THE BLADETRICKS URBAN KIRIDASHI: A CONCEPT REFINED OVER A DECADE, NOW JOINED BY THE COMPACT PRY KNIFE
The journey for what would become the Urban Kiridashi began over a decade ago, in 2011. It wasn't born from a typical design brief but from a very specific challenge presented by a special forces unit. My task was to create a knife for a fighter who, until then, had never integrated a blade into his essential gear, never carried one on his tactical vest or on his belt.
This wasn't about conventional combat. My objective was to craft "a knife for someone who never carried a knife before, who never used a tactical knife before, who never fought with a knife before." This demanded a tool engineered for inherent safety and profound versatility. The initial result was a unique kind of kiridashi. It featured a short, chisel-ground blade, purposefully set far from the operator's hand for safety. Its sharp edge and exceptionally strong tip were dual-purposed, ready for both cutting and prying. The handle was elongated, with generous finger and palm grooves, ensuring a secure grip that felt intuitive in any position. This became the Bladetricks Urban Kiridashi:
For years, that concept resonated. At Bladetricks, the principle of evolution is foundational to my work. I revisited the Urban Kiridashi with a clear goal: to make it tougher starting with a comprehensive redesign of its handle. This process, taking over a decade to fully realize its next phase of evolution, led to an unexpected convergence. As I refined the Urban Kiridashi, another older Bladetricks project, the Bladetricks Pry Knife, resurfaced in my mind.
The desire to enhance the Kiridashi's robustness aligned perfectly with the fundamental utility of a dedicated pry tool. The result of this intensive, dual-track development process for 2025 is not just one, but two distinct and highly evolved tools:
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The Gen2 Urban Kiridashi: This is the direct descendant, retaining the original's groundbreaking safety and versatility but now significantly tougher with its redesigned handle. It continues its legacy as a unique, non-intimidating, yet highly capable tactical instrument:
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The Compact Pry Knife: Born from the desire for pure robust utility, this is a very simple knife with an exceptionally long cutting edge, a sturdy blade, and a robust tip—a compact and dedicated hard-use tool, directly inspired by the original Pry Knife concept:
These new tools represent not just an upgrade but a testament to continuous refinement, practical application, and a decade-long commitment to making capable, reliable tools for demanding users.