The world’s biggest knife show is getting a spinoff… and it’s nearly here.
BLADE Show West, which takes place in Portland at the Oregon Convention Center from October 5 to 7, is looking to be a great new annual tradition.
So far there are more than 200 exhibitor booths and tables planned as well as free exhibitor demonstrations and — a personal favorite — more Knife of the Year awards.
For a company known for its tactical knives and fixed blade Bowie designs, it might be surprising that one of its best models is a relatively unassuming folder.
But that’s exactly what this Badass Knife of the Week is.
The SOG Twitch II is an excellent everyday carry option that won’t win awards for innovation or style but gets the job done without hesitation.
SOG will forever be associated with the iconic Bowie knife used in the jungles of Vietnam as well as its flagship Flash series.
But instead of resting on its laurels and just coming out with variations of what’s worked in the past, SOG continues to move forward with interesting tools boasting inventive designs. The latest innovation is the newly released SOG Terminus XR.
The Terminus XR is a locking version of the Terminus — a relatively recent knife that was unique to the brand in itself because of its lack of lock. To be honest, the design of the Terminus XR is not too similar to the nonlocking version. The XR has a 2.95-inch blade and G-10/carbon fiber handles.
But what makes the new knife stand out is the XR lock.
I’m not too sure about how it works yet but it looks like a cross between SOG’s Arc-Lock and Benchmade’s AXIS lock. You essentially manipulate a sliding button on both sides of the blade. The button controls an internal bar that locks the blade.
Brace yourself. You’re about to see the first major advancement in knife-making technology (in this category) in over 100 years!
Behold, the Ultimatedge Bushcraft & Survival Knife!
A company called Ultimatedge Knives (sometimes referred to as Ultimate Edge) has launched a Kickstarter campaign for a fixed blade knife that uses “patented metal alloy matrix developed by NASA and Cal-Tech then combined with tungsten to produce a cutting edge second to none.”
I am a marketer so I understand the need for hyperbole when promoting knives but the writing on this Kickstarter project oozes of exaggeration and infomercial nonsense. Here’s a sampling of the claims:
So we began our search for a way to move knife-making forward into the 21st century. Our search led us to a patented metal alloy matrix that was developed by Cal-Tech and tested by NASA. We acquired the rights to use this material in the world of bushcraft and survival knives – and our Ultimatedge Knife is the result.
and
The patent-pending edge bonding process is part of what sets the Ultimatedge Knife apart and makes it possible for it to become the new Gold Standard of excellence in the bushcraft and survival knife field.
We believe the combination of the metal alloy matrix and this bonding process will revolutionize the knife-making industry. YOU can be one of the first consumers to experience this Ultimatedge Knife.
and
You can have a bushcraft and survival knife that is ultra sharp (and proven so by testing and analysis) – and lasts 10 times longer than ordinary knives. This is what is truly different about our knife – and is what makes it different and better than anything else you have ever owned or used.
OK. So I’ve had my fun pointing out the absolutely bonkers claims. But let’s actually dive into the knife and whether it can possibly live up to a fraction of the hype.
You’d be hard-pressed to find someone better at making functional outdoor fixed blades than the great Ethan Becker.
Just take a look at the KA-BAR BK16 Short Becker, for example.
The Short Becker is a moderately sized fixed blade you can feel comfortable taking on all your outdoor adventures.
Designing a knife is hard, so imagine how difficult it is to successfully design a knife that can be made into both a fixed blade and a folding version without sacrificing comfort and functionality.
Well, the designers of these knives managed to do so with a aplomb.
Check out some of the best knife designs you can pick up in either a folding or fixed blade iteration.
Let’s start with an all-time knife: the Buck 110 Folding Hunter. This is one of the most successful pocket knife designs ever, becoming so ubiquitous that the style is simply known as a buck knife. So you might find it so surprising that it took Buck more than 50 years to turn the iconic knife into a fixed blade.
But that’s what they did with the Buck 101. It’s been met with very positive reviews.
Shane Sibert designed the 275 Adamas folding knife as a heavy-duty work knife. It’s frequently called one of the most durable work knives out there with its thick handle, liner, and blade. The success of the knife prompted Benchmade to add an automatic version as well as a fixed blade version.
If you collect or enjoy knives, you’ve likely heard of the knife advocacy group started by knife designer Doug Ritter called Knife Rights.
Well, thanks to an article published in The Washington Post on September 15, people all over the country had the joy of learning all about the group’s effort to repeal restrictive knife laws in the United States.
I highly recommend reading the whole thing here.
An image of Todd Rathner of Knife Rights by Bridget Bennett for The Washington Post
Reporter Todd C. Frankel did a pretty good job presenting both sides of the argument and portraying the organization in a fairly positive light.
Here is a nice excerpt from the piece:
Ritter, 65, said that knives, like guns, should be considered arms protected by the Second Amendment. He doesn’t support any restriction on knives — not on switchblades or push daggers or even the ballistic knives that shoot like spears from a handle. Todd Rathner, director of legislative affairs for Knife Rights, holds a one-handed open knife during the Usual Suspect Gathering.
That’s become a winning argument. Twenty-one states have repealed or weakened their knife laws since 2010, many of them with bipartisan support, including Colorado, Michigan and Illinois. New York came close to doing the same last year. Ohio could be next. Texas passed its bill last year despite a high-profile stabbing death just days before lawmakers voted. And Knife Rights, with little financial backing, has been working behind the scenes to help make it happen.
“A lot of people said it would be impossible to repeal a switchblade law in any state. Insane. Tilting at windmills,” Ritter said. “Turns out they were wrong.”
The story was not without its faults though.
The sway back is a traditional knife design with curves from tip to butt. Who better to create a modern version of the classic knife than Mr. Curves himself — Ken Onion.
The CRKT Swindle updates the classic design with a few modern marvels, including a blade that springs to life using a flipper tab and IKBS ball-bearing pivot system and a frame lock.
The knife’s 3.2-inch blade features surprisingly subtle curves for an Onion design that’s almost a cross between a drop point and Wharncliffe blade profile. This allows for a nice cutting belly along with a piercing point.
Using functional 8Cr14MoV steel, the blade locks in place securely with a frame lock. The handle itself is stainless steel and provides a nice weight to the knife.
It seems so obvious. A sharp knife, with its keen edges and stabby points, is much more dangerous than a dull knife. Right?
Wrong.
One of the biggest myths out there is that dull knives are safer than sharp knives. Even on some of the popular blade forums people can’t fathom the idea that a sharp knife is safer than a dull knife.
So we’re here to tackle the myth in all its glory.
So how exactly is a dull knife more dangerous than a sharp one? To start with, the main reason why a dull knife is more dangerous is that it requires the wielder to use significantly more force when cutting than a sharp knife.
For example, if you’re cutting an apple and the blade is really dull, it will need more pressure to get through the apple. Once it’s through the apple, there’s a greater chance for the pressure to lead to slippage or a lack of control.
George Sears was an early conservationist and a pioneer of ultralight backpacking. Writing under the pen name “Nessmuk” in the 1880s for what would later become Field & Stream, he extolled the virtues of carrying a trio of outdoor tools, which included a fixed blade that could do it all.
That fixed blade has since become a generic design that’s simply known as the Nessmuk. Few companies make a Nessmuk better than Condor Tool & Knife.
This Nessmuk boasts a nearly 4-inch blade made from 1075 high carbon steel. The unusual blade shape lends itself more to skinning but it works well as an all-around bushcrafting knife.
© 2024 The Cutting Edge
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑
