The Cutting Edge

Victorinox Swiss Army Knife Now Available to U.S. Armed Forces

July 18, 2017 / Tim / 20 Comments

In a move that represents a rare exception for the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife was added to the official order list for the U.S. Armed Forces.

The DLA is the Department of Defense’s combat support agency that supplies the military with weapons, parts and materials.

What makes this such a rare accomplishment for Victorinox is that the DLA typically only contracts with American manufacturers. According to a Swiss media outlet, the famous Swiss company is now an official supplier of military and one of its knives will be available to members of the U.S. military. Although military personnel could already buy Victorinox knives on their own, this allows them to buy through official channels.

The U.S. knife is called the Combat Utility Knife, which is just a take on the recently redesigned Victorinox Soldier that is used in some iteration by Germany (the official German Army Knife is available for sale), Singapore, Norway and the Netherlands. The knife features a one-handed opening locking blade along with screwdrivers, a wood saw, reamer and more.

Benchmade North Fork – Badass Knife of the Week

July 17, 2017 / Tim / 0 Comments

If you’re looking for a handsome folder that’s built for more than just everyday carry, look no further than the latest Badass Knife of the Week.

The Benchmade North Fork is a knife that will make people look once at its beauty and then look twice at what it’s able to accomplish.

The handsome knife boasts a 2.87-inch blade made from S30V premium stainless steel. Featuring a modified drop point design and a slight recurve, the blade is made to handle all types of processing duties in the field. The design also lends itself to everyday tasks.

Here is an excellent visual overview from Moose’s Gear Goo Review:

As part of the Hunt series from Benchmade, the North Fork joins the ranks as one of the most advanced hunting knives ever, thanks to its use of premium materials and the renowned AXIS locking mechanism.

The line is built upon a foundation of rigorous testing and research and development for use by real hunters.

Repeal of Michigan Switchblade Ban Signed into Law

July 15, 2017 / Tim / 4 Comments

The slow march toward repealing the switchblade ban in every state continues with Michigan being the latest state to make automatic knives legal to carry.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed a bill (SB 245) on Thursday that contains a complete repeal of Section 226a of the Michigan penal code. That section was added in 1952 and made it illegal to sell or possess a knife with a blade “which can be opened by the flick of a button, pressure on a handle or other mechanical contrivance.” The new law becomes effective on October 11, which is 90 days after it was signed.

The language of the switchblade ban was so vague that sometimes people who owned spring-assisted knives were prosecuted under the law. In many places in Michigan, police didn’t enforce the law at all, creating confusion among residents of the state.

“Spring-assisted knives are not defined in the law,” state Sen. Rick Jones, who introduced the bill, said Friday in a statement. “The section refers to a pocket knife opened by the flick of a button, but there are now many different knives that may or may not fall into this category. Knives of this type are sold at major retailers throughout the state and are carried by many citizens.”

Watch Ingenious Knifemaker Forge a Knife with Drill Shavings

July 11, 2017 / Tim / 0 Comments

I’ve said it countless times before but if you’re not following Steve Calvert’s Green Beetle YouTube channel, you’re doing something wrong with your life.

Steve is a national treasure (if you narrow the scope of “national” to knife community and “treasure” to nominally entertaining). I kid, of course, because Calvert makes some of the best knifemaking videos out there.

He usually conducts entertaining experiments and tries new things when making knives in his videos (like his ‘Murica Knife, which uses bacon, fries, beer, and Tums, and his most-viewed video on making a knife from a cable).

KA-BAR Folding Dozier – Badass Knife of the Week

July 10, 2017 / Tim / 0 Comments

Most people think you can’t get a reliable and high performing EDC without selling a kidney on the black market. The Badass Knife of the Week proves otherwise.

The KA-BAR Folding Dozier is a hard-working budget folder from one of the great knifemaking minds of the last few decades.

Bob Dozier has made thousands of knives over his career and nearly left knifemaking after feeling burned out. But he eventually returned to the craft with a new philosophy: making basic hunting knives using high-quality materials at reasonable prices for those who will actually use them.

That philosphy manifests itself in the Folding Dozier from KA-BAR. This folding hunter features a 3-inch blade made from AUS 8 stainless steel and utilizes Dozier’s award-winning lockback design.

Here’s a good video overview from SpartanJohns:

The knife in the main image features an oval notch for easy one-handed opening and a clip point blade. But it also comes in a drop point blade design with thumb studs.

Knives Save Lives: Bird Edition

July 7, 2017 / Tim / 4 Comments

It’s been a while since my last installment of Knives Save Lives, a series exploring the many ways knives have been used to save people’s lives over the years.

While nearly all of those stories involved human lives, sometimes knives can be used to save animal lives (such as the Spyderco Whale Knife).

In a recent video posted on Facebook, a man shows how a Kershaw Blur can be used to rescue a hawk. Take a look:

This hawk was noticed being covered in chollas and was not flying very well. Thanks to a kind man, it was saved and freed… ? Credit: ViralHog

Posted by NTD Life on jueves, 22 de junio de 2017

The raptor apparently flew a little too close to a cholla, one of those fierce cactus plants found in places like Joshua Tree (if you’ve never been to the Cholla Tree Garden at the park, I highly recommend it). Not only is the cactus extremely painful but it can be difficult to get out. They have barbed spines that will attach themselves to almost anything that even lightly touches them.

Keep Your Body Sharp with the Ancient Art of Knife Massage

July 5, 2017 / Tim / 2 Comments

How much do you love knives?

I know most of you collect dozens (if not hundreds) of models and just the mere fact that you’re reading this means you follow a knife blog or click on knife-related things from Facebook or Twitter.

But how many of you would let someone massage you with butcher knives?

According to recent news articles, the knife massage is a new craze around Taiwan that involves cleavers being chopped in rhythmic motions around your face and body.

The reality is that the practice actually dates back to China more than 2,500 years ago. Although it fell out of favor, it slowly came back to life in Taipei with more than 150 of these knife massage centers currently across the city. A slew of recent articles based on the video below have resulted in a bunch of poorly sourced write-ups.

Knife massage is called daoliao and the LA Times did a great write-up back in 2015. Here’s an excerpt from the article:

Turns out daoliao is not some New Age wellness fad. People in China have been undertaking knife massages since the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC to 476 BC) in Chinese history, said Wu Wei-chuan, chairwoman of the World Daoliao Assn. in Taipei. Back then, those suffering from mysterious illnesses not easily treated by traditional medicine would ask Buddhist monks to ease their afflictions with knife therapy.

The masseur uses heavy cleavers with blunt edges (despite what all the latest articles have been saying). People believe that the heavy blade can reach places that fingers cannot and that the steel helps remove bad energy from the body.

Buck 113 Ranger Skinner – Badass Knife of the Week

July 3, 2017 / Tim / 0 Comments

This is the week when we celebrate the independence of our great nation after the Continental Congress decided that the 13 colonies should be its own country known as the United States of America.

With that history in mind, it was only right to choose an American-made knife that represents the ethics and spirit of the country: the Buck 113 Ranger Skinner.

Here is a quick video breakdown for you visual people:

At one point, the Buck 113 Ranger Skinner was a limited edition model, but the demand was so high Buck decided to make this into a full production knife. Now, you have the opportunity to own the excellent Ranger Skinner.

Watch an Old Rusty Knife Get Restored to Perfection

June 30, 2017 / Tim / 2 Comments

I have a confession: In my spare time, I like to watch knife restoration videos in the background.

It may sound odd but there’s something satisfying about taking a knife from a rust-covered dull piece of steel to a functional work of art.

Now, millions of people know how I feel.

If you’ve been on YouTube in the past week or have visited any knife sites, you’ve undoubtedly seen the top-trending video from Jun Yoshizuki about restoring a $3 knife to its previous $100 state.

Watch with awe.

I saw this video shortly after it came out and it has now garnered more than 11 million views as of posting.

Jun, who is a YouTube personality and chef, is known for making videos with his American wife Rachel about their experiences with Japanese culture. (He’s also known for making videos with his cat Kohaku in the background.)

On his own YouTube channel, his previous videos also garnered a few million views (including his second most popular video, which also deals with knives) so this isn’t necessarily a rags to riches story, but it’s always cool to see a knife-centric video get some love from the wider Internet.

Cold Steel Black Talon II – Badass Knife of the Week

June 26, 2017 / Tim / 2 Comments

If you can find a knife that’s as fearsome and savage as our latest Badass Knife of the Week, we don’t want to know.

The Black Talon II, a collaboration between Cold Steel President Lynn C. Thompson and custom knifemaker Andrew Demko, projects an image so intimidating that even the most fearless attacker would run away at first sight.

Described as a modern masterpiece by Cold Steel, the Black Talon II features a curvaceous blade with a swept-down point and pronounced belly for maximum damage. When Cold Steel updated the original, the team used American XHP super steel and reinforced the tip to prevent breakage.