Piratech Kraken...with magnets to swap the scales

[patrickguignot]

I just received a Piratech Kraken (2nd generation) and I thought it would be a good opportunity to show a few pictures of this knife and to hear your thoughts about its particular magnet system.

Hidden in the internal part of the titanium scales you can see 4 circular magnets. They are used to maintain the scales and to swap them easily.
The Piratech website call this the "Mag-Swap" system and they use lyrical, exalted prose, as marketing dictates, to sing the praises of this system.
We are informed about the "endless fun and options of the different scales to match your outfit every single day (...) Just like picking a watch or watch band for Apple watch".

I think all of this is very unlikely. The additional scales are costly ($180 for the "crystallized ice" version) and I don't see knives users swapping their scales everyday like fashion victims.

However there are two good reasons for this magnet system :
1) It's super easy to clean the knife by removing the scales. No need of a bit driver or torx bits and the scales are removed in 3 seconds.
2) The screws and the pivot are hidden underneath the scales and the result is a very clean look from both the show side and the clip side of the knife.

The magnets are strong enough not to worry about the scales coming off but a potential downside is the fact that the magnetic field can attract metallic dust. I don't know if it's a real concern or not.

Apart for this magnet system the knife is a standard axis-lock made in China. The fit and finish is really good and they use piano string as the omega spring (they claim it's the better option). The knife comes with a Birth Certificate and also additional omega springs and screws.

The blade is a 3.22" sheepfoot in S90V with Rockwell hardness 61±1 (according to the Birth Certificate my particular model was tested at 60.9).
The first run was delivered with a stonewashed finish but my Kraken 2nd generation has a satin finish (belt satin on the bevels and hand satin on the flats).
The edge is neither very thin nor particularly thick but the knife is sharp and cut well. The long jimping on the spine of the blade is really useful.

The size is perfect for my needs, just between a Large and a Small Sebenza.

All in all I think this Piratech Kraken is a good knife. Price is a little high ($300 at this time) for a maker with no reputation but the quality is here.
The magnet system sounds a bit gimmicky but I like the clean look of the scales.

 

[WadeWilson]

That's actually kind of cool. Would definitely make cleaning a lot easier. I like the idea of swapping scales with ease to kind of change it up or match to other things. Would be cool too to be able to try out different scale materials without being too invasive.

 

[Ilikesharpstuff]

Cool but gimmicky. Scale swaps aren't happening so frequently that you need a quick change system and they're not going to change that if replacements are $180 a pair. I'm sure they'll come out with micarta/g10/carbon fiber/etc which may be less costly but probably still pretty pricy being that both sides need to be machined and magnets added. I agree that it could help with cleaning but when I'm cleaning a knife I'm most concerned about the pivot, stop pin, and blade tang which are still not accessible without tools. I wonder if the magnets are press-fit into those scales or just glued.