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Kershaw Blackout – Badass Knife of the Week

October 3, 2016 / Tim / 1 Comment

Just because a knife has been around for more than 15 years doesn’t mean it’s any less worthy of praise and elevation. In fact, our Badass Knife of the Week proves that a great knife will just keep getting more and more popular over time.

Originally released as one of the first knives to feature Ken Onion’s revolutionary SpeedSafe assisted opening mechanism, the Kershaw Blackout continues to garner fans and appreciation with every passing year.

Why? Just take a look at it.

The Blackout is the very definition of sleek, with a black 3.25-inch blade made from Sandvik 13C26 stainless steel. The alloy performs well under stress, holds an edge, and resists corrosion. Scratch-resistant Tungsten DLC coating will keep the blade a clean black, even through everyday use. A drop point blade profile, accompanied by a slight swedge, ups the knife’s overall versatility.

NAACP Joins Knife Rights in Fight Against NYC Knife Laws

October 2, 2016 / Tim / 1 Comment

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Thanks to a distorted reading of New York City knife laws, the NYPD has sent as many as 60,000 people to jail over the past decade. According to the Village Voice, simple possession of a pocket knife has even landed defendants in prison for up to seven years.

Knife Rights has been taking on the city for the past few years, arguing that the laws are unjust, capricious, and unconstitutional. In some cases, people have been arrested for carrying legal knives like the Buck 112 Ranger or Leatherman Surge—not exactly gravity knives.

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Now the organization has garnered support from a group traditionally on the other side of the political spectrum: the NAACP.

These two groups make strange bedfellows, but they are fighting for the same thing: justice for unfairly targeted groups.

Cold Steel Spartan – Badass Knife of the Week

September 26, 2016 / Tim / 2 Comments

A little more than 2,500 years ago, the Spartans boasted the most powerful and sophisticated military in the world. Along with rigorous training that went on for decades and a deep understanding of war tactics, the Spartans were feared for their weaponry, including the thick and heavy knife known as the kopis.

Cold Steel scaled down the Ancient Grecian weapon and added technological advances to better fit our more modern society. The result is the Badass Knife of the Week.

The Cold Steel Spartan adapts design elements of the past to catalyze a thoroughly badass knife that’s a combination of beauty, function, and versatility.

This Andrew Demko design features a 4.5-inch hollow ground blade made from American BD1 Alloy Steel, which is corrosion resistant and razor sharp. Its blade profile is reminiscent of a Kukri machete. It excels at hacking, piercing, and slicing, thanks to the placement of its point and curved cutting edge.

Top 5 Best-Selling Benchmade Knives at Knife Depot

September 21, 2016 / Tim / 2 Comments

It’s hard to find a more respected brand over the years than Benchmade. From its customer service to its quality knives, Benchmade is frequently among our best-sellers here at Knife Depot.

Although our top sellers often change, I took a look at the data over the past few years to find out which Benchmade models are most popular among our customers.

While the data is liable to change and doesn’t take newer knives into account (since they haven’t had the time to build up numbers), this is a good indicator on what types of knives people like the most from Benchmade.

5. Benchmade 162 Bushcrafter

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The fifth best-selling Benchmade here is probably surprising. The butterfly brand isn’t instantly known for its fixed blades, but the Benchmade 162 Bushcrafter is a force to be reckoned with. A quick look at reviews around the web and you’ll notice one common denominator: they’re all 5-star reviews.

The Bushcrafter is an outdoor knife that’s well-balanced, durable, and reliable. Its 4.43-inch blade is made from premium S30V stainless steel, which is highly resistant to corrosion, keeps an edge well, and holds up to a beating. Those are all qualities you want in a fixed blade outdoor knife.

Aside from that, it has contoured green G-10 handles with a red vulcanized spacer and comes with a leather sheath.

4. Benchmade 710

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The fact that the 710 is so low on this list is probably another surprise (though it has been out for two decades). This McHenry and Williams design is frequently viewed as a flagship model for Benchmade, and it’s not hard to see why. Not only was it the first Benchmade to feature the AXIS lock but it’s also one of the best EDC knives around.

Morakniv Garberg – Badass Knife of the Week

September 19, 2016 / Tim / 0 Comments

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Mora knives are among the most respected and beloved fixed blades from around the world. These Swedish knives are reliable, relatively inexpensive, and perform better than most others. But there was something missing in the classic Morakniv knives: a full tang model.

Our Badass Knife of the Week is the long-awaited full tang fixed blade Mora knife: the Garberg.

The Morakniv Garberg is a powerful and relentless fixed blade that can take charge in any outdoor situation. This well-built knife is the first of the Mora knives to feature a full tang design. In fact, its extended tang provides extra strength and a surface for light hammering.

The 4.3-inch blade is optimized for performance and dependability. It starts with the Swedish Sandvik 14C28N stainless steel. This alloy is a high-grade knife steel that combines excellent edge performance with corrosion resistance. The scandi grind makes it easy to sharpen out in the field while the thick blade stands up to the toughest tasks. A semi-matte finish and a grinded spine round out the blade’s dedication to bushcrafting.

10 Knives You Can Pry With

September 14, 2016 / Tim / 13 Comments

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We’ve heard it a million times. A knife should never ever be used for prying. If there were a 10 Commandments of Knives, “Thou shalt not pry with your knife” would be number one.

So why do so many people insist on using their knives to pry open cans or boxes when they know it could result in this? We usually have a knife on us and it’s just so convenient.

Fortunately, for every problems, there is a solution. You could simply not pry (but what’s the fun in that?), buy a separate mini pry bar, or pick up a knife that’s built to pry.

Unless you want to carry yet another tool as part of your EDC, I’d opt for a pry bar knife.

If you think pry knives don’t exist, you’re missing out on a whole world of possibilities. Here’s a list of 10 knives with pry bars.

1. KA-BAR BK3 Becker Tac Tool

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For all intents and purpose, the BK3 Tac Tool is a sharpened pry bar. This collaboration between Ethan Becker of Becker Knife & Tool and John Benner of Tactical Defense Institute features a wicked 7-inch blade with a blunt tip and a flat, one-sided grind. It has partial serrations on the edge and a hook cutter on the spine.

This blade is 0.250 inches thick and can be used for prying, hammering, cutting, and smashing. This knife is designed to take a beating, which is why you don’t have to feel guilty when you use it to pry open a door.

2. Boker Pry-Mate

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Next up is a knife with a punny name: the Boker Pry-Mate. This robust knife is designed with an eye toward prying. The blade is nearly 7mm thick—thicker than the Tac Tool—but only 3.38 inches long. The blade is made from N690BO stainless steel. This is an Austrian steel made especially for Boker with a focus on performance and durability. That’s a must if you’re going to be using it to pry lids off paint cans.

SOG Zoom Mini – Badass Knife of the Week

September 12, 2016 / Tim / 0 Comments

Just because something looks great doesn’t mean it always works well. But it’s hard to look at a knife like our latest Badass Knife of the Week and not think that it’s one darn good-looking knife. Fortunately, the knife is as effective as it is sexy.

The onomatopoeically named SOG Zoom Mini is a lightning-fast knife that’s open and ready for action at a millisecond’s notice.

This miniature version of the speedy folder has a 3.15-inch blade made with AUS-8 stainless steel, an alloy with corrosion resistance that can get exceptionally sharp. The black version we’re showing features a hardcased black TiNi coating (short for Titanium Nitride). This scratch resistant coating reduces the steel’s reflective properties and increases durability.

A modified drop point with a large swedge allows for maximum versatility and function, but you can also grab the Zoom Mini in a satin finish and different blade profiles.

6 Reasons Why Some Knives Are Discontinued

September 6, 2016 / Tim / 7 Comments

discontinued knives

We’ve all experienced it. You had your favorite knife for years—say a Kershaw Groove. You used the hell out of it. You took it to your wedding. You carried it every day for the last 10 years. Maybe you even used it to cut your first born son’s umbilical cord.

Then it finally gives way and simply stops working.

But when you go to Knife Depot to buy another, you find out it’s no longer in production. You drop to your knees, raise your fists to the sky, and curse the gods for such cruelty.

Maybe it doesn’t happen quite like that, but discontinued knives are a sad reality for knife fans.

So why do some of our favorite knives get the boot? Several reasons abound, including some that may surprise you.

1) It no longer makes money.

We’ll start with the most obvious reason why a knife might be discontinued. It’s not a moneymaker. This is actually a lot more complicated than it sounds, so we’ll break it up into different facets.

The knife sold poorly from the start.

Companies tend to release a slew of knives each year. Some hit the mark and others miss it by a mile. There will usually be people who buy every knife, but that’s not always enough to sustain the continued production of a product line.

Discontinued Kershaw Tremor

The Kershaw Tremor is one of those knives that came and went in only a few years, most likely due to poor sales. Not long into its run, the price of the Tremor dropped significantly. It went away quietly.

The knife sees fewer and fewer new sales.

Extremely popular knives are also discontinued, thanks to the idea of a product’s life cycle. Say a new knife comes out that’s exceptionally popular—the Starbird. The Starbird has huge, record sales when it first comes out and it’s the talk of the town. Sales continue to rise and rise. Eventually, the number of sales will reach a peak. As everyone who wants the Starbird has already bought it (market saturation), sales will begin declining.

Boker Plus Automat Kalashnikov 74 – Badass Knife of the Week

September 5, 2016 / Tim / 2 Comments

The Automat Kalashnikov 74 holds a legendary status among knife enthusiasts.

It’s known as an inexpensive automatic knife you can buy elsewhere in the world. But if you want to experience the legend of the Boker Plus AK 74 without having to worry about automatic knife restrictions in your area, the latest Badass Knife of the Week is the knife for you.

The Boker Plus Automat Kalashnikov 74 is a manual version of the folder that works like a horse and takes down everything in its path.

Boasting a 3.25-inch blade, the knife is exceptionally versatile and functional. The blade is made from AUS 8 stainless steel, which is tough and corrosion resistant while holding an edge well. It has a spear point blade design with a false edge that makes penetrating more effective with this tool.

A quick look at the handle reveals the inspiration of this knife. The knife is not based off the AK-74 assault rifle; it’s actually based off the AK-74 bayonet fixed blade.

Are Kids Who Play with Knives More Self-Sufficient and Curious?

September 2, 2016 / Tim / 8 Comments

Burmese Boy Playing with a Knife | Photographed by Wagner T. Cassimiro via Flickr

Most kids these days are not self-reliant or self-starters.

This isn’t just some old man yelling about how the new generation is a bunch of pansies because they didn’t walk 10 miles to school in the snow either. (I’m not very old and no one walks anywhere where I live.) No, tangible evidence continues to come out about how kids are more dependent and feeble nowadays. For anecdotal evidence, find a 10-year-old and try to pry him away from his smartphone, tablet, or computer screen and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Kids in many other societies (specifically preindustrial societies) are much more independent, interested in learning, and helpful around the house without being asked.

What’s the reason for such a huge discrepancy across cultures? The answer is complicated but part of the reason is that adults in other places allow their kids to play with knives.

In a recent article called “Playing With Knives: The Socialization of Self-Initiated Learners,” anthropologist David Lancy took a look at how children develop and learn across different cultures. He analyzed observations about parent and child interactions in more than 100 preindustrial societies.

The Cutting Edge

The official blog of Knife Depot