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The Rose Sets New Standard for Small in Burnside’s Remastered Lineup

November 15, 2021

January 2021 saw the return of Burnside Knives after a very quiet few years. The Portland, OR-based company emerged with the Cabrillo 2.0, a tip to tail renovation of their original flagship folder, and now they’re dropping a brand new knife called the Rose.

“This new design was created to replace our previous model, The Carmen,” says Burnside Knives founder Rick Maderis. The Carmen, released in 2018, was a sort of companion piece to the original Cabrillo, aimed at those who liked the Burnside style but wanted something smaller than their sizeable flagship. The Rose is actually even smaller than the Carmen, with a blade length of 2.16 inches compared to 2.6. “This is our smallest and fastest opening EDC,” Maderis says. The blade steel on tap for the Rose is VG-10, and the blade shape a modified American tanto, with a very long secondary edge that runs out to a low, extremely pointy tip.

The modified tanto on the Rose

Maderis also notes that the Rose “draws inspiration from the style lines of the Cabrillo 2.0,” and, just as we saw on that knife, there is a prominent, curving cutout running through the center of the Rose’s blade. You might be able to open the knife with this cutout, but most users will favor the ambidextrous thumb studs for reliable deployment. From the cutout, to the blade shape, to the pocket clip, the Rose falls in line with the aggressive styling of all Burnside knives, but Maderis also points out that, for this release, he chose to reign in the branding a bit. There’s no logo or other wordmark on the blade’s face; the word “Burnside” is cut into the spineside portion of the tang instead.

The handle design is your standard arcing shape, with a pair of jimped grooves on both the top and bottom of the blade for added ergonomic real estate and control. G-10 scales are laid over stainless steel liners, and the clip too is made from stainless steel, cut to resemble a lightning bolt.

Running off the enthusiasm for the Cabrillo relaunch earlier this year, Burnside Knives is growing in more ways than one. They got into the knife accessory game with the release of TearZero, a biodegradable all-in-one knife care liquid. Even more recently they dropped a titanium spork and chopstick set, and more knives are en route. “Burnside Knives is moving forward with tons of energy and is in the final stages of production on our first letter opener/unboxing knife called The Hyperstrike,” Maderis tells us; this is expected to ship in December, and next year we’ll see even more stuff. “Without giving away too much information, Burnside Knives is finalizing a new carabiner and currently in the beginning stages exploring kitchen cutlery.”

Knife in Featured Image: Burnside Knives Rose

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