger-ring backspacer (a direct nod to the dagger that started it all), for the fastest possible draw. You can also keep a lower profile with the ring-equipped deep carry pocket clip. Either way, Benchmade’s ambidextrous AXIS lock keeps everything secured, and the whole package is built in the USA like the rest of the family.

Available now in your choice of Desert Tan or Graphite Black, the Mini SOCP Folder is priced at $350 for either colorway. Head over to Benchmade’s website to check it out for yourself.