The Cutting Edge

Knives Save Lives: Kayakers rescued by tour guide with John Wayne knife

June 22, 2012 / Tim / 1 Comment

Image from Blade Mag

It’s always important to be prepared in life because you never know when disaster will strike. For example, you might be attacked by a bear out of the blue or you might get trapped in a burning vehicle. You might even find yourself in the middle of a life or death situation doing something as seemingly innocuous as kayaking.

That’s what happened to three kayakers who ventured out onto Lake Michigan in Wisconsin about two weeks ago. Everything was fine until an offshore breeze pushed them out farther and knocked over the kayak. This isn’t such a big deal if all of them hadn’t become entangled in the ropes.

At this point, many knife owners would reach for their strategically placed knife, whether attached to the belt or strapped around the leg. However, none of the three had a knife nearby. When you compound that with the fact they weren’t wearing life vests, they were in deep trouble.

Fortunately, kayak tour guide Brody Kidd happened to be in the area as he was preparing to give a tour later in the day. When he saw the overturned kayak, he immediately hopped in his and headed over to help.

Like anyone who is always prepared, he was carrying his favorite John Wayne commemorative folding rescue knife. Kidd easily cut free the three people—two of whom had severe hypothermia and were near death.

Blade Show 2012: Knife of the Year Award winners

June 19, 2012 / Tim / 1 Comment

The 2012 BLADE Show down in Atlanta came and went, but not without showing off some awesome knives. One of my favorite events is the Knife of the Year awards, where the top knives are honored by Blade Magazine. For the second straight year, Kershaw’s Zero Tolerance took home top honors for Overall Knife of the Year after the Zero Tolerance 0777 model did so last year.

Here is a shortened list of the winners with photographs from this year’s BLADE Show. For a complete list of winners, check out this post from Blade Magazine.

Overall Knife of the Year: ZT 0888 by Zero Tolerance/KAI USA

Image from knifeblog.com

American-Made Knife of the Year: Socom Delta by Microtech

Image from Hollow Grind

Imported Knife Of The Year: Onion Foresight by CRKT

Most Innovative American Design: Autonomy by Spyderco

Most Innovative Imported Design: DPx HEST T3

Fisherman Nick Doumel talks fishing and the importance of knives

June 16, 2012 / Tim / 3 Comments

Few things in life are more relaxing, liberating and exciting than fishing. And, like any sport or activity that requires quick thinking and skills with your hands, knives are an essential part of fishing.

To get more insight on fishing and knives, I turned to fisherman Nick Doumel who runs the fantastic fishing blog Brookfield Angler, which I highly recommend you check out.

Nick, who is a project manager for a company that builds tradeshow exhibits, lives just outside Chicago with his wife and 10-month-old son.

Here’s more of our conversation that includes what makes fishing so great, why every fisherman needs a knife and what type of knife works best.

How long have you been fishing and how did you first get into it?

I have been fishing since I was just a few years old when I would go with my dad. As I got older, I started to head out more on my own to local ponds, creeks and rivers – basically any place I could ride my bike to. Once I got my driver’s license, my fishing world got a lot bigger.

When I moved to Las Vegas in my early 20s, fishing took a backseat, and the entire six-year period I lived there, I didn’t even touch a fishing pole.

Once I moved back to the Chicago area, I quickly rediscovered fishing and have been making up for lost time ever since. I am amazed at how much my little break has really made me a much more passionate fisherman today.

What do you enjoy most about fishing?

Aside from the typical relaxation, escaping, enjoying nature, blah blah blah answer, my absolute favorite part of fishing is “the take.” I have always known that I love when the bite happens, but I recently read a post from a fellow blogger named Mr. P that made me realize how much I actually enjoy it; it really is the ultimate highlight in fishing. The way he describes it really verbalizes what I have always felt but could never verbally describe. What’s really fascinating about “the take” is that it can apply to a ton of other things in life if you take the time to think about it.

What type of fishing do you do, and what do you fish for?

2012 has been the year of the fly for me. For as long as I can remember, I have admired fly fishing and held it on a pedestal as some mystic art form that only the truly enlightened could enjoy. In the fall of 2011, I decided that my notions were ridiculous and that I was going to do nothing but fly fish until I really learned how to do it and I have really stuck to that.

Throughout the winter, I left all of my spinning and casting gear at home, opting only to bring my fly rods. That dedication has paid off and I can honestly say that I am completely comfortable with a fly rod; as a matter of fact, I prefer it 99% of the time now. Does this mean that I am up there with the ranks of Lefty Kreh or Joan Wulff? Hardly, but that still doesn’t stop me from pretending.

Say hello to the new Kershaw Camp 10, 14 and 18

June 8, 2012 / Tim / 2 Comments

The 2012 BLADE Show in Atlanta is currently underway with hundreds of knife manufacturers and knifemakers showing off their best and newest knives.

Once the event wraps up, we’ll have much more on the winners of the Knife of the Year Awards and some peeks at the newest knives, but in advance of the BLADE Show, Kershaw Knives released renderings of a new set of Camp knives: the Camp 10, Camp 14 and Camp 18.

The Camps are an update of the old Kershaw Outcast series, which was in need of some major improvements.

Much more information has come out about the 10-inch Camp than the other two. It will have a carbon steel blade powder coat and weigh one pound and three ounces. The MSRP over at Kershaw’s website sets the price at a cool $64.95. The knives still aren’t available on the market yet.

New cufflinks are perfect for the suave knife lover

June 5, 2012 / Tim / 0 Comments

True knife lovers always have a blade nearby, but sometimes those special events like weddings or black tie functions prevent you from carrying your favorite knife. Well, fear not.

According to Geekosystems, there are now cufflinks in the shape of small pocketknives with functioning blades. The small cufflinks are likely more ornamental and novel, akin to Boker’s awesome .44 magnum bullet knife, than practical.

The site that sells them says the blades are as sharp as real knives, and they can be used to slice those pesky loose threads on clothing. However, I can’t imagine possibly using the cufflinks in any way that’s helpful.

Still, these $56.95 miniature stainless steel knives are perfect gifts for the classy knife lover in your family.

Another idea instead of having these overt cufflinks is to make them hidden. That way when your date has some dirt under her nails or needs to cut off a wayward tag in a pinch, you can pull out the tiny blades like a debonair James Bond.

New Tiger-Stripe Blur knife introduced by Kershaw

June 1, 2012 / Tim / 1 Comment

Kershaw Knives just announced the introduction of a new and exclusive knife hitting the market: the Tiger-Stripe Blur.

The Blur models are not new but are actually among the most popular knives at Kershaw. Nevertheless, the Tiger-Stripe Blur is something different.

The new knife features a drop point blade that’s 3 3/8 inches long with a SpeedSafe assisted opening function for one-handed engagement. The namesake comes from the black and gray coating in diamond-like carbon (DLC). If you’re not familiar with DLC, it’s a highly resistant film that reduces the amount of wear on the blade. Here’s more from a press release from Kershaw about DLC:

The DLC coating is applied in a process called Physical Vapor Disposition (PVD). During PVD, metals are instantly evaporated and ionized via a high-current, low-voltage arc. The metal ions are then accelerated into a vacuum chamber. A negative voltage is introduced, which permanently deposits a thin metal coating on the blades. This makes the new Blur’s tiger-striped coating highly scratch resistant.

Without getting a feel for the knife, it’s hard to determine just how great this $119.95 knife is. The past Blur models with Trac-Tec inserts, which run at $79.99, do not disappoint, so it’s easy to assume this will be another top-quality knife.

SOG’s new Blade Light is not a stab in the dark

May 29, 2012 / Tim / 1 Comment

In the world of knives, finding something truly innovative and new is near impossible due to the fact that knives have been around for about two million years. However, SOG dared to try something unique: light up the blade of the knife with LEDs.

Sure, we’ve seen lights on knives before, such as the great Wenger Spotlight Swiss Army Knife and low-quality Core Lite, but the new SOG Blade Light turns the phrase “taking a stab in the dark” on its head.

The purpose of the light isn’t just to help you find the keyhole of your home at night; it’s meant to illuminate the blade to allow you to accurately slice in the dark without annoying shadows.

Image courtesy of My Gun Culture

It does this by taking six LEDs and molding them into the glass-reinforced nylon (GRN) handle, which means the lights and the push button are waterproof—even when fully immersed in water. Both sides of the blade are lit up by three LEDs to give you light on each side.

The Blade Light comes in two different versions: a fixed-blade or folding knife. The fixed variation comes with an overall length of 11.3 inches and is powered by a single AA battery while the folder is 9 inches long with a 3.9-inch blade. It’s powered by two AAA batteries. The fixed-blade Blade Light also comes with a molded hard sheath that features a quiet carry tensioner and a slot for two spare batteries.

Knife Rights gets more support in civil rights suit against NYC

May 25, 2012 / Tim / 1 Comment

What is the definition of “gravity knife?”

That (and the definition of “switchblade”) is the fundamental question at the center of a slow but ongoing lawsuit against the city of New York. The organization Knife Rights is embroiled in a lawsuit against New York County D.A. Cyrus Vance Jr. and the city itself for using unconstitutionally vague terms to target merchants and citizens who sell or use one-hand opening knives.

Although updates about the lawsuit have been few and far between, Knife Rights just announced that its suit has been bolstered by two new plaintiffs: Native Leather, Ltd. and Knife Rights Foundation, Inc.

Native Leather is another retailer accused by Vance of selling illegal knives. The company was forced to stop selling knives deemed “gravity knives” and “switchblades,” had to pay fines and gave up most of its inventory, according to Knife Rights. The kicker is that Native Leather is still unsure of what constitutes an illegal knife. That’s one of the many reasons they joined the lawsuit.

Here’s more from Chairman Doug Ritter:

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Knife chainsaw: Does it top the machete slingshot?

May 23, 2012 / Tim / 2 Comments

From the man who brought you the pleasantly absurd machete slingshot comes his latest masterpiece of destruction: the chainsaw made of steak knives.

On his YouTube channel The Slingshot Channel, Jörg Sprave creates a variety of innovative devices, mostly slingshot-related, for fun. Like all of his creations, the steak knife saw is surprisingly simple. He took a power drill purchased through Amazon, attached it to a wheel, which is connected to yet another wheel, and affixed a slew of razor-sharp steak knives around the smaller wheel.

He got the idea for his homemade steak saw after someone suggested he find different ways to weaponize household products. So, he went through his cabinet, saw a steak knife and decided to make this unbelievable device.

Here’s some clever posturing from Gizmodo:

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Interview with a Knifemaker: Stewart J. Light on the joys and challenges of knifemaking

May 18, 2012 / Tim / 0 Comments

Stewart Light and his 3-year-old son, Adam.

Any knife enthusiast knows some of the most amazing and unique designs come from custom knifemakers. That’s why when I stumbled upon the awesome knives of Stewart J. Light, I knew I had to talk to him. I interviewed Stewart through e-mail to get his perspective and thoughts on knifemaking. Here’s the full interview. (Editor’s note: There are some British variations in spelling.)

After you’re done reading, I recommend checking out his blog for more images and interesting posts.

For start off by telling us a little about yourself.

I’m originally from Grimsby in the North East of England. Twelve years ago I went to the University of Hertfordshire to study Sports & Exercise Science and have stayed down south ever since.

After university I got a temporary job working as a porter in a hotel/conference centre. I have been working there pretty much ever since and am now the Conference Manager so spend my day in a shirt and tie – quite different to being in my messy workshop!

At university I met my future wife and we have just celebrated the birthday of our 3-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter.

When and how did you first become interested in making knives?

I fell into it, but it now feels like a perfect fit. There are a number of factors that lead me here, I think.

As a young kid I would often be out in the back garden watching my Dad doing bits of woodwork, which slowly turned into doing some bits myself.

It was primarily woodturning on the lathe but was odd bits of carpentry as well. I always felt there was a fairly relaxed attitude about what I was allowed to do. I was left to experiment as I wanted to. Encouraged a bit here, cajoled a bit there. The things I produced weren’t amazing, and I’m glad it wasn’t suggested that they should be. I was learning to use my hands and my head.

I would often tinker about with things, and the first knife I made was either a snapped off hacksaw blade that I sharpened on one edge using my Dad’s grinder then attached to a stick of walnut with some twine or it was a six inch nail I heated on the gas hob and hammered the end flat using the back door step as an anvil (I don’t know if my parents knew I did this!) and then quenched in water, thinking that I knew what I was doing. Both were awful things that wouldn’t be much use for anything but I enjoyed myself.

Guycep necker cord wrap handle replaced with Carbon Fibre & Blue G10 and Stainless Steel pins

Another big factor is that I was in the Scout movement all the way through every section, so the best part of twelve years. Looking back, I think it’s one of the biggest things in shaping who I am today, but what it also did was give me a real love for the outdoors. That combined with Ray Mears on the TV introduced me to the idea of ‘Bushcraft’ which then lead to choosing a knife to use. I started to see knives that other people were producing and I wanted to try myself. That was seven years ago and now it is my main hobby.

What is your favorite part of knifemaking?