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LionSteel Reveals ‘Metamorphosis Handle’ on Brand New KUR

January 11, 2016

It’s barely over a week away from SHOT Show 2016 and LionSteel just announced a new knife dubbed the KUR. It is similar in form to the TRE, but offers a sportive new feature: color changing handles. The Maniago, Italy based company has a history of pushing the limits of their design and manufacturing capabilities, from the 3-D printed handles of their TiDust folder, to their innovative one-piece integral framelocks. The color-changing handle scales on the KUR – which LionSteel calls ‘Metamorphosis handles’ – are made from aluminum, treated with a heat-sensitive coating that transitions from solid black to a camouflage pattern at around 73° Fahrenheit.

If the lines of the knife bear a striking similarity to the LionSteel TRE, it may be because the knives share the same designer, longtime LionSteel collaborator Michele ‘Molletta’ Pensato. The TRE won the esteemed BLADE Show Overall Knife of the Year in 2015, but some LionSteel fans pleaded for a longer version of the blade. The new KUR delivers with a 3.43” Sleipner blade to the TRE’s 2.91”. The TRE features an interchangeable opening system that can be configured as a flipper, thumbstud opener, or neither. The flexibility of the system allows the user to change the knife to suit his tastes, and to carry in places where one-handed openers are illegal. The TRE system will not be present on the new KUR, which offers a flipper-only deployment, a liner lock, titanium spacers and stainless steel liners.

 

Alongside the aluminum metamorphosis scales, the LionSteel KUR will also be offered in traditional handle options like black or green G-10. The first photos of the KUR do not currently include a pocket clip, though LionSteel has hinted that there may be some changes on the horizon. On their FaceBook page, LionSteel says: “Maybe we will introduce other versions. I need to [get] some feedback from the next exhibition, SHOT Show in Vegas [next week].” LionSteel tells us the KUR line will sell for about $190 to $215 depending on the version. The company plans to start taking pre-orders on their website starting next week and the new KUR is slated to ship by the end of March.

Knife Featured in Image: LionSteel KUR

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