The Cutting Edge

Knives Save Lives: Rescue from an Overturned Car in a Creek

May 13, 2016 / Tim / 2 Comments

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Sometimes the only thing standing between life and death is luck.

Back on July 29, 2014, Charles Devowe drove from Michigan into Canada en route to a fishing trip in Ontario. He noticed debris on the road, including some strewn at a 45-degree angle.

He traveled for about two miles up the road until he decided to turn around. After parking near the debris, he saw a Pontiac Vibe flipped upside down in a creek at the bottom of a hill. Since Devowe has bad knees, he didn’t want to immediately go down because no one would know they were there.

So he flagged down some passersby and then headed down the hill with no regard for his bad knees.

Schrade SCHF56 & SCHF56L Leather Sheaths Now Available

May 10, 2016 / Tim / 2 Comments

The Schrade SCHF56 and SCHF56L are amazing knives. These recently released models quickly became best-sellers for their simple yet thoughtful design and superb performance. I’ve heard people say the SCHF56L is the best knife they have, and that’s quite a high praise considering how many knives are out there.

While the knives come with polyester belt sheaths, many have been clamoring for better leather sheaths. Schrade gave the people what they want with two new spruced up leather sheaths:

The Schrade LS56L for the larger SCHF56L

and the Schrade LS56 for the smaller SCH56.

Both sheaths are made of 100% vegetable tanned top grain genuine cowhide, which will not cause corrosion to the blades. They’re stitched with heavy duty nylon thread and feature all metal snap fasteners that are nickel-plated to prevent rust.

Asheville Steel Paragon Warlock – Badass Knife of the Week

May 9, 2016 / Tim / 4 Comments

The Warlock from Paragon Knives by Asheville Steel is a knife like no other.

This premium folder is a cross between an automatic knife and an assisted opener. To engage the knife, press the pivot on both sides. This parts the handle at the seams. Once the handle is split, you whip out the blade with the help of gravity, and the knife is locked into place after the button is released.

Recently featured in our list of 15 Folders with Unique Opening Mechanisms, the knife is fun to open and extremely fast once you get the hang of it.

Here’s a short review from YouTube showing how it opens and closes:

But if you think the Warlock is nothing but a gimmick, you’re sorely mistaken.

Fallkniven U2 – Badass Knife of the Week

May 2, 2016 / Tim / 0 Comments

Picture a badass knife. You likely envision a sleek folder with a high-tech assisted-opening mechanism or a giant fixed blade with black coating. These all fit the traditional concepts of a badass knife, but our latest Badass Knife of the Week makes the case that something a little different can be just as badass.

The Fallkniven U2 is not your typical badass knife. It doesn’t have a thumb stud for quick one-handed opening. It doesn’t have a classic liner lock. It doesn’t have a bunch of unnecessary bells and whistles like a glass breaker or seat belt cutter.

So what does the U2 have? A design and construction that will outperform nearly any folder you handle.

Watch ‘Psycho’ Theme Played on Piano with Knives

May 1, 2016 / Tim / 1 Comment

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For a movie that’s more than 55 years old, it’s astounding just how prevalent and instantly recognizable Psycho is—particularly the iconic music. If you’ve never seen it, Psycho is a horror film about a woman who ends up in a motel with its disturbed owner, Norman Bates.

The theme song is downright menacing. So how do you make this dread-invoking score even more frightening? Make knives an instrument.

That’s what composer Joachim Horsley did in a well-edited video.

Horsley has arranged and performed for movies and TV, and it’s cool videos like these that probably keep work coming in.

Kershaw Cryo G-10 – Badass Knife of the Week

April 26, 2016 / Tim / 0 Comments

The Cryo is one of Kershaw’s best-selling models of all time. Something about its design and execution struck a chord with the masses and propelled the folder to stardom. But, even though the Cryo is insanely popular, a few things were missing that held it back from being an all-time great.

Those minor flaws in the original Cryo were corrected in our latest Badass Knife of the Week: the Kershaw Cryo G-10.

Now boasting a G-10 scale on the front of the handle, the Cryo G-10 satisfies the countless people who requested this modification.

Such a simple change as adding a G-10 scale doesn’t seem like much, but it completely transforms the look and feel of the knife. Unlike the full stainless steel handle of the original, the front scale on this model provides a sure grip when wielding the knife.

The back side of the handle is stonewashed 410 stainless steel, but the G-10 scale on the front helps reduce the overall weight of the knife to a reasonable 3.7 oz. (That’s down from the 4.1 oz of the original.)

Rick Hinderer, the legendary designer behind this knife, has a strong reputation for someone who puts thought into his knives. It’s not hard to see why with the Cryo.

The 2.75-inch drop point blade is made from 8Cr13MoV stainless steel with a stonewashed finish. It engages quickly and effortlessly thanks to a well-placed flipper and Kershaw’s patented SpeedSafe opening mechanism.

It stays securely open with the a frame lock and lockbar stabilizer. That blade’s not going anywhere.

Win a Kershaw Blur S30V for Assisted-Opening Knife Week

April 25, 2016 / Tim / 17 Comments

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The assisted-opening knife is a relatively recent innovation in the world of knives, but it transformed the landscape and created an entirely new genre.

We’ve been celebrating landmarks and anniversaries throughout the year here at Knife Depot. This week we’re celebrating Assisted-Opening Knife Week.

Assisted openers were invented as a way to circumvent the ban on switchblades while offering users an option to engage a knife quickly with one hand. Here’s a good description of the difference between the two.

There’s some debate as to who created the first assisted-opening mechanism, but it’s likely that both Blackie Collins and Ken Onion developed a similar mechanism concurrently.

Since then, most brands carry assisted-opening knives that use trade names like SpeedSafe, SOG Assisted Technology, Outburst, and others.

Throughout the week, we’ll be writing cool stories and having exclusive sales related to assisted openers. To kick things off, we’re giving away a Kershaw Blur S30V. This iconic pocket knife uses a SpeedSafe assisted-opening mechanism and boasts a stonewashed blade with a slight recurve. This iteration has upgrade S30V steel, making it a perfect EDC.

The winner will be announced Saturday.

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Donate to Knife Rights’ Ultimate Steel Spectacular and Win

April 21, 2016 / Tim / 0 Comments

Few organizations have done more for knife rights than Knife Rights.

The advocacy organization is dedicated to influencing positive public policy in pursuit of knife rights, encourage the safe use and marketing of knives, and provide knife owners with services.

To say that Knife Rights is a success is not doing the organization justice. Knife Rights Founder and Chairman Doug Ritter has taken on NYC for its anti-knife laws and pushed pro-knife laws around the United States. Here’s an interview we did with Ritter back in 2011 to learn more about the early days of the movement.

While the organization has done so much for knife owners, there’s still a long way to go. Unfortunately, pushing through legislation and fighting legal battles doesn’t come cheap.

Check out the ViperSharp Knife Sharpener

April 19, 2016 / Tim / 0 Comments

The rise of crowdfunding has been a blessing and a curse. It’s given us amazing things like the Dash Wireless Earbuds and not-so-amazing things like the watermelon holder.

Because we are suckers for innovation in the knife community, we’ll occasionally be looking at interesting crowdfunding campaigns related to knives.

First up is the ViperSharp Knife Sharpener.

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You might be thinking what in the world is this contraption? According to ViperSharp creator Mike Wood, it’s the best precision knife sharpening system on the market today. Yep, that is quite the boast.

So what makes this sharpener better than the hundreds of sharpeners currently available? Wood created the first iteration of the sharpener after being unsatisfied with shortcomings he experienced using other popular sharpeners. It can sharpen at an infinite number of angles (within the confines of the adjuster), stones can easily be swapped in and out, the blade can be turned without having to reset the system, and more.

Morakniv Companion MG – Badass Knife of the Week

April 18, 2016 / Tim / 0 Comments

There’s a false argument out there that the more a knife costs, the more quality and dependability it possesses. Our latest Badass Knife of the Week takes that misconception and proves the opposite. Sometimes less expensive knives can outperform counterparts that cost 10 times as much.

The Morakniv Companion MG is not only the best all-around outdoor knife for the money, it may also be the best all-around outdoor knife for any price.

This knife doesn’t look like much at first glance, but its simplicity and timeless design propels it to greatness.

badass-morakniv-companion-side The knife boasts a 4.1-inch drop point blade that can take on anything you throw at it. Boasting a notable 2mm blade thickness and a Scandinavian grind, the blade is extremely durable and easy to sharpen while in the field.

But one of the features that makes this such a beloved knife is the carbon steel blade. It’s easy to sharpen and keeps a keen edge, but it does require more care and maintenance than stainless steels. If that’s not your cup of tea, the Morakniv Companion MG also comes in a stainless steel iteration.

Its black and military green (hence the MG) handle features a patterned high-friction grip made from durable rubber. It also comes with a plastic sheath in military green.