After a very successful 2017 Kickstarter campaign for the WESN Microblade, the company was flooded with requests from excited campaign backers for a full-sized pocket knife. They happily responded with a new Kickster campaign for the Allman which was also very successful and fully funded in less than two hours.
This beautifully crafted everyday carry (EDC) pocket knife remains small and lean in your pocket, but the broad blade offers versatile functionality and rugged dependability. The company also offers the Allman in G10, blacked-out G10, and a midnight Mustard version (a blacked-out blade with a mustard yellow body). The G10 models start at $145.00 USD.
The Allman is gorgeous in its simplicity. It came packaged in a small, sturdy brown box with the company’s name printed on the top in black. Inside, my titanium Allman sits in a small natural cotton WESN branded pouch on a bed of wood shavings. WESN gets extra points for including a logo decal with their manual and quality card because if a company makes a great product, I’m more than happy to rep their brand!
The WESN Allman Titanium has such an amazingly soft texture in hand and it’s actually hard to put it down. The Allman’s drop point blade opens with a deliberate flick of the flipper tab which results in a very satisfying “click” as it safely locks into place. Small hands might find it tricky to fully open with just a finger pull so a slight flick of the wrist will ensure the blade locks every time.
The framelock is easily pushed aside with your thumb and folds back into the body to protect the carrier as well as the blade’s sharp edge. The pocket clip is a nice bonus and can be removed for an even slimmer profile with a small torx screwdriver, but I found it useful in my pocket and opted to leave it attached.
There is also a lanyard hole for the WESN lanyard which you can purchase on the company’s website for $20.00. WESN’s all-natural leather sheath also makes a nice additional accessory that can be purchased for $35.00.
The entire knife is held together with stainless steel torx screws that are nicely machined and complement the overall design. It’s also worth mentioning that completely disassembling the Allman will void the company’s lifetime warranty so if repairs are necessary, it’s best to let WESN handle them at no charge!
The Allman weighs 3.65 ounces. Less than half the weight of my Leatherman Wave Multitool and measures 3.8 inches closed with a fully extended length of 6.65 inches. The blade itself measures 2.8 inches and is made from S35VN steel. This premium technology ensures a high quality, chip-resistant blade with improved sharpening ability.
While S35VN steel is very strong and durable, a common complaint about S35VN steel is that it can be harder to sharpen and require special equipment or someone familiar with this particular sharpening process. WESN tells me there are plans early in the new year to release a sharpening system for all of their knives and that they are also working on incorporating a sharpening service into the lifetime warranty of their knife products.
I should also mention WESN recommends keeping the locking mechanism cleaned and oiled. Their Pete’s Lube synthetic oil only requires a single drop per cleaning and for only $15.00, WESN states that one bottle could last you a lifetime!
The Allman performed beyond my expectations in all of my daily tasks. The blade sliced easily through some silicone and plastic weatherstripping I was replacing in the doorway to my office and balances very nicely in my hand. It also handled a variety of other jobs with ease and I found it a lot more convenient than my much heavier multitool. If you are looking for a beautiful EDC pocket knife for yourself or as a gift for the holidays, I can’t recommend the WESN Allman enough.