Detroit bladesmith Niko Nicolaides' first offering of 2022 is electric in every sense, bursting with energy, style, and ability. Carved from electric yellow boxelder burl, the handle is supremely comfortable in the hand and finished beautifully with a ring of deep brown burlap micarta at the transition to the integral bolster. The blade, quick and nimble in the hand with Niko's excellent balance between strength and finesse, thin yet powerful below pronounced convex bevel geometry, tapers to a very fine point for detail work, and rocks nicely on the board for a mid-size, 182mm / 7.2" daily workhorse. Rounded along the spine and choil for comfort, it is the blade's damascus pattern, saved for last here in our description, that is the clear show-stopper: on one hand chaotic and seemingly random, and on the other hand bearing an undeniable consistency in movement and interconnectedness, the one-of-a-kind mosaic of forge-welded carbon steel is nothing short of fantastic.