*UPDATE* We partnered with Kestrel Knives IN 2011 to offer a special edition run of KUIU Skeleton Knives. Unfortunately they’re no longer available. I would suggest contacting Nathan at Kestrel Knives via the following link for more information and other similar options. http://www.kestrelknives.com/contact-kestrel-knives/
I LOVE remarkable products and I am always searching to find ways to reduce weight of our kit without giving up performance. When I met Nathan Creech, the owner and founder of Kestrel Knives at our grand opening in April, we instantly hit it off talking about backpack hunting, kit, weight and gear.
Nathan showed me a prototype titanium knife he had designed and I could not believe how light it was. It solved all the issues and shortcomings of replacement blade knives and weighed less. I asked Nathan if we could work together to design and build a line of knives exclusively for KUIU. Nate and I have been working through different designs and testing the knives since June.
Together we have designed the lightest set of fixed blade knives ever made. They weigh only a few grams (less than one ounce), and stay sharper longer due to the tungston carbide edge and give you all the utility of a fixed blade knife without the weight.
We developed 3 styles:
Skeleton EDC
-17 Grams
- 6.5″ Long
- 1″ High
- 2.5″ Blade
- 3″ Cutting Edge
- 3 3/4″ Handle
- .080″ Thick
- 6AL-4V Titanium
- Tungsten Carbide Edge
- Convex Edge
Price $149.99
- Kydex Sheath $25.00
- Ultralight Velcro Sheath $8.00
Skeleton Caper
-14.5 Grams
- 6.5″ Long
- 3/4″ High
- 2 3/4″ Blade
- 2 7/8″ Cutting Edge
- 3 5/8″ Handle
- .080″ Thick
- 6AL-4V Titanium
- Tungsten Carbide Edge
- Convex Edge
Price $149.99
- Kydex Sheath $25.00
- Ultralight Velcro Sheath $8.00
Skeleton Skinner
-29 Grams
- 7 1/4″ Long
- 1 5/8″ High
- 3″ Blade
- 3 5/8 Cutting Edge
- 4 1/4″ Handle
- .080″ Thick
- 6AL-4V Titanium
- Tungsten Carbide Edge
- Convex Edge
Price $209.99
- Ultralight Velcro Sheath – $12.00
- Kydex Sheath – $40.00
Inside Kestrel Knives
Nathan Creech is an avid hunter, fisherman, and backpacker. Born and raised in Northern California, Nathan attributes his love for all things outdoors to growing up amidst the wonders of The Golden State. Early in his youth, he discovered a passion for hunting, ultralight backpacking, and nature in general. That passion has only matured over time. As a seasoned outdoorsman, Nathan often found himself frustrated when working with knives that weren’t as sharp as he wanted them to be. In teaching himself how to sharpen, he turned a hobby into a successful knife business: KnifeMods.com. Through his company, Nathan modifies and sharpens high-end knives for an international community of knife users and aficionados. Always looking to expand his horizons, he is now bringing us a line of ultralight knives designed to be the world’s lightest and most functional knives available. Specifically geared towards lightening the pack of the ultralight hunter, backpacker and mountaineer, the Kestrel Knives lineup promises to deliver top notch cutting performance at an ultralight weight.
Knife Info
The knives are made of 6AL-4V Grade 5 Aerospace Grade Titanium which is known for its strength, lightness, and corrosion resistance. It is commonly used in aircraft turbine engines, aircraft structural components and high performance auto parts due to its high resistance to hot and cold. Titanium will not break in subzero temps whereas a steel knife would if you dropped it on something hard. The corrosion resistance is a huge positive of titanium as it will not rust or corrode even in salt water. These things combined make titanium the perfect choice for an ultralight low maintenance knife.
Titanium is 45% lighter than steel and has the highest strength to weight ratio of any metal. This makes for an extremely light and tough knife. You can carry the KUIU Skeleton caper, skinner and boning knife and they weigh less than the weight of a single knife made of steel. The knives are so light that you will forget you are even carrying one.
Titanium alone will not hold a great edge in order to remedy this issue, a layer of tungsten carbide is electronically impregnated onto one side of the knife. Tungsten carbide is one of the hardest materials on earth coming in right behind the diamond. The tungsten carbide, coupled with the softer titanium, creates a micro-serrated edge that cuts for a very long time. As most of you know a toothy edge is great for breaking down an animal and cutting up meat. The edges on these knives will stay toothy for a long time enabling you to cut longer without sharpening. The edge is also somewhat self sharpening because as the edge is used the softer titanium wears away and exposes more carbides. Since the grind on these knives will be a full convex, getting the edge sharp is accomplished by sharpening only the titanium side of the knife in the same manner you sharpen any convex edge knife. Kestrel Knives recommends the mousepad/sandpaper/strop method and will be doing a series of videos on how to sharpen your new knife and will also be offering a sharpening kit. If you run your thumb or fingernail lightly along the edge of the blade you will feel the micro serrations which means it is ready to start cutting. Sharpening a titanium knife with a carbide edge is much easier than a steel knife and once you have it down you will see what I mean. I have gone weeks without sharpening after cutting everything from sheetrock to composite wood and the knife would still slice a tomato at the end of each day.
Jason and I designed these knives to be as lightweight as possible. This meant that we would be giving up scales and skeletonizing the tang. There are no other fixed blades or folders in existence that come close to the weight of this line. These are the lightest fixed blade knives in the world.
There is a 1/4″ hole at the rear of the knife for a lanyard. These knives are designed to provide the user with an ultralight knife that can handle daily cutting tasks and backcountry trips, all while be easy to sharpen and maintain.
Each knife will come with a few different sheath options. A kydex (thermal molded) sheath(top and middle in photo) or a minimal Velcro sandwich sheath (bottom photo) meant to be thrown in your pack for the ultimate lightweight knife setup. 
Ultralight Velcro Sheath
Kydex Thermal Molded Sheath
HOW TO ORDER
We will introduce the KUIU Skeleton Knives in mid-November with a limited initial run of each knife.
I want to offer blog subscribers the 1st opportunity to place their orders as this is a hand made product and the volume will be limited.
To place your Pre-order please click on the link below. PLEASE fill out the information AND the knife style you would like AND sheath option. KUIU customer service will contact you next week to collect payment information. Orders will be taken on a 1st come 1st serve basis.
The 1st order will begin to ship in mid-November.
I was hoping these were coming! Can’t wait to get one in my hand. I seen this knife style on one of your previous posts and fell in love with the idea. I have done relentless searches for something sImilar ever since. Buck makes a set of skeleton knives, however there is NO QUALITY in the set they offer. I am pre-ordering now. I would like to see a gut hook style, and a combination set w/ ultralight sheath to hold them all as well. I hope they also bear a “KUIU-by Kestrel” stamp on the sheath and tang. Nice work guys, keep the products coming!
I know you will not be disappointed! These are a fantastic knife for back country hunting. The only thing you are giving up are ounces.
Jason
looks like a great product. The material is the key . . . Sounds innovative and right up the kuiu alley! Good work, looks like a great tool! I have some similar knifes in the same design (but different material of course) and tied a short piece of bright yellow nylon chord ((three inch loop) to the end of the knife (the kestrel kuiu knife already has a hole for just such a thing) for hanging it on a rock or shrub so i don’t lose it on the ground, in the dirt, or leaf litter. The bright color of the short chord helps me keep track of it. Everyone knows how easy it is to misplace a knife while prepping game in the field for transport (especially if you’re in the brush in grizzly country – I for one don’t like to spend a lot of time with a gut pile when i’m in grizzly country. The chord ads almost no weight but gives me the piece of mind that i’ll be able to find my knife easily.
Nice to hear from you Tony, I hope you are having a great fall. I am looking forward to seeing the new photography. Thank you for the comment on the knives and the suggestion for the cord, great suggestion.
Jason
Very nice. Will be a nice addition to the KUIU line.
Cheers,
Mike P
Thanks Mike!
Any chance of making a lightweight saw? That’s always the one item I hate packing due to weight but it sure helps to get through the vertebra on sheep and elk, also comes in handy around cMo sometimes.
Cheers,
Mike P
Should say “comes in handy around camp sometimes”…stupid Iphone
Cheers,
Mike
It sounds like we need to, I agree the saw is needed.
Sounds like a great addition to the lineup! Good price for a top quality knife too, my only reservation is the handle. I use my knife/ knives a lot when I am out in the bush or on the mountain and the handle/ handle shape has a lot to do with comfort and blisters… so much so that I am concerned about using a skeletonized handle to take apart en elk (even using the gutless method). Did you have any blister or comfort problems?
I was thinking the same thing. There isn’t a lot to grab hold of.
I did not find this a problem after using on 3 different animals so far.
Jason
Hey Mike,
The only time I noticed it was when I was finishing up my Caribou. My thumb was sore. But it is where my thumb normally gets soar when I break down an entire animal the size of a big bull, no blisters at all.
Jason
Great knife design, I agree that a saw would be nice.
-Tony
WOW! That is great! I had been waiting for these to come out…. now I have to figure out which one. I’d be leaning towards the Caper, but the EDC looks interesting as a combo caper/skinner. Would love to hear a report from field use of the three individual styles.
Hey Chad,
If you are looking for one best all around knife the EDC is the right choice. This is what we designed it for. I used the EDC to skin a boar I shot in June and skin and bone out my ram I shot this summer. I did both animals and did not have to throw them on a sharpener. I was able to cut through the sternum of the boars chest cavity. If you have not skinned out a big boar, they are a true test of any knife.
I used the skinner to skin and bone out my Mountain Caribou and never had to sharpen it. The caper worked perfectly for fleshing. These are fantastic knives, besides weighing a few grams.
J
Thanks Jason! I pre-ordred the EDC today. I will run it through the ringer and see how it does. If it is like everything else I have seen of KUIU’s it will be GREAT. Maybe a Skinner and Caper in the future.
Chad
Thanks Chad. I cannot wait for you to get the EDC in your hands and hear your reaction. The EDC is 1/2 an ounce and simply amazing!
J
Noted on the saw.
J
Looks like a stellar addition to the Kuiu lineup.
I would like to see some additions to the line though, They have already been mentioned but I will reiterate what I would like to see added. A single sheath that holds them all, a gut hook (preferably on the skeleton edc), and a small saw would complete this lineup. If a small fixed blade saw does develop then it should be contained in the combo sheath (preferably kydex) as well.
Just some suggestions for the future. I really love that Kuiu is staying out front when it comes to product development. Keep up the good work Jason.
Great suggestions Bryan and thank you for the nice words and comments.
Jason
I really like the like the knife. It looks like a great new innovation. What does the ultralight sheath weight approximately? I currently using one of the replacement blade knives and bring 3 spare blades with me. I am able to bone 2 caribou with this setup and it weights in at 4 ounces. The replacement blade is not ideal for boning but with a bit of practice goes quickly. I am wondering what the weight of the sharpener will be or if you are planning on not having to bring the sharpener? The weight of the knife is awesome, just wondering if the other things you have to bring with it will wind up weighting the same as my current setup.
Thanks for the great innovative ideas,
Mike
Hey Mike,
Here are the total weights for you for each knife and sheath option. I will have Nate follow up on his recommendation for the sharpener and weights.
EDC alone = 17 grams
EDC + ultralight velcro sheath = 23 grams
EDC + kydex sheath = 40 grams
Skinner alone = 29 grams
Skinner + ultralight velcro sheath = 41 grams
Skinner + kydex sheath = 62.5 grams
Caper alone = 14.5 grams
Caper + ultralight velcro sheath = 20 grams
Caper + kydex sheath = 33.5 grams
Fascinating concept and cool looking knives. Let me second (3rd) my vote for a lightweight pack saw. I really like my Outdoor Edge pack saw, but a titanium version with carbide teeth that never gets dull would be AWESOME!
Well noted and thanks for the comment.
J
Gut hook?
Well Noted and thank you!
Jason
Though Titanium is corrosion resistant & lightweight, it’s also brittle. So I’d be concerned stressing the blade which could lead to a broken tip, blade or handle — just a thought.
Jerry V
Hi Jerry,
I have not found durability to be a problem for these knives. I have tested them on a Caribou, Dall Sheep and Wild Boar as well as cutting wood and other uses around camp and have not experienced any durability problems.
Jason
JV-
I have been a fan of most/ if not all your post’s. I would like to point out, that the Ti, used for this particuliar product, is not like the ‘house grade’ Ti, that you sometimes see in products. If this stuff is good for engine turbines, and aerospace tech….. I have to believe, that you would not have an issue, with brittle-ness! Give some love, for the people, that-
Either work for, or are ‘asked to produce’ products, that are not available anywhere else… I have knowledge of metal, and I still have no clue how awesome this metal is…… But- I BELIEVE- KUIU, wouldn’t allow anything, other than SUPERIOR!!! Just a thought…Keep up the comment’s, I enjoy yours… JMV
Thank you Jeff as always!
Jason
Jeff,
Again it was just a concern/thought that I needed to throw out there. I really hope they work out.
From Wikipedia on Ti alloys: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium_alloy
JV
I’ll give one a try. Another request for the saw, if is isn’t large enough to take off a skull plate, it will be left at home. I use the gutless method so that nearly the only time my saw is used.
Thanks Justin. Well noted on the saw as well and agree we need to come up with an ultra-light saw. I will talk to Nathan about how we build one.
Jason
Jason/ KUIU/ Nathan-
Slick product!!! I didn’t think, I could ever be convinced of taking a knive in the field, that didn’t have replaceable blades! I put my name on the waiting/ pre-order list… However- I would like to ask a couple things, that you can hopefully answer, before the “Sweet Ladies” at CS, ask for billing info.!
If I am reading this correctly- We would sharpen this knife, from one side… Meaning, that the other side (Tungsten/Carbide Electro infused side ) is straight? Or, not have the ‘ traditional bevel’? And, if that is the case,
What is the (corrosion ‘expectancy’ of the Tungsten/ Carbide )???
I see the enormous beneficial aspects, of the Ti, but- Would the T.C. have such properties?
I actually know the answer, but thought, it would be nice to give that info.,,to the general public, as the may/ or likely, are not metalergist’s.
Hey Jeff, great questions. I will have Nathan get back to you with an answer. He is hunting this weekend, so Monday or Tuesday? What I do know I skinned and boned out my whole caribou with the Skinner and never threw it on a sharpener. I had the same experience with the EDC skinning a big boar, which are very difficult and hard on knives.
Jason
I wasn’t finished here… Did KUIU put a ‘character limit’ on reply’s/ Forum Posts…??? I saw, that Curt, had to do several post’s to finish, the AMAZING story, he was submitting…… Let’s fix that problem, KUIU!!!!!!! I know, you probably put that in for me, but- I can tone it down, if that is an issue?
OK, back to the topic at hand…. Excuse the spelling!!!
I would love to see a close up, of the way the edge looks, perhaps under a microscope?
Thanks,
JMV
Jason/ Nathan-
I was thinking, (shocker) late tonight… How about a contest, that accurately states what the EDC, stands for…….. On the NEW Kestrel/ KUIU Knives!
Before I give some suggestions, might I suggest- Since these have hand-made qualities… A “KUIU” stamp, and possibly a serial number???
I don’t collect many things, but this seem’s like a winner… And, how cool would it be, if you shot a picture of your knife, way down the road… That showed up in a Mag. Art. that showed the serial #, close to #0001???
I would, dig that!!!
Just a thought, and continued innovation’s!!!
JMV
All the knives will come with a KUIU engraved logo. I LOVE the idea of a serial number, I am not sure how hard that will be to get done but I will talk to Nathan about it. Thanks for this idea.
Jason
OOOOOOHHH!!!!!!!
Here are my 3 best thoughts..
1) Every Day Chores
2) Electro Diffused Carbide
3) Exceptionally Designed Cutlery
Submit better, perhaps a knife, will be awarded………….:)
JMV
My guess would be “Every Day Carry”
that’s a lot of money for a production run (low number which is the great part) knife. especially from a relative unknown knife maker. i’m sure they’re great knives, but still that is quite a lot to ask. especially when there are a ton of incredibly high quality custom knife makers out there, many are way more expensive than these, some are a lot less, but they are proven, long time makers. this just seems like quite a gamble for your followers to take, and quite a bit of $$ to spend for a production knife from someone just starting out in the hobby, that’s all. great idea, love the UL angle, and am definitely intrigued, but am certainly wary. best of luck!
Jason, quick question.
I know it may be off topic from the knife talk but do you have a direct email where one could reach you at? I had some sizing questions that customer service hasn’t been able to quite answer for me… Thank you, back on the knife topic. They look great! Can’t wait til I can afford to get one ordered! Thank you once again! Take care
jasonh@kuiu.com
Let me know how I can help.
J
You can always use parachute cord to wrap around the skeleton handle for greater grip and fewer blisters. Then you can use the cord to hang the meat! Ive not had one of these knives but have done it with other skeleton handles. Cheers, Tom
Thanks! One more piece of gear that I “have to have”! LOL. Very intriquing; I’ve never considered a knife like this before.
What kind of wait time is there on a Skeleton Caper?
[...] TiGoat The Bug Bivy (this really really appeals to me, even though I swore off bivys last year) KUIU Skeleton Caper Knife (I rarely use a knife on the trail, but this full handle one would be awesome to [...]
[...] guy that was making the Titanium knives that I wanted still has not returned any of my emails after months and months, so guess we can give [...]
Congratulations for posting such a useful and informative blog. Your blog isn’t only informative but also extremely important too. There usually are extremely couples of individuals who can write not so easy articles that creatively.
is this blog still online? I can’t see any of the pictures
Great knives!!!! What’s the order time like these days?!?