Home / Knives / Nitch Designs Joins the Artisan Collab Crew with the Ahab

Nitch Designs Joins the Artisan Collab Crew with the Ahab

November 8, 2021

A new designer is joining the collaboration corral over at Artisan Cutlery: Nick Rogers of Nitch Designs. The collab is called the Ahab, and is a fresh design from Rogers, albeit one that follows in the stylistic footsteps of his Ingress folder.

Fittingly for a knife named after literature’s most famous whaling ship captain, a big harpoon swedge crowns the Ahab’s modified wharncliffe blade. It’s probably a little too small to take with you on a 19th century whaling odyssey, but it does offer plenty of blade for 21st century EDC, with the modification to the wharncliffe shape raising up the tip and creating some belly as well. As is often the case with Artisan, the Ahab is being shown off in a prototype form, so any detail is up for alteration, not least of them the blade steel; but on these prototypes, Artisan gave the Ahab AR-RPM9, their proprietary steel that is, fittingly, fast becoming a staple within their catalog.

Two shallow grooves define the channel side of the Ahab’s handle, while the spine side runs nearly perfectly straight. This is a liner lock knife, with overlaid scales made from either G-10, Micarta, or wood. The Ahab’s pocket clip is 3D-milled, and does not appear to be reversible – although again, as a prototype, it remains to be seen if this (or any other) detail will be altered before the full release.

This is Rogers’s first collaboration with any production company, but not his first production knife. Last year, he hooped onto Kickstarter to fund a production run of a design called the Ingress. The Ahab is not a riff on or rendition of the Ingress, but it does share a certain look with its predecessor – particularly in terms of blade shape.

The Ahab is one of several prototypes that Artisan brought to Blade Show West in October. They haven’t said when the knife will hit full production status, but Artisan has a history of selling prototypes, so there’s a chance a few of these will be up for grabs before the official release.

Knife in Featured Image: Artisan Cutlery Ahab

Related Items