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Boker Magnum Damascus Stubby – Badass Knife of the Week

December 5, 2016 / Tim / 0 Comments

In a world of sleek and rail-thin knives, the Stubby stands alone.

The Damascus Stubby from Magnum by Boker is simple, elegant, and downright eye-catching. It’s a knife you could comfortably take to the woods during the day and then take to a black tie event in the evening.

It all starts with the Damascus steel blade. The Damascus is created by hammering together 37 layers of steel with a strong core to make a powerful and handsome blade. At a short but stout 2.38 inches, the drop point blade profile is versatile. It engages easily with the thumb stud and locks securely with a liner lock.

ESEE Izula – Badass Knife of the Week

November 29, 2016 / Tim / 0 Comments

The latest Badass Knife of the Week takes much of its design traits from an ant. But not just any ant—one of the most ferocious ants you’ll ever encounter.

The ESEE Izula is inspired by an ant found in the rainforests of Peru. The locals call it the isula ant, but we know it better as the bullet ant. Named after an excruciating sting that some people say is akin to getting shot, the bullet ant is mean and aggressive but also tough and adaptable.

These traits perfectly translate into one of the most beloved fixed blades around. The blade of this iteration of the ESEE Izula is 2.63 inches and made from 1095 carbon steel. It has a black textured powder coat finish that reduces the glare of the knife and adds an extra layer of corrosion resistance. An outline of its namesake is imprinted on the blade to remind you of the knife’s capabilities.

See New 2017 Spyderco Knives

November 22, 2016 / Tim / 0 Comments

Just as we were mourning the discontinuation of knives from a number of brands, Spyderco released its 2017 catalog, revealing a wide array of new models, notable upgades, and sprint runs.

Spyderco has undergone a few pretty cool changes for 2017. One of the changes I’m most happy about is an updated website, which was long overdue. And the new knives, of course.

There’s a lot to digest, so for now I’ll just highlight some of the most notable knives for 2017. At the end of the post, you can find all the new knives for 2017 (which includes some that were previously announced earlier this year). You can also check out Spyderco’s 2017 catalog yourself.

Spyderco Para 3

It’s here… it’s finally here. People have been climbing up the walls in anticipation of the Paramilitary 3 (simply called the Para 3) for a while. The Paramilitary 2 is widely considered one of most popular and best folding knives of all time (and was a recent Badass Knife of the Week). Many were hoping for a smaller version—whether because of legal restrictions or preference.

Spyderco has answered your prayers. The Para 3 is a scaled down version of the hugely successful PM2. It retains the same CPM S30V steel, Compression Lock, G-10 scales, stainless steel liners, and opened back construction. The only difference is the 3-inch blade and overall length of 7.27 inches.

It’ll be your new favorite knife.

Spyderco Police 4

We mourned the loss of the Police 3 in our obituaries for Spyderco’s discontinued knives, but the sadness was short-lived. Introducing the Police 4.

Schrade SCHF43 – Badass Knife of the Week

November 21, 2016 / Tim / 0 Comments

Some say the ultimate survival tool simply doesn’t exist, that you need a whole host of tools to tackle the various types of tasks you’ll encounter in the outdoors. Those people have never seen the Schrade SCHF43.

The SCHF43 (sometimes known as Jessica-X) comes from the mind of Chris Tanner of PreparedMind101 fame. This unique knife is an amalgamation of different styles, from the Bowie knife to the parang.

The massive knife boasts a 9-inch coated blade made from 1070 carbon steel with a saber grind.

FINI Cutlery Chef’s Knife & Paring Knife Review & Giveaway

November 15, 2016 / Tim / 9 Comments

FINI Cutlery is giving our readers a chance to win one of two sets of its knives. Enter at the bottom of the post.

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Go to your kitchen, grab a chef’s knife, and look at how you’re holding it.

Unless you’re a chef, you’re probably holding it “wrong”—according to some people anyway.

The general design of the chef’s knife hasn’t changed much over the years. If something works, why change it?

That’s where FINI Cutlery comes into the picture.

The relatively new company designed a set of knives with handles that look a little different than your average kitchen knife.

FINI Cutlery reached out to the Cutting Edge blog to review a set of two knives: a chef’s knife and a paring knife. I said yes, so they sent me a sample to review. As always my reviews are done with honesty and fairness.

Let’s see how well these knives held up.

About FINI Cutlery

Before we get to the knife, let’s look at FINI Cutlery.

FINI Cutlery launched with a Kickstarter campaign to fund these knives on September 14, 2015. Inventor and long-time chef Peter Rigas created these knives with an eye toward proper gripping and efficiency.

Here is a quote from Rigas via the Kickstarter campaign page:

Between my long restaurant career and my personal life I have given many hundreds of knife lessons. I was taught when I was 15, working in a busy diner, by a chef who cringed while watching me work. He also offered me a cot, saying “you’ll be here all night if you keep holding the knife like that.”

So the idea was to create a knife that automatically placed the user’s hand into a proper position.

Apparently many out there agree with this sentiment, and the campaign was successfully funded for more than $100,000, exceeding the original goal of $40,000. There was some trouble in getting the knives out to people (as there is with pretty much every funded project), but all the orders were filled and a company was born.

Initial Impressions and Specs

“Where’s the handle?”

That’s the first thing my wife asked when she saw the knives I’m reviewing today. It’s a fair question. The handle is short and stubby—completely unlike all the other kitchen knives out there.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

Fallkniven A1 – Badass Knife of the Week

November 14, 2016 / Tim / 0 Comments

A knife doesn’t have to be flashy, adorned with bells and whistles, or huge to save your life. In fact, as our latest Badass Knife of the Week shows, simple can be just as effective as gaudy.

That’s not to say this knife is some simpleton that can’t hold its own against the wilderness. On the contrary actually.

The Fallkniven A1 is the ultimate survival knife that all others should strive to be. This is a rugged all-purpose survival knife that runs the gamut of what a knife is capable of accomplishing.

Here is a quick overview from WillzOutdoorz:

Sleek and minimal, the Swedish Survival Knife from Fallkniven cuts a serious figure. Its black Cera-Coat 6.3-inch blade is made from laminated VG-10 steel and can clear tree branches just as easily as it can open cans or make kindling.

Spyderco Paramilitary 2 – Badass Knife of the Week

November 7, 2016 / Tim / 1 Comment

When a knife has as much hype and praise heaped upon it as the Spyderco Paramilitary 2, it’s easy to assume the knife is overrated. We’re here to tell you that it not only deserves all the praise but should get even more.

The Spyderco Paramilitary 2 is widely considered one of the most effective and well-designed knives ever made. This has been such a popular model that it’s frequently out of stock around the web because demand is so high.

So why is the Paramilitary 2 such a great knife?

Spyderco Releases 2017 List of Discontinued Knives

November 3, 2016 / Tim / 0 Comments

Spyderco Rubicon from a 2014 YouTube review by Sup3rSaiy3n

It’s that time of year again. Beloved knife models are dropping like flies and there’s nothing we can do about it.

Knife brands are publishing their lists of discontinued knives. First there was Kershaw. Then Benchmade (which we’ll get to in a few days). Now there’s Spyderco.

Some of these aren’t surprising and were predicted (considering many have sequels upcoming) but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. As I did with Kershaw, I’ll write obituaries for a few of my favorites. If you want to see the full list (along with links to those still available at Knife Depot), skip to the bottom.

Spyderco Friction Folder

The Friction Folder was an original. A few months ago, I wrote a thorough post explaining what a friction folder is, how it works, and why anyone would want one. I also named four factory-made friction folders you can buy. Yes, the Spyderco Friction Folder was on the list.

This was a non-traditional folder that used friction to keep the blade engaged. While this isn’t the type of knife you’d use for tough tasks, it’s great for simple EDC jobs. Not only that but this was one of the few knives legal to carry in the United Kingdom.

While the number of factory-made folders is dwindling by the day, you can find a number of friction folders from custom makers. Farewell old friend.

Spyderco Rubicon

The Rubicon is dead. Long live the Rubicon 2. The death of the Rubicon was one of the least surprising discontinued knives this year because of the arrival of the new Rubicon 2—a cheaper but faithful version of Peter Carey’s original masterpiece. What did the handsome Rubicon in was the high cost. I would have loved to use it as my EDC, but it went for more than $300.

KA-BAR ZK Famine Tanto – Badass Knife of the Week

October 31, 2016 / Tim / 0 Comments

A strange virus has spread across the world. Normal, law-abiding citizens now have a thirst for flesh and blood. The dead shuffle among the living with a goal of eating any human in its path.

What are you to do? Grab the KA-BAR Zombie Killer Famine Tanto.

The ZK Famine is a rugged tool designed to take down the walking dead while tackling the toughest survival tasks with impunity.

This 13-inch knife boasts a 7.5-inch blade with a stout tanto profile. The tanto is strong and capable of piercing the toughest materials without fear of breaking the tip.

Kershaw Releases List of 2017 Discontinued Knives

October 26, 2016 / Tim / 6 Comments

rainbow-leek

Brace yourselves: Kershaw has released its list of discontinued knives for 2017.

Many are not a surprise, but there are a few that made us look twice. I wrote a thorough post a few weeks ago about why some knives are discontinued and other knives live on, but it’s always sad to see some of our favorites get the boot.

At the time of this writing, we have most of these knives in stock, so if you want one before you’re forced to find it for resale, I suggest getting it now.

I thought it’d be pertinent to write the obituary for five of my favorite Kershaws not coming back next year. You can find the complete list at the end.

Kershaw Whirlwind

Although the Whirlwind lived a nice long life, its death was sudden and surprising. This knife has been around for more than 15 years, with the stonewashed version being slightly newer. OK, so maybe its long life was an indication that the knife would soon cease production.

The loss of the Whirlwind is quite personal to me, as it’s been my father’s reliable EDC work knife for years. He really enjoyed Sandvik 14C28N steel blade with the SpeedSafe mechanism.

Unfortunately, this knife has been around for so long that people are likely no longer interested in it. That and the more popular Kershaw Blackout is nearly identical to the Whirlwind (except for a black blade).

Kershaw Shallot

The death of the Shallot is like the death of one of the Beatles. The Shallot was part of the famous line of knives created by Ken Onion and named after relatives of the onion. Along with the Chive, Leek, and Scallion, the Shallot helped establish Kershaw as a formidable brand for folders.

The Shallot was the largest of the line —with a 3.5-inch blade—and likely received the least amount of love. All iterations of the Shallot are no longer slated for production (you can find links to the rest below).

The Cutting Edge

The official blog of Knife Depot