Artisan Cutlery has brought out a folder design from a new collaborator, South African custom maker Johan Jordaan. The knife is the Cleo, a compact, high-performance everyday carry folder.
You can find a little bit of everything in Jordaan’s knifemaking Instagram account: folders, fixed blades, CAD concepts, even a friction folder. It’s a nicely variegated lineup, but one clear focal point that unite’s all of Jordaan’s work is functional, but stylistically bold, blade shapes. Whether it’s a pocketable folder or a full-fledged chopper-cleaver, Jordaan’s knives always have blades that can make a statement and do the job.
That element is carried over in full force onto the Artisan Cutlery Cleo. Its stout, wide, modified wharnie is both a looker and a worker, with an edge profile that’s immediate and intuitive. It’s spec’d for everyday carry, with a blade length of 2.54 inches – one of those “golden number” measurements when it comes to this particular knife category. Artisan is rolling the Cleo out in its preferred high-end steel, which is S90V. This powder metallurgy super steel can boast of solid, high marks in all the key areas.
The ergonomics are pure and distilled, much like the edge geometry. The handle’s single finger groove is complimented by a forward finger choil beneath the bottom of the blade; in combination with the restrained overall length, it gives users a lot of fine control during cutting chores. The scales are full titanium, with a textured faux inlay on each side, and a reversible sculpted titanium pocket clip – a bit of a rarity in the production knife scene. Button locks have been really hot this year, so it’s no surprise to see that mechanism implemented on the Cleo.
The Cleo is available now.
Knife in Featured Image: Artisan Cutlery Cleo
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