One Piece Multitool Maker Brings Out First Folding Knife

After putting out a series of one piece multitools, Pangea Designs is Kickstarting its first folding knife release. In keeping with its design pedigree, the Prylobite spices up its friction folder design with added multifunctionality.

Designed to be attached to a keychain without adding much bulk, the Prylobite’s blade measures 1.7 inches long. Pangea create a sheepsfoot-style micro cleaver profile, and is using a washed S35VN for the blade steel. Pangea Designs Founder Michael Dickson tells us the blade is the heart of the Prylobite as a product, not just an added feature to tick a box. “We cut no corners on quality, ensuring that the Prylobite is a fully functional and reliable knife.” The daily demands of an individual user will vary, but it’s a possibility, as with any good keychain knife, that the Prylobite will be enough to function as a solo EDC. “It really depends on the user! We’ve had a number of backers inform us that this will be their first knife, or take the place of something less versatile. Others look forward to its added versatility as a backup,” Dickson says.

Pangea’s OPMT background shines through in the additional tools baked into the Prylobite’s design. The extended tang pulls quintuple duty as a blade opener, bottle opener, prybar, screwdriver, and hex driver. “[These features] are meant to simplify basic tasks that would typically be difficult, if not impossible to solve without locating a specialized tool,” Dickson tells us. It’s the combination of extra functions and the presence of a small but functional blade that he thinks will appeal to knife nerds as well as general users. “Even if you already have a primary knife, having the Prylobite ever at the ready on your keychain is quite reassuring.”

Even working in that keychain knife space, a fine line needs to be walked between functionality and size – especially when you’ve decided, as Pangea has, to add in those extra features. If a knife is too big it won’t find itself coming along for the ride when you grab your keys. Dickson says he resolved this tension by incorporating one last feature into the tang: a suspension clip. The non-flexible hook shape can be hooked on the lip of a pocket like a knife clip, or attached to a belt loop. Either way, this keeps the Prylobite in place and the rest of your keys suspended vertically beneath it. “We intended this to allow the knife, when attached to a keychain, to be hung inside a pocket or from a beltloop,” Dickson explains. “Even with its compact form factor, the Prylobite streamlines a keychain’s bulk, rather than increasing it.” Additionally, the attachment point for your keys is designed so that a keyring or carabiner will pass through the hole in the handle and the blade, keeping it safely closed in your pocket and precluding any chance of accidental opening.

Now that they’ve broken into knives, we asked Dickson if he sees Pangea Designs producing any more blades this year. “We do not have any specific plans, but have some concepts floating around the drawing board,” he says mysteriously.

The Prylobite is available to back on Kickstarter now. As of today, February 5th, it has already passed its funding goal with 20 days to go.

Knife in Featured image: Pangea Designs Prylobite