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History of the Wharncliffe Blade

January 16, 2018 / Tim / 24 Comments

KA-BAR Wharnstalker

Tracing the origins of anything related to knives is difficult.

The sheer length of time knives have been used by humans makes going back to the first anything often impossible. Who made the first knife? Well, it depends on what you classify as a knife, but it was probably some unnamed Australopithecine dude more than two million years ago.

But when you have the ability to trace a single invention related to knives to a single moment, it’s always cool.

In a series of posts, I will be examining the history of specific innovations and evolutions in the knife community.

This first post will deal with the Wharncliffe blade. You can also check out our list of the top Wharncliffe Blades.

The Origins of the Wharncliffe

The year is 1820 (or thereabouts). For a look at what was going on in the world, Maine had recently become the 23rd state in the burgeoning United States of America.

According to the 1878 edition of “British Manufacturing Industries,” the first Lord of Wharncliffe — James Archibald Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie — was having dinner with his relative Archdeacon Corbett in Great Britain.

Victorinox Pioneer – Badass Knife of the Week

January 15, 2018 / Tim / 1 Comment

There are hundreds of models of Swiss Army Knives, each with its own set of tools and appearance. It’s hard to pick just one above all the others, but if you only have one choice for EDC, consider the Victorinox Pioneer.

With the Pioneer being the civilian version of the Soldier — “the true Swiss Army Knife” — it has everything you need to get by, nothing more and nothing less.

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The Pioneer has eight functions. It has a large blade, reamer, can opener with small screwdrvier, bottle opener with large screwdriver and wire stripper, and key ring.

How to Tell If You Have a Real Damascus Steel Blade

January 11, 2018 / Tim / 48 Comments

Real Damascus Steel Knife

The knife world is plagued with fakes and frauds.

People on eBay are trying to pass off $400 Sebenzas as real and sellers on Amazon are unknowingly selling fake CRKT and SOGs to unsuspecting customers.

Because of all the tricksterism plaguing the knife community, I often get asked whether a knife is real or fake. While I recently wrote a guide on how to spot a counterfeit knife, it didn’t address another popular question — is my Damascus knife a fake?

Damascus knives are becoming more popular and more prevalent from the most popular knife brands like Spyderco (with the Endura and others) to lesser known brands like BucknBear.

What makes people even more confused about the legitimacy of Damascus steel is the vast price differences. Could a $50 knife with Damascus steel be real when you see other Damascus blades topping the $500 mark?

Let’s dig deeper.

What is Damascus?

Before determining whether your Damascus is fake or real, we should first define what Damascus actually is.

Damascus is that wavy pattern in steel that looks exotic and downright gorgeous.

Watch Woodworker Create Homemade Knife Sharpener

January 9, 2018 / Tim / 2 Comments

Sharpening is a necessary evil when you own knives. While it can be complicated to start with, it doesn’t need to be with a little practice.

But, if you’re good with your hands, you can make your life easier by making your own knife sharpener with a few simple items.

That’s what carpenter John Heisz of I Build It did on his YouTube channel.

By using an old oil stone and some plywood, he was able to craft a homemade knife sharpener that you pull through interlocking teeth.

Condor Kephart – Badass Knife of the Week

January 8, 2018 / Tim / 0 Comments

Horace Kephart was an American legend. Born in 1862, Kephart would go on to be one of the fathers of American woodcraft and a pioneer of bushcrafting. As an outdoorsman through and through, Kephart carried a range of gear, including knives.

And like any outdoorsman with a sense of craft, he designed his own style of knives now known as Kephart knives.

Condor Tool & Knife took the design of the classic Kephart knife and made it into a beautiful and elegant knife that excels in the outdoors.

Designer Joe Flowers adapted the Kephart into something just as simple and effective. There’s a 4.5-inch blade made from 1075 high carbon steel — a tough alloy that’s easy to sharpen in a pinch. Its spear point provides a nice cutting belly along with a piercing point.

New 2018 Benchmade Knives

January 3, 2018 / Tim / 1 Comment

It’s a new year and that means a host of new knives will soon be available. Some companies like Spyderco and CRKT announced their new lineup in 2017, but Benchmade just released its 2018 catalog with some of the new knives.

As always expect even more new knives from Benchmade and other companies at SHOT Show in February.

Until then, take a look at these new models for 2018. MSRP $225

Benchmade Altitude

The Altitude is designed to be a lightweight hunting knife for outdoor use that appears to be part of Benchmade’s Hunt Series. For the most part, the knife is very minimalistic with a slim skeletonized handle. The handle does feature carbon fiber microscales, however.

Like the other knives in the Hunt Series, the Altitude uses S90V steel and comes with diamond-like carbon coating. It only weighs 1.6 ounces and also comes in orange. MSRP $230

Benchmade Fact

The Fact is another slim, minimalistic design that Benchmade calls a “minimalist masterpiece.” It has a slender S30V steel blade that’s a lengthy 3.95 inches. The handle is black anodized 6061-T6 billet aluminum. This almost reminds me of a Cold Steel.

Benchmade Follow-Up

From the first three new knives (put in alphabetical order coincidentally), you’ll notice the theme is minimalism. This little guy has a 2.6-inch blade with S30V steel and a skeletonized handle as well.

DPx Gear HEST/F 2.0 – Badass Knife of the Week

January 2, 2018 / Tim / 0 Comments

People love fixed blades because there are fewer moving parts and they are less prone to failure. But sometimes a folding knife is just so much more convenient.

For those times you need a folder as strong and reliable as a fixed blade, there’s the DPx Gear HEST/F 2.0.

The original idea of the HEST/F was to create a folding version of the durable HEST (Hostile Environment Survival Tool) fixed blade knife. The HEST Folder now goes far beyond its original intent and is now an all-around tool you can bet your life on in any situation.

Here’s a nice video overview from jdavis882:

It starts with the 3.25-inch blade made from German D2 tool steel coated with black milspec to damper the steel’s reflective properties. A cutout in the spine of the blade offers a rapid deployment system.

The Curious Case of Knives Clipped Outside the Pocket

December 27, 2017 / Tim / 55 Comments

Anyone who carries a knife will tell you just how to put a knife with a clip in your pocket. You slip it into your pocket so that the clip is facing outward and the knife itself is tucked into your pocket.

That’s the conventional way… but not everyone likes to follow convention.

Some carry it like this:

That’s not how this works. from knifeclub

In this method of carrying, the carrier will clip the knife outside the pocket — leaving it exposed and very visible. I haven’t reached out to Sal Glesser from Spyderco (who pioneered the pocket clip on the knife in the original Spyderco Worker), but I don’t think this was the original intent.

And if you think this is a very uncommon method of carrying, think again. A fair amount of people have reported seeing others carrying knives this why.

So, why would someone carry a knife this way? Let’s take a look.

They’re new to knives.

I would argue this is one of the biggest reasons why people carry a knife this way. They are gifted a knife for the first time and clip it to their pocket on the outside, assuming that’s the accepted way.

For most, a simple whisper of “Hey, it’s better if you clip it inside the pocket” is a good way to inform them.

Their pockets are too small.

As a man, I have large, deep pockets that can carry a Cold Steel Recon 1 XL without much problem. Unfortunately, for women or those men who prefer tighter clothes (no judgment), pockets tend to be significantly smaller or simply for show.

If a knife doesn’t fit inside the pocket, the only way to carry it is clipped to the outside.

Benchmade 810 Contego – Badass Knife of the Week

December 26, 2017 / Tim / 1 Comment

Knife names are often too twee or nondescriptive, but sometimes a name hits the knife on the head. That’s the case with the latest Badass Knife of the Week.

The Benchmade 810 Contego takes its name from the Latin word for “protect.” As a tactical folding knife made with only the strongest materials, the Contego is the ultimate protector to whoever carries the knife.

Here is a test from Benchmade:

Designed by the late great Warren Osborne, the knife features a 3.98-inch blade made from CPM-M4, a tough super steel that gets scary sharp. Its reverse tanto blade design has a large belly for slicing and a strong point. This particular version comes with a partially serrated black-coated blade for extra utility.

Locked-Down Region of China Tracking Knives with QR Codes

December 22, 2017 / Tim / 1 Comment

Think knife laws in the United States are a little too strict — I mean why aren’t switchblades legal federally? Then I recommend avoiding the Xinjiang Province in China at all costs.

Not only is the region devolving into a police state but it is also requiring your name, ID number, ethnicity, and more to be lasered right onto the blade of every knife you own.

So how did this happen?

The province, which is an autonomous region in the northwest portion of China, has been experiencing a rash of knife attacks (and attacks in general).

In September, five police officers were stabbed by separatists in a knife attack. Earlier this year, eight people were killed and 10 were injured by three assailants with knives.

The reason for some of these attacks are somewhat unclear, but rights groups report that the violence may be caused by the government’s oppression of a religious group called Muslim Uighur.

The Xinjiang Province of China is in red.

I’m probably getting too deep into the woods here, but the use of knives have given the government the bright idea of tracking people in every way they can, including tracking their knives with QR codes.

Here’s how the knife tracking works, according to The Wall Street Journal:

The Cutting Edge

The official blog of Knife Depot