The Loco, much like the famed OSS thumb dagger, is a hideout. It's main design parameter is that it be capable of being secreted almost anywhere. It's not a primary tool and it should be thought of as another layer in a tiered tool profile. Overall it's three inches in length and weighs less than an ounce with its kydex sheath. Here's a pic with some change to give a size comparison.

Shown in the hand here we can see that the Loco is tiny. It has a wedge shaped blade that is relatively wide at it's base considering the Loco's diminutive size. The blade tapers into a narrow stem, which ends in a triangular pommel. These features give the Loco a distinct advantage over the traditionally flat and straight profiles of the lapel and thumb daggers.

The main advantages over the older designs are stability and versatility. One application that the Loco may be used in is that of the conventional push dagger. When gripped in a clenched fist, the blade protrudes between the fingers. The blade's wide base acts as a good stop for the fingers as they convulsively clench against the narrow stem. The triangular pommel seats nicely in the base of the palm. Locked in a tight fist, the Loco is amazingly stable for a tool this small.

Now even though this application is as solid as it can be, I would discourage deploying it in this manner on hard targets. Under the chin, the throat, the bicep, inner thigh, and groin are the best places to punch if you're going to deploy it push dagger style. But because of the design features it doesn't have to be used this way.Another application would be in a pinch grip, where we wrap the index finger around the stem and then support that with our thumb on the spine. One really couldn't do this with the older OSS models because they were double edged and there was no finger cut-out. The only thing that kept the blade from slipping was the grip strength of the finger and the thumb The methodology here is slashing and the small straight edge acts like a mini box-cutter.

If we look at the picture we can see that the Loco's sheath as a number of small holes drilled around it. The possibilities for threading, strapping, and attaching the Loco to anything is up to the end user's imagination. In the pictures we see that this model has a short length of ball chain attached. My preferred method of carry for this tiny tool is in the placket of a polo style shirt. All one has to do is loop the chain around a button like shown below…

…and then button it as usual. The Loco disappears and is accessed by pulling from between the bottom button and the bottom of the shirt's plackett.

The reason I like to carry this way is that there are very few tools that can be reasonably carried on the high line. Most of our gear is carried on the waist and in our pockets. It's very possible that you won't have access to your waist if you are clinched up with a guy or perhaps even mounted. So a tool carried high-line makes sense. The problems have traditionally been finding a tool that is small enough yet effective in application, and a location on the body to place it. Well that problem is solved now! What follows here are some photographs that give an idea on how the Loco could be deployed in such a scenario.

In the first picture, I've been wrapped around my arms while they are folded. My forearms are effectively pinned to my chest and I can't access any waist mounted equipment without breaking the hold. This should be trained for, and not every problem has a tool solution but every problem should have a tool option.

He's a lot stronger than I am and I've failed in breaking the hold mechanically. I'll start to access the Loco. Notice that even in this tightly bound position, where I have very little joint articulation, I can still snake my hand up to my chest where the Loco is concealed by just bending my wrist, and begin to withdraw it.

The Loco is withdrawn while I squirm and dig with my elbows and the edges of the forearms. Violent kicking and shin-raking should be happening while you're going for the tool.		I've managed to snake his thumb and bend it back, snapping it. I'll use his thumb to open the inside of his forearm.

We'll finish be stabbing his inner forearm and driving the point and upward edge in and upwards towards his bicep. Kind of like slitting a letter open.

So as we can see a small tool carried high-line can be an effective means for solving a problem. There aren't many tools available that can be carried in such a manner and at the same time be stable enough in the hand to be used with any real effectiveness. The Lil' Loco made by Trace Rinaldi of the ShivWorks design team solves this problem nicely. It's a sensible addition to a carry profile that can be incorporated with very little effort.