The Sidewinder Mini + Deluxe knives by Chen Chen & Kai Williams for Craighill utilize a unique mechanism for an ultra smooth, satisfying feel.

A beautiful part of being human is pattern recognition. All animals favor this naturally, and we might be biased, but people undeniably have a special knack for finding similarity within our differences. Born out of this notion is the original Sidewinder Knife, just launched in the Sidewinder Mini and Sidewinder Deluxe versions. From Chen Chen & Kai Williams in collaboration with Craighill, the Sidewinder is back, and better than ever.

The knife is inspired by the path taken by the Sidewinder Snake. It travels by launching its head sideways as it traverses the sandy deserts it inhabits. Its mesmerizing journey is married with the diamond shaped motifs formed by parallel rulers from designer Kai Williams’ childhood. This, along with a rigorous amount of testing and machining expertise, comes together to form the basis of something new. The ultra-smooth mechanism, containing a whopping eight ball bearings, adds to the fun. Zach Fried, co-founder at Craighill, shares on seeing the first prototype: “It does something that’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It felt like seeing an invention.” ?

After the resounding success of the first Sidewinder Knife, released in March of 2024, there were calls for a smaller, more pocket-friendly knife. Instead of scaling down the design completely,...