An Emerging EDC Brand Defies Convention with an Insanely Affordable Cutting-Edge Integral Folder

The brand has pushed this already impressive knife handle style to its limits with unconventional materials and an outstanding price point.

Close-up of a folding knife with a textured green handle and partially open blade resting near a plate and lime wedges.

Add Gear Patrol as a Preferred Source on Google

By Sean Tirman

Published April 8, 2026

·

If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

In the grand scheme of knifemaking, integral folders are among the most marvelous. This is because they require an extremely high level of craft and technical know-how to manage properly.

Unfortunately, that mixture of artistry and artisanship often means that these knives come with a high price tag. But what if that weren’t the case?

That seems to be the question the Tacray Talos is asking (and answering). And yet, its affordability isn’t even close to the most interesting thing about it.

Two folding knives with textured handles, one black and one green, with wavy-edged blades on a white plate with green limes. — The Talos is available with either a green Micarta or black G-10 handle.

Masterful machining

In case you’re unfamiliar, an integral knife is one whose handle is made of a single, solid piece of material. This differs from typical folder handles, which are usually made up of two scales sandwiched together and secured with hardware, like screws, backspacers and such.

That alone is a pretty laudable, but the Talos takes things a step further. While the majority of integral folder handles are made from metal, Tacray has made the Talos available in G-10 or Micarta.

This makes the knife far lighter than it would otherwise be, granting it a total weight of just 2.9 ounces for the G-10 option and 2.7 for the Micarta. That’s incredibly light for a full-sized knife.

Two folding pocket knives, one black and one green, standing upright between two tequila shot glasses with lime wedge on white surface. — The knife is fully ambidextrous, from its crossbar lock to its thumb stud deployment. Even the pocket clip is reversible.

But here’s where it gets really interesting: using these composites instead of metal should also mean the knives are more brittle and prone to breaking. To manage that, the brand has embedded stainless steel liners into the handle to deliver the “structural integrity of a steel frame at composite weight.”

It’s a pretty magnificent feat — one that you might expect to come at a premium price. But Tacray is doing it for just $119 apiece. And that’s not even the whole story…

Close-up of a folding knife with a black textured handle and a silver blade featuring a wavy copper-colored pattern. — The knife also comes with a stunning san mai-style five-layer copper steel blade.

Jam-packed with value

Even if this weren’t a technical achievement with its unusual integral handle materials, the Talos would still be a pretty spectacular knife. That starts, perhaps obviously, with its eye-catching blade.

The knife comes with a san mai-style five-layer copper steel blade, which we’ve seen before on a version of the Tacray Tiran II that came out a little while ago.

With its 10Cr15CoMoV steel core that offers VG-10-like performance, the copper cladding ages and patinates over time, making it more beautiful and unique with every cut.

Disassembled folding knife with a textured green handle, a partially serrated blade, metal liners, screws, and a black pocket clip on a white background. — You can see here how much of the handle is a single, solid piece of material.

That blade has dual thumb studs for ambidextrous performance and is mated to the handle at a ceramic ball-bearing pivot. It also gets a convenient and secure crossbar lock, which is similarly ambidextrous.

And it boasts a reversible deep-carry pocket clip and a lanyard hole for additional attachment.

Normally, a knife boasting this kind of tech, craftsmanship and quality would run for around $300, so it’s pretty incredible that Tacray is offering it for about a third of that price.

Hand holding a folding knife with a wavy-edged blade and black textured handle over a white table with shot glasses and lime wedges. — The Talos measures 7.09 inches with a 2.95-inch blade.

Availability and pricing

The Tacray Talos is now available in black G-10 or green Micarta right now on the brand’s site for $119 apiece.

Folding knife with a silver blade featuring a copper wavy pattern and a textured dark green handle.

Tacray Talos

$119 at Tacray

About the Author: Sean Tirman is an associate editor at Gear Patrol who specializes in EDC, cannabis and outdoor gear.

Want to stay up to date on the latest product news and releases? Add Gear Patrol as a preferred source to ensure our independent journalism makes it to the top of your Google search results.