NeOn
НеОн
Sergey Shirogorov · 85 mm blade · Frame lock. 13 models in the catalog.
On this page
Also listed as: Neon, Неон, NeOn Lite, NeOn Zero, NeOn NL, NeOn Ultra Lite, NeOn R20, NeOn Lefty
About this line
The NeOn is the compact everyday-carry folder in the range, a Sergey Shirogorov design announced at the fall 2014 Arsenal show and in serial production from 2015, with a titanium frame lock, a deep-carry clip and a blade thinner than the larger models. The line is organized as variants rather than generations. The original NeOn, thirty pieces with 3D-milled scales in S90V on single-row rollers, came from the workshop in October 2015; the Lite, flat-scaled and milled inside for weight, was shown as a prototype at Arms and Hunting the same month and reached its first owners through the members' lottery that December; the Ultra Lite, the most skeletonized, ran 2016 to 2019 and has no backspacer. The NeOn Zero enlarged the blade in the same handle by moving the pivot forward, with a new generation announced 11 May 2019, and was reissued in July 2020 as the R20 for Recon1's 20th anniversary. The NeOn NL of April 2020 added inlaid scales and Cromax PM as a steel option. The NeOn Lefty of February 2021 was the factory's first left-handed model. The Lite was refreshed in May 2024 and again in December 2025, with a Lite Lefty in February 2026. Annual bronze anodized editions, dealer exclusives and Custom Division NeOns on SRRBS run alongside, and a Sinkevich Touch NeOn Zero set of 50 was sold at CCKS Fall 2022. The line is current.
Facts
Baseline: NeOn NL- Blade length
- 85mm (3.34in)
- Blade thickness
- 3.5mm (0.14in)
- Handle thickness
- 10 mm
- Handle length
- 110mm (4.3in)
- Overall length
- 195mm (7.68in)
- Weight
- 82g (2.9oz)
- Pivot
- MRBS (2-rows)
- Steel
- Elmax
- Handle options
- Titanium
- Locking mechanism
- Frame lock
- Grind
- Full flat grind
- Clip
- Deep-carry, 3D-machined titanium, tip-up
- Hardware
- 3D-machined titanium
- Designer
- Sergey Shirogorov
- First release
- 2015-10
- Status
- Current
- On factory site
- Yes, currently listed
Dimensions are the line baseline; steel, handle and finish vary by configuration — see the models table below.
Models in this line
Columns
NeOn 3DOriginal run, 3D-milled scales | Serial | 2015 | S90V | 30 pcs | — |
NeOn Zero (2019 generation) | Serial | 2019 | M390 | — | — |
NeOn NL | Serial | 2020 | Elmax | — | — |
NeOn R20 | Serial | 2020 | M390 | — | — |
NeOn Lefty | Serial | 2021 | M390 | — | — |
NeOn Lite | Serial | 2024 | Elmax | — | — |
NeOn Lite Lefty | Serial | 2026 | Elmax | — | — |
Neon 3D CD3D, S90V, 80 mm | Custom Division | unpublished | S90V | — | — |
NeOn 3D CD3D, Damasteel, zirconium | Custom Division | unpublished | Damasteel | 50 pcs | — |
NeOn NL CD | Custom Division | unpublished | S110V | 50 pcs | — |
Rip Knives NeOn “Green Machine”“Green Machine” (Rip Knives) | Finish-artist edition | unpublished | M390 | — | — |
Sharknivco NeOn “Avocado”“Avocado” (Sharknivco) | Finish-artist edition | unpublished | M390 | — | — |
Ti2 Design NeOn(Ti2 Design) | Finish-artist edition | unpublished | M390 | — | — |
Customs in this line
26 customs on the NeOn platformBy year, with the workshop's photographs and the steel, finish and handle of each, and what recurs across them.Custom Division in this line
3 Custom Division editions on the NeOn platformBy year, with the factory's photographs and the steel, blade length, handle and bearing system of each.Repair kits for this line
Questions about the NeOn
How do you tell a NeOn NL blade from a 2019 NeOn Zero blade?
A 2019 NeOn Zero blade has a swedge along the spine, and the production NeOn NL blade does not. The 2019 NeOn Zero also has wider jimping, where the NeOn NL jimping is finer. A swedge is a narrow bevel ground along the top of the spine.
What does the production NeOn NL have in place of a backspacer?
The production NeOn NL has a titanium standoff at the rear, with the lanyard hole on the show side, and three titanium rods. The standoff and rods take the place of a backspacer, and the rods keep fingers off the edge of the closed blade.
What is inside the production NeOn NL handle?
The production NeOn NL handle has decorative machining lines inside and no real internal milling. The lines follow the shape of the milling pockets in the 2019 NeOn Zero, and the lock bar relief cut matches the 2019 NeOn Zero. The MRBS logo is engraved inside the handle.
How does the NeOn NL CD handle differ from the production NeOn NL?
The NeOn NL CD handle is cut away fully under the inlays, so the carbon fiber shows from inside the knife. Pegs on the back of each inlay locate in the milled windows. The NeOn NL CD has a zirconium backspacer and pivot collar where the production NeOn NL has a titanium standoff and rods.
How is the NeOn NL CD blade finished?
The NeOn NL CD blade has a refined stonewash on the primary bevel and satin flats. It also has swedges, which the production NeOn NL blade does not have. The valleys of the jimping and the flipper tab are polished to a uniform finish.
How do you identify a NeOn R20?
The NeOn R20 has a dark bronze anodized handle with a media-tumbled stonewash on both sides. A partial radial milling pattern runs diagonally across the top of the handle. The clip and backspacer stay natural titanium.
Secondary market for the NeOn
41 observations in the last 12 months, across 2 sources (US, RU). Trend: mixed. Latest observation: .
6 configurations tracked separately.
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