Glenn Klecker is behind some of the most unique and innovative knives coming out today. He doesn’t make the same old knives you see each year; Klecker strives for something new, something exciting. That’s exactly what you get in the latest Badass Knife of the Week.
The CRKT Graphite is a Klecker design that melds functionality with innovation. Its 3.06-inch blade is made from 8Cr13MoV stainless steel, which is a capable steel perfect for EDC knives, and has a versatile hollow grind.
Getting a good knife doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. While many custom knives go for several hundred dollars—or more depending on whom you’re commissioning the knife from—it’s more than possible to get a handmade knife without selling a kidney.
But are these handmade knives for those on a budget worth it? We aim to find out by taking a look at one.
BucknBear makes a variety of handcrafted knives that are surprisingly affordable for featuring flourishes like quality materials and Damascus steel. In this review, we take a look at the BucknBear Damascus Hunting Knife to see whether it’s worth your time. Because it is a custom knife, this model is no longer available for purchase, but there are similar models like the BucknBear Damascus Cali Hunter.
If you haven’t heard of BucknBear, you’re probably not alone. The relatively new brand was founded in 2011 and is based out of Pennsylvania.
BucknBear is a manufacturer of fixed blades and folding knives made from a variety of quality materials, like D2 steel, 1095 and 15N20 high carbon Damascus steel, and exotic woods.
You’ll often find the brand spelled as Buck N Bear, but a representative insisted the official name is BucknBear, so that’s how I’ll be writing it throughout the review.
The products from BucknBear are touted as handmade items by skilled artisans and craftsmen. While not explicitly said anywhere, it’s likely these knives are from Pakistan, which is a common place to find relatively inexpensive Damascus knives.
Most knife enthusiasts will tell you that Pakistan has a reputation as a mixed bag for its knives in terms of quality. BucknBear explained to me that they have quality control experts who maintain a high standard throughout the entire process of production.
Nature is a beast.
From the highest mountains to the lowest canyons, nature is constantly trying to kill you. But, if there’s one thing that strikes the most fear in me, it’s the ocean.
The ocean is a vast wasteland of the unknown. The sea is mercurial. One moment, the surface is still as glass and the next, a 50-foot rogue wave appears out of nowhere, hellbent on destroying you. That doesn’t even mention the creatures, landscape, and mystery that stretch 30,000 feet beneath you.
The high seas should never be underestimated, but one of the nightmare scenarios of any ocean navigator is the incident of a boat capsizing. That’s the situation Rob Sanford found himself in one fateful day.
Never heard of Steel Will? Then you’ve been missing out on some of the best knives from the last few years. If you’re late to the party, our latest Badass Knife of the Week perfectly represents everything Steel Will has to offer: premium materials, quality craftsmanship, and thoughtful designs.
The Steel Will Gekko 1505 is a premium folder that’s quickly become a best-seller at Steel Will, despite being brand new. As part of the Gekko Series, which includes a mix of outdoor fixed blades and folders, the knife is handsome without sacrificing functionality or quality.
The Gekko 1505 features a 3.94-inch blade that’s made from D2 tool steel, which is exceptionally hard with some resistance to corrosion.
One of the things I love most about the knife community is the constant quest for innovation and freshness. While I love dissecting the minute changes in the latest flipper, it’s those completely ground-breaking models that keep me in awe.
For a tool that’s been around for a couple million years, the knife is still experiencing some pretty radical changes and creativity. While these knives can be hit-or-miss and many have been discontinued, they stand as evidence that no matter how long something exists, great minds can always think outside the box.
Here are 15 knives with the most interesting deployment mechanisms.
Let’s start off with one that most people will instantly point to when you mention unique opening mechanisms: the Kershaw ET. Standing for External Toggle, the ET hails from the genius minds of Grant and Gavin Hawk. This father and son duo has developed some pretty out there designs like the TOAD, Boker Griploc, and many more.
The Kershaw ET uses a toggle mechanism to open and close the blade. You can actually engage the blade through many ways (using your thumb like a traditional folder and dropping the handle while holding the blade), but the toggle is probably the most fun. You can use a lever near the butt of the handle to open and close it. The knife was discontinued, probably because there’s the danger of the knife closing on your thumb when you use the toggle.
Here’s a gif of how it opens with the toggle from this review:
Next up is another discontinued knife. The CRKT Rollock is a fascinating knife with a cool opening mechanism. To deploy the blade, you press down on the blade (specifically on some jimping near the rear of the spine) when closed. That pops the blade up, and then you slide it completely open.
This factory version from CRKT was inspired by the Rolox from Blackie Collins. Collins is often cited as the first person to create an assisted-opening knife, though Ken Onion may have invented the SpeedSafe assisted opener concurrently.
Here’s a gif from an old YouTube :
The Warlock from Paragon Knives by Asheville Steel (I know that’s a mouthful) is actually a new knife. Not quite an automatic knife and not quite an assisted opener, the Warlock is its own category. When shut, the blade is completely invisible. So how do you open this baby up?
When you need a bushcrafting knife that’s both versatile and powerful enough to take on any outdoor task, look no further than the latest Badass Knife of the Week: the Condor Tool & Knife Solobolo.
This large fixed-fixed blade knife is a bushcrafter’s dream.
The Solobolo features a long 8-inch blade made from German 1075 carbon steel, which is extremely tough and capable of taking an edge without much effort. To increase the steel’s resistance to rust, the blade has black traction powder coating. The lightly textured coating also reduces the reflective properties of the steel, making it great for tactical purposes.
We’ve barely cracked the surface of the new knives for 2016. If you want to see some of the other new knives for 2016, you can see all the posts here.
This week, we’re looking at the new Spyderco knives. There are only a handful of new models with a selection of upgrades/sprint runs. We thought it’d be a good idea to take a look at those going the way of the Dodo too.
We’ll kick things off with the new models from Spyderco.
If you’re a fan of some of the weirdest Spyderco knives, then you’ll love the Spyderco Introvert. This folder was designed by martial artist and knifemaker Chris Knutson with the idea of making a knife that can open quickly and offer a secure grip. The index hole not only offers a strong grip but it also doubles as a flipper when closed. It has a 2.79-inch blade made from VG-10 stainless steel and G-10 scales.
Billed as a gentleman’s folder by Spyderco, the Lil’ Lum was designed by the late Bob Lum. It has a leaf-shaped VG-10 steel blade that’s 2.38 inches long. It has G-10 scales and full skeletonized stainless steel liners.
The Mantras are great-looking knives made with quality materials. The blades are made from CPM M4 steel with full-flat grinds, and the handles are stonewashed titanium. The Mantra has a classic Spyderco blade with its iconic Spydie hole and leaf-shaped blade.
Brace yourself! New Schrade models are now available.
There’s been some buzz around these two new models from Schrade, and they’re finally here. The Schrade SCH111 and SCH112 are fixed blades designed by Joshua Waggoner. Both of these knives are modeled after the karambit. Here’s a little more about each.
First up we have the Schrade SCH111 Fixed Blade. The knife features a 2.97-inch blade made from 9Cr18MoV stainless steel and a skeletonized handle. The blade has an interesting blade shape.
There are few people I admire more than Joerg Sprave. Not only is the dude always enjoying life but he comes up with and creates the most insanely cool weapons.
For those who don’t know, Joerg Sprave is the proprietor of The Slingshot Channel on YouTube. It’s there you can take a look at some of his uniquely original and highly functional creations. He’s basically Dennis the Menace on steroids. He uses wood and rubber bands in nearly all of his designs and often stretches the definition of a slingshot.
He’s made a machete slingshot, sawblade slingshot, and knife chainsaw, just to name a few.
If you travel to the crossroads of breathtaking design and quality construction, you’ll arrive at the latest Badass Knife of the Week.
The Spyderco Vallotton Sub-Hilt Folder is a critically acclaimed custom collaboration between Butch Vallotton and Spyderco that demonstrates the kind of quality and innovation you can expect from two great entities.
The Vallotton Sub-Hilt folder features a 3.75-inch blade made from premium CPM S30V steel, which is known for its toughness, corrosion resistance, and ability to keep an edge. Its modified tanto blade has a hollow grind at the cutting edge with a convex grind at the tip.
© 2024 The Cutting Edge
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑
