Artisan Cutlery’s Flamin’ Hot New EDC Knife Will Bring You Good Luck and Won’t Break the Bank

The familiar flipper’s handle celebrates a moment in time in a way that is ostentatious but not over the top.

Close-up of a red and gold hexagonal-patterned knife handle resting on a red fabric with gold embroidery.

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By Steve Mazzucchi

Published February 23, 2026

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Updated February 24, 2026

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When it comes to designing a product for a special occasion, there are typically lots of ways to f**k it up and one way to do it right.

We at GP have observed this paradigm a lot lately with the rash of Year of the Fire Horse treatments popping up in everything from footwear to watches to knives.

Red folding knife with gold dragon design and honeycomb cutouts on handle, resting on dark textured stone. — The compelling contrast between the blade’s curves and the handle’s angularity never gets old.

The best players in this game know the key to success tends to be restraint, as evidenced by such subtle special editions as On’s Cloudmonster Void and Luminox’s Atacama Field.

Defying expectations, Artisan Cutlery has entered the chat with a new variant of the Beest that is beguiling to say the least.

Beating the odds

Like a long-shot steed at the Kentucky Derby, this knife should not work for multiple reasons.

First off, it’s a re-skinned version of the original Beest, whose name, honeycomb handle, golden color and buzzy pocket clip all work well together in support of an entirely different theme: bees.

Close-up of a red folding knife handle with hexagonal cutouts and gold accents resting on red and gold embroidered fabric. — The bumblebee and the rubber ducky are subtle enough to keep this Beest from turning into an outright menagerie.

The new edition takes that exact silhouette and drapes the handle in red, complemented by an ornamental horse’s head rendered in gold at the back. (An alternate version swaps the two hues and deploys a black PVD-finished blade.)

It also retains the little bee flying across the clip, while the rose gold PVD-finished blade features a rubber ducky, the signature logo of designer Dustin Rhodes.

So yes, ultimately, this knife has three animals on it. Yet I must admit, I love it.

Black blade folding knife with gold handle featuring hexagonal cutouts and intricate dragon engraving on red embroidered fabric. — The alternate treatment is a bit less fiery but nonetheless appealing in its own way.

How?? For starters, the laser-engraved graphic is so stylized, it actually manages not to scream “YEAR OF THE HORSE.”

The flash is also fitting for this Year of the Horse, the first Fire Horse in 60 years. That’s cause for optimism, but it is also associated with passion, dynamic action and, yes, a bit of flamboyance.

Even still, the knife avoids the temptation to spell things out in any way, so there are no words indicating the occasion or even the year.

Close-up of a gold-toned knife handle with hexagonal cutouts and intricate dragon engraving, resting on red fabric with gold floral embroidery. — Most people will need a second look to even *tell* that it’s a horse’s head, a factor that works in its favor.

The only writing you will find on the blade is “Artisan” printed on the display side and “AR-SFII” on the off side, a reference to the generous (3.65-inch) blade’s steel.

It’s an evolution of AC’s proprietary AR-RPM9 that retains that material’s toughness while boosting edge retention.

Also working in this knife’s favor is the enduring appeal of the original silhouette, which contrasts a contoured blade and angled aluminum handle, accented by hexagonal shapes, in a way that just works.

Red folding knife with hexagonal cutouts and a gold dragon design on the handle, placed on a street with blurred horses and people in the background. — You’d better believe we spent a good five minutes in our morning editorial meeting discussing what sort of insane AI reinterpretation of the Lunar New Year results in this “Running of the Bulls in Pamplona”-like scenario. Because Artisan Cutlery itself is based in YangJiang, China, we decided to give them a pass.

From a functional standpoint, the knife overdelivers with three different ambidextrous deployment methods: thumb studs, a front flipper and a thumb slot.

That’s a hell of a lot of value for less than a Benjamin. Here’s hoping it’s a sign of good things to come.

Availability and pricing

The Artisan Cutlery Beest Limited Edition Year of the Horse knives are available for pre-order for $89. Shipping begins at the end of March.

Folding knife with a rose gold blade and red handle featuring hexagonal cutouts and a gold horse design.

Artisan Cutlery Beest Year of the Horse

$90 at Artisan Cutlery

About the Author:

Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone’s bike seat is at the proper height.

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