Author: Tim (page 105 of 113)

Timothy Martinez Jr. is the community director for Knife Depot and the editor of The Cutting Edge. If you have any questions or ideas for The Cutting Edge, you can contact him at Tim@knife-depot.com.

Win a Bear Grylls’ Ultimate Multi-Tool!

April 26, 2011 / Tim / 37 Comments

Bear Grylls is a survivalist stud. He jumps out of planes, eats eyeballs, swims with alligators and hurls himself into freezing, ice water. He does pretty much every badass thing possible and he does it all in style, which is why he needs badass equipment all the time.

The Bear Grylls’ Ultimate Multi-Tool

Enter the Bear Grylls’ Ultimate Multi-Tool, a 12-part multi-tool that’s as rugged as Bear.

This all-in-one offers 12 total components: needle nose pliers, both fine-edge and serrated knives, saw, Phillips screwdriver, small and medium flat drivers, lanyard ring, bottle opener, can opener, scissors and wire cutters.

So, if necessary, you can pry open a can of tuna, remove a splinter, cut through wire, saw through a rope, unscrew something, unscrew something else, cut a bandage and then, to celebrate everything you accomplished, pop open a cold beer—all with one tool!

The multi-tool is also light, weighing under 9 ounces, and its spring-loaded jaw makes it easy for one-handed use. In addition, it comes with a sweet nylon sheath and a Bear Grylls’ pocket survival guide, which has survival basics designed to help keep you alive if you are stranded in the wilderness.

This last feature got me thinking: What happens when Bear Grylls needs survival advice? Who does he call, the survival gods? Well, maybe he calls you, yeah that’s right, you.

How to Win a Bear Grylls’ Ultimate Multi-Tool

If you want to win this multi-tool all you have to do is advise Bear on how to use his multi-tool to get out of the following situation, which, considering his reputation, is totally realistic.

Bear is standing on a rock in the middle of the Amazon River wearing nothing but camouflage briefs. On one bank there is a nest full of anacondas. On the other, there is a vicious-looking jaguar that hasn’t eaten in weeks. The river is full of piranhas.

Bear has possession of the following things: a coconut, a monkey, two 16-ounce Budweiser bottles and 10 palm leaves, in addition to his Ultimate Multi-Tool with 12 components. Give Bear advice on how to escape to safety by entering your answer in the comment field below.

You must submit your entry (and you can only submit one) prior to Friday 10 p.m. Central Time. Then, we’ll pick our top three favorites and publish them on the blog for readers to vote on. Be creative. Be imaginative. Good luck!

Knives Save Lives: Chanda Davis

April 22, 2011 / Tim / 10 Comments

This is the sixth post in a series that explores cases around the world in which a knife is used to save someone’s life or prevent serious injury.

You never know when something bad is going to happen. Chanda Davis was in one of these unexpected situations in her usually safe South Carolina backyard.

Earlier this month, she was outside her home with her 2-year-old daughter getting a grill ready when all of a sudden two pit bulls skulked into her backyard.

According to an interview, Davis’ daughter shouted “mommy” and when she turned around the two pit bulls were making a move toward her.

Davis instantly picked up her little girl and tossed her on the hood of the car so the pit bulls couldn’t reach.

That’s when the dogs turned on her. Luckily, Davis’ English bulldog came running to her side and the three dogs began viciously fighting one another, so Davis sprung into action.

Umbrella that looks like sword mistaken for gun

April 20, 2011 / Tim / 5 Comments

In very odd news, a mall in Boston was put on lockdown after a man carrying an umbrella that resembles the handle and sheath of a samurai sword was thought to actually be carrying a rifle.

Although this isn’t 100% knife-related news, it’s still fascinating to see how people react to weapons, whether it’s something that looks like a sword or perhaps looks like a gun. It also raises the question as to whether people should be allowed to carry objects that look like weapons.

One of the police officers who responded to the incident said that although it’s a free country and people should be able to buy what they please, people should not buy an item that looks like a weapon based on pure common sense.

This isn’t the first time these umbrellas caused controversy. Last summer, a SWAT team was called to an Atlanta university after students reported someone was carrying a samurai sword. Of course, the deadly sword turned out to be a harmless umbrella.

So, what do you think? Would you wear one of these cool-looking umbrellas knowing that people might mistake it for a sword or would you rather keep your real samurai sword safely at home?

Would America Be Safer If Everyone Was Required To Own A Knife?

April 17, 2011 / Tim / 15 Comments

We’ve been blogging a lot lately about efforts to regulate knives, such as a proposed law in Nevada that would make it illegal for a parent to carry a pocket knife to a high school football game.

In researching knife laws, I’ve realized they’re often very similar to gun laws: fear-based and irrational.

I recently checked out a pretty cool video about guns in Switzerland. The Swiss have a proud military tradition and require all males to serve in the militia until the age of 30. When joining, each Swiss citizen is issued a SIG SG 550 automatic rifle, and must keep the weapon at home during their service in case of an invasion. The weapons are inspected regularly to make sure that no unauthorized use occurs and incidents of the guns being used for crime are extremely rare. Militiaman are allowed to keep their weapon after the service, though it is removed of its automatic function.

So, the big question, obviously, is what are the results of this novel experiment?

Serrated Edge Vs. Straight Edge: Which Do You Prefer?

April 14, 2011 / Tim / 49 Comments

It’s an age old debate that many knife enthusiasts have discussed for hours into the night in windowless rooms: serrated edge or straight edge?

I think the discussion is often unfairly simplified to a this-one-is-overall-better-than-that-one debate, which is simply untrue.

While you may have personal preferences for different reasons, the functionality of a serrated blade versus a straight-edged blade really depends on what you’re using it for. So, if you’re thinking about what type of blade you’re like to get, here are some pros and cons about serrated, straight and partially serrated blades.

Continue reading

The William Wallace Sword Contest Winners Are…

April 12, 2011 / Tim / 1 Comment

Last week, we ran our first contest at the Cutting Edge and the response was huge! Over 200 people commented on blog posts during the week to enter to win a 51-inch William Wallace replica sword. Since turnout was so good, we decided to give away a second sword as well! Next week, we’ll be announcing a new product give-away, so stop by for another chance to win great knife merchandise. And without further delay, the winners are…

Eino Hill

William Gagliardi

Knives Save Lives: Navy SEAL John Gay

April 12, 2011 / Tim / 0 Comments

I think it’s obvious to say that war is dangerous. That’s where tensions are always high, lives are at risk and sheer survival is the number one priority.

So, it’s probably no surprise that in wartime situations, knives have a greater propensity to save lives than in everyday situations. However, this next story in our series Knives Save Lives shows just how carrying a knife and having a lot of luck can save a life.

It begins in October of 1993 during the Battle of Mogadishu when two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down. For anyone unfamiliar with this story, I recommend the film or book Black Hawk Down, which details the skirmish between United States military and Somali militia fighters who were loyal to the Somali president.

Navy SEAL John Gay was part of the operation to recover the crew of the helicopters. As bullets were flying, Gay valiantly carried out his mission until he was struck by an AK-47 round.

For most people, if they’re shot with a bullet in the hip, it could be devastating, but in battle, any serious injury could be fatal because of the presence of an enemy. However, Gay went relatively unscathed thanks to the presence of his Randall Bowie knife.

Switchblades allowed for one-armed Maine residents for good reason

April 11, 2011 / Tim / 6 Comments

A few months ago, my colleague wrote a post on legislation in Maine that would legalize switchblades for one-armed people.

Last week, Maine lawmakers finally passed that legislation, which will make Maine the first state to allow people to carry switchblades.

Typically, spring action knives are illegal to carry, but Maine is making an exception for one-armed people who cannot open a knife quickly in emergency situations. There is a caveat, of course, that says the blade on the knife cannot be longer than three inches.

While this news is fantastic for one-armed people in Maine who have had to slowly open their knives with their teeth, it’s sparked much mockery and criticism from people around the web. Their main criticism is that Maine lawmakers are not using their time wisely and that this is unnecessary for one-armed people because they’ll never really need a knife that quickly.

Although they may have a legitimate gripe with the part about lawmakers not taking care of bigger issues (i.e. Maine’s growing budget woes), to say that one-armed people will never need knives quickly for emergency purposes is simply wrong.

The Life of William Wallace and His Six-Foot Sword.

April 10, 2011 / Tim / 53 Comments

This post is the last in a week-long series about swords in conjunction with our first Cutting Edge product give-away. Place a comment before midnight (Central Time) on Sunday and you’ll be entered to win a 51-inch William Wallace replica sword ($119 value).

“I could not be a traitor to Edward for I was never his subject,’ said William Wallace while being tried for treason after his capture in August of 1305. Unfortunately, the British government thought otherwise.

After a brief trial, Wallace was stripped naked and dragged through the city by a horse. He was then hanged until he was barely alive, castrated, sliced open and forced to watch while his entrails were burned, and eventually decapitated. His head was covered in tar and placed on a pike on a top of London bridge.

It was undoubtedly a rough way to die, but Wallace had sent many a foe to equally brutal deaths during his reign as the most notorious freedom-fighter in Scotland.

Wallace’s crusade against the British began after infighting amongst the Scottish nobility allowed England to seize Scotland in 1296. While doing so, the British perpetrated a wide range of atrocities against the Scottish people

Historians speculate that Wallace’s wrath was additionally motivated by the murder of Marion Braidfute, a Scottish heiress that he was married to. He took revenge by slaying her murderer, William Heselright, the English Sheriff of Lanark.

From there, Wallace won a string of battles, pushing the British away from Scotland and inciting his fellow countryman to revolution. Often outnumbered and facing armies with superior weaponry, Wallace used military strategy to his advantage. His employment of tactical arrangements—like the Sheltron—as well as his use of strategic terrain defied military ethics of his time.

Top 10 Badass Movie Sword Fights (#1)

April 10, 2011 / Tim / 10 Comments

We’re counting down the top 10 movie sword fights of all time in conjunction with our first Cutting Edge product give-away. Comment on this post or any other between today and midnight on Sunday and you’ll be entered to win a 51-inch William Wallace replica sword .

If you are one of the first ten people to comment on any individual post, you’ll get DOUBLE ENTRIES.

1. Kill Bill, Vol. 1 – The Bride Vs. The Crazy 88

This Quentin Tarantino classic, starring Uma Thurman as a sword wielding bride out for revenge, has a variety of legendary and violent fight scenes. In this scene the bride faces the wrath of The Crazy 88 and all their violence. That scene begins around the 4 minute mark, but the previous scene is also worth a watch. The combination of sword fighting skills, violence and awesomeness makes this the number one movie sword fight.