This Innovative New EDC Knife’s Top-Notch Lock Packs Something Extra

Kansept’s Dako could be just the tonic for knife nerds who yearn to really dial in the snap of their blade’s action.

By Steve Mazzucchi

Published April 15, 2025

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Are you a Goldilocks, meaning the type of person who needs things to be juuust right?

If so, Kansept’s latest pocket knife release, the Dako, could be right up your alley.

kansept dako in hand — My Dako variant, K1101V1, features a classy stonewashed titanium and shred carbon fiber handle.

Designed by Chilean-born, Idaho-based Orbital Knives co-founder Eddy Martinez, this knife is a bit of a study in contradiction.

On the outside, its streamlined silhouette is super minimalist.

But on the inside, its crossbar lock is surprisingly complex, enabling you to fine-tune its tension to the most satisfying shuh-chunk of blade deployment possible.

The spring’s the thing

Like pretty much everything Kansept produces, the Dako boasts excellent machining and materials, the latter of which I will delve into shortly. But first, let’s examine the details of the locking mechanism.

As stated above, it’s a crossbar lock, one of the most reliable and convenient systems in action today.

kansept dako folded — Located just below the pivot in this image, the Dako’s crossbar lock offers super customizable tension.

What makes it so great is that with a simple pull of the round tabs emerging on either side of the handle near the pivot, you can flick your wrist to both deploy the knife and return it home, all with one hand.

Where the Dako takes things up a notch, however, is within the liner, where multiple slots enable you to adjust the spring tension.

This feature, along with the extra spring every Dako comes with, turns you into John freakin’ Frusciante tuning — or de-tuning — his guitar before recording “Scar Tissue.”

kansept dako off side — The Dako’s sweeping 3.19-inch drop-point blade is beyond qualified for most everyday tasks.

You can dial things up exactly the way you like, for fidget-friendly, haptically satisfying moments every time you bust it out.

Of course, none of that would matter if the knife itself wasn’t a champ. Thankfully, it is, due in part to a 3.19-inch drop-point blade made of CPM S35VN steel or 110-layered Damascus — depending on which of the six variants you choose.

kansept dako family — The six Dako variants offer a range of blade and handle materials, not to mention aesthetics.

The 3.42-ounce knife also features an ergonomic handle made from a combination of titanium and Fatcarbon/carbon fiber/Timascus/micarta (again, depending on the variant), dual thumb studs, a ceramic ball-bearing pivot and a non-reversible deep-carry pocket clip.

Happy now, Goldilocks?