Kansept does some in house designs, but like many other companies out there, collaborations are their bread and butter. I love in house just as much as anyone else, but when a company taps into the huge wealth of talent in the industry, and brings those designs to life, that benefits everyone.
Morgan Koens is a custom fixed blade maker. He has a lot of experience in designing and making fixed blades, Morgan has teamed up with Kansept to release a design of his in a folder. His designs are the mixtures of utility and aesthetic. Morgan's designs are both works of art and work horses at the same time.
The Shikari is not a new model, but this iteration is. The new model now features a button lock versus a frame lock the original had. This particular model features a titanium handle with a carbon fiber inlay and clip, combined with a button lock and damascus blade. The Shikari comes with an overall length of 7.78", a blade Length of 3.35'', and a handle length of 4.46" it's a little bigger than the Model 6, but design language is night and day.
I know I've probably said this in a few of my other reviews, but dang this handle is amazing. I would have to say, just about perfect, and everything I look for in an everyday carry knife. And I think I know what it is, it's the lack of a standard lock, that enhances the comfort. With a liner or frame lock, you've always had some kind of mechanism that's potentially pushing into your index. I find the handle on the Shikari to be contoured in all the right places and I can't find any fault with it. The titanium bolsters and liners make for a super light frame, and the twill carbon fiber is unlike any I've handled yet. It has this depth, and the way it interacts with light, it's really well done. The titanium clip is simplistic and offers a good amount of tension without being too tight. A lot of milled clips I've come across lately are just really tight and don't have a lot of spring to them.
Just as impressive is the blade, this Shikari features a damascus blade that has a modified clip point. The overall shape is nice, the well pronounced thumb ramp trails down to a swedge, and comes to a tip that has quite a bit of belly. I love this blade shape, the ramp provides a great amount of control, and that generous amount of belly makes it a great cutter. The damascus itself it's drop dead gorgeous, Kansept's blend is 440C and 9CR18MOV. It's not a super steel that's all the rage right now but it's a good performer. I still see a lot of companies using 154CM and this has similar properties and should perform well for most people.
The Shikari is a beautiful mixture of materials and performance, it a classy knife that's just as comfortable doing chores as well as going to a wedding. There are so many great knives out there, and you can certainly add this one to the list.
