Artisan Grows with Kinetic-Tool, New Designers, New Lock

Artisan Cutlery is tearing into 2019 with a product-heavy release schedule. The new lineup includes many knives but the head-turning Kinetic-Tool leads the charge, alongside new collaboration designs and in-house models including one that sports an prototype proprietary lock.

Kinetic-Tool
One of the most buzzed-about products at SHOT was Artisan’s patent pending Kinetic-Tool. We first reported on this project last year, but it has come a long way since then. Artisan produced a tool that combines the unique opening methods of both balisongs and automatic knives. “It flips and tricks just like a bali – but you can also open it like an auto,” says company representative Russell Soffiotto.

The concept is a simple one to summarize, but a difficult one to produce. There’s the obvious technical questions, but beyond that producing an edged version of this product will take some doing. The Kinetic-Tool is bladeless, with a multifunctional tool instead of a cutting edge. In order to produce a bladed version of this design, Artisan needs to make it in the US if they want to sell it there. It may sound ambitious but that’s the plan, and although no time frame can be given at this time Soffiotto says a full production run will be a reality someday. “We’re working on it. We want it to be fully American-made and there are plenty of ways to make that happen.”

New Collaborators: Dirk Pinkterton and Dylan Mallery
Dirk Pinkerton joined up with Artisan for the Fulcrum, one of their latest releases. “This is the biggest folder I’ve seen Dirk design – it is truly a beast,” Soffiotto tells us. The Fulcrum comes with a 3.85-inch, acutely pointy wharncliffe blade and a hand-filling, all-titanium build. This unabashedly excessive knife weighs nearly 11 oz. Soffiotto tells us that these flamboyant knives are an integral part of Artisan’s identity, even if they’re sometimes divisive. “We like to do things a little off the wall, a little excessive. We’re trying to find new paths and start new trends in the industry.”

Artisan also picked up Dylan Mallery, who they believe is an important new talent in knife design. “Dylan’s a really new name in the industry and we’re making his first production design,” says Soffiotto, referring to the Archaeo, a large knife like the Fulcrum, but one that leverages a much slimmer frame to maximize carryability. “We are so impressed with the design. It’s sleek, almost race car-ish. Even in the larger size it seems gentlemanly.” The full-size Archaeo has a blade length of 3.85 inches, but weighs less than 4 oz. A smaller version is also in the works, and both sizes will have premium titanium/M390 versions as well as G-10/D2 budget configurations.

In-House Designs and Experiments
More knives from the internal design team at Artisan are also on their way. The 1821 goes big on angular sci-fi style, and functions as a real display of Artisan’s machining capabilities. A wharncliffe blade is accentuated by cutouts and a multifaceted, crystalline pattern machined into the handle and echoed in the clip.

Artisan Cutlery 1821

The 1822 is another fresh design, but one that is functioning as a testing ground for a possible new locking mechanism (pictured below). “We’ve been going through several iterations of a proprietary lock – a kind of top loading, double back lock flipper,” Soffiotto explains. Whether or not this is the form the lock will ultimately take remains to be decided – according to Soffiotto this one is still a ways off.

Artisan Cutlery 1822

Knife in Featured image: Artisan Cutlery Archaeo