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Revisiting the Kansept Loki makes sense now that Kansept finally addressed the biggest issue people had with it. They didn’t overhaul the design or rethink the whole package. They focused on the problem that held the original back: the opening method. Sometimes that’s all a knife needs to get a second chance. When a design already has a lot going for it, fixing the weak link can be enough to bring it back into rotation and make people pay attention again.
Coming back to the Loki feels less like a quick update and more like spending proper time with a design that invites a closer look. It’s a compact modern folder with a strong personality and, after carrying it again, it became clear that this knife either clicks as a whole or it doesn’t. There’s no middle ground because every detail matters here.
Behind the Pretatout is Jonathan, a designer who spent years working with K-9 units in the French army before turning his attention to knives. Rather than coming from a traditional knife-making background, his designs are rooted in real-world use, where reliability, strength, and ergonomics are not marketing buzzwords but daily requirements. That mindset led to the creation of Kmaxrom Design, with a clear philosophy centered on tools that feel powerful, durable, and comfortable in hand. Fittingly, the name Pretatout translates to “ready for everything,” and as Kmaxrom’s first flipper, it blends modern deployment with classic thumb studs, aiming to be a capable, no-nonsense EDC with a bit of flair.
Kansept has been producing absolute bangers lately, one fantastic release after another. I decided to reach back into the company’s catalog and try one of their older designs to see how it compares. The brand has been doing a lot in terms of tolerances and materials, and I wanted to see how a knife from when the company was still relatively young stacks up against the flood of models coming out today.
EDC, or everyday carry, has become a bit of a buzzword lately, and I get why it can feel confusing. At its core, it’s simply the items you carry with you every day. That can be as basic as a wallet and keys, or it can include things like a pocket knife, flashlight, or multitool. Somewhere along the way, EDC turned into rotating collections and themed loadouts, which kind of takes away from the original idea. Still, I’ve noticed things other people carry that genuinely make sense, and a pen is one of them.
ROLR is a young company with a humble but honest origin story. Its founder didn’t come from an engineering background or a machine shop but from the world of illustration and design. He describes himself as more of a “drawer” than an artist—someone who’s always been creative and hands-on, just figuring things out as he went. Life wasn’t glamorous in those early years, but that scrappy, make-it-work attitude became the foundation for what would eventually become ROLR. He’d spent plenty of time fixing things with whatever was available, often in less-than-ideal conditions, and that practical mindset started shaping his view of tools and what actually makes them useful.
Like many of us who’ve carried multi-tools over the years, he’d gone through the usual suspects—Leatherman, Gerber, SOG, Victorinox—each packed with features but somehow missing the mark. They either broke, felt clunky, or just didn’t do the basics well enough. He realized that for all the bells and whistles, what he really needed was something simpler, tougher, and more focused. After tearing a few of those tools apart and salvaging what he could, the idea began forming to create something that wasn’t overdesigned or overloaded—just a tool that worked.
What’s it like having a quill-pig in your pocket? Honestly, not as uncomfortable as you might think. When Vosteed released the original Porcupine, it took off fast. It had the right mix of ergonomics, blade shape, and materials. But even good designs can have quirks, and the thumb hole was the one that got people talking. It was nicely shaped and fun to middle-flick, but the size made it easy for your finger to slip into the opening instead of catching the edge. I even had my own moments where deployment didn’t quite land.
Vosteed listened. After hearing the same feedback at shows and through the community, they brought out the Porcupine Thumb Stud Version. Same attitude, same build, but with a redesigned opening method that promised to be smoother and more intuitive.
Vosteed has always had fun with their naming, and I’ve come to appreciate that part of their lineup. A lot of their knives pull inspiration from animals, and that gives each one its own personality before you even get it in hand. A while back I spent some time with the Gator, and that knife absolutely lived up to its name. Big sheepsfoot blade, plenty of handle, and it cut like it had something to prove.
Their newer release, the Kroc, goes in a different direction. Funny enough, the names don’t line up with the real animals. Crocodiles are bigger than gators, but here the Kroc is the smaller knife in the family. Size difference aside, this little guy still has some bite. It’s an in-house design and they did an amazing job. The lines, the colors, the lock, everything fits together in a clean and playful way.
Jonathan Styles comes from Newfoundland, and you can tell right away that his work is shaped by the place he calls home. He’s spent his life outdoors—hunting, fishing, hiking, exploring—and that connection with nature shows up in the way he approaches design. He’s always been an artist too, dabbling in everything from painting to woodworking to carving, so knife making wasn’t really a leap for him. It feels like a natural extension of who he already is. His motto is “functional art,” and once you get the Kitpu in hand, that line makes perfect sense.
The Kitpu takes its name from the Mi’kmaq word for eagle, which is fitting for a knife that leans heavily into slim, airy lines and a sleek pocket presence. It’s meant to disappear in the pocket with its slim titanium frame and deep carry clip, and it nails that role right out of the gate. Before I even get into performance, this knife hits that sweet spot I’m always drawn to—something that performs well but also looks the part. Some knives are rugged and ready for work, and some are gentleman’s knives that bring a little polish to your day. The Kitpu clearly lands in that second category. It’s about the size of a trapper and has those clean, classy lines that make you want to carry it even if you don’t need to.
I feel like I’ve been in this industry long enough that things are starting to blur together. Every now and then something still makes me pause and go “okay, that’s cool,” but there’s also this growing feeling of déjà vu. Maybe it’s parallel design, maybe it’s trends, maybe it’s just the nature of a crowded market. Designers working miles apart still end up creating pieces that look like cousins. It happens. And honestly, it’s not always a bad thing.
Today’s the day: the LOOPDOT is here. It’s small, it’s clever, and it’s loaded with features. The beam gives you a punchy center spot paired with smooth flood light, and the rotary dial makes switching modes feel natural. The real magic is the RGB pixel display, which responds to movement, taps, and twists while still giving you useful info. It’s one of those lights you find yourself picking up just to mess with, and it still pulls its weight when you actually need it.
Case knives have a long history of producing top-notch traditional cutlery, going back more than 130 years. From time to time, they’ll release something with a special handle material or bring back a pattern from the vault, but at their core, Case has always stayed true to what they do best. In recent years though, the company has taken some bold steps into new territory. The Kinzua and Marilla models introduced aluminum frame locks and modern blade steels, showing that Case could go beyond slip joints and delves into the world of high-end tactical folders. That experience led to the creation of two modern traditionals—the Highbanks and the Longhouse—both of which merged a classic barlow-inspired design with pocket clips and premium materials.
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It’s incredible to see how much Vosteed has grown over the past few years. Models like the Thunderbird and the Grind sold out almost instantly, fueled by the brand’s rising popularity and limited production runs. Now, in 2025, Vosteed releases several new models each year. While drops still sell out, it feels like there’s finally a little more to go around.
At Blade Show, I had the chance to meet Yue Dong and the Vosteed team and take a look at some of their upcoming designs. One that immediately caught my attention was the Vombat—a compact folder available in several variations and, interestingly, with the ability to swap scales.
The flashlight scene is an incredible one, filled with passionate folks and technology that keeps pushing boundaries. I thought the knife world was intense, but it turns out making things bright can be every bit as competitive as making things sharp. We’ve covered our fair share of EDC lights in the past, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Personally, I prefer something slim that disappears into a pocket, but I’ve grown to appreciate a good keychain light. They’ve often felt like an afterthought—just bright enough to find a keyhole or dig something out of a bag. But Nitecore has made it clear they’re not content with “just enough.”
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Flashlights
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.
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What kind of people would write collect and review multitools? Quite simple really- we are designers and do-ers, outdoors types and indoor types, mechanics, doctors, problem solvers and problem makers. As such, we have, as a world spanning community, put every type, size and version of multitool, multifunction knife, pocket knife and all related products to every test we could manage in as many places and environments as there are.