This Uniquely Featured Minimalist EDC Knife Is Breaking Kickstarter. Can It Live Up to the Hype?

For all the amazing products it has helped bring to life, Kickstarter can be a bit of a hype machine. 

The responsibility really falls upon the creators to honestly present their projects, and the crowdfunding community to be savvy with their evaluations — and dollars.

Placed Atoms

That being said, I can’t blame anyone for zhuzhing things up. You have to make, but you also have to sell.

Which brings me to the Placed Atoms Maker II, a very slickly presented utility knife that is blowing up on the platform. 

Is there fire behind all that smoke? Let’s take a closer look.

The sizzle

One thing about which there can be no debate is that this thing is getting made. As I write, it has raised $415,207 — 1,416% of its funding goal — from 3,076 backers in a matter of days. 

Perhaps that’s not surprising considering the founder of Placed Atoms, Giaco Di Muro, has a strong following of his own. 

Placed Atoms

The Alassio, Italy-based self-described “stuff and video maker” has more than 500,000 YouTube subscribers after all. 

Throw in the fact that his most popular video has more than 35 million views, and it’s clear the guy knows how to get eyeballs.

Placed Atoms

Heck, the press release for the Maker II brags that the Kickstarter campaign video alone — “as much a celebration of making as of the knife itself” — took the Placed Atoms team three months to produce. 

That detail elicits more of an SMH than an OMG for me, but in fairness, the actual knife has been in development for much longer.

The steak

So what is this thing? Inspired by a 2024 meetup with legendary maker and DIY star Jimmy DiResta, the Maker II is not merely the successor to the original Maker (duh), which moved 35,000 units.

It is also one of those quietly technical products that looks simple but has a lot of thought and design behind it. 

Placed Atoms

What distinguishes this sleek stainless steel body from the thousand other utility knives out there is one unique, maker-focused feature.

Placed Atoms calls it their high-resolution or nano-positioning blade system, a mechanical magic trick that lets the blade lock at any position with millimetric precision. 

Placed Atoms

That enables unprecedented control of not only the angle and direction of a cut, but also its depth.

While that might not factor into, say, cutting a piece of twine or an apple, it could be a game-changer for incredibly detail-driven craft projects.

For me, this is by far the most notable feature, and one that could justify all the investment, especially when you consider that signing up for a single unit right now will run you a relatively reasonable $70.

Placed Atoms

However, it’s worth noting that Placed Atoms also calls it “the world’s most customizable knife,” based on the fact that it offers a number of add-ons that enable you to make it your own — and will even share free 3D files for DIYers to design and print their own accessories.

Also worth noting: You can add the adorable new Maker Knife Mini for 45 more clams. No hype video for that one, though. Guess they ran out of time.

Availability and pricing

The Placed Atoms Maker II is available now via Kickstarter for $70. Estimated delivery is June 2026.

Placed Atoms

Placed Atoms Maker Knife II

• $70 at Kickstarter

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