Damascus Solstice gentleman knife blue
Dark Matter Blue
Dark Matter Blue
Dark Matter Blue
Damascus Gentleman's knife
Damascus Solstice Gentleman knife Dark Matter Blue

Damascus Solstice - Dark Matter Blue

Regular price$399.99
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  • Ultra Lightweight - 1.7 oz
  • Titanium and Carbon Fiber Handle
  • Premium 120-layer Damascus Steel
  • Stainless Steel Caged Bearings
  • Ambidextrous Deep-Carry Pocket Clip

Designed by custom knifemaker Andrew Demko and featuring the same sleek design, stainless-steel caged bearings, and signature fold-over ambidextrous deep carry pocket clip as our original Solstice, the Damascus Solstice is an elegant, discreet, and sophisticated gentleman’s knife like no other.

Weight - 1.7 oz / 48g

Blade Steel - 120-layer Balbach Damascus (N690 and Nitro-B steel)

Blade Length - 3.5" / 8.9 cm

Overall - 7.8" / 19.8 cm

Handle - Carbon Fiber (Fat Carbon® "Dark Matter") and Titanium

Blade Type - Straight Back, Flat Grind

Lock Type - Frame Lock

Pocket Clip - Ambidextrous Fold-Over Deep Carry Clip

Designer - Andrew Demko, Pennsylvania

Made in - Maniago, Italy

Dark Matter Red

Eye-Catching & elegant

We’ve taken our premier gentleman's knife, the Solstice, to the next level, outfitting it with a frame lock, premium 120-layer German Damascus steel, and Fat Carbon "Dark Matter" carbon fiber and anodized titanium handle scales.

Dark Matter Bronze

Ultimate Sophistication

An exceptional executive knife for those who choose to carry the absolute best. With it's light weight (just 1.7 ounces) the Damascus Solstice can be comfortably carried all day.

Dark Matter Bronze

Italian Craftsmanship

Made in Maniago, Italy, in the “city of knives”, where centuries of high-quality knife craftsmanship and the latest technology meet, the Damascus Solstice commands attention with its timeless design and remarkable Italian workmanship.

Premium Materials

German Damascus: We use genuine 120-layer stainless martensitic Damascus (comprised of N690 and Nitro-B steel). Our Damascus is produced in Germany using the traditional fire-welding process, resulting in a premium blade with high edge retention and sharpness.

Anodized Aerospace grade Titanium: Considered a premium metal for a knife handle, titanium is lightweight with a high strength-to-density ratio. Our titanium is anodized in shades of blue, gray, and red to elegantly coordinate with the Fat Carbon handle scales.

Fat Carbon: Fat Carbon is a lightweight, durable carbon fiber composite produced in Lithuania. The "Dark Matter" color series used in the Damascus Solstice is a composite made from carbon fiber, organic pigments, and epoxy resin. It seems to change and shift in the light, making it a perfect complement to the dramatic Damascus steel blade.

Damascus Anodized Titanium Frame Lock and Fat Carbon scales

Customer Reviews

Based on 3 reviews
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Customer
A knife fit for a smock pocket

So I'm a pharmacist who appreciates high-quality pocket knives. I've been eyeballing the CRKT CEO for a while now because it is significantly different from my current EDC, which is a Spydiechef. I figured that, given the relatively light-duty requirements of my day job, and the literally white-collar reality of being a pharmacist, an "executive-style" knife would be right up my ally. When I first saw the CRKT CEO Compact in carbon fiber handles and S35vN steel, I literally said online that "If it came with a Damascus blade, I would own one already". After a good bit of researching, I found exactly what I was looking for in the Damascus Solstice.

I've only had the knife for a bit over a week now but I must say that I am enamored with everything it has to offer. I have the dark matter blue version, for what it is worth. Upon first handling the knife, I had to overcome my caveman brain instinct of "why so light for so much money?", but once I got over that initial knee-jerk reaction, everything was straight infatuation. With the one odd exception of the cut-out at the base of the lockbar, every surface is magnificently chamfered for comfort. The "deep carry" pocket clip is an understatement--it literally hides the fact that it is a knife when clipped into a pocket, which is ideal for a breast-pocket carry. I will say that the clip is a bit tight even for the average blue-jeans pocket, but the tightness is actually appreciated in the breast pocket of a pharmacy smock, since the material is relatively thin and I don't want the knife falling out of my pocket when I bend over to pick something up. Also the lightness particularly shines in this use case, since it is not so heavy that it weighs down my smock pocket and thus does not create significant bowing of the pocket when carried within. In fact, this knife, at 1.7 ounces, weighs about as much as my heaviest fountain pen that I ever bring to work, which is the Lamy Dialog 3.

The Lockup is absolutely secure with no play in any direction. The Damascus blade is beautiful but also comes sharp enough from the factory to glide through printer paper. I will admit though that it improved after stropping with beaver craft green stropping compound, and I intend to re-profile the edge once I get my worksharp precision adjust later this month. By pure estimation I believe the stock edge might be somewhere in the 20-22.5 degree per side territory, and between the N690 and Nitro-B that the damascus is made of, I believe the knife is tough but has relatively low edge retention, so would benefit from a more acute angle of maybe 17 degrees per side. I'm the kind of person who prioritizes ease of sharpening and stainlessness over edge retention, since I enjoy regularly sharpening/stropping the few knives I have, so this blade steel is actually ideal for my desires.

If I were to have a slight nitpick, I think I would personally prefer a random Damascus pattern versus the raindrop pattern that this blade comes in, but that is definitely personal preference. Also the detent pressure is admittedly light, so unless you use a deliberate effort at flipping the knife open, it has an issue with not fully-deploying, especially with the from-factory lubrication. I've already fully disassembled the knife and replaced the stock lubrication with 10-weight nano-oil, which greatly reduced my issue with the detent strength, but I feel that this minor issue is worth knowing for anybody who is willing to drop the money for this knife.

Okay I'm running out of word space, so here is the lightning-roundup in the way of Nick Shabazz:
The good:
-the knife is light and the materials are high-quality
-it comes apart easily with minimal screws and few components "fly out" when taking it apart
-tolerances seem very nice and the machining is well-considered and implemented well
-the blade is made of 2 steels which could perhaps be better, but are far from trash-mascus that can be found in cheap knives in the market.
The Great:
-if you are looking for a sophisticated knife that is functional and a conversation-starter, I've yet to find a better example
-The tactile experience of everything--the clip, the carbon fiber, the titanium, and the blade itself--is great... I seriously find myself just running my fingers over this knife at random when performing other tasks.
The bad:
-the detent could stand to be a tad stronger
-The factory lubricant is not as smooth as I would like
-The cutout at the base of the lockbar is a bit sharp
The ugly:
-The price is high, sure, but I can't find an equally as elegant competitor for cheaper
-I think the knife edge needs a re-profiling to unleash its true potential.

So yeah, that is my long-winded review. I hope this was useful for any readers. In short I highly recommend this knife for anybody who wants a spare-no-expenses executive knife to compliment something like a fancy fountain-pen!

Thank you so much for leaving such a detailed review of our Damascus Solstice knife. Yes, you're correct the edge angle does come at 20 degrees per side. We appreciate all your points of feedback and are so glad to hear this has become a daily carry for you!

S
S.N.
Damascus Solstice Dark Matter Blue

Beautiful knife! Well worth the price.

D
Devin Abrahamson

The Damascus Solstice

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