Bestech golden boy Grzegorz Grabarski, alias Kombou, has his latest collaboration model, the Buwaya, on deck for release. The Buwaya has a long history for Grabarski, going back to a collaborative effort with Rafael Brzeski of BrrKnives.
Followers of the custom knife scene may feel a twinge of recognition when they clap eyes on the Buwaya. Grabarski released a custom version of this design some years ago, teaming up with fellow maker Rafael Brzeski for the CAD work. A mere 10 of these custom Buwayas exist and, although they were never widely available, garnered some attention for their bio-mechanical look – inspired, according to Grabarski, by the bombastic action sci-fi classic The Fifth Element.
And there’s definitely something extraterrestrial about the Buwaya, something futuristic. Its leafish drop point blade, CNC-ground, looks aggressive and nimble, the kind of blade you’d almost expect to see shoot from a Predator wrist gauntlet. In this mid-sized, 3.54-inch folding knife package, however, the Buwaya is better spec’d for everyday carry chores, with Bestech’s usual M390 steel promising tried and true upper level performance. There’s an angled blade cutout on both blade flats, a stepped depression that doesn’t go entirely through the blade – and while it does look like it could be used to pinch open the blade, the Buwaya is a flipper first and foremost.
The Buwaya’s titanium handle scales would do H.R. Giger proud, with their multi-layered exoskeleton-style milling. There’s a finger groove beneath the choil, but other than that the Buwaya’s profile itself is quite subdued; its striking personality comes through almost entirely in the texturing and detail work. The vast majority of the knife’s palette is monochrome (down to a dark wash on the blade), but a mint green anodized lanyard backspacer and sculpted titanium pocket clip give the knife a pop of color.
We knew about the Buwaya all the way back in February, but Bestech made the knife a major part of their Blade Show presentation last month.
Knife in Featured Image: Bestech Knives Buwaya
