Meet the King-S, the S possibly standing for "slim" or "small" or, if we're feeling especially ironic, "svelte." This design started life as a desire to make a slightly less ridiculously large version of my (obviously) much larger flagship Emperor, for discerning gentlepeople who may appreciate their knife having a bit less of a Crocodile Dundee factor. It's constructed of PM D2 steel at 1/8" thick to achieve a lighter weight, approximately 10-5/8" overall, and with about a 6" blade length. I'm being so vague here because like all Flightless Forge knives, the King-S is hand made and there is a tiny amount of variation from example to example.
King penguins are one size down from Emperors, more or less. So too, then, is this. Hence the name.
It retains the same ergonomics and in fact uses exactly the same 3D printed handle scales as its larger brother. Hey, when you've got something that works why reinvent the wheel? The highly contoured and flared profile of the handle nestles into your hand, while the bird's head on the end provides a secure grip. You can pass cordage through any of the hollow handle bolts to act as a lanyard, but if you're going to do that sort of thing I suggest the rearmost one.
The signature thumb ramp just above the handle is cut with jimping notches and helps provide a confident grip in any condition. Imagine if you were suitably motivated you could also use any of those notches to strike your fancypants fire starting ferro rod, if you've got one.
Unlike many fixed blade knives, the handle scales on the King are dismountable, replaceable, and customizable. I made these with layered color changes which result in a faux-woodgrain sort of look available in your choice of flavors. Note that these are indeed 3D printed and are not Micarta, G-10, or wood.
The orange and green variants here are what I've already made but these are really just illustrations of what's theoretically possible. If you ask me first I can produce handles in just about any color, within reason (or at least availability of material). These are printed from impact resistant ABS, which should also be heatproof in normal terrestrial conditions. Nevertheless, maybe don't drop these in the camp fire or cook them under your six foot diameter magnifying glass.
Scales are interchangeable with the larger Emperor. Why not collect the whole set and make me rich while you're at it?
Each includes a Kydex sheath with a 4" webbing loop that drops the knife low enough that its center of gravity resides well below your belt. The topmost four rivet holes are Tek-Lok compatible, as usual, if you prefer to carry your knife that way.
