Kansept's Ptarmigan Pairs S35VN With Copper Carbon Fibre

The rock ptarmigan survives arctic tundra, which is a heavy burden for a 3.12-inch folder to carry. Kansept's Ptarmigan K2055A2 handles it with CPM S35VN, a beadblasted titanium frame and copper carbon fibre inlays for $179.89.

Specifications: 7.2 inches overall, 3.12-inch drop point in CPM S35VN at 58 to 60 HRC and 0.118 inch stock, flat grind, satin finish, beadblasted titanium handle with copper carbon fibre, frame lock, 3.83 ounces (108.6 grams). Jared Price of Springfield, Missouri designed it — a maker who built his reputation on EDC folders and compact tools.

S35VN at 58 to 60 HRC is the pragmatic core of this knife. It is a niobium-alloyed stainless with better toughness than S30V at the same hardness, good corrosion resistance, and edge retention that will outlast 154CM by a clear margin while still sharpening on a normal stone. At 0.118 inch stock behind a flat grind, the geometry is thin enough to slice and thick enough to survive being used as a knife rather than a chisel.

The materials story is the copper carbon fibre. Copper mesh under clear resin in a carbon weave gives a warm, slightly metallic look that changes with the light, and it pairs with beadblasted titanium in a way that anodised colours do not. Copper CF is also heavier than plain CF — the 108.6 grams reflects that — but at 3.83 ounces on a 3.12-inch blade the knife is still a comfortable pocket weight, and the 0.5 inch handle thickness is enough to fill a hand without printing.

Where it sits: $179.89 puts the Ptarmigan directly against Kansept's own Navaja and Tracer. The Navaja at the same price gives you a curved handle and a different blade shape in the same steel; the Tracer at $219.89 gives you a heavier dual-layer frame and 152.8 grams. The Ptarmigan is the lightest and most conventional of the three, which for most buyers is the right answer — 108 grams, a flipper, a frame lock and a handle you can hold onto.

Verdict: a well-specified, sensibly sized S35VN titanium folder at a fair price, with a handle material that is not the usual. Buy it if you want a modern work-adjacent EDC that still looks good in a meeting. Skip it if you need four inches of blade or a sub-three-ounce carry.