CRKT and Joe Caswell Announce Production Morphing Karambit

Just a day after they added more than a dozen new for 2019 releases to their website, CRKT has revealed another new product, and it’s a big one: they’re bringing Joe Caswell’s famous Morphing Karambit into mass production in the form of the Provoke.

CRKT has dubbed opening mechanism on the Provoke Kinematic. It appears to function similarly to that seen on Caswell’s high-end, Millet-produced version that launched on Kickstarter earlier this year. A squeeze on the aluminum chassis sets the two pivoting arms in motion, unfolding the karambit blade and locking it into place. Lifting up a tab at the back end unlocks the knife so that it can fold back into its closed state again. Caswell’s original idea with this system was to marry thoughtless, one-handed deployment, lock rigidity, and a closing method that keeps the fingers clear of the folding blade. The knife community went absolutely bonkers for the Morphing Karambit the moment he debuted it, and the hype has continued to this day.

Work Sharp

The Provoke doesn’t stray too far from its famous inspiration. Like that knife it comes in on the relatively small side, with a blade length of just 2.4 inches. CRKT’s rendition is made from D2 steel, a steel we’ve also seen them implement on several other new for 2019 releases like the Helical and Large Pilar. The Provoke has the same embedded spring clip and weighs nearly the same as its high-end brother, tipping the scales at 6.2 oz.

Caswell teased the Provoke project earlier this year, hinting that a production version from a major knife brand was in the works. At the time he told us that the two different models help to bring the Morphing Karambit format into two different price sectors. “In some respects, the two versions complement each other. I really wanted to provide an opportunity for everybody to get this knife,” he told us in March.


Knife featured in image: CRKT Provoke