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15 Cool Knives with Unique Opening Mechanisms

February 24, 2016 / Tim / 56 Comments

One of the things I appreciate most about the knife community is the relentless drive for innovation and originality. Sure, I enjoy diving into the subtle tweaks on the latest flippers, but it’s the truly revolutionary designs that leave me in awe.

For a tool that’s been around for millions of years, the knife continues to evolve in exciting and unexpected ways. These bold designs might be hit-or-miss—and many don’t stick around—but they’re proof that no matter how long something’s been around, there’s always room for fresh thinking and creative breakthroughs.

Here are 15 knives with the most interesting deployment mechanisms.

1. Kershaw ET

Let’s kick things off with a knife that almost always comes up when you talk about unique opening mechanisms: the Kershaw ET. Short for External Toggle, the ET was the brainchild of the inventive duo Grant and Gavin Hawk. This father-and-son team is known for their outside-the-box creations, including the TOAD, Boker Griploc, and several others.

The Kershaw ET features a toggle mechanism that lets you open and close the blade in a few different ways. While you can operate it like a traditional folder (using your thumb and dropping the handle while holding the blade) the toggle mechanism is easily the most fun. A lever near the butt of the handle lets you control the action. Unfortunately, the knife was discontinued, likely due to the risk of it accidentally closing on your thumb when using the toggle.

Here’s a gif of how it opens with the toggle from this review:

2. CRKT Rollock

Next, we have another discontinued knife: the CRKT Rollock. What makes this one stand out is its unique opening mechanism. To deploy the blade, you press down on some jimping near the back of the spine while it’s closed. This action causes the blade to pop up, allowing you to slide it fully open.

This production model from CRKT was based on the original Rolox design by Blackie Collins. Collins is frequently credited as the pioneer of the assisted-opening knife, although Ken Onion may have developed the SpeedSafe mechanism around the same time.

Here’s a gif from an old YouTube :

3. Paragon Knives by Asheville Steel Warlock

The Warlock from Paragon Knives by Asheville Steel (yeah, it’s a bit of a mouthful) doesn’t fit neatly into the automatic or assisted opening categories—it carves out a space of its own. When closed, the blade is completely hidden from view. So how do you bring this thing to life?

Condor Tool & Knife Solobolo – Badass Knife of the Week

February 22, 2016 / Tim / 1 Comment

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.

New 2016 Spyderco Knives

February 20, 2016 / Tim / 1 Comment

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.

Brand New Knives

We’ll kick things off with the new models from Spyderco.

Introvert

spyderco-introvert

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.

Lil’ Lum

spyderco-lil-lum

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.

Mantra

spyderco-mantra

Mantra 2

spyderco-mantra2

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.

New 2016 Schrade SCH111 and SCH112 Now Available

February 18, 2016 / Tim / 0 Comments

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.

Schrade SCH111 Fixed Blade

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.

Watch a Throwing Knife Pump Gun in Action

February 17, 2016 / Tim / 0 Comments

Joerg Sprave

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.

Spyderco Vallotton Sub-Hilt Folder – Badass Knife of the Week

February 15, 2016 / Tim / 1 Comment

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.

Mantis MT-8 Siko – Badass Knife of the Week

February 8, 2016 / Tim / 3 Comments

Some people complain about how all knives are the same or how there’s never any thoughtfulness or innovation in the knife world. Those people have clearly never seen our latest Badass Knife of the Week from Mantis.

The Mantis MT-8 Siko is a knife like no other. Pronounced like “psycho,” the Siko is designed so that every minuscule detail has meaning and purpose, making this one of the most extraordinary combat knives on the market.

Starting at the top, the 4-inch blade is made from AUS8 stainless steel and has one of the most complex grinds on a production folder. Aside from the grind, one of the most notable features of the blade is the ramp on the spine, which is known as the Bramp.

New 2016 CRKT Knives

February 2, 2016 / Tim / 3 Comments

We’re making our way through the new knives of 2016 with CRKT up next.

There’s a lot of new knives to get to, so let’s stop wasting time and look at the CRKT knives coming out this year.

Amicus

amicus

The Amicus is a folder designed by Jesper Voxnaes. With an 8Cr13Mov steel blade that’s 3.4 inches long, the Amicus is meant to excel in the great outdoors. The blade has a cutout for ambidextrous opening and a frame lock to keep it securely open. The handle looks like stonewashed stainless steel.

Birler

crkt birler

The Birler is a fairly lightweight tactical axe with an overall length of 16 inches. The axehead is made of 1055 carbon steel and the handle is hickory.

Bivy

bivy

The Bivy, Niad, and Hyphenate are a trio of knives and tools designed specifically for climbers. We wrote about these three before, so we won’t go into too much detail. This is a multitool with features like screwdrivers, a knife, spring-assisted pliers, and more.

Niad

niad

The Niad is a lightweight and compact folder with a blade that’s a mere 1.56 inches long. The handle is titanium and has a circular cutout to attach to your gear.

Hyphenate

hyphenate

The Hyphenate is basically a fixed-blade version of the Niad. It has a 2.23-inch serrated blade and the whole thing is made of 8Cr13MoV steel. It comes with a glass-reinforced sheath.

Buku

buku

The Buku is another interesting design from Lucas Burnley (also the designer of the CRKT Achi). The subtle but noticeable curve of the Buku is reminiscent of a kukri machete. The curvaceous 3.75-inch blade is made from 8Cr13Mov steel.

Benchmade 275BKSN Adamas – Badass Knife of the Week

February 1, 2016 / Tim / 1 Comment

Whenever the word indestructible is bandied about, it’s a gross exaggeration 100% of the time. However, the Benchmade 275 Adamas is as close to indestructible as it gets in the knife world. That’s no coincidence either. Adamas is a Greek word used to describe one of the strongest substances to exist.

The Benchmade 275BKSN Adamas is a heavy-duty folder that is made to not only withstand but excel at any grueling task you throw at it.

Designed by custom knifemaker Shane Sibert, the 275 Adamas features a 3.82-inch blade with a versatile drop point. Because Sibert wanted to make a knife that was worthy enough to be carried into action by this country’s heroes, he used some of the toughest materials out there. As a bonus, Benchmade will donate a portion of the proceeds from this knife to the Ranger Assistance Foundation.

New 2016 Kershaw Knives

January 28, 2016 / Tim / 8 Comments

New 2016 Kershaws

Since Kershaw Knives was first created by Pete Kershaw and his wife back in April 1974, the company has been putting out some of the finest knives around.

The early 2016 batch of new knives proves that Kershaw still knows how to make a great knife with some cool features.

There are currently 27 new knife models and a couple of new accessories, like the Jens Carabiner. We’re only focusing on the knives in this post.

Barge

The Barge is a manual folder with a 2.6-inch 8Cr13MoV stonewash-finished blade. What makes the Barge so unique is the presence of a prybar at the butt of the handle. It extends from the backspacer of the knife. Most people pry as often as they cut, so this is a surprisingly useful tool, especially since prying with a blade is one of the worst things you can do with a knife.

Cathode

cathode

The Cathode is billed as a knife that’s not fancy but functional. It has a 2.25-inch tanto blade, a flipper with SpeedSafe assisted opening, and a patterned stainless steel handle. It uses a frame lock.

Cinder

cinder

The Cinder is a small knife that can fit on your keychain. It has a 1.4-inch blade with a liner lock and a bottle opener on the butt. It has some nice contour on the glass-filled nylon handle, which makes holding the small knife easy.

CQC-9K

cqc-9k

Ernest Emerson and Kershaw’s relationship continues with the CQC-9K. The original CQC-9 had a hawkbill blade design, but the CQC-9K is a large folder with a drop-point blade. The blade measures 3.6 inches and is made from black-oxide-coated 8Cr13MoV stainless steel.

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