Kansept Caveman Frame Lock Knife Review

The Kansept Caveman frame lock knife, designed by Jesse Pauley, features a titanium handle and CNC-machined rock pattern. Read on!

Official Specs

Here’s a link to the Kansept Caveman frame lock knife.

Versions

There are a ton of versions of the Kansept Caveman frame lock knife. This version is the “blue anodized and stonewashed titanium” version. But there appear to be (or have been at one time) at least eight other versions, some of which have very fancy appointments.

Price

No matter which version you opt for, the price is about the same, ranging from around $229 to around $250.

Package and Manual

There is no manual.

What’s Included

- Kansept Caveman frame lock knife
- Cleaning cloth
- Carry pouch
- Card

Look

Kansept states that this knife has a “CNC-machined rock pattern,” and I love it. The pattern doesn’t cover the whole handle, though. That’s fine, but I wouldn’t mind a full rock version!

This version has titanium scales, too. They’ve been anodized blue. But not totally blue! The inside of those holes in the scales are bronzed. It’s really incredible.

The look of the Kansept Caveman frame lock knife is formidable – it’s not a huge knife (3.57″ blade), and it carries reasonably for that size, but it’s not intimidating.

Open / Close / Lock

Opening the Kansept Caveman frame lock knife happens by flicking the thumbstud. You could also pinch the blade open, I suppose. That works well! I just tested it. But it does require a two-handed operation to pinch open.

Flicking the knife open with the thumbstud is a special kind of rewarding acoustically. There’s a very heavy “thock” when the frame lock locks the blade in place.

Below you can see the frame lock. There’s a tiny stainless steel insert in the titanium scales. This is what contacts the steel blade, and is useful to prevent excessive wear of titanium against steel.

Build and Feel

Build quality is excellent. Kansept always does an excellent job! The blade centering is perfect.

I don’t see anywhere that Kansept has described the pivot mechanism on the Kansept Caveman frame lock knife. The action is great, though.

Both sides of the pivot screw are adjustable with a TORX driver.

Kansept has used a matching titanium backspacer here. It’s a very refined look for a knife named “Caveman!”

Here are a couple more views of the bronze holes in the scale. Just “scale” there because only one side has these holes.

There’s minimal branding, but we do get the model name and also a little Caveman icon.

I like that the blade can be seen through these holes.

Size

Overall Length: 8.21″/208.6mm
Blade Length: 3.57″/90.7mm
Blade Thickness: 0.137″/3.5mm
Weight: 6.33oz/179.5g

Kansept Caveman frame lock knife on a two dollar bill compared to Civivi Elementum in orange with Spyderco

Above, you can see the Kansept Caveman frame lock knife with the Civivi Elementum in orange G10. I use that knife so much! I haven’t talked about it much yet, but that Spyderco Lil Native is going to be my “nicer” knife size standard (in the same way that I use a Convoy S2+ and Hanko Machine Works Trident as flashlight size references.)

Here’s the knife in hand:

Below you can see the Kansept Caveman frame lock knife with the venerable Convoy S2+. The version below is a custom laser-engraved Convoy S2+ host by GadgetConnections.com. I did a full post on an engraved orange host right here! Or go straight to GadgetConnections.com to buy your Convoy S2+ now!

Also in the photo above, my Standard Reference Material (SRM) flashlight is the Hanko Machine Works Trident, an 18350 light. While I have not reviewed or tested the Gunner Grip version seen here, I have tested a Hanko Machine Works Trident Total Tesseract in brass. I love the Trident, and it’s a striking contrast to the inexpensive Convoy S2+, another great SRM.

Steel / Cut / Oats

The Kansept Caveman frame lock knife uses CPM 20V steel, which seems to be a safe choice. KnifeArt says it’s “tough enough for most uses.” source.

Kansept describes this as a flat grind.

And they describe the blade shape as a Tanto. I won’t disagree with that, but I will say this is one of the few tanto blades (or maybe “tanto” blades) that I find appealing.

Coltellimania.com produced this image. Based on that, I would be inclined to call the blade of the Kansept Caveman a “modified clip point.” But I wouldn’t argue with you about it. Either way, it’s a great blade shape.

Retention

A pocket clip is included and built into the Kansept Caveman frame lock knife. The clip has two external screws.

The clip is a milled clip and is of very high quality.

The knife carries well, and the clip has good tension. The pocket clip allows for very deep carry! The clip is not reversible, though, so the knife might not be called “truly” ambidextrous.

The Kansept Caveman frame lock knife does not have a lanyard loop.

Kansept also included their standard pouch.

Summary and Conclusion

I love the Kansept Caveman frame lock knife even though it’s called a Tanto (or “I accept this knife for the Tanto it is”). The action is great, the look is fantastic, and there are plenty of options for different looks, too. I don’t love that it has a 3.57″ blade (too big!) (but I can accept that as part of the Caveman theme). I don’t love frame locks but this one performs just as good as any others. Maybe because it’s bigger, the frame lock is much more suited. Regardless of my personal preferences, I do like the Kansept Caveman frame lock knife a lot, both for how it looks and how it performs.

Notes

This knife was provided by Kansept for review. I was not paid to write this review.
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