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WESN Brings First Friction Folder into the Lineup

April 28, 2021

A new for 2021 WESN design is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter. This one is called the Samla, and it leverages the unique benefits of the friction folder concept to create an unconventional companion knife for the outdoors.

The word “Samla” is a Swedish word meaning “to collect/gather.” It may come as a surprise given its folding, non-locking nature, but the WESN Samla was inspired by traditional Scandinavian outdoors fixed blades. Its 2.45-inch blade is a wide sheepsfoot with a generous flat grind that starts high on the blade face. The length and shape allow it to perform many different tasks as a companion blade in the outdoors, or as a primary everyday carry in urban environments; 14C28N stainless steel turns in reliable performance across the board, while keeping the price point relatively low.

The WESN Samla’s blade is simple, clean, and effective

WESN’s Ethan Thompson tells us that the choice to go with a friction folder stemmed from multiple considerations. Legality was one of them, of course. “The Samla is a friction folder action, which is more user-friendly,” Thompson explains. “It’s also legal in some states and some countries while our other knives with the flipper style action are not legal.”

But he is also says that WESN saw the friction folder concept as one that offered tangible benefits for modern users. “[A friction folder] is a big advantage when it comes to cleaning and maintenance. For example, the Samla is perfect for food prep out on the trail. It’s quite easy to rinse any excess food off the blade and bronze washer action.” By comparison WESN’s previous knives, with their more mechanically-complex setups, were more susceptible to gunking up. “The Henry is spring-loaded, so it becomes trickier to properly clean, and the Microblade/ Allman have ceramic roller bearings,” Thompson notes. “Again, this is more of a challenge with it comes to cleaning off food.”

The Samla’s clean, rectangular handle is clipless, but it will come with a Swedish-made leather sheath for carry. The handle material option are twofold: you can nod toward the Samla’s rustic roots with cherry wood scales, or give into your modern knife enthusiast tendencies with titanium ones. Thompson tells us that WESN may add in a stretch goal for a G-10 variant as well.

The Samla’s Kickstarter is up now, and runs through May 27th. It asking amount has already been surpassed, and the knives are expected to ship in October. He also teased some more WESN stuff to come later in the year. 2021 is looking good for WESN! As for new products, our design team have all been hard at work with some new non-knife products.”

Knife in Featured Image: WESN Samla

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