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Ostap Hel Combines Karambit and Kiridashi for Kansept

March 21, 2022

There’s a new Ostap Hel fixed blade on the way, this time coming out under the Kansept banner. The Hex is a compact fixed blade based on a design challenge Hel set for himself in 2020.

Many of Hel’s knives start off with a strong concept before he puts pen to paper. The Hex began life back in the spring of 2020, when Hel gave himself a series of strictures for a weekend design warm-up. He had to create a fixed blade that followed these three rules: it had to have a karambit handle shape, a kiridashi blade shape, and be composed only of straight lines. The result was a CAD drawing that, eventually, took on physical life as the Kansept Hex.

The original 2020 version of the Hex

We can see all these tenets in play on the production Hex. The 1.89-inch blade has the classic kiridashi blade shape, an angled straight edge that punches above its weight class in terms of cutting performance, with both practical and tactical functions at play in this particular iteration. Hel gave the Hex two runs of jimping, one on the blade spine, the other just behind the edge, facilitating complete control over the small, maneuverable blade. The blade steel is 14C28N, a well-balanced stainless that fits a knife of this size like a glove.

The karambit heritage comes through clearly on the narrow, skeletonized handle, which terminates in a finger – well, we won’t say ring, because the “straight lines only” mandate necessitated Hel make it a finger hexagon instead. But it functions just the same as its curvacious cousins on other karambits, keeping the hand locked in place and allowing for some more unusual grips. The Hex’s compact size and extensive skeletonization also pay dividends when it comes to weight: it weighs 1.27 oz., which makes it an easy neck knife carry and basically invisible in a pocket.

Knife in Featured Image: Kansept Hex

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