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Artisan Moves Silax Model to CJRB Line after Positive Reception

April 30, 2021

Artisan Cutlery has announced that the Silax, a mid-sized fixed blade designed by Dylan Mallery, is being transitioned from Artisan’s main line into its CJRB label. The decision follows in the wake of the extremely positive response a prototype batch of the knife received last month.

Even for those only used to Mallery’s folding knife work, the family heritage on the Silax is plain to see. In terms of proportions and blade shape, there’s almost something kitchen knife-esque about it: it’s 5.11 inch wharncliffe blade almost be called a santoku. And while the Silax would certainly perform admirably in the kitchen, it also looks ready for work in the outdoors. Its final role will, of course, come down to the preferences and predilections of the user; the simple, universal handle shape below the Silax’s blade also plays into the “Choose Your Own Adventure” nature of the knife.

In the original prototypes that were put up for grabs, the blade steel was Artisan’s propritary AR-RPM9 steel, and the handle material contoured G-10. Because these were prototypes, the final material choices for the eventual full production run remained up in the air. Slated as it was for the main Artisan line, whose wider remit compared to CJRB allows for more flexibility on the price, the Silex could well have received some kind of material alteration or upgrade. But the company has confirmed that the CJRB release will have the same materials as the prototype model – really the only change will be to the blade logo.

The Silax’s transition into the CJRB lineup is interesting for another reason – it will be the first and only fixed blade in the budget-oriented branch’s lineup. Until now, while both CJRB and Artisan have been steadily expanding, only the latter label has received any fixed blade action. In fact, the Silax originally debuted alongside the Hystrix, a more tactically-oriented offering from Mallery. At this point that knife is still slated for an Artisan Cutlery release.

Knife in Featured Image: CJRB Silax

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