Kestrel Knives is growing its business and making a name for itself in the fixed blade scene. Since opening its doors in 2011, the Pennsylvania-based shop has focused on ultralight outdoors knife designs that speak both to niche users and the broader knife community.
Kestrel’s most well-known piece is the Mountain Scalpel, an ultimate statement of intent for a company focused on weight-saving knife design. The name “scalpel” isn’t just meant to evoke something light and sharp; the Mountain Scalpel literally uses replaceable scalpel blades, the same seen on dental/medical implements – a choice that turns the Mountain Scalpel into the outdoor equivalent of a utility knife: a super sharp, highly maneuverable tool that can be used for just about anything, because a damaged blade needs only a one-minute swap rather than hours at the sharpener doing repair work.
It also means that the Mountain Scalpel is about as light as a cutting tool can possibly be: under half an ounce with the blade installed. The handle itself is made from titanium, and it’s worth noting that Kestrel has even considered the smaller details, ensuring that the Kydex sheath works with or without a blade in place.
For users who like the idea of a super light cutting tool but want it in a super steel, the Mountain Caper 2.0 is the sensible next step. It has a very similar, highly skeletonized chassis and narrow but grip-friendly handle, but is made from a single piece of blade steel: in this case CPM MagnaCut. While backpacking and general outdoors adventuring is obviously the intended use, the Caper, with its 2.75 inch blade and .708-ounce weight, is also an ideal candidate for anybody who likes the idea of a fixed blade EDC.
The Ovis Hunter 2.0 picks up right where the Mountain Caper leaves off. Now there are G-10 scales on the full tang frame, 3D contoured and available in multiple different colors. The blade, still made from MagnaCut and still a highly practical shape, now measures 4.25 inches; that’s enough length to render it not only a full-featured hunting piece, but a general outdoors task-tackler as well. Kestrel’s ongoing attention to weight saving means that this piece weighs only 3.3 oz., but for those who’re really counting the ounces can remove the scales entirely.
All of these knives are available now – and stay tuned for an upcoming Shop Talk article with Kestrel Knives’s James Louvier!
Knives in Featured Image: [From top to bottom] Kestrel Knives Mountain Scalpel, Mountain Caper 2.0, Ovis Hunter 2.0
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