Knife Designer for the SpaceX Crew is back with a Damascus Steel and Titanium EDC Pocket Blade

In 2021, SpaceX commissioned knife designer Darriel Caston to design a standard-issue EDC pocket blade for its crew. Now CRKT is teaming up with Caston to build a production-ready version of that very knife, with a titanium handle and a gorgeous Damascus Steel blade. Named Mbombo after the Kuba god of creation, the knife builds on the Central-African mythology of a god who helped create the sun, moon, and stars from within their body. The entire knife measures 7.63 inches when fully open, and weighs a mere 3.5 ounces (99.22 grams), making it absolutely ideal for traveling with. It’s a feisty little demon, with a precisely engineered flipping mechanism that makes the knife feel incredibly robust and well worth its $225 price tag.

Designer: Darriel Caston for CRKT

Caston’s knife for SpaceX had some very specific design guidelines. The build had to be reliable, infallible, and had to have the kind of precision you’d expect from a space exploration company. As a tribute to the company, Caston even incorporated materials from SpaceX’s launch pad, using the metal as the raw material for his knives. CRKT later approached Caston to help create a new derivative line of knives based on the SpaceX design. While it wasn’t entirely possible to get their hands on SpaceX’s launch pads, CRKT decided to outfit the Mbombo with some unique materials of their own.

The Mbombo’s blade is perhaps the first thing you notice about it. Crafted from Damascus Steel, the blade has a beautiful marbled pattern on it brought about by etching the steels’ different metal blends. The Mbombo comes with a cleaver-style blade with two edges, reminiscent of an American Tanto, but with a curved front profile that makes it versatile and good to look at. The blade measures a cool 3.23 inches (82mm) when open, and closes into its beautiful bead-blasted titanium handle.

The handle comes with a textured edge on the front, increasing dexterity and grip during use, while also being a hat-tip to the ridged design of the SpaceX flipper. The titanium handle also sports a nifty frame lock in the form of a thick lock bar that locks the blade in place once open, preventing it from accidentally shutting while in use. Lift the bar and the blade folds back into its handle.

The Mbombo also comes with a pocket clip as well as a lanyard hole built into it, allowing you to carry it with you everywhere you go. It starts at $225, with free shipping within the US.

The post Knife Designer for the SpaceX Crew is back with a Damascus Steel and Titanium EDC Pocket Blade first appeared on Yanko Design.

Native Union’s Sleek (Re)Classic Apple Watch Bands Are Made of Plant-Based Leather

If you’re an iPhone user with a taste for leather cases, you might already know all about Native Union’s knack for designing high-quality accessories, like their leather MagSafe iPhone 14 case, made in collaboration with Maison Kitsuné. Now there’s a similar cruelty-free Italian leather-inspired band for your Apple Watch. It’s made of Yatay, a leather-like compound that makes up the construction of Native Union’s gorgeous (Re)Classic Apple Watch Band design, and you can get your own for $59.99.

Designer: Native Union

Buy it now on Amazon

If you told me the (Re)Classic Band for Apple Watch in its light brown Kraft colorway was made of repurposed mycelium — fungal threads spanning long distances underground, which mushrooms blossom out of — I absolutely would not believe you. And yet, that’s one of the many all-natural resources used in the synthesis of Yatay by Coronet.

It sounds like everything from Native Union’s stainless steel clasp to its comfortable, soft-lined backing is made of recycled materials. (Re)Classic style is finely textured, giving it a sophisticated look that does quite a bit to distract from the fact it… isn’t made of genuine leather. Still, the high level of craftsmanship lent to these intricately-designed plant-based leather wristbands is difficult to deny.

All of Native Union’s straps come with integrated lugs, which connect directly to the Apple Watch — specifically, the little cutouts on the top and bottom of the Apple Watch where a wristband is locked in place. That means they blend naturally with any color configuration, and Native Union really wants to emphasize how important that is, citing the integrated lugs as a central focal point of (Re)Classic design ethos on its official product page:

“We designed (Re)Classic Band to match the textured elegance of (Re)Classic Case for iPhone and AirPods, now for your Apple Watch. Made to be a refined complement to your digital timepiece, we went one step further with fully wrapped integrated lugs so that the straps becomes a seamless extension of your Apple Watch without any visible hardware. A leather-like strap with wrapped lugs is something we’ve been searching for for a while now, so we made it ourselves.”

If you own one of the older Apple Watch Series, don’t worry: these bands come in two sizes that are compatible with every main-line Apple Watch model, depending on the size you wear. Though, you’ll want to specifically order the 38/40/41mm configuration if you’re rocking an Apple Watch SE or SE 2. And likewise, you’ll want to go for the 42/44/45mm measurement if you’re planning to attach one of these fine wristbands to an Apple Watch Ultra or Ultra 4.

The post Native Union’s Sleek (Re)Classic Apple Watch Bands Are Made of Plant-Based Leather first appeared on Yanko Design.

Meet The Strongest Belt Ever Made – The Indestructible Belt By Vollebak

Vollebak is known for its ground-breaking and absolutely mindblowing designs such as the Indestructible Puffer which is built from the same material as body armor or the Deep Sleep Cocoon that can lull you to sleep on Mars and Earth! In lieu of their ingenious and highly successful designs, Vollebak has also launched the Indestructible Belt. Right off the bat, they’re claiming that the Indestructible Belt is the strongest belt ever made! Color us intrigued! It is designed to be not only a true marvel in engineering but also a major fashion statement that will definitely grab eyeballs.

Designer: Vollebak

The Indestructible Belt is built with the ultimate strong core which is made from Dyneema – the single strongest fiber known to man today. Vollebak uses Dyneema in its Indestructible range. Dyneema is supposed to be 15x stronger than steel, which basically signifies that the belt strap is only breakable if you hang more than 4 tonnes of it, which is essentially the same weight as a Hummer or 10 grizzly bears. It is a game-changer for people who need their belts to be extremely durable and strong, but also dashingly handsome.

Vollebak teamed up the powerful Dyneema strap with a COBRA® buckle which is supposed to be the strongest and safest buckle on the planet. The buckle is engineered with a patented locking mechanism, ensuring that the buckle never releases under pressure, and can tolerate 1.8 tonnes of force before it breaks apart. Every Indestructible Belt is built using 12 rows of ultra-strong bonded thread, and an engraved metal tip by Riri which features a custom anodized metal case equipped with a 3D printed latch – making it a class apart from your ordinary everyday belt, to be honest, the two cannot even be compared. The Indestructible Belt is designed to withstand the harshest of conditions!

The Indestructible Belt is crafted in France, and it completely pushes the boundaries of fashion and functionality, to create an exceedingly innovative product that we have truly never seen before. It is priced at $395 and is the ultimate accessory you have been looking for. It packs a punch with both style and safety.

The post Meet The Strongest Belt Ever Made – The Indestructible Belt By Vollebak first appeared on Yanko Design.