It’s not every day a bloke from Sydney takes a punt on his first knife design competition and ends up creating one of the year’s most talked-about production folders. Meet Ben Taubert, the industrial designer behind the Kizer Quoll - yes, named after that adorable, vicious and elusive Aussie marsupial.
Spotted Tail Quoll: Image from WWF Australia
When the Quoll landed in our hands, it shot straight up our favourite Kizer releases of 2025 list faster than a quoll up a gum tree. Then we learned Ben was a local, and the cheers around the shop were immediate. Aussie pride hits different particularly when it’s wrapped in titanium and comes with an S45VN blade.
From Gutter Find to Design Win
Every knife nut has an origin story. Ben’s started when he found a beaten-up Swiss Army knife in a gutter at age nine or ten. “It became a staple of my childhood,” he says. “It just grew from there.” Fast forward a couple of decades, an Industrial Design degree from UTS, and one fateful Instagram scroll later, Ben spots the Kizer X You Winter ’24 competition. Most of us would scroll on. Ben decided to design a knife.
The Design Philosophy: Share the Love (and the Inlays)
Given the theme of the Winter 24 competition was sharing, Ben focused on making the inlays customisable. “My approach was to design a knife where the inlays could be shared among Kizer enthusiasts to create their own unique configuration. I made the inlays the focal point, while trying to keep the rest of the knife as minimal, unique and functional as possible.” Ben explains. Minimal form, maximal personality.
And that name? “Quoll comes from the Australian marsupial, elusive, beautiful, a little bit vicious. I’ve spent half my life outdoors and still never seen one.” Perfect metaphor for the design, really. Refined, functional, a little wild in the best way possible.
From Sketch to Steel
Here’s the kicker: the Quoll isn’t even Ben’s first design, it’s his second, though it hit production first.
Kizer’s translation from his digital blueprints to the finished knife is near flawless. “They did a fantastic job,” says Ben. “We spent months refining the details.” Ben shared his profile sketches & 3D model renderings below.
Those months show, from the titanium handles to the crisp profile and tactile inlays. You can’t help but fidget with it repeatedly.
Ben’s one note: “I wish it had a reversible pocket clip. Accessibility matters, every knife should suit both left- and right-handed users.” Hear, hear.
Pick Your Favourite (If You Can)
The Quoll’s available in a few finishes. Ben’s torn: “I love the understated Rainbow Damascus, but the Timascus version is stunning. If I had to choose, Timascus.”
Above: Rainbow Damascus Quoll - $328
Above: Timascus Quoll - $474
We can’t disagree. One’s refined elegance, the other an unapologetic showpiece.
Design DNA and What’s Next
Ben cites inspiration from makers like Justin Lundquist, Paul Munko, and Aussie Tim Kingsford, designers who master “unique and minimal but packed with beautiful little details.” The Quoll embodies that philosophy perfectly: balanced, purposeful, nothing extra.
Above: Gold Titanium with Zirconium Inlay Quoll
Next on Ben’s horizon? The Takahē, named after New Zealand’s endangered “chonky blue chicken.” “It’s super slicy and comfortable,” he teases. Launching late 2025 or early 2026. We’re already clearing shelf space!
The Kizer X You Effect
The Kizer X You competitions have become a breeding ground for fresh talent. You don’t need industry clout, just creativity, a bit of design know-how, and courage to submit. Ben’s been hooked since that first entry. “I’ve participated in every competition since.”
Other Kizer x You winners include the Bulldog and Feweed. Find all the winning designs that we stock here.
A Note from Down Under
Ben signs off with what every Aussie knife enthusiast is thinking: “Still gutted the Sydney Knife Show was cancelled. We’ve got such a great community, we need more events like that.”
We couldn’t agree more and were just as gutted. Perhaps we need to organise a Sydney meet up in the near future.
Above: Kizer Quoll series
The Kizer Quoll is available now (and selling fast!). Whether you grab the popular Crystallised Titanium, Gold Ti with Zirc, subtle Rainbow Damascus or the bold Timascus, you’re holding a piece of home-grown innovation from a bloke who turned a spark from a gutter find into a globally recognised piece.
Keep your eyes peeled for the Takahē and maybe, just maybe, a real-life quoll.
Give Ben a follow @taubert_knives on instagram!
Which is your favourite Quoll? Know a wild quoll hotspot? Should we plan a knife meet-up? Drop it in the comments. And if you’ve got a design brewing, maybe it’s time to enter the next Kizer X You competition. Who knows, next year we might be writing about you.