The Piranha is a hybrid cigar-style folder with a locking master blade and a slip joint pen blade.
It looks like a slip joint, and walks like a slip joint, but it’s a little more than that because one of the blades actually locks.
Here are the quick specs:
- 440 stainless steel
- Bone scales (option for white smooth or India Stag Bone)
- 2.75″ locking drop point master blade
- Pen blade
- 4″ closed
- Made in USA
Bear & Son Cutlery are playing with tradition a little bit with the Piranha. For the most part it has the typical features of a cigar pen knife: two opposite blades, a smaller spear point and a larger drop point, with prominent bolsters and bone scales. Even the 440 steel is a pretty vintage choice (although a typical one for a lot of Bear & Son knives).
The locking master blade makes this stand out from most slip joints and locking knives coming out right now. It has a small steel bump of a spring on the back of the handle that serves as the back lock for the master blade. You push it in to disengage it just like any other back lock, but the pen blade on the other side is still a slip joint.
This isn’t a wholly new innovation. There have been hybrids like this in the past, and Leatherman has been making plenty of modern examples, but it’s pretty rare to see this kind of thing on a knife that retains some old school style.
The Piranha is available as of the end of July (we’re a little behind on news, but we’re catching up now) from most of your favorite knife vendors. You can check out the Bear & Son listing here.
