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Justin Lundquist is Back with the EDC-Friendly Contrail

January 8, 2020

Knife maker Justin Lundquist is collaborating with Kizer once again on the Contrail. This latest folder fills a classic EDC role and will be releasing under the Vanguard line.

At its heart, the Contrail strives for utility and people-friendliness. Lundquist broke away from the slenderer blade shapes of releases like the Feist and the Angst for a wider modified wharncliffe design. The cutting edge curves from the base to the tip, which is raised enough for piercing duty as well. With a blade length of 2 inches even, the Contrail can tackle lots of different cutting chores, but is short and small enough to remain unthreatening to non-knife people.

As with several other recent Vanguard releases, the Contrail will be produced with 154CM blade steel. Whether this indicates a general shift away from the previous Vanguard standard of VG-10 remains to be seen; at any rate 154CM offers a similar mix of characteristics well-suited to EDC use: it holds an edge well, resists corrosion adequately, and is easy to touch up or sharpen.

From the beginning, Lundquist designed the Contrail’s handle around a three-finger grip. In terms of overall lines it’s a simple, abbreviated arc shape, with no cutouts, finger grooves, or other additions. The handle scales are G-10 over stainless steel liners (the knife is a liner lock). Lundquist always emphasizes the details and notes that the lines cut into the scales align with the jimping on the blade and the knurling on the backspacer – hence the name “Contrail.” Lundquist says that a premium version of the Contrail is a possibility but wasn’t a priority with this knife. “The intention was a design that is more ‘affordable.'”

Lundquist also says that 2020 is shaping up to be quite a year for him. Several production collaborations are in the offing, and he’s chipping away at custom work too. “I am slowly working on full customs in my shop. Right now I’m working on custom Feist builds. I don’t do order books but if customers are interested in custom builds they can sign up for my mailing list via my website.”

Knife in Featured Image: Kizer Contrail

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