Artisan Turns to Kickstarter for Young Designer’s First Production Model

Artisan has just returned to Kickstarter to fund a model called the Boa. But this time the model isn’t a remaster: instead, it’s the first collaboration between Artisan and former knife maker Johnathan Shaw.

Shaw is a 17-year old knife maker who worked under the shop name Triple Stripe Knives. Earlier this year, Shaw announced that he was taking extended hiatus from knife making to join the Canadian Armed Forces and attend university; that meant no more new Triple Stripe customs for the foreseeable future. Shortly after that announcement, Shaw told the world he would be collaborating with Artisan to release a production version of his Boa design, so that the Triple Stripe presence is still felt in the community.

If you followed Shaw’s custom work you’ll be familiar with the Boa. It’s a mid-sized everyday carry-style folder, with a harpoon-style blade and a long, oval opening hole. The Artisan Boa sets the blade length at 3.12 inches, so you’ll have enough edge for the full gamut of everyday chores. All four models have the opening oval, as well as another opening device carried over from the customs: a large, fin-like front flipper.

Now, the custom Boas were made with a whole suit of different materials, finishes, etc.; and Artisan had to choose just four standard configurations for this production model. There’s the stippled Boa, whose titanium scales are jigged; the Tactic-Boa, with full contoured carbon fiber scales and a coated blade; the Rustic Boa, with Micarta inlays in titanium; and, finally, the Full-Dress Boa, with has full contoured timascus scales and a mirror- or sand-polished blade.

Speaking of blades, the standard steel on the first three models above is S35VN, the solid last gen super steel we all know and love. Despite its cosmetic slant, the Full-Dress Boa gets a major performance upgrade, with its blade being made from S90V, a very, very hardworking powder metallurgy recipe. The weight also varies a little between each model, with the Full-Dress having the fullest figure at 3.49 oz., and the Rustic taking the cake for lightest at 3.1 oz.

The Boa Kickstarter is live now, and it has already passed its funding goal. It will run through October 18th, with discounts against the MSRP available for all models.

Knife in Featured Image: Artisan Cutlery Boa

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