Earlier this year, we took a look at a knife quite unlike any other in the Craighill Sidewinder. True to its name, the knife uses a curvaceous deployment action that's fascinating to watch. Trying to quickly build on its rapid success with the design, Craighill is now turning the Sidewinder into a family, introducing a smaller version that folds the same split-handled, slide-and-flip design into a package small enough to hang on a keychain or hide away in your jeans pocket-in-a-pocket.
Craighill teams up with design house Chen Chen & Kai Williams once again, this time rolling downmarket a touch. They shrink – or "tastefully truncate" – the new Sidewinder Mini nearly in half as compared to the original, for a total length of 3.6 inches (9.1 cm) when deployed. The knife features the same intriguing opening mechanism, though, albeit in a smaller package.
Craighill sets the scene: "Upon holding the Sidewinder Mini you might ask, What am I dealing with here? To find out, your fingers first trace the winding groove of the handle, curiously searching for clues. Then, a finger grazes the flipper, and something magical happens: there's movement. Those distinctive interlocking halves separate, setting the entire object into motion, and from within emerges a hidden blade. Finally, this singular little machine settles into its new form with a satisfying click."
The GIF below boils all those words down to raw, immediate motion:
The Mini's 1.3-in (3.3-cm) blade won't be up to the same grade of tasks as the Sidewinder's 2.5-in (6.4-cm) edge, but it's certain to earn its place in your pocket for smaller, simpler cutting needs. Craighill has reshaped it with a steep, straight angle more reminiscent of an X-Acto knife.
The Mini packs down to just 2.4 x 1.4 inches (6 x 3.6 cm) when closed, with a thickness just under half an inch (1.3 cm). The 1.3-oz (37-g) aluminum-bodied knife can slide into any pocket or hang on a keychain via its stainless steel eyelet.
Craighill is hosting a Sidewinder Mini campaign on Kickstarter now, offering the tiny knife at pledge levels starting at US$78. That's for the first 24 hours only, though, and after today, pledges start at $88. The campaign also includes the Sidewinder Deluxe, a new version of the original Sidewinder that comes in either silver or gold colors with shade-shifting multicolor "abalone" inlays for added flair. The Deluxe starts at a 24-hour super early bird of $168, rising to $178 thereafter.
Source: Craighill