These days, it’s easy to hop on the internet, do some quick poking around and purchase a pocket knife that looks cool. There really aren’t a lot of barriers to finding something that has a vibe, adding it to your cart and waiting a few days for it to arrive on your doorstep.
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What is difficult is finding a folder or fixed blade to buy that has a real story behind it — some meaning, rather than a lot of marketing fluff to be sifted through and examined for authenticity.
If you’ve been following knives & EDC for the past decade, you’ll be familiar with the meteoric rise of WESN. The brand started as a well-timed Kickstarter campaign that sold out in minutes, and has grown into a bona fide knife brand with a curated selection of offerings, each more popular than the last.
Today, WESN announces its latest release: a collaboration with P&Co that has a story. Some intention. And plenty of grit. Say hello to the WESN x P&Co. Slip-Joint Microblade. Here’s what you need to know.
Years in the Making
The WESN x P&Co. Slip-Joint Microblade is the result of P&Co and WESN coming together back in 2022 with the idea to collaborate on a product that, in their words, would be “bold, fresh and faithful to both brands’ heritage.” Collabs are nothing new — unfortunately, many of them are merely marketing vehicles for each brand to leverage the others’ reach. By all indications, the WESN x P&Co. Slip-Joint Microblade is no such thing.
Both brands tapped into their origins — WESN from Detroit, P&Co from Birmingham (England) — to capture the gritty and industrial heartbeat that resonates in both cities. For that reason, the brands went with brass for the Slip-Joint Microblade’s handle; it’s a material that’s been around for ages, and it will patina over time, becoming more and more your own as the days pass.
The co-branded blade is made from tool-grade D2 steel, and the handle is made from brass engraved with a custom P&Co design. The overall length of the knife is 3.8 inches when opened, and 2.3 inches when closed. The brand-new Microblade features UK legal slip-joint mechanics, and it weighs 1.8 ounces.
Why It Matters
This new release is something different for WESN. In the past, the Microblade has been offered in high-end materials including titanium and G10, but brass is something entirely new for the brand.
Aside from aesthetics, the non-locking mechanism is also worth noting — in the UK, where P&Co is based, knife law allows anyone to carry non-locking pocket knives with a blade length up to 3 inches (7.62 cm). While the traditional Microblade features a frame-lock design, this collab features a slip-joint mechanism, allowing the blade to stay open without a lock; it can be closed manually by overpowering the spring.
If you already own a Microblade but want to add a limited-edition version to your collection, don’t dally. The WESN x P&Co Slip-Joint Microblade has been limited to a run of 1,000 units, so while the knife itself is made to last, it’s availability isn’t.
