Category: Knife Stuff (Page 22 of 27)

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

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.

Continue reading

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.

Continue reading

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.

Continue reading

Shortly after 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, a helicopter in New York City plunged into the frigid waters of the East River.

Stunned onlookers watched as the Eurocopter AS350 slowly landed on the water — where it quickly flipped upside down and started sinking.

The pilot was able to escape the downed helicopter but the five other passengers were killed in the water or shortly after.

Here is a brief video someone captured on their phone of the crash:

@cnn @FoxNews just witnessed a helicopter crash into the East River .. hope everyone’s ok. Caught it all on tape! pic.twitter.com/saHOMTLR69

— JJ Magers (@JJmagers) March 11, 2018

It’s an extremely sad story that once again calls into question the safety of helicopter tours that take private passengers around the city for photo opportunities.

Continue reading

When designer Paul Scheiter created the original Blackbird SK-5, he made sure to strip it down to the necessities. He also said, “I believe the more complicated a product becomes, the more likely it is to fail when your life depends on it.”

The resounding success of the Blackbird SK-5 led Scheiter to expand the line to include a smaller version of the knife better suited for a wider range of tasks. That knife is the latest Badass Knife of the Week.

The Ontario Blackbird SK-4 is a compact version of the renowned SK-5 and subscribes to the same ethos of function over gimmicks.

The SK-4 isnt just a shrunken version of its larger brother. Instead Scheiter reworked the design to ensure it performs well and feels good in the hand.

Continue reading

You asked for it and we answered.

Instead of hiding your love for knives deep in the recesses of your pockets, now you can express your love for knives with one of three brand new shirts.

Here’s a quick look at the three shirts.

“Knife Depot” T-Shirt

When you want to read some fascinating stories about knives or want to buy one of your very own, there’s only one place you should go: Knife Depot. This shirt has our logo surrounded by three knives.

Browse the current Knife Depot catalog

“Never Lose Your Edge” T-Shirt

I’m pretty fond of our tagline because of its multiple meanings. We not only like to keep the tagline in mind when we’re talking about our knives but also when we’re talking about our approach to life.

Continue reading

For some reason, Cold Steel still gets the label as a company that only makes products for mall ninjas. While they still do make those ridiculous proof videos, that simply doesn’t capture the whole image of the company.

Cold Steel has made huge strides the past few decades and have heeded the call of customers while putting out some truly awesome knives.

First they brought the great Andrew Demko on board (who brought the Tri-Ad lock). Then they updated their steel from AUS8 (CRKT could take a page from this). But best of all they are always communicating with their customers.

Continue reading

Kershaw makes some mighty fine knives. But, like anything you buy, an issue may arise.

Fortunately, all Kershaw products are covered under a Limited Lifetime Warranty against manufacturing defects. This includes defects in material, construction, and workmanship. For example, if the lockup is not up to par or the blade centering is off, Kershaw will happily take care of it.

However, unless you have some of the timeless models like the Leek or Blur, chances are your Kershaw will one day be discontinued.

Continue reading

Quick picks for your first knife from a brand

Start with the size and opening style you prefer. These five options were available when we checked in September 2026; follow each link for current price and availability.

• Compact utility folder: Cold Steel Tuff Lite 20LT — a short, plain-edge blade for everyday cutting.
• Simple manual folder: CRKT Drifter 6450K — a 2.88-inch blade and black G-10 handle.
• Lightweight KA-BAR folder: Dozier Folding Hunter 4062 — a 3-inch drop-point blade and black Zytel handle.
• Slim assisted opener: Kershaw Leek 1660 — a 3-inch blade and stainless steel handle.
• Fuller-size Spyderco folder: Tenacious C122GP — a 3.39-inch plain-edge blade and black G-10 handle.

For more comparisons, explore our Spyderco buying guide, Cold Steel buying guide, and KA-BAR buying guide.

Classic gateway knives by brand

The original brand-by-brand selections below include historical models. Not every pictured version is currently stocked; product links are included where a matching listing is available.

There is an old theory called the stepping-stone hypothesis that claims using mild drugs will lead to the usage of more potent and addictive drugs. This phenomenon became more widely known as the concept of the “gateway drug” in the 1970s.

I am not here to argue the merits of the claim, but the term “gateway” has now become a catchall for an introductory item that leads to a greater obsession.

I was curious to learn more about how people came to the obsession of knives, so I set out to find the most common “gateway knives” for every brand. These are the knives people first got that made them more interested in a brand, slowly consuming them until they had bought up as many knives from the brand as possible.

I thought I’d focus on the 20 top brands. I’ll include a secondary choice at the end.

Benchmade Mini Griptilian

The first brand up is Benchmade. Benchmade is already a brand known for higher-end knives, so it’s not likely a person’s first knife will ever be a Benchmade. However, for those interested in trying out the brand before they make a long-term commitment to its more expensive offerings, there’s the Mini Griptilian.

This knife is an icon and still represents the best of Benchmade. The Mini Griptilian uses 154CM steel on its sub-3-inch blade and Noryl GTX scales. After this knife, you shouldn’t be surprised to see someone upgrade to the premium version of the Mini Griptilian and maybe even try out some other Benchies like the Barrage or Infidel.

Secondary Choice – Benchmade Griptilian

I was tempted to choose the Benchmade 940 as a secondary option, but it’s about $182. So the larger Griptilian seems like a better option.

Boker Kalashnikov Automat 74

Of all the brands, I had the most trouble finding the perfect gateway knife that could get people hooked on Boker. The problem is that there are so many models — not to mention several different brands under the Boker umbrella. I ultimately decided on the Boker Plus Kalashnikov Automat 74.

Continue reading