The Cutting Edge

New 2015 Condor Tool & Knife Products

March 25, 2015 / Tim / 8 Comments

Yes, we’re deep into the year, but that’s not going to stop us from showing you some of the new knives of 2015. We’re continuing with new products from Condor Tool & Knife.

There’s not as a robust offering of new products as some of the other brands, but the 2015 products from Condor TK are definitely worth a look.

Final Frontier

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We’re kicking things off with the Final Frontier. This is a nice fixed blade with a 4-inch blade that has a Scandi grind. The blade itself has epoxy black powder coating. Hollow rivets hold together the ergonomic handle made of Micarta. At the butt of the knife is a smashing pommel.

It comes with a sheath.

Primitive Bush Knife (Matt Graham edition)

The Primitive Bush Knife is a collaboration between Condor TK and survivalist Matt Graham. Using his experiences living off the land, Graham designed this knife for outdoor adventures. Its 8-inch blade is made of 420HC steel.

It has a hardwood handle and comes with an interesting handcrafted leather sheath that’s supposedly more like a pouch.

Mini Duku Parang Machete

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Next up are the two Mini Duku Parang Machetes. Both machetes feature blades made of 1075 high carbon steel with a natural finish and boast hardwood handles.

Schrade SCH107 Folder Review

March 24, 2015 / Tim / 7 Comments

When it comes to marketing and branding, no company has done a better job the past few years than Taylor Brands LLC. With the help of Taylor Brands, Schrade has come roaring back from the grave with a slew of fantastic survival knives, including the Schrade SCHF38 Frontier, Schrade SCHF27 Extreme Survival, and Schrade SCHF9 Extreme Survival.

While much of the recent focus on Schrade has been with these badass fixed-blade knives, it’s the simpler folders that are getting the short end of the stick.

So we’ve decided to review the Schrade SCH107 Folder.

First Impressions

Before getting the knife, I had no qualms about its overall purpose. This is in no way a survival knife or even a folder designed for heavy-duty tasks. With those presumptions in place, the SCH107 undoubtedly met my expectations.

After carrying around the larger Spyderco Tenacious as my everyday carry for a while, the SCH107 felt smaller in the hand. That’s not necessarily a bad thing either.

When engaged, the knife has an overall length of only 6 inches but fits my hand surprisingly well. The design of the knife is nothing spectacular, but that’s not why this knife is so compelling. It seems well-made and perfectly adept at tackling some of the mundane tasks you’d encounter around the house.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the knife’s components.

Blade

The blade is 2.5 inches long with a bead-blasted finish, which removes the reflective properties of the steel. Many laws restrict carrying knives that are longer than 2.5 inches, so it has the added benefit of being legal in many places. You’ll still want to double-check the laws in your area.

Badass Knife of the Week: Condor TK Dundee Bowie

March 23, 2015 / Tim / 0 Comments

In the most iconic scene from Crocodile Dundee, Mick Dundee and his lady friend are accosted by a mugger with a switchblade, to which Mick comments while pulling out his own Bowie knife, “That’s not a knife? That’s a knife.”

Sure it’s a roundabout way to introduce the latest Badass Knife of the Week, but it’s 100 percent worth it because the Dundee Bowie from Condor Tool & Knife will have people constantly remarking, “Now that’s a knife.”

Badass Knife of the Week: Kershaw Blur (S30V Steel)

March 16, 2015 / Tim / 0 Comments

When facing off with nature in a critical situation, don’t let your knife’s response time and weight slow you down. Critical situations demand the Ken Onion Blur from Kershaw knives.

Our latest Badass Knife of the Week isn’t called the Blur for nothing. This pocket knife uses Kershaw’s patented SpeedSafe assisted-opening mechanism, which allows for quick and easy engagement with one hand.

But what really sets this iteration of the hugely popular Blur apart from the others is the premium S30V powdered stainless steel used for the blade.

Watch ‘Man at Arms: Reforged’ Team Craft Massive Sword

March 10, 2015 / Tim / 1 Comment

Man at Arms: Reforged is a video series on YouTube that tasks a team of blacksmiths and craftsmen with making some of the most outrageous swords and weapons from pop culture.

They’ve done a lot of crazy creations like the Zelda Double Helix Sword, but the latest video sees one of their biggest swords ever: Guts’ Pre-Dragonslayer Sword.

While I typically have some fondness for the weapons created on the series, I must admit I am not familiar with the Berserk manga series, but I do have an appreciation for the creation of knives. (I do understand that this is actually a Pre-Dragonslayer sword and not the actual Dragonslayer sword wielded by Guts.)

For me, these Man at Arms videos from AWE me have always been more about the process because we get an inside look on how the weapons are made. In this video, we even get the bonus of seeing them create and scavenge for new ways to do things because the sword is so massive.

Badass Knife of the Week: Smith & Wesson HRT Boot Knife

March 9, 2015 / Tim / 0 Comments

Your boots are made for more than walkin’ — but that’s our little secret.

The tactical knife gurus at Smith & Wesson have designed this Badass Knife of the Week to fit snugly and securely in your footwear for the utmost discretion.

Standing for Hostage Rescue Team, the Smith & Wesson H.R.T. Tactical Boot Knife is the perfect choice for a last-ditch weapon when things get rough.

Badass Knife of the Week: Boker Plus Anti-Grav Folder

March 2, 2015 / Tim / 0 Comments

Meet your new favorite knife.

The Boker Plus Anti-Grav Pocket Knife claims the honorable distinction of being the first Badass Knife of the Week with a ceramic blade. What’s so badass about a ceramic blade? Let us explain.

The 3.25-inch ceramic blade on the Anti-Grav has a number of advantages over traditional steel blades, including superior edge retention, a lighter weight, excellent rust-resistance, and much more.

New 2015 Knives from Buck

February 25, 2015 / Tim / 5 Comments

We’re still going through the new knives you’ll see this year. Today, we’ve got some products from Buck Knives, including its first automatic knife.

616 Buck Ops Boot Knife

616 Buck Ops Boot Knife

This boot knife, with its 154 CM steel blade and black G10 handle, is designed for easy accessibility. It comes with a leather sheath that has a plastic liner to be used as a neck knife if desired. The sheath is highly versatile.

Open Season Series

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We’re bundling these knives together because they complement one another. The new series includes a folder, skinner, boning, caping, and small-game knife. The knives have either S30V or 420HC steel blades and a handsome rosewood handle.

PakLite Elite

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This is a set of new knives: a caper and boning knife. Both of them are constructed with S30V steel and boast a minimalist design for lightweight and easy carry. They fit into a nylon sheath.

898 Impact

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One of the biggest additions to Buck is its first automatic knife. It uses S30V steel for the blade, and springs open by sliding a button. The MSRP on the Impact is $220.

294 Momentum

294 Momentum

This and the next knife go together because they’re both made for quick deployment with one hand.

Badass Knife of the Week: Case Medium Stockman

February 23, 2015 / Tim / 0 Comments

In terms of the most classic American knife pattern, nothing tops the stockman folder. For that reason alone, the Case Medium Stockman is a worthy Badass Knife of the Week. But the knife is much more than a historical artifact.

A leading knife manufacturer since its inception in 1889, Case Cutlery has worked hard to become a yardstick for quality in personal knives, foregrounding a level of craft that has garnished considerable respect around the world.

New 2015 Benchmade Knives

February 19, 2015 / Tim / 4 Comments

Yes, we’re already two months into the year, but there’s still plenty of new knives to admire and covet. We’ve gone through new Spyderco and CRKT knives, so let’s continue with the new products from Benchmade.

Benchmade separates its knives into different series, such as the Black Class, Gold Class, Hunt Series, and others. This year they’re only releasing knives from the Blue Class and the Black Class.

The Blue Class is more working class, blue-collar knives that are designed for everyday use but still boast quality construction and materials. The Black Class is aimed at professionals, especially those in the military and public safety fields.

Let’s start with the new knives from the Blue Class.

Benchmade 665 APB Assist

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One of the highlights of the new knives is the 665 XAS, which is a push-button Axis-Assist knife. Basically, it’s an assisted push-button knife that also requires the buttons pushed for the blade to be closed. It’s inching ever so close to a switch blade.

The blade uses 154CM steel and the handle has a blue and black G-10 handle.

Benchmade 761 Ti Monolock

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The real highlight of the 761 is the machined 6AL-4V titanium handle with its titanium tip-down clip. It uses a monolock on the 3.73-inch M390 steel blade.

Benchmade 484-1 Nakamura AXIS

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The original 484 came out last year, but this is a newer and more updated version of the knife. It uses CPM-S90V super premium steel on the 3.08-inch blade (as opposed to M390 on the original). It has an AXIS lock and a contoured carbon fiber handle with stainless steel liners.

Benchmade 153 Jungle Bolo

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Benchmade doesn’t typically venture too far from its folders and AXIS locks, but these two large choppers show the company is willing to explore new territory.