Author: Glenn (Page 44 of 127)

UK Faces Serious Questions About Knives and Its Future

April 12, 2018 / Glenn / 2 Comments

By now, I’m sure you’ve seen this:

No excuses: there is never a reason to carry a knife. Anyone who does will be caught, and they will feel the full force of the law. https://t.co/XILUvIFLOW

— Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@MayorofLondon) April 8, 2018

This has caused an uproar from those who are alarmed about the future of knives and life in general in the United Kingdom.l

I too am alarmed about the moves London and the UK are making related to knife regulations. But the truth is that these latest knife regulations have been a long time coming and are way more complicated than it seems.

Strict UK Knife Laws Get Stricter

The United Kingdom already has some of the strictest knife laws in the world. No one is allowed to carry a knife without good reason unless it has a blade three inches or less and doesn’t lock. (Though try persuading a bobby that you’re carrying a three-inch nonlocking folder with good reason and see where that gets you.)

Police have also been targeting knives over the past few years as the country has seen a drastic uptick in knife crimes.

A few years ago we wrote about and mocked how the UK was thinking about banning zombie knives. Sure, zombie knives are a bizarre conceit that companies seized upon during the zombie craze, but it seemed crazy to think that would stop things.

The latest measures announced by the mayor of London tackle the rise of knife crime in different ways. Knives and acid will no longer be delivered to homes. Met police are also now emboldened to conduct stop-and-frisk searches. (We already know the effect that had in New York City.)

Joel McHale Gives Celebrities Knives Instead of Tote Bags

April 10, 2018 / Glenn / 1 Comment

I’ve never been on a talk show for obvious reasons, but I know most will give some sort of free swag as a thank you.

It’s typical to give a tote bag with the name of the show on it containing some cheeses or a coffee mug. But that’s not what actor and comedian Joel McHale does.

He gives people massive Cold Steel folding knives.

Watch this clip featuring Allison Janney, an actress who has had a long illustrious film and television career, on “The Late Late Show with James Corbin.”

To be honest, I’m a little disappointed he didn’t explain the merits of carrying and using knives or at least pointing to my article 101 uses for a pocket knife to better educate the silent audience. Of course, McHale went for the jokes instead. That’s why he’s a handsome comedian and I’m just some dude writing about knives.

This isn’t the first time McHale, who is a well-known fan of Cold Steel and knives in general, gave someone a knife as a gift. Apparently he gave writer-director Scott Derrickson a $2,000 Cold Steel knife for Christmas a few years back.

Gerber Prodigy – Badass Knife of the Week

April 9, 2018 / Glenn / 0 Comments

A prodigy is a child or young person who is exceptionally good at something, a savant if you will. With that definition in mind, Prodigy perfectly fits as the name of our latest Badass Knife of the Week.

The Gerber Prodigy is based on the award-winning (and previous Badass Knife of the Week) LMF II but somehow manages to pack the same punch in a smaller package. The Prodigy features a very similar design and purpose as the LMF II, only thinned out to create a more versatile tool.

At a length of 4.75 inches, the blade of the Prodigy is only a few tenths of an inch shorter than the beefier LMF II. Where it cuts down on weight and size is the depth of the 420HC stainless steel blade. It is still durable enough to handle any task you throw at it but won’t keep you bogged down.

15 Discontinued Knife Models That Should Make a Comeback

April 5, 2018 / Glenn / 6 Comments

Nothing lasts forever.

Every single year, dozens of knife models get discontinued for one reason or another. But just because a knife is discontinued due to low sales or a lack of space in the lineup doesn’t mean it wasn’t good.

In fact, many discontinued knives were well made and beloved by many. Some gems have gone the way of the dodo and we wanted to take a look back at a few of our favorite or most-missed production knives.

I understand most of these are available on the second market for sometimes exorbitant prices, but I’d love to see these knives back in production for more reasonable prices.

Benchmade AFCK

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If I had to guess, I’d venture the Benchmade AFCK is the knife people want to bring back the most.

The AFCK (Advanced Folding Combat Knife) was designed by former Navy SEAL Chris Caracci for Benchmade. It featured a visually appealing blade that was optimized for self-defense but worked well for everyday carry. The blade had a Spyderco Round Hole and it used a liner lock. Caracci didn’t care much for the AXIS.

Man Who Returned Stolen Medford Knife Gets Cool Surprise

April 3, 2018 / Glenn / 2 Comments

Knife sales from customer to customer happen all the time.

Someone puts up a knife for sale in a Facebook group or on a forum and another buys the knife used for a reasonable cost. The seller gets money and more room for other knives while the buyer gets a cool new knife.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t always go that way.

Aaron, who goes by the name of hkwinger on YouTube, Instagram, and other social media outlets, sold one of his Medford Titanium Praetorian knives to another person via Facebook. The knife was delivered to the person but the person said it was not on his doorstep when he got home and that it was stolen off his porch.

Cold Steel Tuff Lite – Badass Knife of the Week

April 2, 2018 / Glenn / 0 Comments

Cold Steel is known for its humungous folding knives with blades stretching up to 6 inches long. But what if I told you one of Cold Steel’s best knives was a small folder with a cute little Wharncliffe blade.

That would be the Cold Steel Tuff Lite — the latest Badass Knife of the Week.

Cold Steel creates knives that are meant to be worked hard without fear of failure. Despite the Tuff Lite’s small size and stature, Cold Steel delivers.

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The blade features a 2.5-inch blade made from Japanese AUS 8A stainless steel, an alloy known for its ease to sharpen and toughness. Using a classic Wharncliffe design, the blade has a straight edge and a point that can pierce. This underrated blade shape is deceptively versatile for everyday carry.

Is Amazon Restricting the Sale of Legal Knives to Some States?

March 29, 2018 / Glenn / 55 Comments

There are hundreds of reasons not to buy knives from Amazon.

Not only is there a possibility you’d get a fake knife but it is also crippling small businesses like ours. (Oh, and Amazon also treat employees like crap.)

And now Amazon has started preventing law-abiding citizens from buying and shipping knives to certain states.

To be honest, I’m not entirely sure how long this has been going on or how widespread it is, but a customer brought it to our attention. Here’s the lowdown.

A customer tried to purchase a Kershaw Link from Amazon and have it shipped somewhere in Long Island, New York. However, upon checkout, they got a notice saying the item “can’t be shipped to your selected address.” So, he wisely bought the folder from Knife Depot instead.

Why?

New York & Massachusetts Restricted

After I did a little digging, I found one of the earliest incidence of a restricted knife purchase was in 2012 on a forum post at NY Firearms. That was chocked up to a possible error.

The issue didn’t seem to start gaining more attention until late 2017 when someone posted on Blade Forums about a knife purchase not going through. However, this one was from Massachusetts.

I did my own little experiment trying to buy and ship a Kershaw Cryo G-10 to an address in New York City.

This is what I got:

I thought it could just be because the address was in New York City so I picked an address in Central New York (Syracuse, to be exact). The same result.

Check Out the Caswell ‘Morphing Karambit’ (MKV2) on Kickstarter

March 27, 2018 / Glenn / 7 Comments

We proved long ago that innovation in the knife world isn’t dead, thanks to genius knifemakers like the Hawks. But, for those who need even more evidence that knife creativity is alive and thriving, there’s the Joe Caswell “Morphing Karambit” Version 2 (MKV2).

The MKV2 by Caswell Knives boasts a design like few others. It uses a manual morphing action to activate the blade quickly and smoothly.

Watch the introduction to the knife.

Caswell posted the knife on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter about a week ago with a modest goal of $23,000. As of publication, the project has raised more than $200,000 from nearly 400 backers, making it the top trending project at Kickstarter. It was likely the first time a knife project ever claimed that spot. It still has nearly two weeks to go.

Condor TK Stratos – Badass Knife of the Week

March 26, 2018 / Glenn / 0 Comments

Condor Tool & Knife is an underrated knife company.

The company has roots that date back to 1787 and has been making quality knives workers and outdoorsmen have depended on for centuries.

Our Badass Knife of the Week is just the latest in the company’s long tradition of making reliable fixed blades.

The Condor Stratos is a superb all-around survival and bushcrafting knife with a simple design that won’t let you down.

Watch a Knife Handle Get Made From Cat Hair

March 20, 2018 / Glenn / 0 Comments

Can’t figure out what to do with the globs and globs of cat hair blowing around your house like tiny, dander-filled tumbleweeds?

Well, Daniel Jansson of the Switch & Lever YouTube channel thinks you should convert it into a knife handle.

In a nine-minute video posted to YouTube earlier this year, Jansson shows the process of taking a handful of disgusting cat hair and transforming it into an exotic-looking knife handle.