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CRKT Brings Out New Limited Edition Ken Onion Design

October 9, 2019

CRKT is releasing another high-end, limited edition model, the Panache. The model is being billed as a break from Onion’s iconic, organic style, emphasizing a different look than what the prolific maker normally turns out.

Ken Onion is known for his emphasis on curves and organic shapes. Here, he took a different approach, composing the Panache almost entirely of hard lines and decisive angles. Like the XOC, another limited edition release from CRKT this year, the new knife falls on the larger end of the folding knife spectrum with a 3.68-inch blade. Its shape is a bullnose drop point that offers belly, straight edge, and a beefy but still pierce-capable tip, and the blade steel here is CTS-XHP. The Panache’s blade opens via flipper tab, although a texturized cutout on the blade could function as a secondary two-hand opening option.

The handle of the frame lock Panache is composed of multiple pronounced angles that lock the user’s hand into place across a finger groove and a multifaceted main grip area. A scalloped chamfer runs along the entire perimeter of the handle; a large carbon fiber insert has been laid into it and given the same diamond texturing as the showside pivot hardware and blade cutout. All told, the Panache weighs 5.8 oz.; CRKT and Onion added a short loop-over pocket clip that also sports a diamond motif.

Limited editions have played an expanded role in CRKT’s 2019 strategy. We’ve seen multiple limited run knives release, including premium versions of existing knives like the Crossbones and Homefront, as well as fresh designs exclusively made for these short runs, like the aforementioned XOC and the Panache itself.

CRKT is limiting the Panache to a run of 550 numbered pieces. The knife is available now with an MSRP of $295.

Knife in Featured Image: CRKT Panache

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