Category: Knife Stuff (page 3 of 9)

It should be everyone’s goal to buy American-made products to support manufacturing and jobs in the country. However, prices and quality of knives compared to foreign competition can be tough to ignore.

But, if you think you can’t get a solid American-made knife for less than $35, you’re sorely mistaken.

Here is a selection of 10 knives you can pick up for less than $35.

Gerber E-Z Out Skeleton

After some missteps over the years, Gerber has really righted the ship by focusing on more US-made knives and ensuring classics are well cared for. One thing Gerber does very well is provide US-made knives at reasonable prices. Just take the Gerber E-Z Out Skeleton, for example.

The E-Z Out line has been a staple of Gerber for decades. This is a highly versatile knife with a long 3.52-inch blade and a polycarbonate handle. Along with a lockback mechanism, this knife is an easy and reliable EDC folder.

Case Sod Buster

This is the first of many Case knives to grace this list. The Sod Buster is a legendary slip joint pattern that has captured the hearts and minds of knife enthusiasts everywhere. The knife has a single blade that measures about 3.5 inches. The handle is black impact resistant synthetic material.

KA-BAR BK13 Becker Remora

Not all cheap US-made knives have to be folders. KA-BAR and Becker make an excellent lightweight fixed blade that can work as an everyday carry. The total length is only about 5.12 inches with a blade of about 2.3 inches — all made with black-coated 1095 Cro-Van steel. Thanks to a skeletonized handle, the knife almost disappears at less than 2 ounces.

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You can never have too many axes. #ColdSteel #Gerber #Fury

A post shared by Knife Depot (@knifedepot) on Sep 26, 2018 at 2:13pm PDT

The art of knife throwing (and ax throwing) has always felt on the cusp of mainstream.

A slew of soon-to-be-opening indoor ax-throwing venues might just help provide that boost the pastime needs to be as common and prevalent as mini golf, bowling, or billiards.

Patt Johnson of the Des Moines Register wrote a great feature (filled with some solid puns) on three new businesses opening up in the Des Moines area over the summer dedicated to ax throwing.

Here’s more about the business called Lumber Axe soon to open in downtown Des Moines by Aaron Coy:

Ax-throwing centers allow participants to pick out a two-handed ax or hatchet and launch it about 12 feet at a bulls-eye.

…

Throwing lanes are generally divided with chain-link fencing to protect throwers in nearby alleys.

Ax-throwing costs vary, but generally, an hour of casual throwing starts around $20 for a group of eight. League fees can be about $135 for a season. Ax prices range greatly but start around $20.

Coy is opening a center with four single-throwing lanes and six double lanes. The business will also include laser tag, virtual reality stations and two bars.

These centers are meant to rival pool halls or bowling alleys with concessions and even alcoholic drinks.

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I am addicted to podcasts. I pop them on when I’m cleaning the house, sharpening my knives, and going for walks.

With hundreds of thousands of unique podcasts, there’s no dearth of something to listen, including dozens of pods 100 percent dedicated to sewing. But what about us knife nuts?

It’s true that there are far fewer knife-related podcasts than there should be, but there are at least seven that every knife fan should be subscribed to. Let us know in the comments if we missed any.

This post was originally published in December 2016, but there have been a few new podcasts in the last few months and others that have faded away. I’m hoping these are here to stay.

Gear Geeks Live

This is one of the longest running knife-related podcasts out there. Except when it took a short hiatus, the pod has been publishing at least once a month for around four years. Gear Geeks Live is hosted by Anthony Sculimbrene of Everyday Commentary (a personal favorite). In the past few months, Sculimbrene has been joined by the great Nick Shabazz.

The guys take a thorough look at the goings on in the knife world including new releases, the news, and more. They also do interviews with folks around the knife community and interviewed knifemaker Jesse Jarosz in the past. Sculimbrene and Shabazz have a nice rapport.

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It’s back!

The Knife Rights Ultimate Steel Spectacular has returned in glorious fashion.

Each year, the knife rights organization launches an amazing fundraising campaign to raise money for the cause. For 2018, they have gathered more than $175,000 in prizes (so far) to give away to those who donate. Because all the knives and guns are donated to Knife Rights, 100 percent of the proceeds to go to help funding the organization.

Here is a quick breakdown of the entry process.

• $20 gets 1 entry
• $40 gets 2 entries
• $60 gets 4 entries
• $80 gets 6 entries

Along with a Knife Rights membership at $60 or above, higher donations also get cool gear branded with Knife Rights while supplies last.

• $100 gets 9 entries + Kizer Kesmec
• $200 gets 22 entries + SOG Ultra C-Ti
• $300 gets 37 entries + Spyderco Native 5 Lightweight
• $400 gets 60 entries + Colonial Nemesis
• $500 gets 90 entries + Cold Steel Swift II
• $1,000 gets 150 entries + Hogue Damascus/CF A01 Microswitch

Those who donate before May 16 are also eligible for an early bird bonus drawing with more than $35,000 in prizes. To be eligible for the main drawing, you have to donate by August 1. Drawings will be done within two weeks of the closing dates.

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Benchmade isn’t best-known for making fixed-blade knives, but when it does make them, Benchmade does it right.

The Benchmade Nimravus takes its name from a relative of the saber-toothed cat, which boasted enlarged forward canines that made it a particularly ferocious predator. The naming of the knife was no coincidence.

The 140BK iteration of the Nimravus features a long 4.5-inch fixed blade made from 154CM high carbon stainless steel. The alloy holds an edge well and exhibits solid toughness. What improves the performance of the steel is black coating to increase wear resistance and hardness.

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Benchmade in the wild. #benchmadeknives#benchmadenimravus

A post shared by Brendon Mowry (@omertaguns7.62) on Sep 2, 2016 at 9:35pm PDT

With a drop point design and a swedge, the plain-edged blade is versatile in all types of applications — whether outdoor or tactical.

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By now, I’m sure you’ve seen this:

No excuses: there is never a reason to carry a knife. Anyone who does will be caught, and they will feel the full force of the law. https://t.co/XILUvIFLOW

— Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@MayorofLondon) April 8, 2018

This has caused an uproar from those who are alarmed about the future of knives and life in general in the United Kingdom.

I too am alarmed about the moves London and the UK are making related to knife regulations. But the truth is that these latest knife regulations have been a long time coming and are way more complicated than it seems.

Strict UK Knife Laws Get Stricter

The United Kingdom already has some of the strictest knife laws in the world. No one is allowed to carry a knife without good reason unless it has a blade three inches or less and doesn’t lock. (Though try persuading a bobby that you’re carrying a three-inch nonlocking folder with good reason and see where that gets you.)

Police have also been targeting knives over the past few years as the country has seen a drastic uptick in knife crimes.

A few years ago we wrote about and mocked how the UK was thinking about banning zombie knives. Sure, zombie knives are a bizarre conceit that companies seized upon during the zombie craze, but it seemed crazy to think that would stop things.

The latest measures announced by the mayor of London tackle the rise of knife crime in different ways. Knives and acid will no longer be delivered to homes. Met police are also now emboldened to conduct stop-and-frisk searches. (We already know the effect that had in New York City.)

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I’ve never been on a talk show for obvious reasons, but I know most will give some sort of free swag as a thank you.

It’s typical to give a tote bag with the name of the show on it containing some cheeses or a coffee mug. But that’s not what actor and comedian Joel McHale does.

He gives people massive Cold Steel folding knives.

Watch this clip featuring Allison Janney, an actress who has had a long illustrious film and television career, on “The Late Late Show with James Corbin.”

To be honest, I’m a little disappointed he didn’t explain the merits of carrying and using knives or at least pointing to my article 101 uses for a pocket knife to better educate the silent audience. Of course, McHale went for the jokes instead. That’s why he’s a handsome comedian and I’m just some dude writing about knives.

This isn’t the first time McHale, who is a well-known fan of Cold Steel and knives in general, gave someone a knife as a gift. Apparently he gave writer-director Scott Derrickson a $2,000 Cold Steel knife for Christmas a few years back.

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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

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Benchmade 800 & 800S AFCK @benchmadeknifecompany #benchmade #benchmadeknifecompany #benchmadeknife #benchmadeafck #benchmadeknives #mybenchmade #benchmade800 #knife #knives #knifenut #knifecommunity #knifestagram #knifepics #knifefanatics #knifecollection #knifelife #blade #blades #usnstagram #knifeaction #knifepics #edcknife #edcknives

A post shared by Sergey Kachanov (@kachanov_sergey) on Jan 22, 2018 at 7:16am PST

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.

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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.

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