PDW and Gareth Bull: Custom Miura framelock

When the topic of pocket knives comes up, there is a polarizing difference in how much a man is willing to pay for the small piece of steel that’s about to occupy his pocket. I’ve talked to people that only want to pay a hundred dollars or so, and I’ve seen knives go for three grand at auction during the Usual Suspects Network Gathering in Las Vegas. One company that specializes in the most well-crafted blades you will find is Prometheus Design Werx. PDW is a company hard to ignore. With some of the best clothing, knives and utility gear on the market, they focus on creating gear with intent, form and function.

PDW has a long list of friendships with the most prestigious knife makers in the world. So when they announced a collaboration with Gareth Bull, I immediately knew it was going to be in my pocket eventually. After a few trades and back alley deals, I acquired the coveted Special Projects Division Gareth Bull and I have found it to be my EDC 90% of the time.

The Bohler Elmax 60-62Hrc steel on the blade is extremely resistant to the elements and retains an incredible edge with a wonderful polish. The 6AL4V Titanium frame lends to a nice and light 6oz knife while the G10 grip has some great channels cut into it for a great hand feel. I’m a huge fan of the durable Titanium pocket clip because I seem to make a habit of catching them on various things pulling it out so far it’s rendered useless. The clip on this has been snagged numerous times and always springs back to its normal position.

Coming in at a somewhat steep price of $739.00, this is what you should expect to pay for a hand-crafted custom knife coming all the way from South Africa where Gareth calls home. Not to mention, there was only a handful made for the public market (12-14 I believe). Although no longer in production, both Gareth and PDW are still making edged tools with another collaboration that dropped a few months ago. The demand for both companies’ blades has caused them to be somewhat difficult to find, but Gareth has a growing list of customers in the pipeline to receive one of his custom gems. PDW does surprise re-stocks of their custom collaborations and will notify you when they will drop on the website via their mailing list. Keep a keen eye on these two craftsmen for further offerings down the road. You will want to put one of their blades in your collection sooner than later.