You might know Hacksmith Industries from its eponymous YouTube channel that boasts over 15 million subscribers who share a passion for the engineering team's outrageous real-life recreations of movie props – from plasma lightsabers to Thor's Stormbreaker to a giant spider mech.
That same ambitious team has now focused its chops into creating a lightweight titanium multi-tool named the Smith Blade that looks like a compact pocket knife, but actually packs up to 21 features in its slim build.
Oh, and it features a blade made from high-grade steel that's strong enough to cut a Swiss Army knife in half. See for yourself below.
Let's get into that blade first. It's made from M390 powder metallurgy steel produced in Germany, and Hacksmith Industries says it favored this material for its impressive cutting performance. It's also said to have high edge retention, corrosion resistance, and toughness. That means you won't have to sharpen it often.
The Smith Blade is made from Grade 5 titanium, comprises of 35 components, weighs just 3.3 oz (95 g), and measures roughly 5 inches (126.4 mm). That should make it easy to fit into a wide range of EDC kits, clip onto your clothing, or simply slide into your pocket. It's a handsome piece of gear, for sure, and from the video below, it looks like the blade and spring-loaded bit storage will be plenty satisfying to fiddle with.
What are these 21 features? It's a long list, so get ready:
- Pocket knife
- 15-degree protractor
- Nail file
- Metric and Imperial ruler
- Tweezers
- Wire strippers
- Reversible belt clip
- Bottle opener
- Pry bar/staple puller
- Bit retention storage spring
- Philips 4-mm bit
- Flathead 4-mm bit
- Pen 4-mm bit
- SIM ejection tool/sewing awl
- Glow-in-the-dark illuminator vial/Tritium vial
- Ferrocerium fire striker
- Tungsten metal scribe
- Tungsten carbide emergency glass breaker
- Bubble level
- 90-degree bit driver
- Extended ruler on the edge of the blade
There are three versions of the Smith Blade with different feature sets and price points. The high-strength M390 steel is fitted on the Pro version; the cheaper Lite or Standard editions get a blade made from Swedish 14C28N chromium steel blade, and fewer features.
The Lite version, which is set to retail at about US$129, comes with the first seven features on the list above, and is available in five standard anodized colors, as well as a range of physical vapor deposition coatings.
The Standard Edition comes with the first 14 features on the list above, and is expected to retail at roughly $199.
The Pro Edition gets all 21 listed features as well as the M390 steel blade and a Tritium illuminating vial. This one is set to be priced at $289. If you've got a little more scratch to spare, there are 998 Founder's Edition units that get the same features as the Pro, but with a special finish and its serial number engraved on the side.
All versions are presently discounted on the Smith Blade's Kickstarter page, where it's being crowdfunded. The Lite can be had for as little as $99, for example.
Crowdfunding campaigns carry an element of risk, but it's worth noting that Hacksmith Industries has already produced and shipped dozens of products it sells through its online store. If all goes to plan with the Smith Blade project – which has already blown past its funding goal – orders are slated to ship worldwide in October, and delivery costs will be calculated based on your location at the end of the campaign.
Check out the Smith Blade over on Kickstarter.
