This Value-Packed New EDC Knife Lets Its Skeleton Peek Out of the Closet

Thanks to its premium blade steel, translucent skin and nice price, the Tenable Shard deserves a closer look.

Published February 18, 2025

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I know, I know. As a handle material, Polyetherimide (aka PEI) does not float everyone’s boat.

With some likening it to urine and other questioning the day-to-day utility of high chemical and heat resistance for a knife, it is divisive at the very least.

tenable shard reveal — This view of the Shard gives a nice look at its two deployment options, the thumb slot and the crossbar lock.

Still, I would say if a knife maker chooses to use it, they might as well take advantage of that semi-transparent effect, no? That’s one of the major selling points of Tenable’s latest knife, the Shard.

Though it’s available with a range of treatments, the most premium edition boasts better knife steel and a PEI showcase for its skeletonized liners and, uniquely, its locking mechanism.

Bones and all

Before we get to that handle, let’s take a look at the Shard’s other compelling features.

For one thing, it is designed by Kim Ning, a Sanremu and Kizer veteran who also happens to be the founder of Kansept Knives and Tenable Knives.

Ning also designed the Kryo, one of my favorite $50 knives and, true to Tenable’s affordable ethos, there are versions of the Shard starting at just $47.

Beyond the knife steel, this particular Shard is the only one with an Amber PEI handle. Which, if you can literally look past it, provides an interesting window into the knife’s inner workings.

All editions of the knife feature a robust 3.47-inch reverse tanto blade and a crossbar lock, which doubles as a deployment alternative to the thumb slot.

Every version also has a reversible deep-carry pocket clip and a handle with finger-friendly ergonomics.

However, only the one you are looking at on this page upgrades the blade steel from 14C28N to the more eye-catching and high-performance Damascus.

tenable shard off side — Damascus is among the most compelling knife steels from an aesthetic standpoint, thanks to its swirling patterns.

I’ve written about this blade steel, with its swirling patterns and 2,000-plus years of history, probably a dozen times, but it never gets, err, old.

That’s because the process of blending different steels and working them into folded layers doesn’t just produce a rippling sheen — you also get a compelling combo of edge retention and toughness that levels up the EDC value considerably.

Beyond the knife steel, this particular Shard is the only one with an Amber PEI handle. Which, if you can literally look past it, provides an interesting window into the knife’s inner workings.

tenable shard folded — That C-shaped wire attached to the crossbar lock is the spring that is critical to smooth deployment.

Yes, you can see the skeletonized liner (which helps keep the weight under four ounces). What’s even cooler, though, is the peek you get at the mechanism of the crossbar lock.

Slide the tabs or press the thumb slot, and you’ll see the C-shaped spring compress as it frees the blade, then return to its original shape as the blade locks open. Slide the tabs again to let gravity return the blade to its handle and you’ll see the process in reverse.

That’s just the sort of thing that has the potential to delight some knife nerds as much as the handle color, ahem, pisses others off.

Availability and pricing

The Tenable Shard with Damascus blade and PEI handle is available now for $70. Several other treatments of the knife are also currently available, with prices starting at $47.