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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, unfortunately, no stranger to fakes and frauds.

From people on eBay trying to pass off $400 Sebenzas as authentic to sellers on Amazon unknowingly peddling fake CRKTs and SOGs, counterfeit knives are everywhere. 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 have exploded in popularity over the years, popping up everywhere from top-tier brands like Spyderco (think the Endura and others) to smaller names like BucknBear.

What makes people even more confused about the legitimacy of Damascus steel are the massive price differences. How can a $50 Damascus knife be “real” when other Damascus blades are priced at $500 or more?

Let’s dig deeper.

What is Damascus?

Before we get into spotting fakes, it’s important to understand what Damascus steel actually is.

Damascus is known for its distinctive wavy patterns—an exotic, almost hypnotic look that’s instantly recognizable. But getting that pattern the right way comes down to two types of “real” Damascus steel:

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:

How to Remove a Stripped Screw

December 19, 2017 / Tim / 10 Comments

If you use your knives at all, disassembly is a necessity for cleaning and maintenance. Even if you’re just switching your pocket clip from a tip-down to tip-up carry, you’ll sometimes run into a major problem: stripped screws.

So what are you to do if that screw is stuck or stripped inside your knife?

Here are a few solutions, which are not mutually exclusive.

Buy Quality Torx Bits

First, stop what you’re doing and make sure you have quality bits. Using low-quality bits is a recipe for stripped screws and won’t do much in removing the screw from the knife.

Cheaper bits use softer metal that can bend and ultimately strip the screw you’re trying to get out. Your best bet is to spend a little extra money on something more reliable. Wiha is always dependable, and I’ve heard good things about Wera tools too.

Heat the Screw with a Soldering Iron

This is the first thing you should do after getting quality bits. In fact, this is something you should probably do to any screw on your knife even before it’s stripped.

The reason? Loctite.

Gerber Decree – Badass Knife of the Week

December 18, 2017 / Tim / 0 Comments

According to famed writer Malcolm Gladwell, it takes 10,000 hours of practice and perseverance to become an expert at something. With more than four decades of experience designing tactical knives, Gerber puts that theory into practice with the finely tuned Decree.

The Gerber Decree combines all the elements that make a superior everyday carry into a compact and reliable flipper.

It all starts with the blade. The blade design is a cross between a tanto blade and a drop point, excelling at both piercing and slicing. A partially serrated edge gives the knife even more functionality.

The Cutting Edge

The official blog of Knife Depot