I’ve been eying the Nano from Lionsteel for almost a year now.
Magnacut and Titanium framelock made in Maniago in compact package is very very tempting.
Lionsteel has decided to invest a lot on the “darling of all steel” aka the CPM Magnacut and you can find a lot of their new collection in that wonder steel. Lionsteel is also known for a very high quality in manufacturing.
I had already reviewed a MKM designed by Bob Terzuola made in the same factory.
Also I was a huge fan of their great collaboration with Spyderco on their LionSpy great knives.

So, back to the Nano: what not to love in this chunky little big knife ?
Magnacut and Titanium encapsulated in a beautiful well thought Italian design ?
Amore a prima vista !

See how it is beautifully crafted ? A picture worst thousand words.

Nano by lionSTEEL, technical specifications from their site:

Total length: 162 mm. – 6.38 in.
Blade length: 65 mm. – 2.56 in.
Blade thickness: 3.8 mm. – 0.15 in.
Total weight: 101 gr. – 3.56 oz.
Blade steel: CPM MagnaCut
Blade finish: Satin finished
Locking system: Frame lock
Frame: Gray titanium
Handle material: Titanium 6AI4V 
Handle colour: Blue
Packaging: Cardboard box

The hardness is 63HRC according to this video from CBRx.

This is designed to be the “ultimate every day partner” quoting Lionsteel.

For me it is the Italian answer to the Spyderco Techno. even the upcoming Techno 3 looks a lot like the Nano !
It is an ultra solid short fixedblade with a strong lock and a strong steel.
The stop pin is hidden like on my Swayback.
A natural born workhorse at 200% ! A Landrover in a Ferrari skin !
Zero play, vertically or horizontally. Build like a tank.

Let’s flip it.

The flipping action is not the best out of the box despite its  the Double Crown ball bearing system. It perhaps needs a drop of oil ?
Edit: with a drop of teflon oil (for bikes) it works fine now.

Any way the flipper is not the main way to open it.

There is a notch in the blade which is totally useable to open it one hand.
I’m able to notch drop opening my Nano.

The flipper is removable and it is called the “ReF” (Removable Flipper system). “The Removable Flipper system let the user decide if the flipper tab has to be part of the blade or not. The tab can be installed when in need, or removed and replaced with the second “cap” screw.”

I intend to keep the flipper also works as a little guard.

Zero issue also to close the knife.
“The titanium frame locking bar is reinforced with a hardened steel insert so that the titanium part doesn’t get worn by the rotation of the blade in time.”

Nice touch and a tech totally mastered by Maniago !

Out of the box it is sharp.

Magnacut loves leather and it will soon be stropped. See the edit at the end of this article.

Now about the clip.

The clip is gorgeous and very solid.
“The clip comes out a single piece of Titanium CNC milled. It is reversible, so it can be fixed on the opposite side for left hand users.”

But it is very hard to clip and unclip on my denim thick pocket.
This is almost tedious. Not a big deal but for a serial clipper like myself the Nano will prefer thinner frabric to get clipped too.
Anyway, as a small knife it can go easily the pocket without being clipped.
The clip does not ruin the ergonomy and this is also important to notice. There is no hotspot once closed or open.
Edit: I was skeptical about the thinner “edges” on the handle, as a square handle proposes more flat side like on a Native for example.
But no, the handle is confortable even when cutting in hard material.

The handle is exquisite with a lot of attention to the details. It looks and it is a premium folder. It is exquisite ! And for the price (I got mine discounted at La Coutellerie Tournagell for less than 200 euros) it is a steal !
That kind of top notch manufacturing in my favorite USA brand would be much expensive, even made in Taiwan.
The Nano is a bargain for the very high quality it is offering.

The blade spine is rounded like a Chris Reeve Sebenza !
So confortable for pushcuts using your thumb.

Testing on a piece of hard wood, the geometry is excellent and it goes deep right of the box. Magnacut being strong and easy to maintain sharp, it is a wood worker knife by essence.

The Nano offers also a lot of blade, a tiny bit more than my Native for great handle/blade ratio.

So this was a first glimpse to my 35th SICAC found which has just jump out of its box.
It is a short knife with a lot of cutting power and an exquisite design and realization. Kuddos to Lionsteel and Pauletta Gianni for this absolute ge of a knife.
Mine is blue. “Nel blu, dipinto di blu”.
And I feel like “Felice di stare lassù !”

Edit: I have decided to deshoulder the edge and start to turn it into a convex edge as usual on my knives.

Using a DC4 from Fallkniven and protecting the blade with gaffer.

And it goes through the bottle butt ! Right in the thickest part.

To Quote Prince in his song 1999: “I got a lion in my pocket and baby he’s ready to roar, yeah hey.”

Edit: There is a video of CBRX which I highly recommend to discover the insides secrets of the Nano. Very informative !