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10 Best Benchmade Autos

August 29, 2023 / Tim / 0 Comments

With knife laws regarding switchblades being relaxed across the country, we’ve entered a golden age of automatics.

Not too long ago, autos were a niche category from a few specialized brands or in very limited offerings. Not anymore.

Even brands as iconic and beloved as Benchmade have shown just what automatic knives can offer. You’d think narrowing down the 10 best automatic knives from Benchmade would be an easy task, but the diverse offerings and sheer amount of Benchmade autos made things very difficult.

The formula used in calculating the knives on this list was very unscientific: I included comments from customers, reviews from around the web, personal experience, and more.

If you disagree with any or think we missed one, let us know in the comments.

1. Benchmade Fact Auto

Let’s start with a sleeper hit. The vanilla Benchmade Fact was as interesting knife with a slim profile and lightweight design that wasn’t particularly spectacular.

However, the moment Benchmade turned it into an auto and gave it some much-needed upgrades, it became one of the most compelling autos Benchmade has ever offered.

This version of the knife has a long 3.95-inch blade made from S90V with black coating. The boring skeletonized handle of the original is replaced with an aluminum handle with carbon fiber inlays. This essentially turns it into a modern-day Italian stiletto. The Auto AXIS lock is intuitive and easy to use with one hand.

It’s a true masterpiece.

2. Benchmade Infidel

Back when Benchmade introduced the Infidel in 2006, OTF knives were very niche. Still, despite being aimed at military or emergency personnel, the Infidel was received surprisingly well and has since become a mainstay of the brand.

The Infidel has since been remade into a few versions, but the new standard is the 3300BK with a 3.95-inch black blade and black aluminum handle.

Electrifying Black OTF – Knife of the Week

August 24, 2023 / Tim / 0 Comments

If you think a knife has to be massive to be useful, you’ve never used the ultimate EDC desk companion: the Electrifying Black OTF.

There’s a reason why this little knife is Knife Depot’s top-selling knife over the past year.

This small but very capable out-the-front pocket knife is designed to be compliant with the arbitrary law in California that says OTF knives under 2 inches are perfectly legal.

That means its handsome two-tone blade made from 440 stainless steel is just a smidge under 2 inches long.

10 Best Smith & Wesson Knives

August 14, 2023 / Tim / 3 Comments

Best Smith & Wesson Knives

This post was first published in 2020 and updated in 2023.

When you think of Smith & Wesson, high-quality knives might not be the first thing that comes to mind.

No, you probably think of great firearms… and Dirty Harry. But the truth is, Smith & Wesson also manufactures quality knives. They’re the type that appeals to law enforcement personnel and those interested in self-defense. These aren’t your average kitchen knives.

Smith & Wesson knives are versatile and rugged. They’re designed for the field, with sturdy blades that hold their cutting edges, and good grips for ease of use.

Over the years, Smith & Wesson has expanded its lineup of knives to include more than just search and rescue and first response knives. Still, those remain the bread and butter of the lineup.

So let’s cut to the chase. See which are the best Smith & Wesson knives.

Smith & Wesson Extreme Ops

We’re starting with one of the top-selling S&W knives at Knife Depot: the Smith & Wesson SWFR2S Extreme Ops.

This is a tactical folding knife that rivals any other rescue knife in this price range.

As a heavy-duty rescue knife, the SWFR2S feels great in the hands, thanks to its rubberized handle. Its partially serrated tanto blade is 3.3 inches long.

If you keep one knife in your car for emergency situations, this one should be it. It’s also available with engraving! It’s no wonder it was a Knife of the Week a few years ago.

Smith & Wesson 1st Response

The 1st Response is the companion knife of the first knife on this list. While it has a lot of the same features and blade length, it looks very different.

See Red With These 10 Fiery Red Knives

August 1, 2023 / Tim / 1 Comment

best red knives

This post was originally published in 2016 and updated in 2023.

Red is a color with tons of meaning. To some, it means energy. To others, it means strength. No matter what stock you put in the color red, there’s no denying it adds tons of personality and heart to a knife.

We wrote this post way back in 2016; unfortunately, all of those models have since been put out to pasture.

Not to fear though; we’ve updated our list to include 10 knives that are available for your enjoyment.

Take a look at our pick of some of the best knives with red handles.

1. Victorinox Tinker

Let’s start things off with an icon: the Swiss Army Knife.

To be honest, this list could have been nothing but different SAKs, but we thought it would only to be fair to include different models as well.

The model we’re picking for this list is the Tinker. This is what I like to call a “jack of all trades and a master of all” multi-tool, thanks to its screwdriver, blades, bottle opener, can opener, awl, and more.

It’s one of the best Swiss Army Knives.

2. Tactical Extreme Karambit

From a handy little multi-tool to a unique spring-assisted karambit.

The Tactical Extreme Karambit features a 3-inch black blade with an assisted-opening mechanism. But the real selling point of this knife is the red aluminum handle.

Perfect Point Rainbow Throwers – Knife of the Week

July 6, 2023 / Tim / 0 Comments

This summer, get into knife throwing with the perfect set from Perfect Point.

The Perfect Point Multi-Color Set is a fantastic set for beginners and experts alike. The best part about this set is that it comes with six throwing knives made from stainless steel, so you’ll have everything you need to get started.

Each thrower is 5.5 inches long with cutouts in the handle to provide a better grip and help balance the knife even further.

10 Best Cold Steel Knives

July 6, 2023 / Tim / 12 Comments

This article was originally published in July 2018 before being updated with newer models.

We’re continuing our run-through of the best knives from each brand.

Narrowing down the 10 best currently in production is no easy task, but I did the best I could using personal experience, consensus around the internet, reviews, and more. Here are the 10 best Cold Steel knives.

Cold Steel Recon 1

Let’s start with a gimme: the Cold Steel Recon 1.

The Recon series helped usher in a new era for Cold Steel, one that is currently dominated by tough knives with a tactical bent that use Andrew Demko’s famous Tri-Ad locking mechanism.

The Recon 1 uses high-quality material with a 4-inch blade made from S35VN steel (recently changed from CTS-XHP). The handle is a grippy G-10. One of the great things about this flagship model is that it comes in tons of sizes and blade shapes, so you can get exactly what you want.

Cold Steel Ti-Lite

Reminiscent of the switchblades of the 1950s, the Cold Steel Ti-Lite is a thin yet lengthy folder with an eye on self-defense. There’s a 4-inch or 6-inch version — both come in either budget or premium builds.

The larger one is a legend with a long 6-inch blade made from S35VN steel and an aluminum handle. You can pull the knife out of your pocket while engaging it thanks to a protruding quillon that catches the edge of your pants. The reach on this thing is insane, which is why some people opt for the smaller Ti-Lite. We also really like this budget version with AUS 8A steel.

Smith & Wesson Extreme Ops Folder – Knife of the Week

June 29, 2023 / Tim / 0 Comments

Sometimes you just need a knife you can beat down, a knife you don’t have to worry about babying, a knife that’s simultaneously dependable and disposable.

That knife is the Smith & Wesson Extreme Ops.

This liner locking folder is part of Smith & Wesson’s Extreme Ops series of well-built yet inexpensive EDC knives. This model has a 3.22-inch drop-point blade made from 7Cr17MoV high carbon stainless steel. It’s an alloy that’s easy to sharpen when it becomes dull.

The blade opens easily via dual thumb studs and locks into place with a liner lock.

Benchmade Mediator – Knife of the Week

June 16, 2023 / Tim / 0 Comments

What do you get when you combine the best parts of Benchmade’s best knives to create one super auto?

You get the Benchmade Mediator.

The Benchmade Mediator is a knife we affectionately refer to as a Frankenstein folder (or Frankenstein’s monster folder for you sticklers).

The Mediator features a 3.3-inch black-coated blade made from premium S90V stainless steel. It uses a reverse tanto blade shape that takes cues from the iconic 940 Osborne. The shape is versatile and unique.

Benchmade also wanted to capture the speed and force of the Infidel’s opening mechanism in the knife, so they made this a side-firing automatic that’s lightning fast.

Father & Son Knifemakers

June 6, 2023 / Tim / 6 Comments

This post was originally published in 2015 and has since been updated.

My son is only two years old, but I’m already looking forward to all things I’ll teach him about my trade. Unfortunately, the things I work with aren’t necessarily cool. Sure, blogging and the occasional graphic design is fun, but it’s not nearly as badass as making knives.

A select few fathers and sons have traded thoughts and ideas surrounding knives, and some have even collaborated on designs.

Since it’s the time of year when fathers and sons get together, we decided to take a look at the father and son duos in the knife world. Let us know in the comments if we made any glaring omissions.

Michael and Baltazar E. Martinez

Michael, along with his father Baltazar, invented a number of items over the years, but what they were best known for was the CRKT Ultima Fixed Blade. Michael Martinez is a sculptor, inventor, and martial artist who helped reinvent the fixed blade with the Ultima.

Here’s what Michael said at the CRKT site: “In my edged weapons training, I kept noticing how many knives didn’t feel right, didn’t have a grip that gave both control and comfort in the four fundamental tactical grips.”

His father, who was a mechanical engineer working on classified nuclear system design for the defense department for more than 30 years, contributed to the project by injecting his own design into the knife.

The result was a knife that achieved 22 out of 23 ideal contact points with its comfortable handle. Even though this father and son duo is mainly known for designing this one knife, they definitely deserve some recognition.

Sal & Eric Glesser

Image from balisongcollector.com

Few knife makers have brought such innovation and legitimacy to the knife world like the legendary Sal Glesser. Sal—the founder of Spyderco—not only pioneered features like the pocket clip, serrations, and ambidextrous opening hole but he’s also a very down to earth guy. You can find him frequenting knife forums and answering people’s questions with honesty and modesty. He designed the Delica, Endura, Military, Persistence, and many others.

Kershaw Strata Cleaver – Knife of the Week

May 31, 2023 / Tim / 0 Comments

Big utility knives don’t always need to be bulky and unwieldy. The Kershaw Strata Cleaver is the perfect example.

This ultra-modern folding cleaver boasts a design that evolved from Kershaw’s attempt at a Spanish-style Navaja. The designers at Kershaw decided to take it another step further and make something completely different.

The Kershaw Strata Cleaver features a long 4-inch cleaver-style blade that looks like it belongs in a kitchen. But the unique blade shape allows the knife to be used in various applications, from preparing food to opening boxes.

Made from D2 steel, the stonewash-finished blade opens smoothly with a flipper tab and KVT ball bearings.

It locks open with a frame lock.

The Cutting Edge

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