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Paragon Warlock: What Do You Think?

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To say the Paragon Warlock is “different” is a bit of an understatement.  This knife is in a league all its own!   While technically categorized as a manual knife, at first glance you would assume this knife was, instead, an OTF.
Asheville Steel took a step outside the box when designing the Paragon Warlock, and it’s up to you to decide if that’s good or bad.   The radical new design features a mechanism that literally splits apart the handle to unsheathe the blade.  Its large, textured button is pressed on both sides, opening the handle so that the blade can be extended.  When not in use, the blade is safely sheathed within, with no worries about it accidentally extending in your pocket.
Still having some trouble wrapping your head around that?  Check out the video below to get a better understanding of how this unique pocket knife really works.

Now that you have been able to see this uncommon knife design in action, we want to know what you think.
This particular knife is making waves both in our office, and the larger knife world in general.  It seems you either love it, or you see it as more of a novelty.  Either way, you can’t argue that this knife is an interesting topic of discussion.
We enjoy the complete safety of the knife inside its handle sheath.  You really don’t need to worry about it attracting lint and grit, the way other folders do.  When the handle is sealed, it’s sealed tight.
The opening mechanism is definitely interesting, to say the least, and while it may be a little awkward at first, and you get used to it.  In a way you really need to “re-think” the way you open a knife.   Is this something you would want to see implemented into other kinds of knives?  Would you like to see a spring assisted, or even an auto with this kind of handle design?
We really do want to know what you think about the Paragon Warlock?  Is it change for the sake of change, or did they really do something unique with this knife?  Let us know what you think in the comments below!

9 thoughts on “Paragon Warlock: What Do You Think?

  1. I would think that this is more of a novelty. This design with a handle that fits the hand better definitely has possibilities.

  2. Very interesting! With a blade that moves as smoothly as that, it doesn’t really need an assist, but it would be nice, don’t get me wrong. 10-20 minutes of practice would have this opening and locking as if it was assisted. Would the double-sided blade be a problem in some jurisdictions?

  3. I love this design, I think the handle could possibly been a bit better or even the blade shape, and i would love to see more from Asheville using this mechanism. I plan on getting one as soon as i am able.

  4. I have had a chance to handle and operate one of these and while I am a fan of novelty the Warlock possesses it kind of missed the mark on functionality, it was super awkward to flip the blade out and back in (I would hazard to guess that with practice this would be actually quite smooth), I did like the handle it’s more ergonomic than it looks and it locks up solid when it’s open. i would love this as a fixed blade or an OTF.

  5. I just bought a Warlock. I love the knife, it operates very smoothly. You just need to make sure you have the clip side away from you. It is also a bad idea to let someone see it until you explain the mechanism to the. It would be easy to cut yourself trying to manually push the blade into the handle.
    Just a click of the first and it opens and an opposite click and it’s back into the handle. The blade steel is S30V, which is a great steel for edge retention. I will most likely buy the Phoenix model in the future. It is the single edge version with the same mechanism.

  6. I had the chance to speak with Robert at Asheville steel. Something I look for in knives are that they are made in the US. These materials are as such. The gravity mechanism reminds me of some older gravity knives before spring and auto were really a thing. It may be a novelty for now but it’s the NEW wave in the knife world. I plan on purchasing several for my collection.

  7. Thanks for your comment, Steven! I’m a big fan of the Warlock and hope to see similarly creative mechanisms continue to be implemented in the knife industry!

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