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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.

Texas Knife Law Reform ‘Bowie Bill’ Signed Into Law

June 21, 2017 / Tim / 3 Comments

In an ironic twist, old knife laws in Texas prohibited the carry of one of the state’s (and country’s) most iconic knife designs: the Bowie knife.

But on Thursday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbot signed HB 1935 into law, which allows for daggers, dirks, stilettos, poniards, swords, spears and Bowie knives to be carried nearly anywhere in the state. The law takes effect Sept. 1.

The bill was set for a vote in the state’s House of Representative just days before the fatal stabbing at the University of Texas in May. The maniac apparently used a hunting knife described as a Bowie knife.

Most Innovative Knife Designs From Grant & Gavin Hawk

June 20, 2017 / Tim / 7 Comments

If you take a look through some of our comments on our Facebook posts, you’ll see countless people lamenting the lack of innovation and design diversity in the knife world. These people have clearly never heard of the Hawks.

Grant and Gavin Hawk are a father and son knifemaking team that first started making knives in 1995. Whereas most knifemakers work on making knives within the confines of the modern designs, the Hawks have pushed the boundaries for what knives can be and how they can work.

The Hawks are owners of many patents and continue to find ways to completely shatter the traditional knife design. In honor of the innovative duo, we’re taking a look at some of their most innovative designs.

E.T. (External Toggle)

Image from mwmccormick on bladeforums

We’ll kick off the list with one of their best known creations: the E.T. Standing for External Toggle, the E.T. helped put the Hawks on the map as innovative designers. The knife uses a unique toggle system to engage and close the knife at the butt of the handle. As this training video shows, there were actually a number of ways to engage the knife.

The knife was later picked up by Kershaw and took the community by storm. In 2005, the Kershaw/Hawk collaboration won the Most Innovative American Design at the BLADE Show and Best Overall Design at IWA. While the design was not entirely functional and was eventually discontinued, it showed what kinds of genius minds the Hawks had.

D.O.G. (Deadbolt Over Grabstep)

Hawk DOG from JDP1998 on BladeForums

The D.O.G. was an early knife and among their first folding knife designs. It’s also notable for being the first collaboration between the Hawks and CRKT and it was a good one. This beefy folder was named after its locking mechanism. It has an automatic action that uses a deadbolt system to lock into place. I’ve heard people say they put the lock through the ringer without failure. Take a look at what one review had to say:

Unfortunately, it was discontinued and can rarely be found. It’s a shock such a great lock isn’t seen on more knives.

M.U.D.D. (Multi-Utility-Dirt-Defiant)

Image from jritayik on BladeForums

Do you hate when debris or gunk gets stuck in your lock mechanism? The Hawks solved your problems with the M.U.D.D. This was the first knife to use the Hawk Lock because it allows the lock to be completely sealed inside the knife thanks to the use of a rubber boot around the button. This prevents failure due to dirt from hard use. The lock mechanism is a spiritual successor of the Benchmade AXIS lock. It works essentially the same, but the way it functions on the inside is a little different.

Gerber Ultralight LST – Badass Knife of the Week

June 19, 2017 / Tim / 1 Comment

If you don’t think a simple lockback folder that weighs less than an ounce and doesn’t have a clip or thumbstud can’t be badass, the Gerber Ultralight LST would like to have a word with you.

Our latest Badass Knife of the Week has years of history and craftsmanship by its side.

The original was brought to the market way back in 1980 by Mr. Pete Gerber himself. He elicited the help of the legendary Blackie Collins to design a simple but effective knife that was lightweight and rugged.

The result was one of the first knives to use all-synthetic materials in the handle, something countless knife companies do today.

Victorinox Releases New Knife Made From Old Nespresso Pods

June 18, 2017 / Tim / 1 Comment

It’s hard not to love Victorinox.

The company always comes up with new and creative ways to liven up a design that dates back more than a century. Whether it’s something like the all-black Spartan PS, which uses a process called Polispectral, or its annual design contest that results in amazingly creative designs.

Well, the famous Swiss Army Knife company is back at it again with another limited edition SAK that’s made from two dozen used capsules of Nespresso.

Nespresso is a premium brand of coffee that hails from Switzerland. Single serve machines brew the coffee from aluminum capsules. Both Nespresso and Victorinox have put an emphasis on sustainability so the two teamed up to bring knives made through Nespresso’s recycling program.

Watch 500-Pound Knife Get Dropped Onto Used Toyota

June 14, 2017 / Tim / 0 Comments

If you’re not following the giant robot wars going on across the world, you’re not paying attention.

The team at the YouTube channel MegaBots Inc creates some awesome robots that they are planning to use to battle another giant robot very soon. Throughout the last year, they made the Mk.III robot, which is 16 feet tall, 10 tons, and worth $2.5 million.

So what does this have to do with knives?

Well, at the start of the year, MegaBots Inc teamed up with Simone Giertz — who is a non-engineer known for making awful robots — to make her infamous chopping machine significantly larger with the help of the Mk.III. Take a look.

Because that wasn’t part of the final design, the team had the leftover 500-pound knife that they decided to drop onto a used Toyota from a crane for laughs.

Hibben Legacy Combat Fighter – Badass Knife of the Week

June 12, 2017 / Tim / 0 Comments

With Father’s Day this weekend, we thought it’d be pertinent to choose a knife that was made through a collaboration between father and son. Since we already featured the Spyderco Paramilitary 2 (from Sal and Eric Glesser) as a badass knife, we thought the next logical knife would be the United Cutlery Hibben Legacy Combat Fighter.

Gil Hibben is as close as you can get to a living legend in the knife community. Since 1964, the president of the Knifemaker’s Guilde and Cutlery Hall of Fame inductee has made countless knives, revolutionized the limits of design, and made knives for tons of movies.

It’s only logical then that his son would learn a thing or two from such a renowned knifemaker. But Wesley Hibben has not relied on his dad’s name or reputation to come into his own right as a respected knifemaker.

The Hibben Legacy Combat Fighter is the first ever collaboration between Gil and Wes and the results are spectacular.

Here’s a quick visual overview:

Its 5.875-inch blade features a razor sharp edge and a spear point tip with flourishes that give the design personality and ferocity. A pronounced finger choil allows the user to choke up on the blade while a raised thumb rest at the start of the spine offers extra control for finer tasks. A fuller also helps reduce the overall weight of the 12-inch knife.

The Cutting Edge

The official blog of Knife Depot