We’ve Never Seen a Pocket Knife Open Like This

Mark Twain once said: “There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible.” While many would-be inventors, designers, writers or creatives in any genre may bristle at the notion, if you can accept that your one-of-a-kind idea is simply a new iteration of something that already exists, you can find endless inspiration in the every day, the mundane and the ordinary.

In the case of Craighill’s knife, it was one specific Southwestern reptile that provided all the inspiration needed for its latest release. Meet the Sidewinder: a sculpture masquerading as a knife, with an innovative opening mechanism that mimics the smooth motion of a snake slithering over the sand, coiling and twisting with grace and ease.

The Sidewinder Strikes

Craighill

While many knives hang their hats on durability, functionality and brawn, the Sidewinder takes a different approach. Built for connoisseurs of everyday carry and with a focus on beauty, Craighill’s collaboration with design duo Chen Chen and Kai Williams speaks to the collectors of the EDC world. It was crafted as an homage to the beauty of the captivating tracks left by its namesake, and features an opening mechanism that hinges on ingenuity, disrupting what a traditional pocket knife looks like.

The Sidewinder’s unique design relies on two interlocking pieces of stainless steel, one stone-washed and the other black PVD-coated, held together by an interlocking mechanical hilt. The two pieces hinge away from and then rejoin one another in a dance that mimics the unhurried and elegant movements of a snake. At 5.6 ounces, the Sidewinder has enough heft to be noticed in the hand and pocket, but it won’t weigh you down if you decide to take it into the real world, rather than relegating it to desk decor. The 2.5 inch, drop-point blade has a deep belly and a fine tip, ideal for slicing and cutting everyday items.

The Sidewinder focuses on form, rather than function

Photo by Hayley Helms for Gear Patrol

I’d be remiss if I recommended the Sidewinder as the replacement for your Benchmade Bugout, Spyderco Paramilitary 2 or The James Brand The Carter; each of these popular knives were crafted to get tough jobs done first, with style as a close second consideration. While the Sidewinder is beautiful and eye-catching, its actual function makes it a hard sell as an everyday workhorse.

The interlocking mechanical hilt has a decent amount of play, and the knife needs to be opened with a healthy amount of force to get the lock to fully engage. One-handed opening is tricky, but one-handed closing is almost impossible with the Sidewinder, because when you naturally grip the handle with your fingers to close the knife, you squish the two moving parts together, so they can’t unlock and reform into their closed form. Closing the knife is simple enough, but a little cumbersome — especially when you’re used to a knife that you can open and close one-handed with ease.

Craighill

Of course, the opening mechanism is the overwhelming selling point — from an aesthetic point of view — so it’s hard to give the Sidewinder too much grief, especially when the brand itself describes it as “an enigmatic kinetic sculpture moonlighting as a knife.” This is a collector’s knife, through and through. If you’re intrigued by Craighill’s design but purchase knives to actually use them, I wouldn’t recommend it. If you’ve got the extra cash and you’re into truly unique knives that will most certainly give your desk a little visual oomph, the Sidewinder is worth the nearly two hundred dollar price tag.

Craighill

Craighill Sidewinder Knife

The Sidewinder can certainly be used to slice everyday objects, but the captivating form of the unique opening mechanism far outweighs the knife’s function.

Specs

Blade Length	2.5 inches
Blade Material	Stainless steel
Handle Material	Stone wash-finished and black PVD-coated stainless steel
Locking Mechanism	Interlocking mechanical hilt
Total Length	6.75 inches

Pros

• Creative design
• Nice weight in the hand

Cons

• Handle mechanism makes one-handed closing almost impossible

• $178 at Craighill

Related Topics