Author: Tim (page 17 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.

What is Lock Stick and How Do You Fix It?

April 16, 2019 / Tim / 10 Comments

It’s happened to almost all of us.

You get a brand new framelock folding knife in the mail and eagerly engage it. Everything seems fine as the knife opens smoothly and effortlessly. But, just as you’re closing it, you notice the framelock is extremely difficult to disengage.

This is known colloquially as lock stick.

Unfortunately, it’s an all-too-common issue in framelocks and even liner locks. The good thing is that there are several ways to go about fixing it.

What Causes Lock Stick?

In the most basic terms, lock stick is when a framelock or liner lock feels sticky when trying to unlock it. This makes it more difficult and sometimes even painful to disengage.

That’s the definition of lock stick, but what actually causes the major knife annoyance?

Galling

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The cause of the issue is multifaceted. One of the reasons has to do with the lockbar material and the blade steel. Lock stick happens most prominently in knives with titanium handles because titanium is susceptible to galling and tends to stick to dissimilar metals.

For example, if you have a titanium lockbar contacting with the tang of an S35VN blade, they have the tendency to stick to one another. That’s why this issue isn’t reserved only for budget knives but also affects pricier ones.

Boker Plus Kwaiken – Badass Knife of the Week

April 15, 2019 / Tim / 0 Comments

Boker calls the Kwaiken one of the most influential designs of the 21st century. While that may sound like hyperbole, it’s not too far from the truth.

The Boker Plus Kwaiken, designed by Lucas Burnley, took the concept of a functional and crisp knife that’s made to cut to the extreme. Based on the clean Japanese knives of old, this folding version of Burnley’s Kwaiken Classic fixed blade appeals to nearly everyone — from the groom at a wedding to law enforcement personnel.

The knife has a long and slender 3.5-inch blade that opens effortlessly with the flick of the flipper tab. A piercing point and a long cutting area make using this knife a dream. Its VG-10 stainless steel provides solid rust resistance and ease of sharpening.

Legislation on ‘Gravity Knives’ in NY Moves Forward… Again

April 11, 2019 / Tim / 1 Comment

The arrests of knife owners in New York continues.

More than four years after the Village Voice published an exposé on how vague wording in the statutes have led to thousands of arrests against mostly minority knife owners in New York City, the arrests are still going on.

Even after lobbying from Knife Rights and the passage of two bills by the state’s legislature clarifying the law (which were ultimately vetoed), police are still using gravity knives as an excuse to arrest law-abiding citizens.

But, “tenacious dems” — as Knife Rights puts it — have continued to work on stopping the arrests in New York City. The state assembly just passed a bill that would completely remove “gravity knives” from New York criminal statutes. It passed unanimously. The state senate will soon vote on a companion bill, and I expect it to be passed near unanimously as well.

What happens after that remains a question.

KA-BAR BK7 Becker Combat Utility – Badass Knife of the Week

April 8, 2019 / Tim / 2 Comments

Sometimes you just need a big honkin’ knife to get the job done. Enter the Badass Knife of the Week.

The KA-BAR BK7 Combat Utility Knife is billed as the ultimate, all-purpose fixed blade designed specifically for soldiers and hard-core adventurers. It does not disappoint.

When we say the knife is huge, we’re not joking. The BK7 comes in at a total length of 12.75 inches. The 7-inch clip point blade is made from 1095 Cro-Van steel, an alloy that’s easy to sharpen and takes tons of abuse. Black coating also helps the high carbon steel better stand up to the elements.

The blade has a few more things going in its favor. A swedge along the spine near the tip helps give the knife even more penetrative power. Jimping, a sharpening choil, and a flat grind are all little things often ignored on larger knives.

Montana Repeals Switchblade Ban

April 5, 2019 / Tim / 1 Comment

Knife Rights secured yet another victory — this time for the people of Montana.

A switchblade ban repeal and knife preemption bill was officially signed into law by Montana Governor Steve Bullock this week.

This means that switchblades (also known as automatic knives) are now legal to own and carry in the Treasure State. The knife preemption part of the bill ensures that the law is clear throughout the state. Local knife ordinances no longer apply if they are stricter than the state-wide knife law.

Unlike some bills, HB 155 takes effect immediately, so if you’re in Montana and want to buy an automatic knife, there’s no need to wait.

Image: Martin Kraft License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The legislation was really pushed by bill sponsor Rep. Casey Knudsen who argued that the initial ban was unnecessary. Here’s more from a January story in the Great Falls Tribune:

“There is no good reason they were banned in first place other than 1950s Hollywood movies depicting them as a weapon for delinquents and such,” Knudsen said.

…

Knudsen described switchblades as one “of the safest knives on the market,” adding they can be opened and closed with one hand. He said they are convenient for people with disabilities.

Like most knife bills that get passed, this was also supposed by libertarians and defenders of civil rights, such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Roundup of the Best 2019 April Fools Jokes

April 2, 2019 / Tim / 1 Comment

Another April Fools Day is behind us and so are a bunch of hilarious jokes companies and brands pulled.

Instead of moving on, we thought it’d be funny to take a look back at all the best knife-related jokes and pranks for April Fools Day 2019. Here are the main ones we saw and enjoyed. Let us know your favorites in the comments.

Victorinox Survival Rx Glasses

I admit that this one initially got me. First because it was sent out in an email on March 29 and second because it’s something I’d actually buy.

Victorinox teased special edition Survival Rx reading glasses with built-in tools like those found in a Swiss Army Knife. There were scissors, a bottle opener, tweezers, a toothpick, and a corkscrew that come off the frames of the glasses.

They even made a video in conjunction with GlassesUSA.com. Check it out:

As a glasses-wearer and daily carrier of a Swiss Army Knife, I was excited to see something like this. Sure, it’s crazy but then I saw the price tag starting at $129 and knew it was a fake.

Still, good idea and great execution. Well done Victorinox and GlassesUSA.com.

Blade Magazine Finds Original Bowie

Blade Magazine is not above having some fun on April Fools Day either.

On April 1, they tweeted this:

This may be the single most important story BLADE has ever broke.

The knife used by James Bowie at the 1827 Sandbar Fight has been recovered. Only BLADE has the photo.https://t.co/KG8viBJOoh #knifenut #knifecommunity #knifelife #knifecollecting #knifemaking #haveaknifeday

— BLADE Magazine (@BladeMagazine) April 1, 2019

Anyone who follows the magazine knows that the original Bowie knife has been an elusive treasure that has yet to be found. Could this finally be it?

Byrd Hawkbill – Badass Knife of the Week

April 1, 2019 / Tim / 0 Comments

When you want to try a Spyderco design without spending too much, you turn to Byrd Knives.

Byrd is a value-focused subbrand of Spyderco that features designs inspired by many of its iconic flagship models. The Hawkbill is a perfect example. Using the same handle shape and design of the Meadowlark 2, which itself is inspired by the handle of the Delica 4, this Byrd folder is an excellent entry option for a hawkbill blade folder.

The hawkbill profile has its roots in the commercial fishing industry where the curved tip and serrations help cut lines and fibrous materials in a pinch. The edge of this knife features the SpyderEdge, a two-step serration pattern that increases the edge’s surface area by 24 percent. The best part of the SpyderEdge is that it cuts and doesn’t just tear.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BtrDnIYBYZF/

The 2.875-inch blade has the benefit of being great on the open waters but also providing a ferocious ally in life-threatening situations. It uses a variation of the Spyderco Round Hole that works in a similarly reliable fashion.

See 10 New Spyderco Prototypes Revealed by SpyderCollector

March 29, 2019 / Tim / 0 Comments

It’s that time of the year again — the Spyderco Amsterdam Meet.

The Spyderco Meet in Amsterdam is a small event in which Eric Glesser brings about a 100 prototypes and concept models to discuss with the public. Many of the models never see the light of day or are too early in the design phase. But Spyderco typically allows a handful to be shared with the public.

The person who usually does the sharing is one Spydercollector.

In case you’re unfamiliar with Spydercollector, he is a diehard Spyderco collector and enthusiast who goes by the handle Mr Blonde on the forums. I did a two-part interview with him way back in 2011 (part 1 here and part 2 here), so check those out if you’re interested.

For the 2019 meet, which took place March 17, Spydercollector was able to photograph and reveal 10 prototypes. He gave us permission to share them with you here and use some of his images. I’ll link to his own blog which has far more images of these knives. I also highly recommend following Spydercollector on Instagram and YouTube.

Anyway, here are the 10 models from the 2019 Amsterdam Spyderco Meet. There is no info on availability but Spydercollector thinks these could be seen in upcoming reveals this year.

Spyderco Endela

First up is the Spyderco Endela — the missing link between the Endura and the Delica (I guess the name Delidura wasn’t good enough). The blade has a rough measurement of 3.38 inches. For comparison, the blade on the Endura is 3.75 inches and the blade on the Delica is 2.875 inches.

This is a happy medium that doesn’t reinvent the wheel but does fill a gap in the Endura/Delica lineup.

Spyderco Sage 5 LW

For followers of this blog, the Sage 5 Lightweight isn’t new. Eric Glesser gave a very early preview in a YouTube video a few weeks back. Take a look:

The Sage 5 is frequently called an excellent EDC design and this lighter weight version that should be a little more budget friendly further makes the case. Spydercollector weighed this in at around 1.86 ounces. Now that’s lightweight.

Spyderco Native Chief

From what we’ve seen at this meet, it looks like Spyderco is filling in missing parts of existing lines (as we’ll see later). We already have the regular G-10 Native and the Lil Native, so now we get its big brother in the Native Chief. The standard Native has a sub-3-inch blade, but the Native Chief has a roughly 4-inch blade.

CRKT Introduces Premium ‘XOC’ with Deadbolt Lock

March 27, 2019 / Tim / 5 Comments

Prepare yourself for a shock because CRKT has introduced a brand new folder called the XOC (that’s pronounced shock, according to CRKT).

The brand famously known for budget folders with unique innovations is veering off course with this limited edition and ultra premium pocket knife from the mind of frequent collaborator Flavio Ikoma.

Let’s see what this knife has to offer.

The blade is a massive 4.258 inches and boasts a blade thickness of 0.181 inches. It’s essentially a thick slab of CTS XHP, a material I don’t think CRKT has ever used on its knives. The handle is weaved carbon fiber with a titanium inlay. Gold accents can be seen in the pivot collar and pocket clip (which doesn’t seem to match the robustness of the knife).

Virginia Governor Vetoes Switchblade Commerce Bill

March 26, 2019 / Tim / 3 Comments

Despite bipartisan support from the Virginia General Assembly, the bill to allow switchblades to be made in Virginia and sold to other states was vetoed by Governor Ralph Northam.

The switchblade commerce bill — known as SB1251 — had passed the Virginia House of Delegates 57 to 42 (with one no vote) and passed the Senate of Virginia 25 to 15. It was sent to the governor’s desk for a signature, but Northam announced that he would veto the bill Thursday.

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