Home / Outdoors / Knives & Multi-Tools

This Might Be a Rising Brand’s Most Stunning Knife Yet

A beguiling Damascus steel and carbon fiber beauty only augments upstart Kansept’s high-end EDC legitimacy.

Close-up of a folding knife's pivot mechanism, showing the blade secured by gold-colored screws and a black handle with a wooden grip in the background. The blade is partially open, revealing a smooth, metallic surface.Kansept Knives

By Steve Mazzucchi

Published

·

Every country, it seems, has its very own knife making capital. The US has Portland, Oregon, for instance, while Germany has Solingen and Italy has Maniago (though Scarperia would like a word).

Over in China, meanwhile, it’s Yangjiang. Situated on the southwest coast of Guangdong Province along the South China Sea, the city is home to nearly 3 million people — and such respected EDC cutlery brands as WeKnife, Kizer, Artisan Cutlery and Bestech.

Folding knife with a patterned Damascus steel blade featuring circular designs and a carbon fiber handle with gold-colored screws and accents. The knife is placed on a textured black surface next to a brown leather item embossed with Harley-Davidson logos.
This Fenrir’s Damascus steel blade and shred carbon fiber handle are a match made in higher-end heaven.
Kansept Knives

It’s also home to Kansept Knives, a unique manufacturer that consistently delivers potent and interesting releases (often with the help of US-based designers), and has seemingly gone from strength to strength since its founding by industry vet Kim Ning in 2020. 

There’s perhaps no better example of the brand’s artistry and precision than one particular treatment of a recent release. 

I’m talking about the new Damascus and carbon fiber Fenrir (K1034V1), which is nothing less than a stone-cold stunner from tip to tail.

Ingredient upgrade

Reminiscent of a number of auto companies, Kansept is essentially the higher-end half of a two-headed beast, with the Honda to its Acura, if you will, being a wallet-friendly knife brand called Tenable.

Of course there is cross-pollination, and sometimes even straight-up sharing, which is how the Fenrir, which I saluted for its value early this year, went from being an affordable Tenable knife to a jaw-dropping Kansept knife.

Close-up of a folding knife showing the textured carbon fiber handle with gold-colored screws and a patterned Damascus steel blade. The blade features a small skull logo and the text "Gres Schob" and "Fenrir." The background includes a wooden surface and a carbon fiber pattern.
The offside of the blade proudly bears the name of the knife as well as the name and logo of the designer.
Kansept Knives

The design (which I will get into below) is virtually identical, but the materials are vastly different. 

That statement applies to all six editions of the Kansept-branded knife (heck the K1034VI model is not even the most expensive). 

With this particular edition, the headline materials are a perfect blend of form and function. The blade is made of Damascus steel, prized for its rare blend of edge retention and toughness, not to mention its mesmerizingly rippling sheen. 

Folding knife with a textured dark gray handle, gold screws, and a clip. The partially visible blade has a distinctive Damascus steel pattern with concentric circles and a logo near the pivot. The knife rests on a black textured surface.
Burnished bronzed hardware adds a luxe-looking accent that helps lift the knife into gentleman’s folder territory.

That blade steel quality is equalled by that of the handle scales, made of an almost shimmering shred carbon fiber, and complemented by burnished bronze hardware.

The overall effect is to elevate a knife that started as a rather fierce-looking EDC standby into the most badass-looking gentleman’s folder this side of $200. 

Striking silhouette

Those next-level ingredients are mapped onto a form penned by veteran Mississippi-based designer Greg Schob, the man behind Sparrow Knife Company, who has created a number of eye-popping Kansept offerings. 

This particular one boasts a formidable 3.48-inch blade that Kansept calls Wharncliffe-style but definitely ventures into the realm of harpoon. 

A close-up of a folding knife with a partially visible blade and a black handle featuring brass screws. The knife is resting on a textured black surface with a set of precision screwdriver bits in the background.
Ambidextrous thumbstuds ensure swift and smooth one-handed deployment of the 3.48-inch blade.
Kansept Knives

It deploys via ambidextrous thumbstuds, clicking securely into place via one of the most popular, reliable and user-friendly mechanisms, the crossbar lock. That means returning blade to handle is a one-hand job — a simple pull down on the tabs drops it securely into place.

Round things out is an ergonomic handle (complete with reversible pocket clip) that is four-finger friendly and extra grippy thanks to an understated groove behind the choil and the matte-like texture of the carbon fiber.

Folding knife with a patterned Damascus steel blade featuring circular designs. The handle is textured black with a carbon fiber appearance and has gold-colored screws and accents, including a clip on one side. The knife is placed on a dark textured surface with a wooden edge in the background.
The crossbar lock will never let you down, nor will the reversible pocket clip.
Kansept Knives

Thanks to an overall length of 7.89 inches and a weight of 4.37 ounces, this knife’s heft is no joke, leaving it plenty qualified for EDC jobs big and small. 

In other words, perhaps the only thing better than this knife’s looks are what it is capable of.

The Kansept Fenrir (K1034V1) is available now for $176.

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.

Read More