That's not a knife. That's an expensive, claw inspired-utility knife that might just save some damage to your digits. Because you know what else is expensive? A trip to the doctor's office.
The roots of the karambit knife can be traced back to agricultural practices in Indonesia during the 11th century, where the curved blade of the karambit was said to be inspired by the claw of a tiger. The nature of that arched blade has seen the iconic karambit take on all kinds of uses, including hunting, cutting ropes and vines, and close-quarter combat and martial arts.
One thing karambit pocket knives have in common with most of their straight-bladed brethren is that fingers need to be removed from the handle before the blade is deployed or retracted (well, it's advisable as least). But California-based knife-maker Joe Caswell has found a way around this.
With his Morphing Karambit in hand, users can deploy the blade without needing to lift a finger. Rather than having the blade swing outwards on a single axis, it instead relies on a set of hinges that slide the blade tip downwards and safely out beyond the handle, keeping the sharp edge's path away from your fingers.
This is actually Caswell's second prototype. The original Morphing Karambit deployed its blade by way a of a squeezing mechanism, which was also impressive. This time around, the blade snaps into action with a quick downward swipe of the thumb on a release lever on top.
The upgraded version also features fewer parts – just five plus fasteners and a titanium pocket clip – making it mechanically simpler and more durable. The steel blade itself measures 2.5 in long and 0.21 in thick (6.35 x 0.53 cm), while the knife overall has a total weight of 6 oz (170 g).
Caswell plans to sell the Morphing Karambit for US$650, but first off he's running a Kickstarter campaign to fund production, where they are available for pledges of $450. If everything runs as planned, he expects to start shipping globally in October 2018. You can check out the pitch video below.
Source: Caswell Knives
There is also the issue of legality, carrying a knife these days in many jurisdictions is full of legal issues. Adding the criteria of it being equivalent to the flick knife of old (1950's) makes it even more risky legaly.
However as a sailing/diving person can seen the benefits of always having an easily deployable blade for when you get trapped by ropes (especially under water after a capsize), yes you can use a fixed blade knife - but that carries its own issues of safety, this seems perfect for the job (accept for the price!)
I'm all for innovation and this appears to be a clever design, but there are high quality blades available for under $100 and I can't imagine parting with more than $200 for any utilitarian knife. At 67 I have enough knife scars, most self inflicted, to have developed a healthy respect for cutlery, so $450 to $650 for an extra safety feature is far beyond consideration. I wouldn't even want to carry it for fear of losing it while clearing brush in the creek bottom and leaving it for a future archaeologist to unearth.
Though for strike 2 yes it could be regarded as an "assisted opening" folding knife - that click on opening indicates spring loading...
If you really want one, make one, or have a skilful friend make you one..