DropSheep Pinion is the First Tempest Knives Release

K.C. Spiron, who reviews knives on his YouTube channel KnivesFAST, is starting his own production knife label called Tempest Knives. The first Tempest release, the Pinion, is slated for release, and it features an unusual blade shape that inspired the rest of the design.

Spiron began reviewing knives in earnest about six years ago. He calls his channel KnivesFAST because he focuses on short, succinct videos, usually at or under the ten-minute mark. This brevity means that Spiron has seen quite a few knives cross his camera. “Getting to see so many different knives does help solidify what I really want a knife to be,” he tells us. But in bringing the Pinion to life also highlighted the different between evaluating knives and making them. “It’s really a totally different process for me,” he says. “Designing a knife is me sketching out basic shapes, and then continuing to revise them until they take the shape of a useful knife. Reviewing is usually the process of enjoying knives that I get to take a look at and giving my thoughts on them.”

Spiron loves fast cars as much as fast reviews, and that love is reflected in his debut folder. The Pinion’s blade, which Spiron calls a “DropSheep,” has an aerodynamic look to it, like the profile of a plane fuselage or a sports car chassis. Measuring 3.4 inches long, it has a slick, narrow blade cutout for ambidextrous, one-hand deployment. Spiron says the Pinion’s blade governed the entire design as a whole. “I first sketched the design for the Pinion back in February of this year,” he explains. “It took on several different iterations and changes before it became ‘real.’ It all began with a specific blade shape that I drew and really thought could be very useful.”

But Spiron had been seriously considering making a knife of his own for about a year prior, and, like many of us knife enthusiasts, daydreamed about his own designs before then. “I have sketched out knives for at least a couple of years before that. I really have some specific thoughts on what I like in a knife.”

And Spiron says the Pinion is just the beginning. He wants to grow Tempest Knives into a presence in the production knife world; as far as next steps, he has plenty to choose from. “I have a little blue sketchbook that is full of designs. There are a few designs in there that are definitely in line to move forward to the production process. I’m excited about the possibilities of sharing even more of my ideas with the knife community.”

The Pinion will be available to preorder tomorrow, July 9th at 1:00pm EST, through the Tempest Knives website. It is expected to ship later this year.

Knife in Featured Image: Tempest Knives Pinion

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