I’ve Never Seen Such a Good-Looking EDC Knife With These Features at This Price

Tenable’s colorful Kryo boasts a robust blade, crossbar lock, multiple deployment methods and more.

Published February 1, 2025

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I haven’t visited Starbucks lately, but I just perused the menu and learned that a Venti Caramel Macchiato with White Chocolate Mocha Sauce would cost me exactly $10.

That’s kind of insane, in a bad way. Especially when you consider the fact that you can get a really good pocket knife for the cost of a week of such coffee orders.

That’s also kind of insane, but in a good way.

But it’s totally true, thanks to the latest Tenable Knives release, the Kryo, which offers a number of compelling features at a starting price of just 50 bucks.

Kryo Crush

To be clear, the Kryo is not one single knife but a family of five offered at three different price points — $50, $56 and $57 — with the variance coming from what kind of handle you get.

At the base price, the handle is made of reliable G10 in a jade shade. At the $56 price point, you upgrade to micarta handles in green or brown. At $57, you get anodized aluminum in green or purple.

Holding this knife in my hand right now, I can tell you the Kryo’s oversized blade is robust as hell. It’s beyond qualified to tackle everyday jobs like cutting open boxes, slashing through twine and slicing fruits, veggies and meat.

All the handles feature nice ergos and are big enough to fully grip with all four fingers.

No matter which you opt for, you get a ton of value with the rest of the package, starting with the fact that it is the brainchild of a true legend, Kim Ning.

tenable kryo in hand — Beefy, ergonomic handles plus some jimping on the spine of the blade ensure a confident grip.

The veteran knife designer cut his proverbial teeth with Sanremu and served as production director at Kizer Cutlery before founding Kansept Knives, Tenable’s parent brand.

It is perhaps no surprise then, that it is loaded with attractive features, including a full-bellied 3.58-inch drop-point blade made of 1428CN steel, which might just be the best budget knife steel around. It’s known for ease of sharpening, corrosion resistance and toughness.

One weakness is edge retention, but as the good folks at Knafs say: “If you like your knives to be razor sharp at all times with minimal effort, 14C28N is by far the best steel option for you.”

tenable kryo off side — Ambidextrous thumb studs and a reversible deep carry clip make this knife friendly to both right and left handers.

Holding this knife in my hand right now, I can tell you the Kryo’s oversized blade is robust as hell. It’s beyond qualified to tackle everyday jobs like cutting open boxes, slashing through twine and slicing fruits, veggies and meat.

A bit of jimping on the spine helps with detail work, and if you don’t mind sharpening it from time to time, it’s plenty serviceable.

The blade isn’t the whole story, though. The Kryo also features one of the strongest and most user-friendly locks around, a crossbar lock.

tenable kryo off side folded — Not every brand has the stones to incorporate handles in non-traditional colors, but Tenable certainly does.

Pull on its tabs and flick your wrist to deploy the knife, then pull again to let gravity return it to the handle. (You can also use the ambidextrous thumb studs to deploy the knife the “proper” way, of course.)

Rounding out the feature set is a reversible deep carry pocket clip, enabling you to easily tote this beauty wherever you go.

If that’s not worth five cups of disturbingly sugary coffee, I don’t know what is.