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Caswell Morphing Karambit Progress Update

February 24, 2017

UPDATE 3/20/18: Morphing Karambit now available on Kickstarter.

We recently reached out to Joe Caswell to learn about progress of Version 2.0 (V2) of his Morphing Karambit. The knife’s unique form and spring assisted opening method stunned tactical knife enthusiasts last September. Since the initial explosion in popularity, Caswell has been relatively quiet about his progress. But thousands of would-be customers have been waiting with bated breath to find out how and when they’ll be able to get their hands on one.

Caswell says the V2 prototype is now only a matter of weeks, not months away. “The mechanics have been worked out for some time now. I’m just working on ways to make the design as compelling as possible,” Caswell tells us. V2 will be more streamlined, with five main parts compared to eight on the original. “The knife goes together in an entirely new way,” he reveals. “To my knowledge, it’s never been done before. The whole thing is more simple and elegant.”

V1 featured a straight-edge blade reminiscent of a wharncliffe, but V2’s 2.5-inch blade will be slightly curved. Caswell researched karambits extensively before settling on this new shape. He talked to experts in knife fighting and discovered that many preferred a curved karambit for tactical applications. “There really is no standard,” he tells us. “But a lot of practitioners swear by the curved blade.”

Despite its innovative morphing design, V2 can be assembled without the need for intensive handwork. “Final fit and finish is the biggest bottleneck in production knifemaking. V2 should be able to be made without hand fitting,” Caswell explains. “It will be easy to make, and relatively inexpensive, too. That’s why I’m not going to bother building a custom,” he says.

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Caswell acknowledges that the next step is still finishing the prototype, but he has also been working on other ways to bring V2 into more limited production. According to Caswell, a big brand collaboration is still not out of the question, but he has started evaluating crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter as a means to bring V2 to market.

Knife featured in image: Caswell Knives Morphing Karambit (Version 1.0)

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