If there’s one knife that perfectly defines the tactical folder, it’s the Emerson Mini CQC-7. For that reason alone, the knife deserves to be the latest Badass Knife of the Week, but it also offers so much more.
The Emerson Mini CQC-7 is a reasonably sized folder with a black 2.9-inch 154CM steel blade that packs as much punch as any knife out there. This version comes with a versatile partially serrated tanto blade and a chisel grind that puts other knives to shame.
Our friend Mike over at Cutler Road was kind enough to write a post for us detailing the best way to sharpen your knives. You can find more of his tips on his blog.
The majority of factory-sharpened knives come with a relatively steep bevel angle of approximately 25 degrees. This gives them an acceptably sharp edge, which retains its sharpness with considerable use, and ultimately keeps the consumer happy.
Improvements can be made to the sharpness of most factory-finished knives by decreasing the angle of the bevel edge slightly. Having a shallower angle will give a sharper edge; the downside is the edge will become blunt more quickly.
Machetes and axes have the steepest angle at approximately 35 degrees. A cut throat razor, at the other end of the scale, is approximately 15 degrees. An angle of 20 degrees is a very good compromise between sharpness and edge retention for pocket knives, tactical knives, and hunting knives.
From its recognizable brass bolsters to its striking clip point blade, it doesn’t get more badass than the Buck Model 110 Hunting Folder.
Since its inception way back in 1963, this Badass Knife of the Week has been one of the most influential, mimicked, and best-selling knives on the market. Even after 50 years, it’s still at the top.
We’ve entered the bizarre and convenient era of online buying. Thanks to companies like Amazon and Knife Depot, I get packages sent to my doorstep almost every day. Whether by a preprogramming from childhood or a general excitement, I simply can’t wait to tear open the box to see my new prize, even if it’s just a nonstick cake pan.
In my rush to open the box, my knife is what takes the most abuse. Whether because I’m impatient (or my wife is doing the opening), my knives always end up with a pile of tape gunk that doesn’t come off in warm water.
So what’s a man to do?
We’ve got that answer for you below.
Method 1: WD-40
Even though tape residue seems to be embedded on a blade, it’s actually fairly easy to remove. You have a number of options to take them off, but we’ll show you two different ways to remove the residue and the pros/cons. The first method we’re going with is the WD-40 way.
There are countless reasons why you’d want a nice small folder. They’re portable, convenient, and legal to carry openly in most places. But sometimes a small folder simply won’t cut it.
For those heavy duty tasks, the new Spyderco K-2 is your knife. Spyderco continues to make its foray into the large folders market with this hefty knife designed by Farid Mehr.
Mehr is a British custom knifemaker whose knives are known for being downright tough. His first collaboration with Spyderco continues that trend. The K-2 boasts a 4.54-inch full-flat grind blade made of CPM 10V steel. Here’s what Spyderco says about the steel: “the first high-vanadium tool steel made using Crucible steel’s Powder Metallurgy process.” The high-vanadium levels give it a much stronger wear resistance.
A few weeks back, the knife world suffered a huge blow with the loss of legendary knifemaker Kit Carson. In honor of Kit, we’ve selected the CRKT M4-02 as the Badass Knife of the Week.
Although Kit Carson is probably best known for creating the revered M16 series with CRKT, the M4 had become Kit’s most consistent selling custom knife since 1990 and for good reason. The knife was a work of art.
Last year, we reported that the Wenger brand of Swiss Army knives was no more. After absorbing Wenger, Victorinox decided it was retiring the Wenger name and would only sell knives under Victorinox.
Since many people lamented the loss of the unique Wenger knives, Victorinox decided a selection of Wenger knives would be integrated into the Victorinox collection.
In August, the new Victorinox/Wenger models were introduced. These new models, which undeniably take cues from Wenger, are from the new Delémont Collection. (Delémont is the name of the city that housed the old Wenger factory.)
The Delémont Collection features rebranded Wenger knives with a few modifications and the Victorinox shield. The main things that really set the two Swiss Army knives apart was Wenger’s unique ergonomic handles, blade serrations, a button locking mechanism, and different tools like pliers.
During the height of World War II, the U.S. Marines sought a fighting and utility knife that could meet the needs of the elite fighting force. That’s where the Badass Knife of the Week enters the picture: the legendary KA-BAR Fighting Utility Knife.
With the quality that you can expect from a standard issue knife for the Marines, the KA-BAR has many of the features that made it a constant carry for numerous armed servicemen and women both at home and abroad.
You’ll never get far in life if you don’t harbor a healthy dose of skepticism, and it’s only natural for your skeptic senses to tingle with a claim like only having to sharpen a knife every 25 years. But that’s what a company called TB Groupe claims of their knives.
Although the Furtif knives in the Evercut series — which consists of a Chef’s Knife, Santoku Knife, Kitchen Knife, and Paring Knife — look like they could easily be something found in a cave thousands of years ago, these hyper modern kitchen knives boast some pretty impressive specs.
They feature a geometrically unique handle (that almost looks like a folded up Cardsharp) in a “stealthy” deep gray.
The true innovation in the Furtif knives is the blade, however. Laser-bonded titanium-carbide surface on the blade can apparently last 300 times longer than standard steel and 5 times longer than ceramic. Since there is underlying steel, the blade is also much less brittle than ceramic.
The latest Badass Knife of the Week set the standard for tactical folders by serving up a knife that’s not only smooth, strong, and durable but also surprisingly affordable. Yes, we’re talking about the Cold Steel Recon 1.
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