Author: Glenn (Page 90 of 133)

Knives Save Lives: Trapped Baby in a Sunken Car

November 26, 2014 / Glenn / 0 Comments

A picture of the crash provided by Maine State Police.

“They come in handy, I guess. Monday night really proved it,” Moody said.

That’s a quote from a 44-year-old logger from Maine named Leo Moody describing pocket knives.

Not long ago, Moody was driving home from work when he saw an SUV flipped upside down in the water. He called 911 and rushed to the vehicle where one of the passengers said there was a baby trapped in the back seat.

As only a special type of person would do, Moody immediately swam through the cold water to the vehicle where he saw the 3-month-old stuck in the child seat.

At this point, the average person would be helpless and incapable of ripping a jammed seat belt with bare hands. Fortunately, Moody is not your average person. He pulled out a pocket knife and began cutting away.

Badass Knife of the Week: Spyderco Pacific Salt

November 21, 2014 / Glenn / 0 Comments

Spyderco Pacific Salt

With its vast amounts of salt and water, the ocean has destroyed countless knives with rust and ruin. But no knife can brave the elements of the sea like the latest Badass Knife of the Week: the Spyderco Pacific Salt.

The Spyderco Pacific Salt is not only the ultimate diving knife but it is also perfectly designed for everyday carry.

Knife Rights Releases Rankings of 10 Worst Anti-Knife Cities

November 20, 2014 / Glenn / 14 Comments

1438278_44034159

Since its inception in late 2006, Knife Rights has worked hard to lobby against those with an anti-knife agenda. The organization has done a ton of advocacy for knife rights and has made a huge impact with knife legislation. We covered just a little of what they’ve done in an older blog post.

At the NASC Annual Sportsman-Legislator Summit in Oregon, Knife Rights released their first annual review of the worst and best knife laws in America.

Here’s more from Knife Rights on the ranking:

The ten worst anti-knife cities stand out for their outright persecution of honest knife owners and extraordinarily restrictive anti-knife ordinances, far more severe than even the state laws in those areas.

You can see the rankings over at Knife Rights but we thought we’d share it here as well. Some of the information about the laws in the cities are taken from Knife Rights.

Here are the 10 worst cities for knife owners.

10. Aspen, Colorado

In Aspen, it’s illegal to carry a concealed knife of any type in a car, unless you have a concealed weapons permit. It’s perfectly legal to buy marijuana in Aspen, but don’t even think about driving with your pocketknife hidden somewhere.

9. Corpus Christi, Texas (Update: removed from list in 2015 with the passage of Texas’ knife preemption law)

Limited Edition Kershaw Ruby Sells Out in 1 minute 3 seconds

November 18, 2014 / Glenn / 0 Comments

For 40 years, Kershaw Knives has been at the top of its game, putting out some of the most respected knives on the market. The Leek, Blur, Clash, Amphibian, Cryo, Shuffle, Blackout, and Knockout have garnered cult followings over the years.

Kershaw is a perennial winner at the annual BLADE Show and remains one of the most respected brands out there. So it’s not surprising that Kershaw pulled no stops with its 40 year anniversary model: the Ruby model 4040.

kershaw-ruby

The limited edition knife was produced to commemorate the four-decade anniversary and integrated many of Kershaw’s patented designs and features.

Badass Knife of the Week: Gil Hibben Survivor Bowie

November 13, 2014 / Glenn / 1 Comment

Gil Hibben Survivor Bowie

Like the classic Bowie knives of the Old West, the Gil Hibben Survivor Bowie is the ultimate warrior. This Badass Knife of the Week is 15 inches of pure power and can handle any hard-core tasks you throw at it.

Badass Knife of the Week: Gerber LMF II

November 7, 2014 / Glenn / 0 Comments

Gerber LMF II

Whether you’re smashing through a window to save a trapped loved one, chopping up kindling for a campfire, or escaping from behind enemy lines, this week’s Badass Knife of the Week is the tool you want by your side.

The Gerber LMF II Infantry is one of the most popular and respected military/survival knives of the past few decades and consistently lives up to its reputation as a solid all-around knife.

Knife Myths: More Expensive Knives Are Always Better

November 6, 2014 / Glenn / 18 Comments

knifebusted

We’re continuing our series on knife misconceptions with another prevalent myth: More expensive knives are always better than less pricey ones and don’t need to be sharpened as often.

When people see an exorbitant price tag on something, most assume that it’s the best in its class. In general, more expensive knives are typically made with better materials and feature better craftsmanship, but that’s not always the case.

Let’s take a quick look at a “cheap” knife that will stand up to some higher end models. Mora of Sweden is notorious for making some of the best low-cost knives on the market and the Mora Clipper 840 will only set you back about $14, despite being considered a highly respected knife with quality that’s above par.

The Mora Clipper won’t break your wallet but still gets rave reviews.

You can also get knives like the Old Timer Sharpfinger, Kershaw Cinder, or Smith & Wesson H.R.T. Boot Knife for under $20. All of these have great reviews and reputation for their build quality.

So why are some knives more expensive than others despite having similar features or craftsmanship. A few things can explain the difference in price:

Marketing: We all know that Beats headphones are priced higher than Sony headphones, despite having similar specs on many models. So what’s the difference? Marketing, of course. Beats by Dre is just cooler and therefore you will pay more for that brand name. Sometimes, the same thing goes for knives.
More expensive materials: Why is one Case Jack Knife $200 more than another Case Jack Knife? Mother of Pearl. Other than the more expensive handle material, the knives have the same craftsmanship and general design.
Custom: A custom-made or limited edition knife will generally cost more. The reason for that is you’re paying for exclusivity and in some cases a name. However, I should say here that a custom knife does frequently feature better craftsmanship than an inexpensive factory folder.

Mother of Pearl and other rare materials can raise a knife’s price.

So now that we know that the more expensive a knife is doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better, we’ll tackle the second part of the misconception: more expensive knives don’t need to be cared for as much as cheaper knives and never have to be sharpened.

Badass Knife of the Week: KA-BAR ZK War Sword

October 31, 2014 / Glenn / 3 Comments

KA-BAR ZK War Sword

It’s Z-day. Half of the population is infected with a virus that makes them thirsty for blood and hungry for flesh. The dead walk among the living, and the hordes of zombies are getting closer. If there is only one knife you could have in your hand, make it the latest Badass Knife of the Week.

The KA-BAR Zombie Killer War Sword is the ultimate zombie exterminator. With a nearly 10-inch blade, the ZK War Sword will mow down the undead with impunity.

Gerber Steady Tool Review

October 30, 2014 / Glenn / 1 Comment

Back in 2012, Gerber released a product that appealed to the amateur photographer and smartphone demographic by having a tripod built in to a regular multi-tool. I received this from Gerber a while back as a thank you for helping them with an event in New York City, so I finally decided to try it out.

Here’s my review of the Gerber Steady Tool.

First Impressions

After handling various Leatherman multi-tools, the first thing that jumped out to me was the look and feel of the body. Unlike the full metal bodies of other plier multi-tools, the Steady Tool features a plastic body that offers more grip but also feels a bit different in the hand.

The construction of the tool seems solid and well put together, with nothing being overly loose. The tools, on the other hand, might be a little too tight. Pulling out some of the screwdrivers is extremely difficult (we’ll talk more about this later).

Since the obvious person this is marketed to is the weekend adventurer, I took it along on a trip to Joshua Tree.

The Tripod

Normally, it’d begin with a look at the actual knives and tools of the product, but because the tripod is the key feature of this multi-tool, that’s where we’ll start.

To engage the tripod, you pull out two legs from the handle while the other side of the handle acts as a third leg to balance the camera. A screw-in mount must be pulled up to give you something to put the camera on.

Knife Myths: Stainless Steel Doesn’t Stain

October 25, 2014 / Glenn / 7 Comments

We’re starting a brand new series that tackles some of the most prominent knife myths out there. Many will be false and some will be true, but all will be steeped in facts.

What better way to kick off the series than with one of the most prominent myths out there: Stainless steel won’t stain.

As much as we’d like that to be true, it turns out stainless steel is simply a misnomer. No one sums it up better than our friend Zvi over at zknives.com. Here’s an excerpt from his must-read kitchen knife steel FAQ:

“Technically and precisely speaking, there is no such thing as stainless steel. What has became an accepted term in the industry isn’t correct. All steels will rust, if proper care is not taken. Simply, some steels resist corrosion better than others, and that’s all there is to it. Thus, the correct term is stain-resistant.”

Evidence of rust on a stainless steel blade from UnluckyHunter.com

So where did stainless steel get its decidedly misleading name? It’s true that sometimes things are just endowed with partially true names (many a disgruntled wife will tell you that “morning sickness” should instead be called “all day sickness”), and the naming of the steel is no different.