Budget folder brands have spent 2026 in a spec escalation contest, trading blows over blade steels that would have been premium-tier three years ago. Tenable has been one of the loudest participants, pushing Nitro-V, 154CM and D2 through designer collabs at prices that keep sliding downward. The Pelican XL B0018A1, a new Kmaxrom Design folder listed this week, continues that pattern and adds one feature none of its rivals have copied yet: a handle that glows.
The Hard Numbers
Blade: 3.5 inches (88.9mm), flat grind, black TiCN coating, Nitro-V steel.
Overall length: 8.16 inches (207.2mm), blade thickness 0.137 inch (3.5mm).
Handle: glow-in-the-dark green G10, liner lock.
Weight: 4.79 ounces (135.9g). Model number B0018A1, designed by Kmaxrom Design.
Listed at $69.89; Tenable's product page currently shows the first run sold out with additional variants tagged for G-mascus and Micarta handles.
The XL name signals intent. Tenable already offers compact EDC in abundance, and stretching the Pelican line to a 3.5-inch blade and an 8.16-inch footprint moves it into the territory usually occupied by mid-sized work folders from Civivi and CJRB. It also gives the glow scales more real estate, which is the point. A patch of luminescent G10 the size of a guitar pick would be a novelty, while a full handle panel works as a locator beacon.
Why Nitro-V and TiCN Work Here
Nitro-V is a nitrogen-enhanced version of AEB-L style steel, favored for fine edges, decent toughness and good corrosion resistance at a working-knife price.
The 0.137-inch stock is thick enough for hard use without turning the edge into a wedge.
TiCN coating adds surface hardness and cuts glare, though repeated sharpening will eventually wear a bright line along the edge bevel.
Flat grind keeps slicing geometry honest, which suits cardboard, food prep and camp tasks better than a hollow-ground tactical profile.
The Glow Handle Is Not Only a Gimmick
Glow-in-the-dark G10 charges from daylight or a flashlight and stays visible for hours in a tent, a truck cab or under a workbench.
For night-shift users and campers, finding a dropped knife without a headlamp is a real, if unglamorous, benefit.
The green pigment sits in the G10 itself rather than a painted overlay, so the effect should survive wear on the scale edges.
Kmaxrom Design's prior Tenable work has leaned playful on colorways while keeping hardware conventional, and the XL follows that formula.
How It Stacks Up
At $69.89 it goes straight against CJRB, Civivi's budget lines and Kansept's aluminum models, most of which run 14C28N, D2 or 9Cr steels.
Nitro-V gives it an edge-retention and corrosion-resistance profile similar to 14C28N, with slightly better toughness in most comparisons.
The XL's 3.5-inch blade and 8.16-inch overall length put it a size class above the compact folders dominating that price bracket.
Liner lock construction keeps weight at a reasonable 4.79 ounces despite the larger footprint.
Fit and finish questions will have to wait until knives reach hands. The first glow-green run moved quickly enough that Tenable's page now flags it, and the G-mascus and Micarta variants named in the product tags have not surfaced as standalone listings yet. Kmaxrom Design's budget collabs have generally landed close to their spec sheets, so the useful comparison will come from the first batch of owner reports rather than the marketing copy.
One caution before clicking buy. This is a big, bright, coated working folder, and if you want a discreet pocket knife, or you dislike novelty handles that announce themselves in a dark meeting room, the XL will disappoint you. Left-hand carry details and clip configuration are not specified on the listing, so confirm with Tenable before ordering if that matters to you.