Glenn Are Hovin Koda Flipper in Damasteel Svavner
The Glenn Are Hovin Koda is a flipper built around a Damasteel Svavner blade. Its pivot is a faceted custom piece by Hovin, and it catches light like a set stone. He finished this knife on June 13, 2022. It runs 8.5 inches open and weighs 5.5 ounces. Condition is excellent, with no visible wear and no flaws.
Collectors moving up to this tier often ask what separates a handmade custom from a production folder. When you look at Hovin’s work, you quickly understand what sets a knife like this Koda apart from the rest. Our guide on how to choose a custom knife covers the differences that matter at this level.
About Glenn Are Hovin
Hovin works in Norway and has been making knives since 2014. He builds by hand rather than on CNC equipment, which is unusual at this level of finish. The Koda sits in a small model line that also includes a Mini Koda. Browse the rest of his work on the Glenn Are Hovin Custom Knives brand page.
That approach is what you are paying for here. The skill of the knifemaker, pivot faceting, and the fit of the carbon fiber against the titanium are hand work. So is the signature on the backspacer. None of it is repeatable on a production line.
Layered Carbon Fiber, Titanium and a Faceted Custom Pivot
The frame is titanium. The scales are layered carbon fiber. The layering reads as a marbled grain that shifts with the light. This is not the flat weave most buyers picture when they hear carbon fiber.
The pivot is the piece that stops people. It is a faceted custom by Hovin, and the cut faces throw light the way a set stone does. On most folders the pivot is hardware. On this one it is a focal point.
Damasteel appears twice on this knife, in the blade and again in the pocket clip. If you like named-forge Damascus, compare it against the Yan Knives GTC Cabot in Zircuti and Damasteel.
Glenn Are Hovin Koda Blade, Steel and Action
The blade is Damasteel Svavner, a named pattern from a named forge. Collectors buy Damasteel the way they buy a maker’s name. The billets are expensive and difficult to produce, and the pattern is proprietary to the forge.
The profile is a modified drop point with a recurve near the heel of the edge. A recurve set that low adds cutting belly where the stroke begins. Blade length is 4 inches, with 3.5 inches of cutting edge.
Deployment is a front flipper and the lock is a liner lock. The action is manual, so this is not an automatic. See the rest of our folding knives for comparable manual builds.
Condition and What’s Included with This Glenn Are Hovin Koda
Condition is excellent. There is no visible wear and there are no flaws. We inspect every knife in hand before we photograph it. Our published grading standards let you check this description against what arrives.
This Koda carries no Certificate of Authenticity. Glenn Are Hovin signed it on the inside backspacer. Read how we handle provenance on pieces that arrive without paperwork.
- Glenn Are Hovin Koda front flipper
- Soft case
Glenn Are Hovin Koda Product Specifications
Prior to posting this piece we confirmed the model and the date of manufacture directly with the maker, Glenn Are Hovin via Instagram.
- Overall length, open: 8.5 in
- Blade length: 4 in
- Cutting edge: 3.5 in
- Closed length: 4.75 in
- Blade material: Damasteel Svavner stainless Damascus
- Blade style: Modified drop point with a recurve near the heel of the edge
- Edge: Plain
- Lock type: Liner lock
- Action: Manual
- Deployment: Front flipper
- Handle material: Layered carbon fiber
- Frame: Titanium
- Backspacer: Signed by Glenn Are Hovin
- Hardware: Faceted custom pivot by Hovin
- Pocket clip: Damasteel Svavner
- Weight: 5.5 oz
- Country of origin: Norway
- Condition: Excellent, no visible wear and no flaws
- SKU: 00198-GAH-KODA-DAMASTEEL-SVAVNER-20220613
This piece is preowned and came out of a private collection. Browse our other preowned knives.
Video Description: Rare Hovin Koda
The Glenn Are Hovin Koda is a preowned custom folding knife in excellent condition. The blade is Damasteel Svavner stainless damascus, 4 inches long with a 3.5 inch cutting edge. The profile is a modified drop point with a recurve near the heel. The frame is titanium and the scales are layered carbon fiber. Hovin finished the knife on June 13, 2022.
A faceted custom pivot by Hovin anchors the hardware. The lock is a liner lock and deployment is a front flipper. The pocket clip is also Damasteel Svavner. Glenn Are Hovin signed the inside backspacer. Overall length is 8.5 inches open and 4.75 inches closed, at 5.5 ounces. The knife ships with a soft case and no Certificate of Authenticity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Glenn Are Hovin’s production process “Old School”?
Hovin is widely recognized for avoiding CNC machines and automated manufacturing. Every custom piece is 100% handmade using manual tools. His most advanced tool is a basic bench mill operated strictly by manual dials without digital readouts (DRO). Many of the hand tools in his shop were built by Hovin himself.
What is Damasteel Svavner?
Damasteel is a named forge producing patterned stainless damascus, and Svavner is one of its patterns. Pattern names are proprietary to the forge that makes them. Collectors treat the forge name as a value driver in its own right. It carries weight the same way a knifemaker’s name does.
Does this Koda come with a Certificate of Authenticity?
No. It carries no paperwork. Glenn Are Hovin signed the inside backspacer, and that signature is the maker’s mark on this piece. We also verified the facts of this knife with Glenn via Instagram before listing it.
Does We Buy Knife Collections actively support the broader knife enthusiast community?
Yes. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, We Buy Knife Collections is a curator and purveyor of fine custom made folding and fixed-blade knives. We are dedicated to the high-end custom knife community and we support knife rights advocacy.
Following our commitment upgrade in April 2026, we are proud to hold an AKTI Premier Membership, supporting the American Knife & Tool Institute’s vital advocacy and lobbying for knife owners, makers, and the future of the industry.
Buy This Glenn Are Hovin Koda
We inspect every knife in hand and describe it honestly, including what is missing. This one has no COA and we say so plainly. See what else is available on the Glenn Are Hovin Custom Knives brand page, or talk to us about selling your collection.
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