The Cutting Edge

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How to Thoroughly Clean Your Pocket Knife

October 11, 2018 / / 14 Comments

I love cleaning around the house. Maybe that makes me a bit odd, but it provides much needed time to unwind, zone out, reflect on your life, or listen to great knife podcasts.

What’s even better than cleaning the house is cleaning a pocket knife.

But how do you actually do a good job cleaning a knife?

I made sure not to clean my Spyderco Tenacious (which I use constantly around the house) for a while so I could write this post for you.

To Disassemble a Knife or Not

The first thing you have to consider is whether to fully disassemble the knife or simply clean the blade and take care of the pivot from the outside.

Here are some thoughts on that. If you want to do a thorough job or you haven’t cleaned the inside for a while, you should take the whole thing apart. Depending on the knife, it won’t take up too much time and gets the knife back to tip-top condition.

However, if you’ve cleaned the inside recently or feel only the blade is dirty, you can skip the disassembly.

Cleaning the Blade

There are many different ways to go about cleaning a blade. Most knife enthusiasts have their own recipes or preferences.

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2018 BLADE Show West Award Winners

October 9, 2018 / / 2 Comments

The first annual BLADE Show West — an offshoot of the biggest knife gathering in the world — was a success.

People flocked to the Oregon Convention Center to see some of the top knife makers and manufacturers display their knives.

The West Coast version of BLADE Show was similar to the original (see the other 2018 winners here) in that it offers a few awards to the worthy knives out there. There were different categories, of course.

Here’s a rundown of the custom and factory knife awards winners at the 2018 BLADE Show West. First up are the factory awards followed by the custom awards.

Factory Best in Show & Best Folding Knife: WE Knife 704DS

 

For factory knives, WE Knife took home the awards of Best in Show and Best Folding Knife with its WE Knife 704DS.

This knife from the Chinese company features a 3.6-inch Damasteel blade with a flipper and a carbon fiber/bronze anodized titanium liners. This is just a gorgeous knife through and through.

Best Factory Fixed Blade Knife: Bradford Guardian 4.5

The Bradford Guardian 4.5 won the best fixed blade knife with its 4-inch 3V blade and Micarta scales. It’s a simple design with carefully considered design aspects.

Best Factory EDC Knife: WESN Microblade

The WESN Microblade started as a Kickstarter project and ended with a Best EDC Knife award. It has a small 1.5-inch blade and titanium handle. It’s tiny in the hand but easy to carry.

Best Factory EDC Non-Knife: CRKT Williams Tactical Key

There are tons of key tools out there, including the famous key knives from SOG. But the CRKT Williams Tactical Key has an eye on self-defense purposes. The key is there for last-ditch situations or when you need a Philips screwdriver.

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Gerber Swagger – Badass Knife of the Week

October 8, 2018 / / 0 Comments

 

No one has swagger like our Badass Knife of the Week.

All right, all right, despite the admittedly silly name, the Gerber Swagger is a slim and stylish everyday carry option that’s inexpensive but gets the job done.

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10 Best Victorinox Knives

October 5, 2018 / / 8 Comments

 

We’re continuing our trek through the best knives for each brand. It’s time for Victorinox to step up to the plate. After Wenger closed down for good and was acquired by Victorinox, the Swiss knife company is the definitive maker of the Swiss Army Knife.

Boasting more than 13 decades of existence, the knife company has continued to evolve and bring hundreds of different SAK designs. Narrowing down the 10 best is kind of a fool’s errand simply because there are so many options that you can get the exact model you like.

Still, there are a few standout models that showcase the best Victorinox has to offer.

Let’s get to it.

Victorinox SwissChamp

Victorinox SwissChamp

We’ll start with the company’s flagship model — the SwissChamp. In terms of actual carrying, the SwissChamp is far from the best. But it allows Victorinox to showoff its knife-making prowess. It has eight layers with 33 functions that range from a magnifying glass and saw to fish scaler and pliers.

Even though it’s not meant for EDC, this is a knife you can conceivably carry in your pocket or on your person without feeling insane.

Victorinox Pioneer

Victorinox Pioneer

The Pioneer is the civilian version of the Soldier, which is considered the “true Swiss Army Knife.” The only difference is that it adds a keyring. Unlike many of the other SAKs on this list, the Pioneer features handsome Alox scales that give it a different look and feel. The tools are pretty pared down with only eight functions, such as a large blade and reamer.

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Blade Show West Coming Oct 5–7

October 2, 2018 / / 1 Comment

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.

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SOG Twitch II – Badass Knife of the Week

October 1, 2018 / / 4 Comments

 

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.

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SOG Introduces New Terminus XR

September 30, 2018 / / 0 Comments

 

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.

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m1911 knives with m1911 gun

Behold the Ultimatedge Knife on Kickstarter

September 25, 2018 / / 0 Comments

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.

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KA-BAR BK16 Short Becker – Badass Knife of the Week

September 24, 2018 / / 0 Comments

 

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.

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Knives with Folding & Fixed Blade Versions

September 21, 2018 / / 3 Comments

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.

Buck 110 & 101

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.

Benchmade Adamas

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.

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