Artisan's Rover Is a 2.47-Ounce Titanium Button Lock

Christian Porterfield designed the Astro, then deliberately designed the opposite of it. The Astro was straight lines and angles; the Rover is open, translucent and soft-edged, with cut-outs in the scales inspired by the design work in the film The Creator. It weighs 70 grams, or 2.47 ounces, and it costs $266.65.

The spec: 3.21-inch wharncliffe in S35VN at 0.13 inch stock, HRC 60-62, black PVD or stone wash finish, 7.66 inches overall, 4.45 inches closed, titanium handle with PEI and Fat Carbon inlay, titanium clip, ceramic bearing pivot, button lock, 70 grams. PEI is the amber-tinted engineering polymer also sold under the Ultem name, and it is what gives the open sections their glow.

The combination is unusual and it works. A button lock is the most fidget-friendly ambidextrous mechanism in common use, a wharncliffe gives a straight cutting edge with no belly to maintain, and 2.47 ounces for a 3.21-inch blade is lighter than most liner-lock knives half the price. S35VN at 60-62 HRC holds a working edge for a long time and will not rust in a pocket.

The caveat is the open handle. Cut-outs look remarkable and they collect pocket lint, and a scale with holes in it is a scale that can flex where a solid one would not. Against the Seafarer at the same price the Rover gives up 0.09 inches of blade and 68 grams of weight, and gains a button lock and a design that does not look like anything else in the case. Against a Benchmade Mini Bugout it is heavier, more expensive and far more interesting.

Verdict: buy it if you want a light titanium button lock with a designer's signature on it and you do not mind a little housekeeping. Skip it if you work in dust or gravel, because an open handle is a beautiful place for debris to live.