The Cutting Edge

KA-BAR Introduces First Flipper in the Mark 98

July 6, 2018 / Tim / 3 Comments

Nearly two decades after Kit Carson popularized the flipper tab in folders, KA-BAR is finally getting in the flipper game with the Mark 98.

The KA-BAR Mark 98 is a beefy knife with a design that echoes some of the brand’s fixed blade offerings. The spear-point blade is 3.5 inches — complete with a fuller to help cut down on the weight of the knife. It doesn’t do much, however, as the weight is about 5.6 ounces. Also, the steel is 5Cr15, so don’t expect it to hold an edge for too long.

The handle is made from durable G-10 with colors that remind users of other KA-BAR knives, including the iconic fixed blade.

Case Mini Copperlock – Badass Knife of the Week

July 2, 2018 / Tim / 0 Comments

Case is an institution almost as American as apple pie and baseball.

These are the kinds of knives your great granddad used to carry out into the fields during harvest. They’re the kind of knives your dad whittled on the porch with as a kid. And they’re the kind of knife you can carry to a black-tie event.

The Case Mini Copperlock is one those knives that’s versatile enough to do it all.

What makes the Mini Copperlock stand out from some of the other Case knives is that it has a backlock mechanism. Slipjoints have a time and a place, but when the job requires just too much force, a locking folder is safer.

Actual gravity knife

NYC’s Ban on Gravity Knives Upheld by Federal Appeals Court

June 26, 2018 / Tim / 1 Comment

Hot off the heels of a ruling by the highest court in New York State that potentially makes all assisted-opening knives illegal, a federal appeals court upheld New York City’s vague ban on gravity knives.

The case of Copeland v. Vance has been a long-running battle between Knife Rights and New York County District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. Knife Rights has challenged the gravity knife policy of New York City that allows cops to call any locking folder that can be opened with a flick an illegal gravity knife.

Knife Rights has insisted that the practice of the wrist flick is inconsistent and unconstitutional because there is no test that would allow a user to determine whether the knife is legal. The panel, however, argued that the test was constitutionally applied at least once in 2010.

Camillus CUDA – Badass Knife of the Week

June 25, 2018 / Tim / 0 Comments

The Camillus CUDA has been around for what feels like forever. When the knife was first released way back in 1998, it won the Most Innovative American-Made Design of the Year at BLADE Show.

Even though the knife has been surpassed in speed and efficiency by more modern assisted-openers, the Camillus CUDA still serves its purpose as a functional and badass knife.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by JW (@jw_bulletsnblades)

Standing for Camillus Ultra Design Advantage, the CUDA features an overall length of 9 inches with an interesting opening mechanism that will have people asking how you did it.

Ax-Throwing Gaining Popularity with New Indoor Venues

June 19, 2018 / Tim / 0 Comments

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Knife Depot (@knifedepot)

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.

Fox Slim Dragotac Friction Folder – Badass Knife of the Week

June 18, 2018 / Tim / 0 Comments

The Dragotac series from Bastinelli Creations has been popular over the years — both custom and factory versions. One of the most common requests submitted to Bastinelli Creations is for the Dragotac to be available in a non-locking version.

With the help of Fox Knives, Bastinelli Creations accomplished that feat in the Dragotac Slim Friction Folder called the Piemontes.

The friction folding version of the Dragotac is every bit as functional and sexy as its locking counterpart. The 3.1-inch blade features a modified Wharncliffe blade profile. Unlike the traditional Wharncliffe blade, the edge is slightly curved to provide better cutting ability; however, the blade retains the piercing power of the Wharncliffe.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by My EDC and other stuff (@jimminysedc)

The satin-finished blade is made with N690Co stainless steel, an alloy that holds a better edge and provides better stain resistance than comparable steels. Jimping along the spine gives a more reliable grip for finer tasks.

The ‘Maker Knife’ Launches on Kickstarter

June 14, 2018 / Tim / 10 Comments

There is a time and place for utility knives — those knives that use replaceable box cutter blades.

They’re cheap, easy to use, replaceable, and work well on simple tasks like cutting open boxes. The only problem is that the containers for most utility knives are pretty bad.

Enter the Maker Knife.

The Maker Knife is an everyday carry tool made for utility knives that’s designed to be carried and used almost like any ordinary pocket knife. The design was launched on crowdfunding site Kickstarter on June 9 with a goal of about $11,000 (translated from euros). Not only did it reach its goal on the first day, but it is currently funded at more than $105,000 by more than 1,400 backers.

That’s impressive.

The Maker Knife started brewing about two years ago when Giacomo Di Muro — known for his awesome YouTube channel Giaco Whatever — got a utility knife. He used it every day, but its design was bulky and not meant for EDC. One day he was visiting with designer David Windestål. After talking about the lack of good utility knives, the two decided to make their own.

Spring-Assist Knives Might Now Be Illegal in New York State

June 12, 2018 / Tim / 12 Comments

I lived in New York for a few years — first upstate and then down in the city. During this time, I resigned myself to the fact that I should never carry a knife outside a slipjoint concealed deep in my pocket. This is why:

On a ruling of 6-1, the state’s highest court upheld the conviction of a man who had an assisted-opening knife under the theory that it was an illegal switchblade.

How did not just one but several courts agree that a spring-assisted knife was a switchblade? Let’s try to follow the logic.

Facts About the Case

Let’s start with some details about the case.

Defendant Steven Berrezueta was on his way to work at the mailroom of an investment company when he was stopped and arrested in the subway after an officer noticed a knife protruding from his rear pants’ pocket.

It doesn’t say the type of knife except that it was a “United States Army-themed knife” that he bought off the internet for use in his job in the mailroom. I imagine it was a dirt cheap knife like this one. There is talk of a button, but I think they might mean flipper tab. Not too sure about that one.

So, Berrezueta was charged with carrying a switchblade among other things.

KA-BAR MULE – Badass Knife of the Week

June 11, 2018 / Tim / 0 Comments

Some companies make knives that should be kept in a safe, only brought out under dimmed lighting and handled with gloves. Other companies, like KA-BAR, make knives that are meant to be worked and beaten mercilessly.

The perfect example of this kind of knife is the KA-BAR MULE.

Standing for Military, Utility and Law Enforcement, the MULE is the very definition of a workhorse knife. It features a sturdy 3.875-inch black-coated blade made from functional AUS 8A stainless steel, a reliable lockback mechanism, and a nearly indestructible black Zytel handle.

But we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves. KA-BAR describes this heavy-duty tool as the folding knife’s answer to the traditional KA-BAR fixed blade. While no folder can ever compare to a fixed blade as storied as the KA-BAR, the MULE has proven time and again that it can take pretty much anything you throw at it.

Knives Save Lives: The Rabid Coyote

June 7, 2018 / Tim / 6 Comments

My thoughts on knives as poor defensive weapons is well documented. That being said I often carry a knife for self-defense.

I live in a neighborhood where packs of large dogs are often roaming around unleashed. On top of that, I frequently take my young kids out for walks. Carrying a large stick is impractical most of the time, so I carry a knife just in case.

Fortunately, I’ve never had to use the knife for such a purpose (though I came alarmingly close one time). A Georgian hiker named Nate Edmund wasn’t so lucky.

On the last Saturday of May, Edmund had gone to a demonstration forest in Jones County for a hike. However, he noticed a creature ahead of him.

“I saw something moving through the woods,” Edmund told Georgia Outdoor News. “I saw what looked like a dog, but by the time it finally got out into the trail, I could clearly see it was a coyote.”