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Day 3 at the Blade Show: daggers, Damascus steel and balisongs

June 17, 2011 / Tim / 9 Comments

It’s taken me a few days to sort through all the great images and information I obtained at the Blade Show. On day three, I focused my attention on some of the more exotic knives available. Here are a few of my favorite designs.

D’Alton Holder Custom Knives

D’Alton Holder has been making knives for close to five decades; he constructed his first knife, which sold for $8, in 1966. In 1988, he retired from working in the oil industry to become a full-time knifemaker. He was inducted into the Knifemaker’s Hall of Fame in 2003.

The pictures above ( from Holder’s website ) are of a set of drop point hunters, which are priced at $2,500. The Blades are ATs-34 with 416 SS bolsters, which are engraved in gold inlay by Bruce Shaw. The handles are made from Pau shell. These knives are similar to some of Holder’s knives that I saw at the Blade Show, and since his photos were far superior to mine, I opted to use them instead.

Suchat Jangtanong

Jangtanong is a Thai knifemaker who lives in Bangkok Thailand, and I came across his knives at the booth of Keith Newman, who imports them through his company Mr. Damascus. The knives, folders and balisongs, have received rave reviews from knife lovers for their design and functionality. Jangatong’s knives range anywhere from $300 to well over $2,000. You can purchase them, here.

Tahar Nadim Raza

Tahar Nadim Raza makes a wide variety of custom-made knives, check out his huge collection of daggers and Damascus-steel knives.

Well, that’s my day three round up, which one of these knifemakers do you like the most?

Chef makes it past TSA checkpoint with four huge chef knives

June 17, 2011 / Tim / 0 Comments

A few months ago, I wrote a post about how to prevent getting your pocket knife confiscated by TSA: it appears not everyone read it.

Chef Paul Kahan, an award-winning chef and partner in Chicago restaurants Avec, Blackbird, Big Star and the Publican, admitted via Twitter that he accidentally carried four “huge” chef knives past security at Chicago-O’Hare airport and onto a plane. It appears TSA agents were preoccupied with his wallet:

Of course, that doesn’t mean you should try a similar stunt, as not everyone is as fortunate as Mr. Kahan. Last year, an Indian priest was arrested when he boarded a plane with a 4-inch knife and attempted to cut fruit with. it The bottom line: Keep your knives in your checked bag when you’re flying.

Knives save lives: David’s deadly seat belt

June 17, 2011 / Tim / 12 Comments

When you think of dangerous activities, things like skydiving, drag racing, free climbing and white-water rafting might pop into your head.

You probably don’t think something as mundane as putting on a seat belt is dangerous, but our latest installment of knives save lives is a testament that danger can strike at any moment.

In November of 2006, Kaamilya Wilson was on a routine trip in the car with her then five-year-old son David and family when disaster struck.

While putting on his seat belt, David somehow became entangled and the belt tightly wrapped around his neck. An old piece in the ABC local news featured an interview with David and his sister about the incident.

“I was trying to buckle myself and it snatched me back, so it got around my neck,” explained David.

“I was scared because he was turning colors and he couldn’t breath,” said his older sister, Alicia.

When something like that happens, panic usually sets in and it did with Kaamilya who was screaming and hollering in fear. Another passenger in the car waved down an officer passing by, but he couldn’t do anything to untangle the boy because it was too tight around his neck.

Precious time was ticking away.

Maces, daos and neck knives at the Blade Show

June 14, 2011 / Tim / 0 Comments

On day three of the Blade Show, I decided to spend most of my time strolling through the aisles checking out cool knives. There were approximately 900 booths at the show this year, making it virtually impossible to see everything, but here are a few of my highlights.

The Sabersmith

Picture this: You’re standing in line at the grocery, waiting for an elderly woman to tediously count out the dozen or so coupons she brought to save $3 on oatmeal cookies and eggs. It’s agonizing, and when things couldn’t get any worse, she remembers that she has additional coupons in her car and heads out to the parking lot, walking at a snail’s pace, to retrieve them.

How could you expedite this process? Well, demanding that the clerk check you out first by waving around a 5-foot medieval mace would be a good start.

The Sabersmith (real name Tim Lawler) crafts a number of “beyond battle-ready weapons,” such as axes, swords, hammers and daggers. His booth is quite an eye-catcher, as it resembles a a medieval torture arsenal.

Neck Knives

The neck knife works just like it sounds. A great tactical and outdoor knife, this uniquely-shaped blade can be easily hung on a sheath around the neck for quick access. Neck knives are often issued to the military, because they are excellent tactical weapons in dangerous situations. Neck knives are also popular with policeman, who use them frequently during rescues. These neck knives are made by Spartan and retail in the ballpark of $200.

A dao suited for a monk

The CAS Hanwei booth had some pretty sweet knives, but I was particularly interested in this Jie Dao, which is used by Shaolin monks. The dao doesn’t have a sharp point, as monks are forbidden from carrying weapons, and it is used primarily for domestic purposes, such as gathering firewood, clearing a path in the forest and even shaving.

Knifemen slash and dash at the Blade World Cutting Championship

June 13, 2011 / Tim / 0 Comments

Day two at the Blade Show culminated with the World Cutting Championship, in which knife-wielding competitors dashed through an obstacle course while slicing targets to pieces.

It was obscenely hot in the courtyard of the Cobb Galleria at 4 p.m., yet despite the scorching weather, close to a hundred spectators had gathered to watch 13 knifemen chop though wood, water bottles, golf balls and rope in the hopes of being crowned the 2011 champion.

The course took competitors approximately 45 seconds to compete. Time was a component of scoring, but more important was whether or not participants cut through the various obstacles completely.

The favorite was Donavon Phillips, who was coming off a recent victory at the U.S. National Championships in Mountain View, Arkansas. Phillips, who appeared to be at least 6 foot 3 and in the neighborhood of 300 pounds, cut an intimidating figure in the courtyard.

Sporting a black cowboy hat, dark sunglasses and a long goatee, he paced with nervous energy before unsheathing his knife—named Delta’s Edge—and bombing through the course and to the top of the leader board.

However, Philips reign was only short-lived, as Gary Bond would later nudge past him and take the crown.

If you ever have the time, The Blade World Cutting Competition is definitely worth checking out. Scope out the video below and let me know what you think.

Bear Grylls makes surprise visit at Gerber Knives meeting

June 12, 2011 / Tim / 5 Comments

Imagine going to a stuffy meeting with a bunch of suits only to find that the ultimate survivorman makes a guest appearance to say hello.

That’s what happened when Bear Grylls, the star of Man Vs. Wild, made a surprise visit to Portland this week at the annual U.S. management meeting of the Fiskars Corp., according to The Oregonian.

Fiskars Corp. is involved with Gerber Knives, the company that makes Bear’s line of knives, so his appearance isn’t that inconceivable. The news from the conference however, was very astonishing.

The Bear Grylls Ultimate Knife was the best-seller in its category for the first quarter of this year. His knife is a huge hit for two reasons. One, he uses his knife in every episode of his show. Two, the knife is actually extremely well-made.

Blade Show day one round up

June 12, 2011 / Tim / 4 Comments

The annual Blade Show is the Super Bowl of the knife world, and I’ll be covering it from Atlanta all weekend. This year, the show features over 900 exhibitors, in addition to a full schedule of speakers, demonstrations, contests and other events. The exhibition hall opened at 2 p.m. today, and I spent the afternoon wandering through a sea of sharp objects. Here were some of the highlights.

Interview with New Hampshire State Representative Jenn Coffey

A rising star in the world of knife advocacy and libertarian politics, Rep. Coffey was the driving force behind the recent passage of New Hampshire’s pre-exemption knife bill, which legalized knife possession across the state. A former EMT, Coffey talked about her work in the New Hampshire Legislature and how she was driven to activism and politics by the influence of her husband.

Coffey said that on the job she used rescue knives, such as SOG’s and Benchmade knives. She added that “knives that can open quickly, like gravity knives, are extremely important. ”

Coffey was signing copies of her recently released book, Knife, Liberty and Lipstick, which is a call to arms for a return to liberty. A portion of the proceeds for the book are going to Camp Constitution, a summer camp that teaches kids about “our American heritage of courage and ingenuity the genius of the United States Constitution.”

As for her knife advocacy, Coffey encouraged legislators and citizens to move past the glamorization of knives as dangerous weapons.

“I have dangerous knives in my kitchen,” she said, adding that anything, even an umbrella could be used as a deadly weapon. “The emphasis should not be on tools, but on actual criminal acts.”

Getting Medieval with Albion Swords

It’s difficult to cruise by the Albion table without stopping. These guys, based out of New Glarus, Wisconsin, carry a pretty big selection of medieval swords. They’re pricey, most of them all over 1k, but you can play with them for free. The swords range from French to Irish to Italian, most of the designs were carried by knights during their time.

Albion swords have been featured in a few different movies and their full stock of movie swords can be viewed here. Scope out the Conan the Bararian sword, it’s a must see. Here are a few other burly-looking swords in their selection.

Knife Rights takes on New York City DA in lawsuit

June 10, 2011 / Tim / 8 Comments

New York resident John Copeland was shocked when he was nabbed by the police for having a folding knife with a three-inch blade that he bought from a reputable sports store in New York City. Apparently, police wrongly deemed this knife and many other folding knives an illegal gravity knife, according to the New York Post.

So, what’s the best way to get a city to address the problem? Sue them.

Knife Rights, the non-profit knife advocacy group from Arizona, has filed a civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Copeland and another man against New York City District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., who has been on a yearlong crusade to remove knives from the streets.

The only problem is, Knife Rights claims that Vance and police are wrongfully identifying any knife that’s easily opened with one hand as gravity knives.

NH knife rights preemption bill finally signed into law

June 9, 2011 / Tim / 1 Comment

Knife rights enthusiasts rejoice.

The New Hampshire knife rights preemption bill was finally signed into law by Gov. John Lynch meaning the law will take effect in 60 days, according to Ammoland.

For anyone who’s been following this story, the bill passed the state’s senate and house of representatives a while ago thanks to the effort of Rep. Jenn Coffey, author of the new book “Knives, Lipstick, and Liberty One Woman’s Journey.” But, with Gov. Lynch’s signature, the bill becomes law after 60 days.

New Hampshire is just the third state to enact knife law preemption, but the bill is another victory for the Knife Rights’ National Knife Law Preemption Campaign.

Essentially, what knife law preemption means is that counties or cities within a state cannot enact local ordinances prohibiting the use of certain knives. For example, a person with a several inch hunting knife might be fine in one county, but in the next, they might be breaking a local ordinance.

Laserlyte introduces the "Mini Bayo" for pistols

June 7, 2011 / Tim / 4 Comments

If you think bayonets are only for gigantic, bulky rifles in the midst of war, think again.

Laserlyte, which is in conjunction with KA-BAR Knives, has a collection of bayonets designed for pistols and recently announced the newest member of its line: the Mini Bayo.

According to Ammoland, the knife is equipped with a 2.75 inch KA-BAR blade that attaches to a medium of large pistol with rails. To attach it, you simply press the two buttons on the handle and affix it to the pistol.

The blade is coated with black oxide and the handle is made from 30 percent glass-filled nylon for additional durability. The great thing about this knife is that it comes with a sheath, so when it’s not attached you can safely store it with the pistol or use it independently.

Another option for a pistol bayonet if you want something bigger is the KA-BAR Knives Pistol Bayonet with a high carbon steel blade. Laserlyte and KA-BAR Knives are hard to beat when it comes to bayonets designed specifically for pistols.