Knafs’ Huge Flipper: Lander 7 Is the Last in a Long Line of Bangers

Ever-growing knife brand Knafs has just completed another successful Kickstarter for its next folding knife, the Lander 7. Not only is the Lander 7 the biggest folding knife Ben Petersen and his band of misfits have released, but it’s also the first flipper — and the last Lander. That’s right: the knife brand within a knife brand that has been synonymous with Knafs is being retired.

My first experience with Knafs was the WE Knife Big Banter, and I was quickly introduced to the Lander 2 a little more than a year later. While I liked the Big Banter (and the subsequent Banters that have followed), the Lander series felt more refined and more adapted to everyday carry.

That said, the Lander 2 was 7.4 inches long, which puts it squarely in the EDC carry sweet spot. The Lander 7, meanwhile, comes in at 8.6 inches long, outside the realm of common EDC carry folding knife lengths. However, that unwritten rule may need to be rewritten, as the Lander 7’s sleek profile doesn’t seem too long in the hand or the pocket. And the flipper action allows it to function with ease.

In short: For the Lander 7, Knafs gives us its largest knife yet and its first flipper-folder. That translates to a highly functional knife that is best suited for people with large hands or those wearing gloves. This big boy is great for the great outdoors, though it may be a bit big for common EDC.

Knafs Lander 7 Review

Design & Features

At 8.6 inches in overall length, the Knafs Lander 7 is about as big as it gets for a traditional folding knife. It’s a flipper-style knife with a liner lock, which amplifies the overall ease of use of the knife. There’s an additional relief in the ergonomically shaped handles that make accessing the lock a breeze. Overall, opening and closing the knife requires very little effort.

The 3.6-inch drop-point–style blade is made from stainless 14C28N. Though it’s an affordable steel, 14C28N is a high performer with high marks in corrosion resistance and toughness. The trade-off will be more time with your favorite blade sharpener. That said, while this steel may not hold an edge as long as steel like S30V or MagnaCut, it’s quick and easy to resharpen.

Knafs decided to black stonewash the blade on the version I was sent, which matches up nicely with the black G10 handle scales. Like the other Landers in the line, you’ll be able to quickly swap out the scales to personalize the Lander 7 to your liking. You can download the 3D silhouette of the knife here if you want to get a head start on printing out your own.

First Impressions

Petersen has been open about the fact that he’s not a big fan of the Big Banter, due to its 8.34-inch overall length. However, he recognized the need for larger folding knives because some people have larger hands. With the Lander 7, the size is there, so people with big paws can rejoice. But it’s not the Big Banter, and that’s important to note.

With the Lander 7 being about a 1/16-inch longer, I assumed the two knives would feel the same in my hand and in my pocket. Well, this is where differences in handle shapes shine.

The Lander 7 is much sleeker than the Big Banter, even though the two share very similar blade shapes. The handle has a deeper curve in its belly, which makes it easier to hold on to, but not just for bigger hands — for all hands.

It’s a full four-finger knife and then some, but its shape allows for folks with smaller hands to still operate it without it being cumbersome. That said, if there was ever a knife in the Knafs lineup that could benefit from a flipper, this is the one! There’s also a thumb stud for the traditionalists out there.

In the Field

As has been my experience with the other Landers out in the wild, the Lander 7 did an excellent job. In both wet and dry situations, it cut and sliced with precision and was put away wet more times than I would like to admit, without any repercussions.

I will add that I did appreciate the extra length as it provided reach, though; overall, this truly is a knife for people with big hands. Or, at the very least, someone with gloves on.

Performance-wise, Knafs has tried different steels on their Lander knives. The Lander 1 first came out with D2 steel; the Lander 2 features S35VN and Elmax, and the Lander 5, as the budget knife in the lineup, features 8CR14MoV. However, it’s the 14C28N found in the Lander 7 (and in the Lander 4 and a reissue of the Lander 1) that continues to rise to the top.

And not just for myself, I think that a wide range of people are out there using these knives with 14C28N steel and loving the heck out of it. It’s a sleeper steel that really found its place a couple of years ago and continues to impress with its low price and high levels of corrosion and abrasion resistance.

In the 2 weeks of testing, I didn’t feel the edge dulling, but 14C28N does has the trade-off of low marks in edge retention. The beauty of that is that it takes very little effort to get it razor-sharp again!

If you plan on spending an extended period of time relying on this knife in a remote location, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to bring a pocket knife sharpener along. I would highly recommend the Work Sharp Folding Field Sharpener to keep things quick and easy.

Conclusion: Who’s It For?

With each Lander, it seems like Knafs realizes it can do something different without losing the brand’s appeal, which makes it a bummer that the line ends with this release. That said, with the Lander 7, Knafs didn’t take another Lander and just stretch it out; it adjusted the ergonomics and added new features to create something similar and different.

In the end, as much as I enjoyed it, it truly is a knife for folks with big hands. I’m not saying people with smaller hands can’t or shouldn’t use it, but there are better-suited versions in the lineup for the rest of you.

In fact, grab a Lander 2 and thank me later. This is a great outdoor/EDC knife for our bigger buddies looking for something reliable to use and abuse where they may roam.