Home / Knives / Burn Knives K-Razor Combines Knuckleduster and OTF

Burn Knives K-Razor Combines Knuckleduster and OTF

September 29, 2017

Automatic knife maker Paul Panak of Burn Knives is turning heads with an unusual, two for the price of one weapon. The K-Razor combines an out-the-front automatic knife with a four-finger knuckleduster.

“One day I was messing around and put the knuckle on top of the Razor – and that was how it started,” Panak says. Although it carries a four-figure price tag, Panak tells us he produces the K-Razor to high tolerances, and it’s no toy. “You could defend your life with it once or twice,” he says. “You could take that knife and stick it through a car door and the blade is not going to fail.”

The K-Razor inherits a substantial five-inch dagger blade from Panak’s Razor OTF model. Panak has produced around 25 K-Razors so far, most in the standard configuration with ATS-34 blade steel and 7075 aluminum chassis. He has played around with off-the-wall prototypes and a full stainless steel model that is much more heavy, expensive, and time-intensive to make. “It’s a nightmare to machine,” Panak says. “It takes two or three days.”

Burn Knives automatics have a signature ‘feel’ to them. According to Panak, this stems from his preference for .155-inch blade stock – thicker than on most other autos. Thus Panak’s blades require a particularly stout spring to shoot out. “My mechanisms are a little tight and little stiff. But they’ve got a lot of torque and fire in them.” He tells us the sound of a Burn Knives auto always turns heads at shows, and the K-Razor is no exception, utilizing the same stock and spring as a standard Razor.

> > Keep your folders awesome. Grab a Pack of 5 Microfiber Blade Sleeves for $8.99 < <

In the late 90s, Panak made a name for himself with classic Italian-style stilettos, but recently he’s seen a shift in his clientele. “Over the last five years, I’ve made more OTFs. I think the newer collectors know me for those.” It took Panak four years to produce his first functional custom OTF, and he says that few makers are set up with the machinery it takes to make them. “As far as making an OTF goes you absolutely have to have a machine,” he explains. Making an OTF by hand never works out. “They have to be very precise and even or they’re unreliable.”

Custom orders keep more than enough work on the table, but Panak has occasionally entertained the idea of a production collaboration. “I’ve talked with Tony Marfione about that, and maybe that’ll happen someday.”

You can order a K-Razor or other model through the Burn Knives website. Prices for K-Razors start at $1400.

Knife featured in image: Burn Knives K-Razor

Related Items