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What Knife Would Jim Bowie Carry Today?

Jason Fry
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What Knife Would Jim Bowie Carry Today?

If he were in his prime today, Jim’s EDCs would run the gamut.

Jim Bowie is known for more than a few things, among others the Sandbar Fight, the Battle of the Alamo and the knife called by his surname for nearly 200 years. A member of the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame®, he was a businessman, soldier, pioneer and frontiersman, and a gentleman of means. While he gave his life at the Alamo 190 years ago this March 6, if he were as immortal as his namesake knife, what would be his EDC today?

BLADE® field editor Reuben Bolieu knows knives, the outdoors and bushcraft.

“If Jim Bowie were around today, he’d do as I’m sure he did back in his time—use the best materials on hand up to his standards,” Reuben observed. “I believe his everyday carry would reflect both tradition and modern utility. Two blades from Bear Forest Knives stand out: the GT-EDC and the Thunder. Each offers distinct advantages and together capture the essence of Bowie’s legacy.”

The GT-EDC belt knife is compact yet capable. At 8 inches overall with a 4-inch blade, it balances portability with cutting power. The eighth-inch thickness gives precise control and strength without excess weight, while 1095 carbon steel ensures durability in the field. A 90-degree spine adds fire-starting utility, and the full flat grind makes slicing efficient. Finished in a rock-tumbled acid wash, it carries a rugged look that matches its performance.

In ABS master smith Lin Rhea’s view, Jim Bowie would still be carrying a bowie knife, forged and differentially heat treated, with a few touches of class. A modern-styled knife with a hint of the Sandbar Fight like Lin’s Preacher (facing page) would fill Bowie’s bill. Kay Rhea made the sheath. (Jocelyn Frasier knife image)
In ABS master smith Lin Rhea’s view, Jim Bowie would still be carrying a bowie knife, forged and differentially heat treated, with a few touches of class. A modern-styled knife with a hint of the Sandbar Fight like Lin’s Preacher (facing page) would fill Bowie’s bill. Kay Rhea made the sheath. (Jocelyn Frasier knife image)

The sheath is .080-inch-thick black Kydex, with a nylon cross-draw/scout belt loop. Though definitely not the typical way to carry a knife in Bowie’s days, in modern EDC terms it’s the Bowie spirit distilled into a pocket-sized package.

On the other hand, Bowie was known for carrying big steel. It was not just acceptable for him to carry a big knife, it was expected. That’s where the Thunder comes in. At 15 3/8 inches overall with a 10-inch blade, it commands respect the moment it clears leather. At 3/16-inch thick, the 52100 carbon steel blade is built for performance. The high-saber grind delivers power on every cut, while the 90-degree spine adds versatility. The rock-tumbled acid-wash finish speaks to hard use, not polish. Natural linen Micarta® scales lock into the hand, and the JRE Industries brown leather sheath completes the package.

The Thunder is more than a knife—it’s a frontier weapon, a tool and a statement. Bowie would carry it with pride, knowing size and steel would give him the edge on any foe.

Together, these knives show the evolution of Bowie’s legacy. The GT-EDC represents modern practicality—lightweight, efficient and discreet. The Thunder embodies the old-school bowie ethos—large, commanding and battle-ready.

“Bowie would carry something like one of the CAS knives,” purveyor/retired ABS master smith Dave Ellis said. “They’re perfectly executed with high-end materials and expert technique.” A Sobral Brothers/CAS bowie in mosaic damascus, S-guard, gold accents and stag handle applies. (Dave Ellis/Exquisiteknives.com image)
“Bowie would carry something like one of the CAS knives,” purveyor/retired ABS master smith Dave Ellis said. “They’re perfectly executed with high-end materials and expert technique.” A Sobral Brothers/CAS bowie in mosaic damascus, S-guard, gold accents and stag handle applies. (Dave Ellis/Exquisiteknives.com image)

“If Jim Bowie lived today, I believe he’d carry both,” Bolieu stated. “The GT-EDC for daily utility, the Thunder for the moments when steel decides fate—both made in the USA. In either case, he’d have the edge on any foe.”

The Preacher

Few bladesmiths merge both historic and modern influences in their bowie knives as well as ABS master smith Lin Rhea. If anyone can predict how a contemporary Bowie would blend historic knife design with modern materials and flair, it’s Lin.

“I try to pay homage to the old craftsmen and their techniques,” Rhea observed of his bladesmithing approach. “That’s how I know how to do things: the old way.”

According to Lin, after the Sandbar Fight Bowie sought out James Black, who made the knife known as Bowie No. 1. Black lived in Washington, Arkansas, just down the road from where Rhea lives today.

With the pronounced clip-point blade, it’s easy to see the Bowie influence on the GT-EDC from Bear Forest Knives. Would a Bowie-inspired EDC be on Jim’s hip?
With the pronounced clip-point blade, it’s easy to see the Bowie influence on the GT-EDC from Bear Forest Knives. Would a Bowie-inspired EDC be on Jim’s hip?

“I think for sure he’d go with some kind of S-guard bowie knife, with a sharpened clip and a stag handle. It would be both fancy and practical,” Lin opined. “Bowie went to James Black because his blades had a reputation for toughness as well as innovation, using silver in such a way as to render the handles waterproof.”

Compared to the knives of the time, the bowie was larger than usual and had a larger handle, too. Obviously, to Lin, Bowie would still be carrying a bowie knife, forged and differentially heat-treated, with a few touches of class. He’d still carry an innovative version of his old-faithful design. A modern-styled knife like Lin’s Preacher would fit the bill.

High End

Dave Ellis is a custom knife purveyor and a retired ABS master smith. He knows how to make a world-class knife and what it takes to buy and sell knives of the highest quality and price points.

“If we were just thinking about price points, Bowie could carry a Loveless Big Bear or a Bill Moran damascus ST-24,” Dave noted. “Both would be $60,000 to $80,000 in today’s dollars.” Vintage examples of those knives are so valuable because they were made by two iconic Cutlery Hall of Famers and are historic, nearly antique. Would Bowie carry such an expensive knife that’s several decades old? You be the judge.

Veteran EOD tech Rob Cude said Bowie would carry at least two knives. One might be like the knife Cude and Kit Carson designed that eventually became the Buck Knives Intrepid. The original design featured a special wedge-shaped tip, a sharpened spine area for cutting metal straps and an exposed tang for durability during hammering.
Veteran EOD tech Rob Cude said Bowie would carry at least two knives. One might be like the knife Cude and Kit Carson designed that eventually became the Buck Knives Intrepid. The original design featured a special wedge-shaped tip, a sharpened spine area for cutting metal straps and an exposed tang for durability during hammering.

Dave and your intrepid reporter discussed jewel-encrusted daggers by Cutlery Hall-of-Famer Buster Warenski, engraved Warren Osborne autos and $100,000 Japanese katanas. We ultimately recognized that Bowie had a flair for the practical. While he may very well carry a knife that screams “I’m rich!” it would also have to do its basic job.

When it comes to the highest modern expressions of the bowie knife, the South Americans stand out. Whether by the Sobral Brothers/CAS Knives, ABS master smiths Dionatam Franco and Rodrigo Sfreddo or other top artisans, the merger of high quality and performance within the bowie genre is very evident.

“I’m thinking Bowie would carry something like one of the CAS knives,” Ellis said. “They’re perfectly executed with high-end materials and expert technique, and at a first glance are still immediately recognizable as bowie knives.”

Warfighter Knives

Serving his country with acts of valor as a first-class warfighter, veteran explosive ordnance demolition (EOD) tech Rob Cude spent his career in the shadows. Success in his job meant frustration for the bad guys and safety and silence for the good ones.

According to Rob Cude, something like the Spartan Ronin Shinto with a recurve blade, long edge and a bit of belly for utility jobs would be on Bowie’s hip. Blade steel and length: CPM MagnaCut stainless and 5 5/8 inches. Country of origin: USA. MSRP: $385-$420.
According to Rob Cude, something like the Spartan Ronin Shinto with a recurve blade, long edge and a bit of belly for utility jobs would be on Bowie’s hip. Blade steel and length: CPM MagnaCut stainless and 5 5/8 inches. Country of origin: USA. MSRP: $385-$420.

Rob’s background is in knife design for special forces, military and EOD. In the 1990s, he sought out Cutlery Hall-of-Fame maker Kit Carson to build exactly the knife that would suit his needs. The modern warfighter may jump out of a plane, swim from a boat or trek over land, none of which lend themselves to a wimpy knife.

In tandem with Kit, Rob designed the knife that would in 1998 become the Intrepid from Buck Knives. The original design featured a special wedge-shaped tip, a distinctive sharpened area on the spine for cutting metal straps, an exposed tang for durability during hammering, and a ceramic bead finish that was much more rust-resistant than a sandblasted one. Stainless 440C steel was the best game going at the time and had a suitable combination of hardness and toughness.

“If your knife edge rolls or the knife bends, you can fix it,” Rob advised, “but if it chips or breaks, you’re stuck.”

From Rob’s soldier perspective, Bowie would carry a gun and at least two knives. As technology has evolved, the tools of the soldier have evolved. Given how Bowie was responsible for the evolution of a knife style, it makes sense that his tastes would continue to evolve as well. A modern Bowie would carry one knife for work and another for self-defense.

“Something like the Spartan Ronin Shinto would be on Bowie’s hip,” Rob opined. “It has a recurve blade with a long cutting edge but also has a bit of belly that works well for utility tasks.

“Whether it’s cutting lines and straps or opening MREs, a fixed blade in the 5-to-6-inch range is on every modern fighter’s hip. He would also carry a backup knife for self-defense, and a pistol and rifle as well. Bowie was proficient in the tools of his time and that’s his real legacy. He’d carry that proficiency forward into the modern age, adapting to the tools of our time.”

In the end, of course, we’ll never know exactly what a modern Jim Bowie would carry if he could, but one thing’s for sure: you’d not want to meet him on a sandbar or battlefield to find out.

More Knife History:

A Knife for Every Room: Curating the Ultimate Home Collection

Jason Fry
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A Knife for Every Room: Curating the Ultimate Home Collection

Is the assortment of knives in your house as appropriate as it should be?

At one time I thought I wasn’t a knife collector. I am a knife enthusiast, knife user, knifemaker, knife writer, maybe even a reluctant knife expert, but not a knife collector.

Back when I thought that way, I looked around and noticed I had a dozen knives within arm’s reach, plus the tools in the kitchen, plus the customs of my own and a few from others, plus all the factory knives. Turns out I had nearly 100 knives, which means I’m definitely a knife collector, or at least an accumulator.

In my usual ADHD stream-of-consciousness fashion, my next thought was, “I wonder if I have a knife in every room of the house?” followed immediately by thoughts of which kind of knife would go in each room. Come along on my imaginative journey as we explore the idea of a knife for every room.

Kitchen

Knives in the kitchen are a given but including one by bladesmith Salem Straub is not. In the author’s perfect household cutlery world, one would be. An example: Salem’s Guimard chef’s knife in mosaic damascus. (EatingTools.com image)
Knives in the kitchen are a given but including one by bladesmith Salem Straub is not. In the author’s perfect household cutlery world, one would be. An example: Salem’s Guimard chef’s knife in mosaic damascus. (EatingTools.com image)

The kitchen is intuitive. Most people have knives there, whether the knives are economy store cheapies, a mishmash random drawerful accumulated over years, a matching production set, or even dedicated custom household cutlery. On my imaginary journey, I can afford the good stuff, like a damascus chef’s knife from bladesmith Salem Straub. But that’s too easy. Why not a whole knife-fork-and-spoon-damascus set, like one from Nate “Tuna” Grant?

Garage

For the garage, the author suggests a factory utility knife of the replaceable-blade variety such as the Civivi Elementum.
For the garage, the author suggests a factory utility knife of the replaceable-blade variety such as the Civivi Elementum.

The garage isn’t too tough either. My first thought was a utility knife of the replaceable-blade variety. In the past few years there’s been innovation in the custom knife world when it comes to replaceable blade knives, but for utilitarian and “I can use this and not be sad if I scratch it,” I think I’ll go with the Civivi Elementum that uses standard box cutter blades.

Living Room

If the living room has a fireplace mantle, it’s a great place to display a custom sword. If you’re feeling medieval, the author recommends something like a hand-and-a-half piece by Ryan Breuer. (Ryan Breuer image)
If the living room has a fireplace mantle, it’s a great place to display a custom sword. If you’re feeling medieval, the author recommends something like a hand-and-a-half piece by Ryan Breuer. (Ryan Breuer image)

The living room has the fireplace mantle, which is a great place to display a custom sword. If I were feeling medieval, I’d choose something like a hand-and-a-half piece from Ryan Breuer. Conversely, if I were feeling loud and Japanese, I might choose a fine bright katana like one from David Goldberg with an epic hamon.

Study

Along with studies, game rooms are also great for storing knife collections. Avid bowie collector Chris Nolen keeps his collectibles in a game room display designed by his son-in-law, replete with a statue of Jim Bowie and slide-out drawers that hold around 10 bowies each. (Chris Nolen image)
Along with studies, game rooms are also great for storing knife collections. Avid bowie collector Chris Nolen keeps his collectibles in a game room display designed by his son-in-law, replete with a statue of Jim Bowie and slide-out drawers that hold around 10 bowies each. (Chris Nolen image)

The gentleman’s study is dark, filled with books and memorabilia—the perfect place to store and display the “real” knife collection. Personally, I’d like a collection of custom bowies. I’d include pieces like a fully forged integral mosaic model from ABS master smith Mike Quesenberry, or an exquisite collaboration like The Knifemakers’ Guild award-winning piece by Nick Orr and Bailey Bradshaw. Or maybe I’d go rustic like ABS master smith Lin Rhea’s Preacher Bowie named after a mountain man. I’d round out the room with an engraved silver cigar-cutter-and-match-box set by Travis Payne engraved by Matt Litz for when the guys and I want to relax with a puff.

An engraved silver cigar-cutter-and-match-box set by Travis Payne engraved by Matt Litz for relaxing with a puff among friends would round out the author’s dream study. (Matt Litz image)
An engraved silver cigar-cutter-and-match-box set by Travis Payne engraved by Matt Litz for relaxing with a puff among friends would round out the author’s dream study. (Matt Litz image)

These days most tend not to receive letters, only junk mail and bills, and most of the junk mail goes straight to the trash unopened. But if I had a home office and I received good mail, I’d have to open it with a custom letter opener like one in a set from Deon Nel. He made a matching set of 16, so I bet he could spare one.

Outdoors

The backyard isn’t exactly part of the house, but that doesn’t exempt it from being a part of the author’s imaginary knife journey. If you have a standard grill, consider something like a san-mai brisket slicer from Dan Tompkins. (SharpByCoop image)
The backyard isn’t exactly part of the house, but that doesn’t exempt it from being a part of the author’s imaginary knife journey. If you have a standard grill, consider something like a san-mai brisket slicer from Dan Tompkins. (SharpByCoop image)

The backyard isn’t exactly part of the house, but that doesn’t exempt it from being a part of my imaginary knife journey. For those with a standard grill, you might consider something like a san-mai brisket slicer from Dan Tompkins. Or if you’ve got a fire pit, don’t forget Will Stelter’s damascus and mammoth ivory marshmallow fork. Or if you live in the woods, you might want a forged axe like a laminated wrought iron one from Nick Bachtel.

Bedroom

The author’s dream bedroom pillow dagger would be like Buttercup’s in The Princess Bride. If he were Buttercup’s beau, Dread Pirate Roberts, the author stated he might give his lady something like a poignard by Jamie Bishop. (SharpByCoop image)
The author’s dream bedroom pillow dagger would be like Buttercup’s in The Princess Bride. If he were Buttercup’s beau, Dread Pirate Roberts, the author stated he might give his lady something like a poignard by Jamie Bishop. (SharpByCoop image)

Bedroom knives are a bit of a stretch. Personally, I have my hunting knives in my bedroom closet. If I were rich and fancy, though, I’d have to have a pillow dagger—you know, the dagger you keep under your pillow just in case. I’m reminded of the scene in The Princess Bride when Buttercup pulls out a fine stiletto in the bedroom, and the great Dread Pirate Roberts line that goes with it: “There is a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. It would be a pity to damage yours.” If I were Dread Pirate Roberts, I might give my lady friend something like a poignard by Jamie Bishop, or even something dainty and feminine like a fine small piece from ABS master smith Veronique Laurent. For under my personal pillow, I’d go with something extravagant like an art dagger from the Sobral Brothers.

Bathroom

Bathrooms are for hygiene and sometimes that takes a knife. To clean your fingernails or pull a splinter in style, the author recommends something like the fine Dourado collaboration between ABS master smith Dionatam Franco and Evan Nicolaides. (Mitchel Cohen image)
Bathrooms are for hygiene and sometimes that takes a knife. To clean your fingernails or pull a splinter in style, the author recommends something like the fine Dourado collaboration between ABS master smith Dionatam Franco and Evan Nicolaides. (Mitchel Cohen image)

Bathrooms are for hygiene and sometimes that takes a knife. If you want to clean your fingernails or pull a splinter in style, I recommend something like a fine collaboration between ABS master smith Dionatam Franco and Evan Nicolaides. The pearl scales will shimmer in the vanity lights, and there are enough tools included to take care of many different tasks. Or if you want to play “Mack the Knife” in a dark alley then come home and comb your hair, Rick Lala can hook you up with his two-tool blade/comb folder.

How Close Are You?

You may not have a knife for every room, but I suspect that many BLADE® readers come very close. Here’s to improving the quality of your knife collection—even the bedroom knives!

Read More:

Damascus: What Are The Hot Patterns And Steels In 2026

Jason Fry
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Damascus: What Are The Hot Patterns And Steels In 2026

Jesse Harber and Coy Baker forecast the hottest damascus steel for ’26.

There’s something about predicting the future that has intrigued humanity for ages. If you could just somehow know which stocks would turn a profit, which crypto would “go to the moon,” or which numbers were coming in the PowerBall, you like to imagine that you could really take advantage. Thus far the ability to accurately predict the future has been a challenge, which begs the question—what damascus steels and patterns will be hot for 2026?

Jesse Harber of Vegas Forge doesn’t hesitate to jump right in.

“Our Reptilian pattern stayed hot in 2025,” he observes, “and it should continue to do well.” Vegas most often uses a combination of AEB-L, 440C and 302 stainless steels for contrast in its stainless billets. It prefers the combination of O1 tool, 1075 carbon and nickel-alloy steels for its carbon varieties.

Jake McCoy used Baker’s Zeus stainless damascus for the blade of his folder.
Jake McCoy used Baker’s Zeus stainless damascus for the blade of his folder.

Twenty-twenty-five was a fun year for Vegas Forge. It was able to continue making the steel it loves, the steel most knife enthusiasts all love to use—and it still managed to find time to innovate.

Makers have been using EDM cutouts in canisters to make unique figures and shapes for some time now. Over the past few years, a few have experimented with 3D-printed shapes inside canisters for truly limitless possibilities. Vegas has taken a different approach of using smaller cutouts within canisters that are then layered into “regular” damascus. There are obviously other critical details of the process not mentioned here, but the end result is small shapes or logos within the layers of the steel, not just as a shape like the other canister types you usually see.

Hammering Away At Baker Forge & Tool

Coy Baker said Baker Forge & Tool is “really moving and shaking” for 2026, partly because of a new Chambersburg steam hammer converted to air. With a die surface of 6-by-14 inches and a 750-pound ram, the whole shop shakes when the hammer pounds on a giant billet. The hammer originally was used to make jib cranes for the Charlotte Railroad and runs on a 50-horsepower compressor with multiple 750-gallon air tanks. Coy stated he hasn’t pushed the hammer to its max, but said he thinks it can handle billets up to 35 pounds.

Baker’s Tsunami copper-mai steel is the material for the blade of a piece by Hans Molenkamp of Crimson Knife Co. (crimsonknives.com).
Baker’s Tsunami copper-mai steel is the material for the blade of a piece by Hans Molenkamp of Crimson Knife Co. (crimsonknives.com).

Why in the world would Baker Forge need such a giant hammer? Because the company, too, has been innovating and expanding into the production of stainless damascus. After two years of research and development and fine-tuning Baker’s processes for production, the prodigious pounder is finally up to speed. Baker prefers a combination of AEB-L and 154CM for its stainless damascus.

“The steel is really hard even when it’s hot,” Coy said. “Even with our 350-pound hammer it was like pounding on a rock.” The giant Chambersburg, on the other hand, moves a giant stainless billet with ease.

For those of you who don’t know, forging stainless damascus is quite a challenge, beyond the capability of many backyard smiths. Stainless steels contain high chromium, sometimes 12-to-15 percent, and chromium oxide doesn’t forge weld. Any oxygen at all in the forging environment and the welds simply will not stick. There are multiple ways to get around that, including inert gas purges and welding inside canisters. Add that to the fact that the stainless doesn’t like to move under the hammer and has only about a 100-degree-temperature window when you can safely work it, and you get a very difficult process.

Baker Forge & Tool’s Will Spears forges a billet of stainless damascus on the Chambersburg high-frame power hammer at Baker. Built in 1946, the power hammer has a 750-pound ram and weighs just shy of 11 tons. “It took us 14 months to install,” Coy Baker laughed. “The foundation for it is over 12 feet deep.”
Baker Forge & Tool’s Will Spears forges a billet of stainless damascus on the Chambersburg high-frame power hammer at Baker. Built in 1946, the power hammer has a 750-pound ram and weighs just shy of 11 tons. “It took us 14 months to install,” Coy Baker laughed. “The foundation for it is over 12 feet deep.”

Baker isn’t just producing stainless damascus in run-of-the-mill patterns, it is innovating. It has developed patterns it will use in its stainless steel exclusively, particularly one called Zeus.

Copper damascus has long been Baker’s hottest commodity, and it’s still producing it at high volume and quantity. The company is pushing the limits there as well and has developed a method to weld and manipulate copper on the end grain. While the technique is under wraps, the results will be broadcast far and wide: copper damascus in formerly unobtainable mosaic patterns. When clad over a monosteel or carbon damascus core, the patterns stretch the imagination of what’s possible.

Steel Industry Challenges

Both Baker and Harber mentioned challenges and areas for growth in the steel industry. Baker was the first to put BLADE® on the story about Buderus apparently closing its primary mill for 10xx series steels. Coupled with the recent closing of Crucible on the stainless side (see our article on Crucible Industries closing), both Baker and Harber have been exploring new steel options in case their mainstays become unavailable. Vegas in particular is moving toward more cores of Nitro-V and Elmax and moving away from MagnaCut and XHP.

Vegas Forge team member Franklin draws out a 40-pound canister of stainless Raindrop-pattern damascus on the company’s 5B Nazel hammer.
Vegas Forge team member Franklin draws out a 40-pound canister of stainless Raindrop-pattern damascus on the company’s 5B Nazel hammer.

The hot new kid on the block is ProCut, the brainchild of a partnership between Larrin Thomas and Pop’s Knife Supply. Both Vegas and Baker are looking forward to pushing the limits of ProCut. As a high-alloy steel, when combined with Apex Ultra, the maker achieves high performance out of what looks like “ordinary” 1084/15N20 damascus. If you think of the difference in performance between 1084 and 52100 carbon steels, you’re on the right track. Baker Forge is currently in the lead on the ProCut “arms race” but Vegas Forge has steel in hand and is ready to go.

What fun new things can we expect in the world of damascus in 2026? Vegas Forge is entertaining a few recent orders that sound interesting. There’s a maker in Alaska using Vegas material to make high-end custom ice skates, and another customer using the company’s material to make stainless damascus computer keyboards. Who’d a thunk it? For those who enjoy a good picture show, Vegas has another top-secret project in the works. Think aliens with amazing damascus weapons and tools and you’re on the right track.

Take two leaders in the field like Baker and Vegas, factor in the demand for their top steels and add lots of innovation, and you get the makings of a really great year to come in the world of damascus.

More On Damascus:

Buderus Mill Closure Threatens 10xx Carbon Steel Supply For Knifemakers

Jason Fry
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Buderus Mill Closure Threatens 10xx Carbon Steel Supply For Knifemakers

Read our full report on what the Buderus closure means for knifemakers, Damascus production, and company inventory.

Once when he was ill, Mark Twain famously quipped that “rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” October 2025 brought troubling rumors to the knife industry regarding the potential closing of a major steel mill owned by Buderus Edelstahl.

Based in Wetzlar, Germany, Buderus is a major producer of 10xx series steels, including 1075, 1084, 1095 and 15N20, that are purchased through various suppliers. The company was founded in March 1731 and began steel production in April 1920. It has changed ownership several times, including being purchased from Bohler-Uddeholm by Voestalpine. Voestalpine sold the company to the German investment company Mutares in 2025.

BLADE® reached out to knife industry steel authorities for comment.

Dr. Larrin Thomas reported that he had spoken directly to two different Buderus employees. 

“We have been hearing conflicting reports about whether the [Buderus] hot and cold mills are being shut down,” he wrote in an e-mail. “Regardless, things are a bit too murky right now to say much definitively.”

Carbon steel 1095 is the material of choice for the 6.5-inch blade of the Modern Gladius by TOPS knives.
Carbon steel 1095 is the material of choice for the 6.5-inch blade of the Modern Gladius by TOPS knives.

If the rumors inside the Buderus workplace match the ones inside most large workplaces, there’s a good chance that conflicting perspectives and speculation are flying around everywhere. It could be difficult to get to the actual facts, even directly from mill employees. However, Larrin remained hopeful.

An email obtained from steel supplier New Jersey Steel Baron (NJSB) was less hopeful. This past October, NJSB officials notified their intermediaries that the Buderus mill was closing at the end of the month. The email stated, “We are writing to inform you that as of October 31, 2025, Buderus Edelstahl, one of our primary vendors, will be ceasing its rolling operations. This marks the end of a fifteen-year partnership for NJ Steel Baron, and we anticipate it will significantly impact the bladesmithing, blacksmithing, and cutlery industries. We have already begun to pivot our production to new vendors and source new alloys to ensure our inventory remains robust.”

A story on n-tv.de, an online news platform based in Germany, carried the headline “Buderus Edelstahl steel is broken up—hundreds of jobs affected.” The story reported that, “The company’s steel mill … is to be closed by the end of October, Mutares announced.” 

NJSB’s Peter Bruno took the news hard, saying “I’m going to have to spend some time in the woods thinking about it.” 

In the NJSB press release he stated, “This has been more than a vendor relationship; it’s been a cornerstone of our steel program. Buderus has consistently delivered high-performance German steel that’s fueled makers, machinists, manufacturers, and craftsmen throughout the world. Losing this supply chain is a hard hit, not just for us, but for the entire industry.”

Paul DiStefano opts for 1084 carbon and 15N20 nickel-alloy blade steels for the damascus pattern configured to appear as what an animal might see if looking at a stalking tiger through a bamboo forest. Overall length: 19 inches. (pauldistefanoknives.com) (Jocelyn Frasier image)
Paul DiStefano opts for 1084 carbon and 15N20 nickel-alloy blade steels for the damascus pattern configured to appear as what an animal might see if looking at a stalking tiger through a bamboo forest. Overall length: 19 inches. (pauldistefanoknives.com) (Jocelyn Frasier image)

Beyond the pure shock of losing its main supplier, NJSB is developing a plan. It has a good amount of steel on hand and is buying all the remaining Buderus stock it can. NJSB also has reached out to its customers and is selling steel by the pallet to ensure customers have at least short-term reliable access to the steel they need for ongoing orders.

“While we’re actively working to develop new sources and mill partnerships, the shift won’t be immediate, and some grades may remain out of reach for a while. Some alloys may not return anytime soon, if at all,” Bruno noted. “Once supplies run out, that may be the end of the line in some cases.”

Company Responses

The 10xx series steels are used by several knife manufacturers and importers for their hunting, outdoor, tactical and other utility-type knives. Some of those companies include Condor Tool & Knife, ESEE, KA-BAR, Utica, the previously mentioned TOPS and White River Knife & Tool. Some of the foregoing deal with Buderus and some do not. The 10xx series steels are also widely used by custom knifemakers for damascus and straight carbon knives.

The K-Night Panabas from Condor Tool & Knife boasts a 14.29-inch blade of convex-ground 1075 carbon steel.
The K-Night Panabas from Condor Tool & Knife boasts a 14.29-inch blade of convex-ground 1075 carbon steel.

Mike Olen, director of sales at Condor Tool & Knife, said Condor was not sourcing any steel through Buderus.

“For the 1075 and 1095 steels, we get them from a variety of vendors, mostly Europe and Asia based,” he noted. “I’m not sure exactly, but I know a lot of our steels have been coming from German and South Korean companies lately. We do the heat treatment in house, so it opens up more options for us when sourcing the raw materials.”

“KA-BAR has had a long relationship with Buderus,” wrote KA-BAR’s director of sales and marketing, Joe Bradley, though he added any potential closure of the Buderus steelworks would not affect KA-BAR immediately.

Powell said TOPS gets its steel from a leading distributor, though it was unclear at press time whether that distributor used Buderus as a source or not. At press time, he said TOPS was fine in terms of its supply of 10xx series steels, though the company likely will start stockpiling the steels in case of any shortages.

Suppy Alternative

Jantz Supply is a leading source of 10xx series steels for custom knifemakers and others. Jantz’s Shanna Kemp indicated her company maintains various sources of the steels and as a result does not expect supply delays.

A damascus of 1084, 15N20 and copper forged by Baker Forge & Tool comprises the 3.25-inch blade of Stephen Roney’s linerlock folder. (s.roney@myyahoo.com) (Jocelyn Frasier image)
A damascus of 1084, 15N20 and copper forged by Baker Forge & Tool comprises the 3.25-inch blade of Stephen Roney’s linerlock folder. ([email protected]) (Jocelyn Frasier image)

“We don’t expect any disruption from the Buderus mill closure,” Shanna wrote. “Jantz has strong relationships with multiple mills, so makers can count on us for steady access to the high-carbon steels they rely on. Our commitment to providing reliable, high-quality materials for knifemakers will not change.

“We have long-standing relationships with multiple steel mills and distributors worldwide. The majority of our 10xx series high-carbon steels come from reputable suppliers in the United States and Germany. This diversified supply chain ensures consistent quality and availability for our customers.”

In fact, Shanna said Buderus is but one of a number of producers of 10xx series steels.

“I don’t know the exact quantity of 10xx series steels the Buderus mill produced. However, they were one of several manufacturers worldwide,” she noted. “The 10xx series is a widely produced grade family, and multiple mills continue to make these steels. While the Buderus mill was a respected supplier, their closure does not significantly impact global availability.

The Junglas ESEE checks in with an 8.38-inch blade of 1095 in a textured powder-coat finish.
The Junglas ESEE checks in with an 8.38-inch blade of 1095 in a textured powder-coat finish.

“Several mills and processors around the world continue to produce 10xx series steels. While the Buderus mill was a respected manufacturer, these grades are not unique to any single producer. The market has ample capacity to absorb the change, and we don’t anticipate any long-term supply issues.”

Past Is Prologue

If all this sounds a bit familiar, Crucible Steel went through a similar process of bankruptcy and acquisition at the beginning of this year. Owners of the familiar CPM (Crucible Particle Metallurgy) trademarks for MagnaCut and others, Crucible was a major force in the knife industry. Eventually it restructured and cut its research and development division. Ultimately even the restructured company failed and was sold in parts to Erasteel of Europe and an American company, Lauter. Erasteel continues to produce steel of the same compositions with the same names, as it purchased Crucible’s intellectual property. Lauter owns the former Crucible factory and has begun hiring for its specialty business of manufacturing screws and fasteners.

The Crucible situation had some impact on the knife steel business. Dr. Larrin Thomas sat down with Bob Shabala of Niagara Specialty Metals in May for a conversation about the transition. Niagara is the primary rolling mill that served the knife industry in taking Crucible steels from 3,000-pound billets down to workable sizes. Bob explained that Crucible was one of Niagara’s biggest customers, but that it also was up front with its struggles. Consequently, Niagara was well stocked in CPM steels by the time Crucible folded.

The Tick from TOPS Knives sports a 3-inch blade in 1095 carbon steel with a Tungsten Cerakote® finish.
The Tick from TOPS Knives sports a 3-inch blade in 1095 carbon steel with a Tungsten Cerakote® finish.

Niagara also works with Erasteel and Carpenter, both of whom have the technology to produce steels of the same composition. Steel from Erasteel will retain the CPM trademarked names. Other versions of the same alloys rolled by Niagara will have new names for the steels the industry has used for years. Niagara officials predicted some disruptions because of panic buying as Crucible closed, but they also think business will return to “full speed ahead” for production of the knife steels in the former CPM formulations. Larrin indicated that Magna-Cut will survive and continue to be produced without disruption.

What’s Next

The steel industry has been challenged for many years, with more bankruptcies than start-up companies. To complicate things further, the steel the knife industry uses and needs is only a very small and specialized portion of a global steel industry that includes structural steel, automotive and more. With insatiable demand worldwide, the knife industry’s little corner of the market doesn’t get much attention. On top of that, steel production takes an enormous amount of energy, and with all the green and climate change talk of recent years, no one seems to be lining up to build anything but AI data centers at the moment.

Chad Jefferson chose 1080 and 15N20 to forge into a ladder W’s pattern for the 7-inch blade of his gyuto. (ak74forge@gmail.com) (Jocelyn Frasier image)
Chad Jefferson chose 1080 and 15N20 to forge into a ladder W’s pattern for the 7-inch blade of his gyuto. ([email protected]) (Jocelyn Frasier image)

Like the transition away from Crucible, the probable transition away from Buderus will no doubt cause some industry disruptions. For now, knifemakers can hope that rumors of the death of the Buderus mill remain greatly exaggerated—or at least, as with Crucible, its reincarnation is on the horizon. Will some other company buy the Buderus mill? Will, like Niagara, some other supplier step in the gap left by the closure? Will someone in the market feel the void and fill it? Time will tell, but for now, the best advice seems to be for knife companies and makers to buy the 10xx series steels while they can.

Editor’s Note: Blade Magazine Staff contributed to this report.

More On Steel:

Hunting Knives: What Makes The Perfect Blade Geometry?

Jason Fry
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Hunting Knives: What Makes The Perfect Blade Geometry?

From razor-thin slicers to heavy-duty choppers, here’s how edge geometry and grind thickness impact real hunting performance—and what makes the perfect hunting knife.

Whether it’s a secret lure, special scent, backwoods honey hole, a custom-tuned call, or even camo boxers or lucky socks, all hunters have some kind of secret weapon, superstition or technique that they believe will give them an edge over their quarry. But when it comes to the actual edge—the blade of your knife—are you that particular? Are you that picky, that much caught up in hype or that much committed to tradition? Let’s explore the “hunter’s edge” as we consider what kind of grind and edge geometry makes a so-called perfect hunting knife.

Hunting is a game of tradeoffs. If you hunt the field, you can’t hunt the hill. You may be stuck at work on the nice weather days and sitting in the trees in the rain on Saturday. You may sit one time and kill a record buck, or you may sit all season and not see a single “shooter.” There’s seldom a way you can have it all at the same time.

Sojourn by Alex Harrison of Night Watch Knives features a blade of CPM 154 stainless in a blackened War Wash finish. The handle is textured, blasted G-10 with black liners and hollow pins. Guard: nickel. Construction: tapered tang. Overall length: 8 inches. Blade grind: hollow. Edge thickness: .010 inch. Alex said the ligature notch is meant to be a safe way to conduct an aggressive gross motor skills reverse cut and sever a ligature under tension. His price for a similar knife: $500.
Sojourn by Alex Harrison of Night Watch Knives features a blade of CPM 154 stainless in a blackened War Wash finish. The handle is textured, blasted G-10 with black liners and hollow pins. Guard: nickel. Construction: tapered tang. Overall length: 8 inches. Blade grind: hollow. Edge thickness: .010 inch. Alex said the ligature notch is meant to be a safe way to conduct an aggressive gross motor skills reverse cut and sever a ligature under tension. His price for a similar knife: $500.

The hunter’s knife is no different. In general, “small game, small knife, large game, large knife” holds true, but what characteristics make it so? A big knife can be an advantage or a small knife can be sufficient, depending on whether you’re hunting whitetails in Saskatchewan or Texas. Do you want to use the same knife for wild pigs and moose?

Hunters want a knife that will stay with them through thick and thin. But should the knife’s edge be thick or thin? I have hunted and harvested game since I was a boy, but it was not until I was nearly 40 that I put a caliper to a knife edge. A knife just was, an omnipresent tool taken for granted. Some worked better than others, though I had never thought about why it was that way. Let’s talk a little about edge thickness and numbers.

Optimal Hunting Knife Edge

An experienced hunter may want a knife to chop trails and trim brush, do camp chores or fire-building tasks, or split a deer’s pelvis or sternum. Those tasks lend themselves to a larger, heavier knife with a thicker edge. The heavy-use knife may be 10 or 11 inches overall of 3/16-inch-thick steel and maybe forty thousandths (.040) of an inch or more behind the edge.

A 4-inch blade of 8670 carbon steel in a stonewashed finish and a maple burl handle help complete the Wagu Cattleman by Guild probationary member Chip Carlisle of Skjeggmenn Knives. Handle: maple burl. Overall length: 9.5 inches. Blade grind: full-height flat. Edge thickness: .020 inch. His price for a similar knife: $400.
A 4-inch blade of 8670 carbon steel in a stonewashed finish and a maple burl handle help complete the Wagu Cattleman by Guild probationary member Chip Carlisle of Skjeggmenn Knives. Handle: maple burl. Overall length: 9.5 inches. Blade grind: full-height flat. Edge thickness: .020 inch. His price for a similar knife: $400.

The grind is more likely to be full flat with a convex edge, or even full convex. The tradeoff is no matter how sharp such a knife gets, it won’t excel at fine work like making the initial cuts through fur or opening the abdomen. It’s not impossible to field dress a deer with a thick-edged knife, it’s just a bit more difficult.

Another hunter of equal skill may carry his knife on his belt or in her pack, only taking it out for the finer tasks of skinning, quartering and deboning. Such a knife could be as little as 3/32 inch thick and as short as 7.5 inches overall. The grind could be full flat or hollow, and somewhere in the 15-to-20 thousandths (.015-to-.020)-of-an-inch-thick-range, or even thinner.

If you use a caliper, you’ll need one that measures down to the thousandths-of-an-inch level.
If you use a caliper, you’ll need one that measures down to the thousandths-of-an-inch level.

On a small knife, you may not have the handle or blade length to give you the leverage you want to easily split the sternum on an elk. No matter how sharp the small knife is, it won’t excel at chopping or tasks that require leverage. It’s presumably not impossible to field dress a grizzly bear with a small, thin knife, it’s just a bit more difficult at some points in the process.

My “eyecrometer” doesn’t measure very precisely. As a simple frame of reference, 10 pages of BLADE® are roughly .020-inch thick. If you use a caliper, you’ll need one that measures down to the .001 (thousandths)-of-an-inch level.

Well, that was a nice theoretical discussion. Now let’s look at some concrete examples.

Different Hunting Knives

I asked a group of knifemakers to send me examples of knives that fit the hunting knife description. I was part of the judging panel for the Knifemakers’ Guild awards at the BLADE Show and got the chance to handle a wonderful knife from Guild voting member Alex Harrison of Night Watch Knives. Of all the knives in the judging, this one really spoke to me as an excellent hunting knife.

Field and Stream by newly elected Knifemakers’ Guild board member Paul LeBatard boasts a 3.5-inch blade of CPM 154 stainless and jigged bone scales. Overall length: 7.75 inches. Blade grind: hollow. Edge thickness: .020 inch. His price for a similar knife: $400. (Jocelyn Frasier image)
Field and Stream by newly elected Knifemakers’ Guild board member Paul LeBatard boasts a 3.5-inch blade of CPM 154 stainless and jigged bone scales. Overall length: 7.75 inches. Blade grind: hollow. Edge thickness: .020 inch. His price for a similar knife: $400. (Jocelyn Frasier image)

First, there are the intentionally muted textures and tones. It’s all dark, rough and tough, and even the bright orange G-10 has subtlety from the combination of the ground-in divots and blasted grain of the material. Next, the shape was pleasant in the hand and the blade was all business. At first glance it’s a fairly standard drop point but it has all the small details: the short-serrated section near the ricasso, the swedged point, the ground edge at the top of the point. Underneath it all, the hollow grinds are simultaneously effective and pleasing to the eye.

“This knife is hollow ground, probably ‘ten thou’ behind the edge. That’s the sweet spot for me,” Alex explained. “Everyone loves a razor blade but people do stupid [stuff] with their knives, and even skilled users aren’t always gentle. I often have requests for serrations for game processing, so I taught myself how to grind them in such a way that they still slice paper.” I dare you to try to slice paper with the serrations on the standard big-box store hunter! Added Alex, “The ligature notch is meant to be a safe way to conduct an aggressive gross motor skills reverse cut and sever a ligature under tension.”

Guild probationary member Chip Carlisle’s take on a hunter is a bit bigger, a bit beefier and a bit more traditional. The Wagu Cattleman from Chip’s Skjeggmenn Knives is 9.5 inches overall with a 4-inch blade of 3/16-inch-thick stonewashed 8670 carbon steel. A precise, full-height flat grind comes to a thin .020-inch edge. The clip point is swedged, giving the blade a sleeker look than its height would automatically provide. Carlisle said the knife “delivers uncompromising performance where it matters most—at the edge of work and wilderness.”

All hunters have some kind of secret weapon, superstition or technique they believe will give them an edge over their quarry.
All hunters have some kind of secret weapon, superstition or technique they believe will give them an edge over their quarry.

Newly elected Guild board member Paul LeBatard executes the traditional hunter with modern materials and an eye for precision. The 3.5-inch blade of his Field and Stream model is 3/32-inch stock hollow ground on a 12-inch wheel to an edge thickness of .020 inch. Overall length: 7.75 inches. The same design comes in two larger sizes called the Personal and Personal Plus. The profile reminds me of the old Case and Western hunters from years past.

Critiquing Work

Knives the author has designed and/or made over the years, from left: his Jason Fry Hunter for White River Knife & Tool; his first real forged knife; the 100th knife he ever made, circa 2010; the 50th knife he ever made; and his first-ever knife, the Deer Disassembly Device, aka Triple D. For the knives’ grinds, edge thicknesses and other specs, see the story.
Knives the author has designed and/or made over the years, from left: his Jason Fry Hunter for White River Knife & Tool; his first real forged knife; the 100th knife he ever made, circa 2010; the 50th knife he ever made; and his first-ever knife, the Deer Disassembly Device, aka Triple D. For the knives’ grinds, edge thicknesses and other specs, see the story.

One of the unspoken rules of the knifemaking world is to not offer unsolicited criticism of another maker’s work. Now that I’ve put that rule in writing, I’ll be consistent and point out some flaws in some of my own early work to illustrate some points of error to look for.

At far right in the accompanying image (above) of my five knives is the first knife I ever made, stock removal from a file, that I enthusiastically called the Triple D for Deer Disassembly Device. I was a bit delusional. Although I’ve processed many deer with this knife, the handle is too short for the blade, which causes problems with leverage while splitting the sternum. Also, the knife was made with files and sandpaper, not a grinder.

The original edge thickness was somewhere beyond .060 inch. Eventually, as my skills improved, I re-ground the knife a bit, pushing the edge back to a slightly more respectable .035 inch. The knife doesn’t slice well at all, mostly as a function of the thick geometry, but also of the shorter bevel grinds on thicker stock.

The author’s Four Roses sports a 3-inch blade of Nitro V stainless and scales from a Four Roses whiskey barrel. Construction: tapered tang. Overall length: 7.75 inches. Blade grind: flat. Edge thickness: .020. His price for a similar knife: $350.
The author’s Four Roses sports a 3-inch blade of Nitro V stainless and scales from a Four Roses whiskey barrel. Construction: tapered tang. Overall length: 7.75 inches. Blade grind: flat. Edge thickness: .020. His price for a similar knife: $350.

Next from right in the image is my 50th knife, stock removal, ⅛-inch-thick 1084 carbon steel. This one also has handled its share of game. The edge thickness is .025 inch and works great but the handle is too thin. With ⅛-inch-thick steel and ⅛-inch-thick G-10 scales, there’s just not enough handle for my aging hands. The center knife is my 100th circa 2010.

I was into D2 and filework at the time, neither of which are particularly suited for a hunter, and the handle is fat and boxy. Next is my first real forged knife, from a drag harrow tooth from my grandfather’s ranch. The handle is 1955 white oak floorboards from my house at the time.

The knife is the best of those pictured in many ways, with a thin edge at .010 inch, a large enough handle, easily sharpenable steel, and a great story of how the original customer gave the knife back to me before he passed away. The full flat grind and distal taper make it a pleasure to use.

Chip Carlisle applies a flat blade grind using his belt grinder.
Chip Carlisle applies a flat blade grind using his belt grinder.

At far left in the picture is what I’ve settled on as my hunting knife of choice, the Jason Fry Hunter I designed for White River Knife & Tool in a full-flat-bevel-ground blade of S35VN stainless and black/orange G-10 scales. It’s just shy of 8 inches overall with a 3.5-inch blade. The handle length is enough to provide the necessary leverage, and the blade length is enough to do the cutting.

I’ve made this design for a decade by hand, both one-offs and small batches. For a general-use hunting knife for mass production, I wanted to split the difference between thin razor and beefy chopper. I specified the thickness at .020 inch and the White River guys nailed it.

The Perfect Hunting Knife

What makes the perfect hunting knife edge? It must be sharp. It has to be thin enough to slice fur yet burly enough to split a pelvis or sternum. It must have a handle big enough to provide leverage. It has to hold an edge through its primary tasks. Most of all, it must be with you when you hunt, an integral part of the package of secret weapons that set the hunter above the prey.

More On Knifemaking:

Damascus Steel: Experts Forecast Growth In The Knife Industry

Jason Fry
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Damascus Steel: Experts Forecast Growth In The Knife Industry

From copper-infused patterns to stainless steel sheets, discover the innovations driving the red-hot market for production damascus.

Are we seeing a bit of “global warming” in the knife industry, where red-hot damascus steel is getting even hotter? BLADE® spoke with some industry leaders, and 2025 and beyond looks good to them when it comes to production damascus in both carbon and stainless steels.

There are many individual makers who make high-quality damascus in simple and complex patterns in their home shops, backyards or shared maker spaces. This article focuses instead on production damascus forged by specialized outfits such as Baker Forge & Tool, Damasteel, Chad Nichols Damascus and Vegas Forge. At a level beyond “regular” damascus makers, these companies make steel for the masses, for production companies, and specialize in innovative new materials that are sure to delight the industry.

BLADE readers will be familiar with Baker Forge & Tool, a prolific producer of innovative damascus patterns that include copper, such as CopperMai, TigerMai, GoMai and others.

DS93X steel—fourth from bottom in bar form—is Damasteel’s standard mix, “combining good performance with good looks.” “For us it’s more about expanding the patterns than about trying new steel combos,” noted Per Jarbelius. The other patterns in bar form are representative examples of what you can expect from the Swedish steel maker.
DS93X steel—fourth from bottom in bar form—is Damasteel’s standard mix, “combining good performance with good looks.” “For us it’s more about expanding the patterns than about trying new steel combos,” noted Per Jarbelius. The other patterns in bar form are representative examples of what you can expect from the Swedish steel maker.

“We make carbon steel damascus patterns with copper, and they’ve been hot. We expect them to stay hot through 2025,” Coy Baker said. When it comes to steel selection, the company most often sticks with the gold standard combination of 1084 carbon and 15N20 nickel-alloy steels.

Baker also has been experimenting with Apex Ultra as a core steel for its copper san-mai. For those unfamiliar, Apex Ultra is a tungsten steel alloy, kind of a super-52100 carbon steel. It’s made in small batches and is hard to get in the USA, but Baker has found that the material makes a great damascus core.

“Demand for our Apex core billets far outpaces supply,” Coy noted.

Baker has also been experimenting with stainless and copper damascus and san-mai, using 154CM and AEB-L stainless steels. This writer also makes knives and that combo sounds quite challenging to forge. Baker confirmed that it was very challenging and wouldn’t reveal any secrets, other than the 154CM etches light and the AEB-L etches darker.

Growth In The ‘Sip

Down in beautiful Bush Springs, Mississippi, Chad Nichols makes traditional carbon steel damascus at a production level.

Vegas Forge has always been innovative and 2025 will be no exception. “We’ve figured out how to do copper in with the damascus pattern manipulation, not just as a line between san-mai,” Jesse Harber noted. (Vegasforge.com image)
Vegas Forge has always been innovative and 2025 will be no exception. “We’ve figured out how to do copper in with the damascus pattern manipulation, not just as a line between san-mai,” Jesse Harber noted. (Vegasforge.com image)

“I stick mostly to carbon steel 1075 or 1095 plus 15N20 with occasionally a little bit of 3V,” Nichols explained. “I’ve got my process down and these steels go together well.” He makes a variety of mosaic patterns, most of which go to a single manufacturer. “The carbon steels are so much more organic,” Nichols said. “You can do so much more with them in a cost-effective way.”

Nichols’ goal for 2025 is to increase his production of mosaic patterns.

“There just aren’t many people doing production mosaics,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity for growth.”

Another area he’d like to see grow in 2025 is the use of exotic and historical materials. He’s made a run of steel for Boker with steel from a German Tiger tank, and has a run coming for William Henry with some leaf springs sourced by WH.

Collab Designs

Damascus isn’t just a U.S. product. Damasteel produces high-quality stainless steel damascus in Sweden.

Chad Nichols (above) stated the goal at Chad Nichols Damascus for 2025 is to increase the production of mosaic patterns.
Chad Nichols (above) stated the goal at Chad Nichols Damascus for 2025 is to increase the production of mosaic patterns.

“Our DS93X steel is our standard mix, combining good performance with good looks,” Damasteel’s Per Jarbelius remarked. “For us it’s more about expanding the patterns than about trying new steel combos.”

DS93X is described as a “patented powder metallurgy product” that includes “two different hardenable steel grades.” “We use only stainless steel,” Jarbelius explained, ‘because it doesn’t rust and has the same or better performance.”

Damasteel historically produces a new pattern each year. For 2025 it also has begun a special project to collaboratively design patterns. Benchmade collaborated with Damasteel to make a steel pattern called “Monarch” exclusively for the Benchmade Gold Class Necron balisong. Jarbelius is excited for the potential to expand the collaborative effort with other companies who want proprietary patterns.

In another innovation, Damasteel has developed the capability to produce stainless damascus in sheets, not just bars. This will come in handy for small-batch and mid-tech production. The sheet steel pattern is called “Drakkar,” which is the old Norse word for the dragon-shaped Viking longboats.

Copper In The Pattern

What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but that’s not the slogan for Vegas Forge, whose damascus is well known worldwide. It is a consistent producer of high-quality carbon and stainless damascus in complex patterns.

Baker Forge & Tool has been experimenting with Apex Ultra as a core steel for copper san-mai. This integral fighter by Greyson Weltyk features Baker copper damascus for its recurve harpoon blade. (Bakerforge.com image)
Baker Forge & Tool has been experimenting with Apex Ultra as a core steel for copper san-mai. This integral fighter by Greyson Weltyk features Baker copper damascus for its recurve harpoon blade. (Bakerforge.com image)

“One of our most popular patterns is ‘Reptilian,’ which has three alloys included: O1, 1075 and nickel,” observed the company’s Jesse Harber.

Vegas Forge has always been innovative and 2025 will be no exception.

“We’ve figured out how to do copper in with the damascus pattern manipulation, not just as a line between san-mai,” Jesse noted. “We can take our Reptilian pattern with copper in it, and then clad that billet over an O1 or 1095 core.”

As far as stainless goes, Vegas Forge continues to push the complexity of its patterns. Its most popular pattern, “Virus,” begins with a single stack of 1200 pieces! The company uses 154CM cores for most of its stainless san-mai, along with CTS XHP when available.

Ultimate Hotness

What kind of knives do the manufacturers predict for ultimate hotness in 2025?

Damasteel has developed the capability to produce stainless damascus in sheets, not just bars. The sheet steel pattern is called “Drakkar,” the old Norse word for the dragon-shaped Viking longboats, and is used here on a chef’s knife by a local Swedish cutler.
Damasteel has developed the capability to produce stainless damascus in sheets, not just bars. The sheet steel pattern is called “Drakkar,” the old Norse word for the dragon-shaped Viking longboats, and is used here on a chef’s knife by a local Swedish cutler.

Both Baker and Jarbelius indicated culinary knives will stay hot, especially in stainless. Baker pointed out that stainless steel handles kitchen abuse better, and this writer agrees. Per said Damasteel’s Damacore and DC18N nitrogen steels are top of the line, and the company has a culinary knife coming in partnership with BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Ken Onion and CRKT. Both Damasteel officials and Chad Nichols agree that complex patterns are expected to do well for the pocketknife and one-off makers.

Jarbelius “expects growth in the complex pattern market” even as Damasteel’s basic traditional rose, ladder and twist damascus patterns remain best sellers. Nichols states that the mosaic niche he addresses will continue to grow.

All four steel makers expect growth in the production side of the market. Even in a slower economy, the big knife manufacturing companies are still producing limited runs of high-quality damascus knives. Baker looks for growth in his damascus-core san-mai steels.

“They’re easier to get a consistent etch on than the mono-steel cores,” he explained.

Chad Nichols stated that he expects growth in the use of mosaic damascus steels by factory knife companies in 2025.
Chad Nichols stated that he expects growth in the use of mosaic damascus steels by factory knife companies in 2025.

Manufacturing is all about consistency and efficient processes. Damasteel achieves consistency by using the same steel combo for all its patterns. Nichols gets there by batch building for specific manufacturers so that each run is internally consistent. Harber mentioned that he was approached at BLADE Show West* by multiple production companies looking to order steel for 100-to-200-piece runs. He indicated he expects the mid-range sub-$800 production folders to stay hot.

Gonna Be Intersting

The new year is going to be an interesting one for the economy and politics, both of which are inextricably entwined. Fortunately, thanks to the work of those in the damascus industry, it’ll also be an interesting year in the world of knives. If nothing else, knife enthusiasts will have plenty of beautiful damascus production knives coming off the assembly lines to keep them entertained.

More On Steel:

Buying Custom Knives: Four Lessons To Get A Deal

Jason Fry
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Buying Custom Knives: Four Lessons To Get A Deal

We give you the tips to avoid mistakes when buying a custom knives.

Of course, every rule or principle has its exceptions and counter-principles. You do get what you pay for, but only when you have an honest and informed assessment. Is that micarta real Westinghouse Micarta? Is the fit and finish and reputation of the maker in line with the price? Did the maker grind the knife themselves, or is this a production knife?

You’ll have to do some homework if you want to get “good deals.” One of the oldest tricks in the book is for the seller to exaggerate demand and conceal supply. “This is the last one, and they’ve been buying them fast all day!” may be true or may be a dishonest sales pitch.

The warning is “buyer beware” more often than “seller beware” after all. Many a “bad deal” comes not from mutual disagreement, but from one side taking advantage or being dishonest.

Economic generalities aside, let’s look specifically at the knife market.

Lesson 1: Don’t Buy The Hype

Some people want the latest and greatest thing. They get great enjoyment out of buying what is the ultimate “grail” knife of a given season, often hyped up on social media, on online forums, by word of mouth, in magazines and at events. For these buyers, the thrill is in the hunt and in the showing of the trophy.

If you want to be that kind of buyer, buy what you want and enjoy the heck out of it! Keep in mind that demand will be lower for last year’s hot thing, and so will the resale price. I won’t go so far as to say don’t buy the hot knife. Many of us spend money on experiences (what do you gain long term from a concert or a trip to the movies?) or on depreciating possessions like cars or boats. In some ways, if you enjoy it, it doesn’t matter if you lose some money on a knife or it’s not a good “investment.”

Many of us “regular” folks have to be a little more careful with our funds. If you chase what’s hot, you’ll end up buying at times of peak demand, which means you’ll pay a higher price. By the time you get tired of that knife or want to sell, everyone else just might be tired of it as well, as the knife world will have moved on to the next hot thing. If you’re one of the folks for whom a sour ending ruins the whole experience, don’t buy hot. If you have an eye toward appreciation of values and want to “make money” on your knife collecting hobby, don’t buy hot.

For some people, the thrill is in finding the next hot one, before it gets hot. Wouldn’t we all have loved to have purchased a bunch of Microsoft stock in 1993? If we were better at predicting the future, we’d make better knife picks for our collection, just like we’d make better choices in our stock portfolio. Still, if you “hit” one once in a while—buy the maker’s work right before he hits the big time and make lots of money—it can be quite a thrill and keep you buying knives on a regular basis.

Another point of caution when it comes to hype has to do with the “flash in the pan” types who grow smoking hot quickly, beyond their market position or ability to produce. It has happened in the knife world before and will happen again. Someone may be better at marketing than knifemaking, or better at Instagram videos than filling knife orders. If the hype of a particular maker turns you off or looks suspicious, trust your gut and hold off on purchasing. Sometimes makers flame out as spectacularly as they rose to fame.

Lesson 2: Don’t Overspend At The Beginning

“Walk before you run” is good advice. Knife collecting is about finding joy in knives, and at the beginning, small mistakes hurt less. If you start with $500 and buy five quality production knives at $100 each, you may enjoy them a long time. If you start with the same $500 and buy a custom at a show from an overhyped maker who quickly fades away, you may sour to collecting altogether. When you gamble more, the losses cost more.

The opposite is somewhat true as well, however. If you spend your $500 on 50 $10 gas station knives, you’ll have a great big pile of crappy knives when you’re done. The trick is finding a good balance between price and quality. Finding that balance takes time to learn.

As you learn more about the market segment you’re interested in, don’t be afraid to invest more as you grow. You may reach a point where you don’t want the Chinese ones, but rather the American ones. Or maybe you don’t want production, you want midtech. Or maybe you won’t want the midtech one with the maker’s name on it, you may want the custom one made by the maker himself.

Hopefully, your budget will grow to accommodate your growing expertise and preferences.

Lesson 3: It’s Not Just The Knife You’re Buying

When you invest in Amazon stock, you are making a rich man richer. You’re buying a piece of paper or an electronic data point that says you “own” a tiny piece of the company, and you expect a mathematically increasing return for your investment.

When you buy a knife, odds are good your money won’t go to that knifemaker’s yacht payment or summer home fund. When you buy a knife from an individual knifemaker, you’re more likely sending his kids to daycare or piano lessons, paying for his electricity and buying his wife new shoes. If you buy at a knife show, you probably bought the maker’s dinner. When you invest in a knife, you support a specific person, not “the man behind the curtain.”

Even if you find joy by investing in a person by buying their product, you still owe it to yourself to invest wisely. Of course, you should buy a knife you like, that you find useful or that may make you a decent return on your money. At the same time, you should be looking for people to help, individual makers whose lives you will improve by your relationship and the purchases you make over time. You may be making friends, not just money, which can add another degree of magnitude to your enjoyment of knife collecting.

Lesson 4: Buy What You Know

The more you know, the fewer expensive mistakes you’re likely to make and the more deals you’re likely to find. The less you know, the more likely it is that you’ll get a bad deal, purchase a knife you’ll be dissatisfied with or a knife you later regret. The more you know, the better. This seems to be a universal principle of life and economics, and it applies to knives as well.

First off, buy knives from brands or people you know have a good market position. Many times, a well-known brand is successful for good reasons. A classic brand like Case or Spyderco may be a great place to start, or a well-known Knifemakers’ Guild member or somebody from the “Slipjoint Cartel.” When you have the chance to know the maker or seller personally, that knowledge makes your purchases more likely to bring you joy or a good return on your investment.

Second, buy knives from reputable dealers or purveyors. While you may get a “great deal” from a pawn shop or somebody’s cousin who is a knife collector, there is some measure of protection in buying from well-known retailers such as Blade HQ, AG Russell, Arizona Custom Knives and others. Until you become familiar enough with the market to know exactly what you’re looking at, it’s wise to stick with the major dealers.

As another example, consider buying from the folks who advertise in the knife magazines, such as BLADE. If their business is legitimate enough to afford the expense of advertising in print, they’re more likely to be honest and stick around.

Third, buy the knives you’re familiar with. You may get joy out of buying a knife the first time you’ve ever seen or heard of it. On the other hand, you’re even likelier to enjoy a knife that you know in your heart is a great one, because you’ve studied it, chased it, pursued it, and finally purchased after careful consideration. Sometimes the journey is as fun as the destination, and the pursuit of the grail is worth as much as the grail itself.

You may get in a rut and feel like you’re buying the same knife over and over. That’s no good either. Balance your knowledge with both width and depth. You may dive deep into one model, one maker or one brand, or you may spread your collection broadly by buying one knife from as many different people and places as possible. Either way, you’ll get familiar with the knives that you like, and you’ll end up going as deep or as broad in your collection as you like.

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