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GiantMouse ACE Nazca · Clip Point
3.15″ blade · 0.138″ spine · 4 oz · ~1.11″ tall

Spine thickness, same scale

0.138″

Length and spine thickness drawn to true scale from published specs. Outline traced from the maker's side-profile photo.

GiantMouse

GiantMouse ACE Nazca

EDC FolderFolding

The GiantMouse ACE Nazca is a 3.15" clip point folder in Bohler M390, flat ground. The handle is Titanium, secured by a crossbar lock. Made in Italy, the only knife here from there.

Blade: 3.15″
Weight: 4 oz
Steel: Bohler M390
Price band: Premium

Best for

Everyday carry and general utility

We don’t have a verified retailer link for this knife yet. We only link products we have confirmed resolve to the right item — here’s why.

Specifications

Manufacturer-published figures, cross-checked against knifeworks, sawyerriver.

Blade length: 3.15″
Spine thickness: 0.138″
Blade shape: Clip Point
Grind: Flat
Steel: Bohler M390
Overall length: 7.48″
Weight: 4 oz
Lock: Crossbar
Deployment: Manual
Handle material: Canvas Micarta
Country of origin: Italy

Why a clip point

The front third of the spine is 'clipped' away in a concave sweep, dropping the point below the spine line and putting it out in front. That makes a finer, more controllable tip than a drop point — better for piercing, slightly weaker under load. The Buck 110 pattern is the archetype.

Every clip point here →

About Bohler M390

The steel that defined the premium tier. Mirror-capable, extremely wear resistant, and unhappy about lateral loads.

Edge retention

5/5

Toughness

2/5

Corrosion resistance

5/5

Ease of sharpening

2/5

1-5 is a relative ranking drawn from published composition and hardness, not a lab measurement. Higher is better on every axis, and no steel is a 5 across the board — edge retention and toughness pull against each other. All Bohler M390 knives

What owners say

Drawn from 19 owner discussions of the GiantMouse ACE Nazca since 2024. The opinions are theirs. The specifications above come from the maker.

What owners like

The crossbar action stands out: one owner calls it the smoothest crossbar lock they have owned, and another knife user says the Nazca has some of the best action you will find among crossbar locks.
Lockup is stiff and strong: an owner of the titanium model calls the lock strong, another titanium owner says the TRM Shadow has a similarly solid, stiff lock and finds Kunwu's crossbars a lot looser than both, and a carbon fiber owner also describes the crossbar as nice and stiff.
The titanium version wins owners over in hand: one buyer who paid $200 says it feels fantastic, and an owner who bought their titanium model after a price drop to the Micarta version's level recommends it despite finding it slightly small.
GiantMouse support replaced a failed part without fuss: when a lock spring bent on one owner's titanium model, the company sent a new spring with no problem.
The blade shape slices well: a daily carrier of the carbon fiber version calls the blade shape very slicey.

What owners flag

A lock spring can bend: one owner of the titanium model found their lock failing, opened it up and found a bent spring, and points out that a failure like that is a real problem if you have no other knife with you.
It runs small for larger hands: one titanium owner says it is a little small for their hands, and an owner of the carbon fiber version calls the knife a bit small, with a thin tip they see as a weak point.
The pocket clip draws complaints from two owners: one felt the wire clip was out of place and pointed to an aftermarket deep carry clip from Lynch NW, and a titanium owner says the clip might be a hot spot in hand, though not a deal breaker.
Heat treat doubts follow the M390 version: a buyer who paid $200 for the titanium model asked about reports that GiantMouse's M390 is iffy, and a knife user who admits little GiantMouse experience says the company has had heat treat issues on its Italian-made models, which have probably been sorted out by now.
Handling it does not convert everyone: one person who picked one up at a knife store disliked it in hand at once and preferred the Knafs Lander; they cannot remember exactly why, but think the handle may have been chunky and the knife kind of heavy.

Titanium scales over an M390 clip point put the Nazca on the list of a collector moving into plain-but-premium titanium knives. One owner choosing between it and a Spyderco Shaman tends to pick the Nazca for its crossbar lock and because they live somewhere humid near the ocean, and another owner calls it the smoothest crossbar lock they have owned.

Owner reports describe a strong, stiff lock and good action, with a few weak spots: one titanium model bent a lock spring, which GiantMouse replaced without trouble, one owner says the clip might be a hot spot in hand, and two owners find the knife a little small. A buyer of the titanium M390 version asked about heat treatment, and one knife user reports past heat treat issues on GiantMouse's Italian production.

The Knafs Lander, the GiantMouse Atelier and the TRM Shadow are the rivals people weigh it against in owner discussions. One knife user treats M390 and the Atelier's Elmax as near-identical alloys, after which the buyer who asked picked the Nazca for its design, and one titanium owner recommends the TRM Shadow to anyone set on a crossbar lock, saying it has a similarly solid, stiff lock.

Is there a long-term review of the Nazca from someone who carries it?

One owner carried the carbon fiber and MagnaCut version every day for two months and highly recommends it, with only the wire clip and a small factory chip as complaints. An owner of the titanium model says the lock is strong and the blade ready to go, while another titanium owner had a lock spring bend, which GiantMouse replaced.

Should I get the Nazca or the Knafs Lander 3?

One person who handled both greatly preferred the Knafs. They no longer remember exactly why they disliked the Nazca, but think its handle may have been chunky and the knife kind of heavy; they also found the Lander 3 a little small and liked the Lander 2. Another answer said anything from GiantMouse or Knafs would work if all you want is everyday carry.

Is the Nazca's M390 any different from the Elmax on the GiantMouse Atelier?

The explanation given was that the two alloys are so close they can be considered identical, and any real difference comes from heat treatment. The buyer who asked chose the Nazca for its design after hearing that.

Is GiantMouse's M390 heat treat on the titanium Nazca any good?

One owner who paid $200 for the titanium version says it feels fantastic but asked because of reports that the M390 is iffy. A knife user who admits little GiantMouse experience says the company had heat treat issues on its Italian-made models that have probably been sorted out by now.