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Back in October, we brought you a hands-on review of the Winterblade Mirage (you can see that here). That is a fun piece of EDC kit, as it relied on neodymium magnets are part of the locking mechanism. And that’s where Winterblade has shone, using magnets in interesting ways. Bryan Winters wasn’t content to stick with just those. The Winterblade Severn is a foray into a unique deploy/lock that doesn’t use magnets. We first wrote about it here, and we were fortunate to get some time with Bryan’s personal knife to get some hands-on impressions.
Winterblade Severn: what is it?
As we wrote in our original article, the Winterblade Severn is Winters’ step in the direction away from magnets, but still leveraging a very unique method to lock the blade in place. Instead of magnets, you’ve got both a bar lock AND a spine lock to help keep things in place. This video from Winterblade explains it pretty well:
How hard is it to use that spine lock?
That’s a question I had going into it. Looking at that video, it does seem like you’ve got a fairly small piece to grab onto. And, if you’re wearing gloves, that spine lock on the Winterblade Severn is not going to be your friend. Fortunately, there’s the thumb stud slider near the pivot that you can also use to release the lock. In other words, you have options. A lot of it will depend on how you’re handling the knife and what you’re doing, but having to ways to release is an interesting option to have.
What about deploying the blade?
While it doesn’t feel assisted like it does on the Mirage, deploying the blade on the Winterblade Severn is pretty easy. You can flick the blade out with your fingertips (using the handy cutout on the blade spine), or you could release the lock (using the spine lock or the thumb stud) to open the lock and then flick the blade out with your wrist. Again, it’s all going to depend on what you’re doing and how full your hands are. You could even do a careful two-handed open if you wanted.
That looks like a large knife…
I had that same thought when I first saw the photos on the Winterblade Severn. And even when I first opened up the clamshell it shipped in, it looked like a big knife. If you go through the slideshow just above, you’ll see it next to the Mirage. Yes, it’s a touch larger, but you realize you’re not going to be cosplaying Crocodile Dundee carrying the Severn around. I think part of why this one seems larger are the visuals. The scales are full-width, while on the Mirage, you have the cutouts that visually narrow things. Now, to be sure, this is not going to be your “gentleman’s carry” knife.
What’s it like in an everyday carry?
Even though we were borrowing Winters’ personal knife, we still wanted to use in day-to-day situations. So no, we weren’t trying to split branches or anything with it. But still, clipped it into the pocket and went about my day, and then pulled it out when it was time to cut open a package or some rope. We even (after cleaning the blade) used it to chop up some veggies for dinner one night (we cleaned the blade again after). In short, it performed a champ.
The Winterblade Severn is one of the thicker knives I’ve carried, and the wide clip held it in place on my pocket quite well. If you’re the sort who likes to brush close to door frames, you’ll want to give yourself a smidge extra room, or just get used to some scrapes and dings on the clip, which is pattern-matched to the blade.
Wrapping things up
While folks might be a disappointed to not see another magnet-enabled knife from Winterblade, we like the approach being taken here. With the Winterblade Severn, they’re exploring other ways to lock knife blades in place. Just as in the watch world, experiments might break from the past, but they can pave the way to interesting future developments. In our book, that’s precisely what you have here.
Additionally, without the magnets in the build, you don’t need to worry about stuff “sticking” to your knife in your pocket. It will also make things simpler (at least in one sense) when you disassemble your knife to clean and maintain it (and no, we did NOT take this loaner apart). It’s an interesting approach, and the $369 asking price is well in line for this titanium folder. Take a look at all of the options available directly at winterbladeco.com
Winterblade Severn Features
Patent pending STEALTH LOCK
- Dual lock actuation (a bar lock and spine lock in one!)
- “Hidden” spine lock actuation
- Smooth, compression spring lock action
- Strong, rock-solid lock up
- Steel lock plates
- FOUR primary blade deployment methods
- Quick-change magnetic thumb stud (no tools!)
- Titanium handle/scales
- M390 blade steel with “Laser Bacon” finish
- Fully amphibious, err, sorry, ambidextrous features
- Reversible milled pocket clip
- Ergonomic, skeletonized handle/scales
- Anti blade bounce geometry
- XL finger choil
- Large, chamfered blade window
- Easy access blade window ramps
- Single T8 screw size throughout
- Easy disassembly
Winterblade Severn Tech Specs
- Overall blade length: 3.25”
- Blade edge length: 2.75”
- Handle length: 4.5”
- Overall knife length: 7.75”
- Max handle width: 1.25”
- Knife width when closed: 1.5”
- Handle Thickness: .44” (7/16”)
- Weight: Titanium Handle: 4.6 oz, Aluminum Handle: 3.8 oz, G10 Handle: 3.5 oz
- OEM partner: Bestech
