Zyac Z01S Knife Adds a Sliding Handle and Secondary Blade Lock

The Zyac Design Z01S makes its central trade-off adjustable: slide the handle shorter while the blade is open, and a second lock engages to help keep the blade from folding. That mechanism gives the titanium folder two grip lengths, putting more emphasis on how it handles than on changing the blade itself. For knife collectors, the exposed sliding assembly may be as much the point as the cutting edge.

The Z01S extends an idea Zyac has used in the Z01 and Z05, both of which fit a relatively long blade into a shorter overall frame with sliding components. The Z05 approached a one-to-one blade-to-handle ratio. The Z01S adds a selectable handle length, alongside Böhler M390 steel and a choice of drop point or tanto blade.

Designer: Zyac Design

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A shorter grip, with another lock in play

To change modes, press the release button and push the handle’s rear section forward. The shorter configuration locks in place; pressing the button again lets the handle extend to full length. The process needs no tools or removable parts. A full grip offers a familiar hold for general cutting, while the shortened handle brings the hand closer to the blade for more controlled work.

A liner lock holds the blade open in both positions. When the handle is shortened, a second lock engages; Zyac says this interlock keeps the blade from folding even if the liner lock is released. Closing it therefore takes two actions: extend the handle, then release the liner lock. The company also says the button cannot be pressed while the knife is closed, preventing the handle from sliding toward the blade inside a pocket.

That added mechanism is the most consequential detail in the design. The shorter grip changes how the knife sits in the hand, but also creates a different closing sequence. Zyac has built the extra lock into that sequence, rather than relying on the liner lock alone.

Visible mechanics and several ways to open it

Zyac calls the styling “deconstructed design”: screws, plates, the liner lock and the sliding parts remain visible instead of sitting beneath smooth handle scales. The look recalls buildings such as Paris’s Centre Pompidou, where structural systems appear on the exterior. Here, the open construction also makes the handle mechanism easy to follow.

Opening options include a back flipper, a front flipper and thumb studs, which can also be used for a middle-finger flick. The Z01S has six handle slots, three on each side, sized for tritium or photoluminescent tubes measuring about 0.06 x 0.24 inch (1.5 x 6mm). Tritium glows without being charged; photoluminescent tubes need exposure to light. The slots can also be left empty.

There’s no pocket clip included. The knife has a lanyard hole for a bead, while an optional clip replaces the middle spine piece and fits into the handle’s existing structure.

Material choices and campaign pricing

The standard handle is stonewashed Grade 5 titanium, an alloy of titanium, aluminum and vanadium. Zyac pairs it with Böhler M390 powder metallurgy steel, which contains chromium, vanadium and molybdenum. Buyers can choose a drop point, with a lowered tip and curved edge suited to slicing, or a tanto, whose reinforced angular tip is designed for piercing.

Three premium versions add different handle materials: black zirconium with a gold titanium frame, all-black zirconium, and a ZircuTi frame with a Damascus blade. ZircuTi is a layered titanium and zirconium material with a striped pattern that varies by handle.

Kickstarter pledges start at $299. Buyers select the blade shape in a post-campaign survey; shipping is charged separately, and the pocket clip and tritium tubes are optional. The Z01S’s defining feature is its changeable grip, so the key question for prospective owners is whether that sliding mechanism earns a place in their everyday use as well as in a collection.

Click Here to Buy Now: $379 $499 (24% off) Hurry! Only 5 of 50 left.

The post This shapeshifting pocket knife becomes a fixed blade when you shorten its handle first appeared on Yanko Design.