We recently had a chance to stop by the Spyderco booth at Blade Show and check out some of the company's newest knives. There were quite a few appealing designs, but the one that caught our eye immediately is a new high-end folder called the Spyderco Drunken.

The new Drunken was designed by none other than Dmitry Sinkevich, the same Belarusian bladesmith who created the sleek ZT 0462 we recently reviewed. This is his very first project with Spyderco, and the resulting knife is quite impressive.

Spyderco says it “showcases [Sinkevich's] ability to combine artistic design and unparalleled craftsmanship with practical function” — that may sound like marketing fluff, but we can say it looks and feels like a blade that could be effective for everyday use rather than a fancy display piece. We can't say the same for a lot of other high-end folders we saw at Blade Show (we're looking at you, WE Knife Eschaton).

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The Drunken features a full-flat ground 3.5-inch blade made of premium CPM S90V steel. It features the company's trademark Round Hole for easy opening, and a titanium frame with Reeve Integral Lock (the original frame lock mechanism) and stainless steel interface insert (to prevent galling). The opposite side of the handle features a contoured carbon fiber scale. Both sides of the handle feature a subtle wavy “drunken” machined pattern that improves grip. A matching dark blue anodized finish has been applied to the pivot assembly, backspacer, and pocket clip.

Now for the elephant in the room — this knife is for buyers with seriously deep pockets, and we aren't referring to its physical size. MSRP for the Spyderco Drunken is $630, although third-party retailers are offering pre-orders closer to the $400 mark. Fortunately for those of us who can't spend that kind of cash, Spyderco has also released quite a few more affordable new models this year — refer to the 2018 Spyderco Mid-Year Product Guide to see all the latest models.

The Drunken is not yet available, although various retailers are taking pre-orders prior to the release later this year. For more information, go to Spyderco.com.

Written by Patrick McCarthy