Bestech has tapped Australian knife designer James Lowe for a new release, the Taipan. The Taipan sees this up-and-coming designer once again working with unconventional blade shapes and detailing to make his piece stand out from the pack.
The last time we wrote about Lowe’s work was in December of ’23, when we took a look at the Kizer Huntsman. It was a true statement piece from Lowe: he likes big, wild-looking knives that skimp neither on sheer mass nor, for all their unconventionalities, on utility. Although his output is still in the early stages, Lowe has worked with Tenable and Kizer before now – and with the Taipan he can add Bestech to his resume too.
The major selling point on the Taipan is its quirky take on the Wharncliffe profile. Whereas the standard wharnie specimen has a low but elongated point, however, the Taipan’s take is truncated, cut off in a manner almost reminiscent of a rescue knife profile. At 3.68 inches long, it has plenty of edge for medium to large cutting work, and, with MagnaCut steel in use here, that edge will have plenty of life too.
A second notable feature of the Taipan is its baroque handle – not in the profile, which is very traditional, but in the detailing. The full titanium scales (with frame lock in tow) have a concentric, pond-ripple texture, off-set by linear millwork on the sculpted titanium pocket clip. The Taipan comes to us with a very reasonable carry weight too, listed at 3.52 oz.
The Taipan is available for preorder now, and will be shipping in June.
Knife in Featured Image: Bestech Taipan
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