The James Brand has revisited one of its most compact offerings, and the Elko Gen 2 poses a question worth considering: can a tool this small still feel purposeful? The answer arrives in CNC-machined aluminum, replacing the original acetate with a material that carries real heft and presence. Every interaction feels deliberate, from the nail-nick opening to the satisfying click of the slip-joint mechanism. Inside, a single Sandvik steel blade pairs with the brand's All Things tool, nothing more. This is restraint as a design philosophy, a rejection of feature creep in favor of something you might actually carry every day. The Elko Gen 2 is not interested in being everything. It would rather be the one thing you reach for without thinking, the tool that earns its place on your keyring through quiet, daily dependability.