I’ve been into knives for a long time, and there are moments in this hobby where it feels like innovation has slowed to a crawl. You see familiar patterns over and over: same steels, same materials, same silhouettes, just shuffled around. Yet every now and then a design lands on my desk that makes me pause, smile, and realize there are still new ideas left to explore. The last couple of years especially have reminded me that there are some brilliant minds out there who refuse to let folding knives get stale.

Steven Dunnuck is one of those minds. He’s a mechanic by trade, a builder and tinkerer who loves pushing limits, and you can see that attitude in his work. He has that adrenaline-chasing, “let’s see what happens if…” kind of imagination that feels more hot rod garage than design studio. And when someone like that decides to rethink a lock, you end up with something that doesn’t just look different — it behaves different.

Kansept has been on fire for 2025, bringing a lot of amazing designs to the market. This time around they teamed up with Javier García, a box truck driver with a deep fascination for EDC gear and the EDC community. His passion for everyday carry led him to design his own knives, and he’s incredibly grateful for the opportunity to turn that passion into reality. Take that enthusiasm, combine it with Kansept’s premium materials and attention to detail, and you’ve got a winning combination.

The result of this collaboration is the Nahual, a knife designed to be “aggressive yet non-aggressive” while maintaining excellent functionality for most EDC tasks. The ergonomics come from a neutral handle, forward choil, and subtle harpoon spine that allows a comfortable choke-up. The modified sheepsfoot blade might look tame, but it’s one of the most versatile profiles you can have in an EDC knife. It’s got all the hallmarks of a great design, so let’s take a closer look and see how it performs.

I’ve always leaned toward folders, but in the last couple of years I’ve noticed more people working compact fixed blades into their daily carry. That got me curious. Makers have really embraced the idea too, offering more small fixed blades than ever. Once I gave them a closer look, I realized the appeal—fast draw, no moving parts, and simple reliability. Since I usually prefer bigger blades in a folding format, I set myself a limit of around three inches for a fixed blade. Any larger and you’re just carrying extra handle and sheath.

That’s what led me to the Giant Mouse GMF1. It’s been around since 2016 and has earned a loyal following, so it felt like a good test case to see if a compact fixed blade could actually earn a spot in my rotation.

The Kosame, which translates to “light rain” in Japanese, is a knife designed with symbolism at its core. The maker describes it as a blend of elegance and power, reflecting how something as soft as rainfall can, over time, erode mountains. The handle’s curves and droplet cutouts are meant to represent the calm and beauty of rain, while the blade’s straight, sharp lines highlight the more destructive force of nature. It’s a neat concept and a good story, one I appreciate because it ties into the Japanese-inspired aesthetic. That said, I can’t help but see the design in another light—it reminds me more of science fiction, even bordering on the alien. The jimping and spine details echo the look of a xenomorph’s back, which makes me like it even more. Maybe that’s just the nerd in me talking, but either way it gives the Kosame a unique visual identity.