The iF DESIGN AWARD is one of the most prestigious design awards in the world - with almost 11,000 entries from 56 countries in 2023. Owned by the certified non-profit iF Design Foundation, which promotes design and its social significance, the iF DESIGN AWARD is truly independent.

It’s not that common to find snow chains awarded with prestigious design prizes, the König Design Team did it once again: the König Reflex Edge has just been accredited with the 2023 IF Design Award.

In fact, the König Reflex Edge does not look like the typical snow chains people have in mind: it represents a completely new and revolutionary traction device, making snow chain fitting operations like a breeze, even on cars affected by restricted wheelhouses.

The design is based on a form-follows-function approach. All the elements handled by the user during fitting/demounting operations are manufactured in soft-touch materials, the double-arch design allows the micro-cable to slide through, allowing all the chains parts to be tensioned by acting exclusively on the outer Reflex Box trigger. Additionally, the double-arch design lacks the typical steel side chains, providing a way better integration between the snow chain and the rim itself.

Not only the König Reflex Edge features a unique design, but it makes the fitting of snow chains sensibly easier.

Thanks to the innovative and ground-breaking concept, the chain comes from the factory as ready-to-go, it does not require any tool and it avoids, from user's side, all the typical hooking and unhooking operations which might sound uncomfortable when temperatures are low out there.

The fitting procedure requires the user just to stretch the external arch first, then do the same on the internal side and, once reached the maximum extension, simply fit it over the tyre. That literally reminds the fitting of a beanie on the head.

The second big news about the König Reflex Edge is the tensioning device: it’s the first snow chain which got designed around the Reflex Box, a completely new tensioning system.

Apart from being better-designed compared to the other tensioning systems available on the market, the Reflex Box is fully integrated in the snow chain design from scratch. In terms of function, the Reflex Box inner spring pulls the dedicated micro-cable, responsible of tightening of the external and the internal side of the chain. Practically, by switching the Reflex Box red trigger, the automatic tensioning gets instantly activated and the chain gets tightened at first wheel rotation. Et voilà! With just one car stop and a few seconds taken, the König Reflex Edge is installed on the wheel.

The more the user drives, the more the chain reaches a tailored tensioning level (according to the tyre size and profile) and compared to most of the snow chains on the market, the König Reflex Edge provides a super-limited lift: that’s a crucial aspect for application on cars affected by wheelhouse clearance limitations.

All König products are designed, engineered and manufactured in Europe and the König Reflex Edge is no exception.

Launched in September 2022, the product is available at the most prestigious stores, both physical and online.