Tiny Lyra knife uses clever folding linkage to stretch out for a four-finger grip

Knives can come with a user-friendly grip and they can certainly come in small packages, but offering both in the one device is going to take some clever design. This is the task taken on by Horizon Knives, whose Lyra morphing knife is small enough to be keychain-compatible, but uses a nifty folding mechanism to give its users a good handle on the job.

Currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, the Lyra knife is billed as the company's best effort to offer the smallest closed knife possible that maintains a four-finger grip. Named after the rhombus-shaped constellation of the same name, the knife when folded up measures just two inches long (5 cm), while the total weight comes in at 1.5 oz (42.5 g).

But using a neat folding mechanism that centers on a set of four linkages connecting the blade to the titanium handle, Lyra is able to unfurl to a full length of 4.7 in (133 g). This is space enough for a full four-finger grip, allowing the user (in theory at least) to tackle their cutting tasks with much more force than they could with a typical tiny knife using a one- or two-finger grip.

The blade meanwhile is made from hard D2 tool steel, and measures 1.2 in (3 cm) in length. A locking mechanism secures the blade in place when the knife is both open and closed in the interests of safety, while the company has also built a gentle scoop into the top of the blade in the interests of ergonomic handling. It additionally features a hole so it can be easily looped onto your lanyard, keyring or a carabiner.

Horizon Knives is offering its Lyra knife in silver and black, with early pledges of US$79 available at the time of writing. If the campaign runs as planned, it expects to begin shipping in September 2019.

You can check out the pitch video below.

Source: Kickstarter