This Funky New Pocket Knife Boasts Materials Futuristic and Ancient

When I see a new knife for the first time, I typically have one of two reactions. Either I am super stoked about one standout feature or I am sort of unimpressed by its lack of distinction.

However, every once in a while, a third reaction happens. That’s when I see something and like 10 different headlines pop in my head, because a bunch of different elements jump out all at once. 

That’s what happened with a pretty wild new release from Kansept known as — ominous drum roll, please — the Baba Yaga.

Kansept

Kansept Baba Yaga (K1074A8)

• $336 at Kansept

Scary thoughts

Now, whether you are a John Wick fan or not, you can’t hear the name “Baba Yaga” and not squirm at least a little bit. In addition to being the nickname for Keanu Reeves’s eponymous assassin character, the name has a deep history in Slavic folklore. 

While sometimes described as a kind matron who aids a story’s hero, the more common portrayal is a ferocious, sometimes chicken-legged old woman who flies around in a mortar wielding a pestle, all the better with which to fry and eat children. 

Kansept

Baba Yaga is also the name of a spicy-looking 1973 Italian horror film (IMDb logline: “A photographer finds herself falling under the spell of a witch”), but that’s a story for another day.

In either case, that makes this knife somewhat frightening, especially in combination with its rather funky silhouette, which causes it to resemble a blade you might use to kill zombies — or perhaps something the Predator would wield.

The design itself is by Greg Schob, a metal fabricator by trade who started custom making knives a few years ago, hanging out his shingle as Sparrow Knife Co. He also serves with the Coast Guard in Mississippi, so perhaps this blade was inspired by one of the region’s many creepy cryptids, such as the Honey Island Swamp Monster or the Sea Serpents of the Gulf.

Material swirl

Once I get past those first-blush reactions, however, a more substantive story rises to the surface, which is that with both its blade and its handle, the Baba Yaga boasts some pretty premium, very of-the-moment materials. 

Starting with the blade, here we have a 3.06-inch modified wharncliffe with a hollow grind, supplying a thin, sharp edge that’s great for slicing and detail work.

It’s made of Damascus steel, which, as we have noted several times in the past, boasts thousands of years of history, high durability and superior edge retention.

The working of different steels into folded layers accounts for its blend of desirable qualities and rippling finish. Along with MagnaCut, this particular super steel seems to be all the rage right now.

Kansept

The handle, meanwhile, is no slouch itself. The main material here is light and sturdy titanium, but it also boasts an inlay that’s made of a Damascus steel and titanium blend known as Timascus.

I’ve been spotting it on more knives of late, including on the clip of the Artisan Cutlery Kami I wrote about just yesterday. Present on the Baba Yaga in different shapes on either handle scale, it’s hard to miss.

As striking as the looks are, there’s function to match the form here. The handle is conscientiously curved, choiled and thumb-ramped to accommodate a firm and comfortable grip.

Weighing in at 4.99 ounces, the knife also boasts caged ceramic ball bearings, smoothly deployed via the flick of a thumb stud and secured with a reliable frame lock. Such action ensures that when it is time to slice through that box or carve up that pumpkin, the Baba Yaga’s bite can be as formidable as its bark.

Availability and pricing

The Kansept Baba Yaga is available now with five different material configurations starting at $197.89.

Editor’s note: The five versions all boast either a Damascus blade or a CPM 20CV blade and a full titanium handle or one with Timascus or carbon fiber inlays. You can see the full lineup here.

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