The Cutting Edge

Do Knife Companies Lie About Their Steel?

September 15, 2022 / Tim / 2 Comments

It’s a common concern among knife collectors. You spend just over $150 (if you’re lucky) on a brand new knife with the latest steel, only to second guess whether it’s the steel you paid for.

It may be because the steel is starting to rust in some spots, dulls quicker than you expect, or isn’t as tough as you thought it should be.

That’s when you start to ask yourself: do knife companies mislabel or lie about the type of steel they’re using?

The truth is that sometimes they do.

Yes, Some Brands Intentionally Mislabel Steel

I decided to write this post after watching a video knifemaker and former Cold Steel collaborator Andrew Demko did on a YouTube channel in November 2020.

When the interviewer mentioned that people were ambivalent about the use of AUS10A steel in one of Cold Steel’s knives, Demko said that the reason certain steel gets a bad reputation is because some knife companies are intentionally passing off lower end steel like AUS6A for AUS8A.

Ohio Knife Preemption Bill Becomes Law

September 13, 2022 / Tim / 3 Comments

If you live in Ohio, we have great news for you.

The Knife Rights’ Ohio Knife Law Preemption bill officially went into effect on September 13, 2022. This means vague and complicated local laws across the state have been eliminated.

Originally, Ohio had a firearm preemption law that prevented local municipalities from regulating firearms. Knife advocacy groups like Knife Rights worked to change the term from firearm to arms. This expanded the law to include knives as well as firearms.

According to Doug Ritter of Knife Rights, “knife law preemption is a criminal justice reform that repeals and prevents local ordinances more restrictive than state law which only serve to confuse or entrap law-abiding citizens traveling within or through the state. Preemption ensures citizens can expect consistent enforcement of state knife laws everywhere within a state.”

ESEE Pinch – Knife of the Week

September 12, 2022 / Tim / 0 Comments

When you’re in a pinch, reach for the ESEE Pinch.

This tiny Wharncliffe blade may not seem like much, but it can mean the difference between life and death. Every survivalist will tell you the same thing: the best survival knife is the one you have on you.

Unfortunately, you might not always have one of the best survival knives on your person at all times, especially because some of them can be pretty big. That’s where the Pinch comes in handy.

The Pinch has an overall length of a mere 3 inches with a blade length of 1.3 inches. So how will the knife help you? Well, it’s small enough to carry easily concealed and the perfect size to stick in an Altoid Mint container for emergencies.

Kershaw XCOM – Knife of the Week

September 8, 2022 / Tim / 0 Comments

What happens when you turn a classic M3 trench knife into a modernized folder? You get an eye-catching knife with excellent ergonomics and superior cutting capabilities.

The Kershaw XCOM boasts a unique design with a shape that works surprisingly well as a hard-use folder.

Designer Les George wanted to pay homage to the World War II fighting knife. So he took the spear point blade and condensed it into a 3.6-inch black-coated folding blade that locks open with a liner lock. Only one side is sharpened but the blade still pierces and slashes like no one’s business.

Condor Cavelore – Knife of the Week

August 29, 2022 / Tim / 0 Comments

The Condor Cavelore is an ingenious design from Joe Flowers. Not only does it look like it comes straight from neolithic times but it also works flawlessly as a modern bush crafting tool.

So how did Flowers achieve such mastery? He essentially combined the look of the popular Otzi knife with the design of the Bushlore, which is among Condor’s best knives.

The 4.3-inch blade with Scandi grind is made with durable 1095 high carbon steel that won’t let you down.

A History of the Spyderco Massad Ayoob

August 24, 2022 / Tim / 6 Comments

Spyderco Massad Ayoob

For more than a decade, people have been begging Spyderco to bring back one knife above all others. It’s a little knife called the Massad Ayoob.

And, exactly 20 years after it was first released, the Spyderco Massad Ayoob came back for a limited time as a Sprint Run in a plain version and a serrated version.

So what makes the Massad Ayoob so special? Read on.

Who is Massad Ayoob?

If you’re not familiar with Massad Ayoob, he is a renowned designer and premier firearms expert. He’s been the handgun editor at Guns magazine and law enforcement columnist for American Handgunner for more than 50 years.

He’s run trainings for law enforcement personnel and was named the president of the Second Amendment Foundation in 2020.

CRKT CEO Compact – Knife of the Week

August 23, 2022 / Tim / 0 Comments

Since the original first launched in 2019, the CRKT CEO has been widely considered the best slim EDC folder out there. So how could CRKT make the instant hit even better? Make the knife even more carry-able.

The CRKT CEO Compact takes everything that made the previous CEO models so great and condenses it into a more concise design.

Its blade is 2.61 inches long and made from 1.4116 stainless steel, making it perfect for quick tasks around the office. A flipper tab with an IKBS ball bearing pivot system makes opening smooth and easy.

10 Best SOG Knives

August 19, 2022 / Tim / 12 Comments

This post was first published in June 2018 and updated in August 2022.

When I think about the best knives for each brand, a small number of truly outstanding knives always pop into my head… and SOG Specialty Knives is one of them.

This post was first created in 2018 when SOG was going through a transition year. Almost all of the knives from that original list have gone through a transformation or are no longer available.

These past few years, SOG has been trying its best to recapture some of the magic that made SOG such a powerhouse in its earlier years. So, we thought it would be important to give this list an overhaul and redo the best SOG knives you can buy.

As always, this is a subjective list (that only includes current knives) taking into account personal experience as well as reviews/commentary from across the knife community. Let me know if I missed any in the comments.

SOG Tech Bowie

It seems blasphemous to leave the original SOG Bowie (well it’s now the Bowie 2.0) off this list, but that knife has lost some luster and is priced way too high.

That’s why the SOG Tech Bowie now occupies this spot. The Tech Bowie is a reworking of this classic knife design with a 6.4-inch black TiNi blade and a more comfortable Kraton handle.

The fit and finish and overall design of the Tech Bowie have been praised from users everywhere. The knife is darn sexy and still carries a little bit of history with it.

SOG Flash AT

The original Flash I became a sort of a cult classic thanks to unbridled praise from Nutnfancy and other early knife YouTubers. However, the Flash I and II have been discontinued and reworked into the new Flash AT.

Aside from the name, the Flash AT is almost completely different than the original. It still has an assisted-opening mechanism and the Flash II’s 3.5-inch blade. However, it’s now upgraded with D2 steel and uses SOG’s AT-XR locking mechanism.

Case Marilla – Knife of the Week

August 15, 2022 / Tim / 0 Comments

For more than a century, Case Knives has made its name making high-quality traditional knives in various patterns.

But recently, Case has propelled itself into the future with modernized folding knives made of the same quality and build as its traditionals.

Behold the Case Marilla.

Cold Steel Drop Forged Push Knife – Knife of the Week

August 10, 2022 / Tim / 0 Comments

When you’re in a situation that calls for a push dagger, strength and dependability are crucial. And there’s no stronger push dagger than the Cold Steel Drop Forged Push Knife.

What makes the push knife so powerful is that it’s made from one solid piece of drop forged 52100 high carbon steel. Cold Steel brags that this is arguably the strongest push dagger on the market. The truth is that very may well be the case.

Just watch the classic Iron Proof video from Cold Steel: