Steve Shackleford, Author at BLADE Magazine

What’s Hot In Knife Mechanisms

Steve Shackleford

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February 5, 2012

Designed by Flavio Ikoma and using the IKBS (Ikoma Korth Bearing System) Flavio helped create, Columbia River Knife & Tool’s Sampa line is an example of the non-assisted-opening flipper folder purveyor Duane Weikum said seems very popular at the moment. (CRKT photo)

User needs and refined design/construction rule the hottest knife mechanisms

By Dave Rhea

Mechanisms are everywhere on the knife market. There are so many different ways to open, shut and lock a knife it seems there could never be anything new under the sun. Invariably, though, advanced, creative minds push the boundaries of what is out there. Sure enough, along comes something that revolutionizes the cutlery culture.

So what is going on in the sphere of knife mechanisms? Owner of New Graham Knives retail knife store, Michael Dye said it is difficult to have a really fresh, new idea, and pointed to a visit he had with Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Ken Warner a few years ago.

“He showed me drawings in a bound notebook that were dated back to the ’70s,” Dye recalled. “Ken said, ‘Recognize these?’ and they looked the same as the handles that are on [a line of leading field knives now].” Dye was not alluding to any sort of theft or malicious intent, but to the fact so many people have so many ideas, and over the years the ideas start to overlap.

Which is a roundabout way of saying what is hot today in knife mechanisms is not necessarily new but a combination of consumer preference and a refinement of existing mechanisms.

Get Your Tweak On

“I think you’re seeing a lot of refining, where the changes are in movement improvements and [modifying] existing mechanisms,” he said. “The devil is often in the details. Also, like putting mechanisms such as the IKBS [Ikoma Korth Bearing System] in affordable production knives.”

He used the Taylor Cutlery/Smith & Wesson knives as an example of the benefits of tweaking a design. “Their third-generation flippers really hit the mark,” Dye explained. “When people put that little knife in their hand, they really are impressed with how the assisted opening works. Refining and tweaking of the geometry to make flippers open more easily—that’s what I have been seeing more than anything in the last year.”

Owner of EDC Knives, purveyor Duane Weikum cited the venerable non-assisted-opening flipper folder popularized by Kit Carson as probably the most-sought-after mechanism this year. “A flipper tab on the knife, along with a strong detent and a smooth pivot, makes for an impressive-opening knife,” he said. “I prefer a straight flipper to an assisted knife myself—fewer chances of it opening in my pocket.”

Weikum is also a big fan of Flavio Ikoma and the IKBS bearing pivot system (page 50, June BLADE®). “There are other bearing systems coming online, people tweaking things so they can call it something other than IKBS,” he opined, “but Ikoma and Korth were putting it into practice long before these other systems came along. Some guys were even using IKBS before they knocked it off—sad but true.”

He added that Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT) has licensed the IKBS for Ikoma’s and Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Ken Onion’s CRKT designs (the Sampa and Ripple, respectively), which he said speaks well for the mechanism’s performance.

Another hot existing mechanism Dye singled out is the one on the Blade Magazine 2010 Overall Knife Of The Year®, the Chris Reeve Knives Ti-Lock. “You definitely have some people who are pushing the envelope, like Gavin and Grant Hawk with the Ti-Lock,” Dye pointed out. “That is, without a doubt, a very unusual locking mechanism.”

The Ti-Lock lock bar is mounted along the back of the blade toward the pivot. When the blade is opened, the handle edge of the lock bar, which has a cross bar with thumb-stud-like grips, is forced down into a slot through spring pressure, locking the knife securely open.

The Ti-Lock folder by Chris Reeve Knives is a collaboration between the father-and-son Hawk team and Chris Reeve. According to Dye, it is a design that, initially, was almost complete but shy of actual fruition. “I think Gavin and Grant got it about 90 percent figured out,” Dye noted. From there, he said Reeve took the lock and made it economically feasible to build on the larger manufacturing scale of Chris Reeve Knives. “It works very well and it adds a different look to the knife, to say the least, with the [lock’s] anodized titanium bars,” Dye observed.

Another hot mechanism is Benchmade’s Paul Axial system, according to Trevor Darby, owner of BladeOps LLC. “I think the [Benchmade version of the] Paul Axial system that has just been hitting the market is very interesting,” he said. “It’s a smooth-opening one-handed mechanism that seems to be generating quite a bit of buzz, as well as demand.”

Developed by Paul Poehlmann in the 1970s (page 50, November BLADE), the Paul Lock has a spring-loaded interlock key that can be depressed and rotated. It is simple and strong. “Along the same lines,” Darby added, “even though it is a mechanism that has been around for a while, the Tri-Ad lock that Cold Steel makes is always in huge demand.” Darby also points to the Spyderco Ball Bearing Lock (page 24, February BLADE) as something that has been gaining interest with his customers.

Hard To Put Down

Sometimes it is the mechanism itself that pushes a buyer into purchasing a knife. The “gadget factor” has a strong allure, and, when someone puts a knife in his hand and starts toying with it and it is hard to put it down, that is an almost certain sale. For many of BladeOps’ clientele, Darby said there is often a specific mechanism that drives them to buy.

“We have a lot of customers who have seen something somewhere and want that particular mechanism,” he related. “I would say there’s about a 50/50 split between buyers looking for a specific mechanism and those looking more along a size, brand and price range.”

A great example of a company that excels in the marketing of interesting mechanisms is CRKT. It has led the way by offering an incredible array of opening and locking mechanisms to the point that, each year, this writer cannot wait to see what is in its new catalog.

“Things like what Ed Van Hoy did with the Snap Fire with the anodized wheels and stuff,” Dye pointed out. “We have a lot of people who come in and really get mesmerized by the glitzy opening systems that you see in some designs.” (Editor’s note: Though CRKT offers at least one other Van Hoy design, the Snap Fire has been discontinued.)

Dye mused that sometimes the mechanism itself outweighs the knife’s actual usefulness. “In such cases, the knife is not utilitarian by any means,” he said. “But what sells the knife to every customer that puts it in his hand is the way it opens and closes. It becomes a gizmo at that point—it just happens to have a sharp blade on it.”

For more on the latest knives, knife legislation, knifemaking instruction, knife trends, knifemakers, what knives to buy and where and much more, subscribe to BLADE® Magazine, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication. For subscription information click on http://www.shopblade.com/product/blade-magazine-one-year-subscripti…?r+ssfb020512#BL1SU

Carbon Steel Can Still Cut It

Steve Shackleford

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February 4, 2012

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Troney Toler of Knives Plus in Amarillo, Texas, says his biggest seller by far is the Case model 161 yellow-handle trapper with blades of Case’s “chrome vanadium carbon steel”—which, according to a Case official, is 1095 carbon steel with added chromium and vanadium. (photo courtesy of Troney Toler)

There is snow on the roof but fire in the furnace of the most popular factory carbon steel knives

By James Morgan Ayres

With all the new, exotic alloys populating the knife industry in recent years, what about the sales of factory knives with blades of the “old faithful” carbon steels? To find out, I spoke with a selection of cutlery retailers from Texas to Canada and asked if carbon steel blades are still selling in the face of competition from the new alloys, and, if so, which of the non-stainless knives are hottest in terms of sales.

North of the border, Pauline Favreau of the Canadian Knife Zone says she sells carloads of carbon-steel knives. In the springtime her customers load up on Cold Steel kukris and machetes to clear weeds, vines and saplings from around their summer cabins. Given the riotous early season growth in the north, this is a big job and a tough one. According to Favreau, her experienced customers rely on Cold Steel blades of 1055 carbon steel for their ability to take a keen edge and be easy to sharpen. She sells them for around a modest 30 Canadian dollars ($29.50 American) each and says customers prefer them to expensive alloy blades and their reputation for being hard to sharpen. Moreover, when the blades get the inevitable nick or two, it is easy enough to repair the edge with a stone.

Favreau says 45 percent of her clientele generally are female, some of whom are members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, military and other professions. She adds that KA-BAR’s Becker Knife & Tool line in 1095 carbon steel is far and away the most popular with the Mounties, who buy models from the Becker Necker at 56 Canadian dollars ($55) to the Campanion at 106 Canadian dollars ($104.20).

The owner of Canadian Knife Zone indicates many northern outdoor enthusiasts favor the traditional Grohmann hunter and the venerable D.H. Russell Canadian belt knife, at about 75 Canadian dollars ($73.73) each, both in C-70 carbon steel. The classic Opinel with its XC70 carbon steel blade and beechwood handle priced at 11 Canadian dollars ($10.80) is a perennial favorite of backpackers and others looking for a lightweight folder, Favreau adds.

Though the carbon-steel knives mentioned are affordable, she says price is a minor factor in the choices of Knife Zone’s customers. They are looking for proven performance and usually opt for non-coated blades.

Fans of 1095

Tom Melago of Chestnut Ridge Knives in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, says he sells many Ontario kukris and machetes in 1095 coated carbon steel, with the basic Model C 1-18 being the most popular machete. According to Melago, “Ontario’s Spec-Plus 2502 kukri is one of the most popular knives of any kind in my store. It’s favored 10-to-1 by my customers over other brands of kukri.” He adds this is due to the Ontario kukris’ reputation for quality and because they are made in America, which is a strong selling point. At his list prices of $29.99 for the machete and $53.99 for the kukri, these big boys appear to be a bargain.

Melago says though the choppers see considerable use as utility tools, most of his customers who buy big blades do so for survival packs and bug-out bags (BOBs). With Chestnut’s list prices in parentheses, Ontario’s RTAK II ($94.99) and RAT 7 ($87.99) in 1095 carbon steel also are finding their way into many Pennsylvania BOBs, as is ESEE’s entire line in 1095. From the Junglas ($155.99) to the ESEE 3 ($89.99) and ESEE 6 at ($116.99) to the tiny Izula ($49.95), Melago says all sell as fast as they can be ordered, and all have proven to be tough and easy to sharpen. (Again, all parenthetical list prices are Chestnut’s).

Like Favreau, Melago states price is not a factor in his customers’ choices. He says all of them express a willingness to pay more for models made in America, and most opt for non-coated blades.

Tougher Steel

At J.T. Knives in Port Jervis, New York, Joe Tarbell says the entire Ontario Spec Plus line of 1095 carbon steel knives continues to sell as well as always, which is very well indeed. Like his retail counterparts, Tarbell indicates even though the Spec Plus line is priced affordably from about $45 to $100, price has little to do with his customers’ knife-buying decisions. He says customers who request carbon-steel knives seem convinced carbon steel is tougher than any stainless. Some are older customers who have used carbon steel for years and are not interested in changing. Ease of sharpening and toughness are the deciding factors.

Tarbell says many of his customers are outdoorsmen and into survival skills. They prefer carbon steel for its traditional qualities and because “they get a better spark with a flint fire starter” on it. While they are concerned with rust, they also understand the simple steps they can take to avoid it (keeping the steel clean, a little oil, storing the knife in a dry place, etc.).

The J.T. headman states he has seen an increased demand for the Dustar Israeli combat knives, which use D2 tool steel. At a list price of $225, it is a relatively expensive factory knife, but he says buyers seem to appreciate the qualities of D2 and its solid construction. Tarbell adds his store also does well with anything from the Benchmade Bone Collector series, all in D2 blade steel as well.

Have Blades, Will Rust

The story on carbon-steel knives is very different at Troney Toler’s Knives Plus in Amarillo, Texas. Toler says he sells many traditional carbon-steel pocketknives and few fixed blades. His biggest seller by far is the Case model 161 yellow-handle trapper with blades of Case’s “chrome vanadium carbon steel”—which, according to a Case official, is 1095 carbon steel with added chromium and vanadium. According to Toler, he orders the knives 50 at a time and, at a list price of about $50 each, he often runs out of them.

In general, Knives Plus has two classes of customers. “The first,” Toler said, “is the grizzled old farmer or rancher who won’t have anything but a blade that ‘will rust.’” Such a customer has been using the knives for a half century and figures “if the blade won’t rust, the steel is no good.” Of course, the customer knows how to care for carbon steel, so maintenance is not an issue.

The other kind of customer will return a knife if a spot of rust shows up. “Those folks are better off with a Spyderco,” Toler notes. “Occasionally, I’ll see one of the old guys come in and buy a Spyderco, but that’s unusual.”

Boker, Queen and Eye Brand pocketknives in carbon steel are also good sellers for Toler, with such Queen models as the mini trapper with D2 blade steel a special favorite. He says D2 is “almost stainless” but not quite. About the only fixed blades Knives Plus does much business with is the ESEE 3-P in “well-tempered 1095.”

Even in today’s world of hi-tech alloys, the age-old carbon steel still earns its keep. Maybe it will continue to do so for another thousand years or so. Who’s to say it won’t?

For more on the latest knives, knife legislation, knifemaking instruction, knife trends, knifemakers, what knives to buy and where and much more, subscribe to BLADE® Magazine, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication. For subscription information click on http://www.shopblade.com/product/blade-magazine-one-year-subscripti…?r+ssfb020412#BL1SU

Hank Rummell: He Will Be Missed

Steve Shackleford

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February 3, 2012

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Long-time custom knife purveyor Herman “Hank” Rummell of New York Custom Knives (www.newyorkcustomknives.com), who was killed Jan. 29 in a tragic accident when he was struck by a car while walking his dog, is remembered fondly by those who knew him.

“I considered Hank like a brother and our relationship grew over the years from customer/client to one of great friendship,” noted Irv Lehman, one of Hank’s many long-time customers. “He will be missed greatly and the knife shows will never be the same.”

“Hank was at almost every single knife show I attended, going all the way back to 1991,” knifemaker Phil Booth recalled. “I used to hang around to look at the quality knives he kept on his table until I was brave enough to ask to start picking them up and looking closely. Through the years, I showed him my most recent knives to see if they were getting better, and he would critique them and give me hints on how to better my work. Then the day came when he bought a Minnow [one of Booth’s knife models] and set it on his table! He sold that knife and many more. Had it not been for Hank’s watchful eye, my knifemaking would not be where it is today.”

According to Lehman, in lieu of flowers, Mrs. Helen Rummell requests that you make a donation to honor Hank to an animal rescue in your local area. “Helen and Hank were very much dedicated to their dogs and Hank lost his life in keeping his dog safe,” Lehman observed. “That was the ultimate sacrifice for the love of his dog and, knowing Hank, he would do it again.”

Slip Joints Are Sizzlin’!

Steve Shackleford

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February 2, 2012

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According to KnifeArt.com’s Larry Connelley, Bill Ruple ([email protected]) is one of the leading names in custom slip joints. Ruple’s “Acorn” single-blade trapper features a CPM-154 stainless blade and an amber-bone handle. Closed length: 4.25 inches. KnifeArt.com’s (www.knifeart.com) list price: $1,100. (KnifeArt.com photo)

One of cutlery’s oldest designs, the slip joint is also one of its hottest

By Pat Covert

Long ago, someone added a spring to the back of a pocketknife to prop the blade open and enable it to shut with a snap—and what is known by many knife enthusiasts today as the slip joint was born. While locking-liner tacticals dominate much of the folder arena, the relatively new genre has a lot of catching up to do if it plans on eclipsing slip-joint sales.

Like many sectors of the cutlery market, there are two basic customers for slip joints—users and collectors—with some overlap to be expected. So what would cause a knife user to carry a slip joint over the more modern fare? “Tradition,” KnifeArt.com’s Larry Connelley states simply. “Slip joints are built with traditional patterns or modifications of a traditional pattern from the early 1900s. Slip joints are easily carried and perceived as an American tradition. Many knife owners first owned a traditional slip joint.”

From a practical standpoint, slip joints make excellent pocketknives, playing the same role they have for generations. “Slip-joint folders are used for cutting almost everything imaginable, such as peeling apples, skinning game, opening boxes, opening letters, and a myriad of other uses,” observes Kenny Wilson of Sooner State Knives.

Josh Terryah of Knife Country USA says both tradition and everyday service play a role in the slip joint’s popularity. “Slip joints are great utility knives, and who doesn’t like to carry something around that reminds them of their granddaddy or father?” he opines. “Who would ever think a knife could bring back memories of being a kid on the family farm?”

Though hard to quantify, another likely reason for the slip joint’s surge in attractiveness and popularity among users is the oppressive anti-knife laws and/or improper labeling of legal one-hand-opening and other knives as illegal by law enforcement, district attorney’s offices and local governments in some areas. In other words, the DA’s success rate in prosecuting someone for carrying a traditional peanut or stockman pattern is lower than for a one-hand opener.

Selection Never Better

Selection has never been better for factory slip-joint fans. Companies such as Buck, Boker, Case, KA-BAR, Queen and others long have produced and/or offered traditional slip joints. Outfits like Canal Street Cutlery, Columbia River Knife & Tool, Fallkniven, Great Eastern, Spyderco and more have joined/rejoined the slip-joint sweepstakes, and brands such as Schatt & Morgan (Queen), Tidioute and such (Great Eastern) and others have been revived. Better yet, a plethora of classic patterns is available in the midst of such healthy competition. These range from common patterns such as trappers, barlows and sunfish to more specialized ones like the melon tester and cotton sampler.

On the other hand, some things never seem to change.

“Case remains the most collected knife in the world. One reason for this is the detailed dating system Case uses,” Wilson notes. “But, I believe Canal Street is currently building the highest-quality traditional slip-joint folders. They simply spend more time to get the details right during production and assembly to ensure that everything fits as it should.”

Terryah says not only has he seen an uptick in sales of traditional slip joints, but some of the more modern styles are selling as well. “I would have to say the Spyderco and Fallkniven slip joints are the hottest new models [for us] right now,” he offers. Wilson says Case’s traditional two-blade trapper (4 1/8 inches closed) is the best seller at Sooner State Knives. “Next would probably be the [Case] 3-inch tiny toothpick,” he advises.

Maker Explosion

The custom market long has had a clique of makers who keep the traditional patterns alive—Tony Bose, who also has designed some knives for Case, and Bill Ruple among them. In the past few years there has been an increase in custom makers joining the fray, adding even more fans to the slip-joint market.

“Slip-joint collectors tend to be men in the 40-to-60-year-old range. They’re the classic baby boomer demographic. These customers appreciate the high level of fit and finish,” he says. “There are many sub-groups of slip-joint collectors, from the patterns to the number of blades on a folder.”

According to Connelley, the best-selling slip-joint pattern at Knifeart is, once again, the trapper. He says some of the hot knifemakers (and their knives with Knifeart’s list prices in parentheses) are Don Morrow (two-blade stag trapper, $750), Bill Ruple (stag or bone two blade, $1,100), and Hiroaki Ohta (single-blade stag folders, $500). “Tony Bose is hands down the most popular,” Connelley opines. “His knives command a premium on the secondary market which, unless you are really lucky at his BLADE Show lottery, is the only place to buy one.”

Choice Materials

The materials offered in a knife are always a key consideration. “Most collectors seem to prefer stainless steel blades over carbon steel,” Wilson notes. “That said, many older buyers still prefer carbon steel in the knives they carry, and a few younger buyers prefer it because of their fathers and grandfathers.

“The misconception seems to be that if a blade doesn’t rust, it won’t hold an edge. They don’t realize cutlery companies have kept up with the times and that new blade steels are constantly being introduced.”

Among handle materials, Wilson indicates due to the variety of colors, jigged bone is his most popular but stag, mother-of-pearl and wood still move as well.

On the custom side, Connelly says stag is the most popular, followed by traditional jigged bone. “For blade materials they prefer high-quality stainless steels such as CPM-154, ATS-34 and CPM-S30V. We occasionally see high-quality damascus on an upscale slip joint,” he adds. It is interesting to note that damascus is wildly popular in other genres such as fixed blades and locking folders, but it does not seem to translate well into traditional fare.

Given the increase in custom makers joining the party and the extremely large number of factory pocketknives on the market, traditional slip-joint lovers will have fat pickings for a while. Whether you prefer production or custom knives, there are affordable options for everyone. Custom slip joints typically range from $250 up and factory pocketknives can be had for as little as $25 for models produced offshore—with stag handles, no less!—to $150-$200 for top-shelf limited editions.

In essence, with the exception of some of the more rarified custom artisans who can name their price, it is a buyers’ market that shows no sign of slipping.

For more on the latest knives, knife legislation, knifemaking instruction, knife trends, knifemakers, what knives to buy and where and much more, subscribe to BLADE® Magazine, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication. For subscription information click on http://www.shopblade.com/product/blade-magazine-one-year-subscripti…?r+ssfb020212#BL1SU

SOG Twitch II Helps Save The Day

Steve Shackleford

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February 1, 2012

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A SOG Twitch II assisted-opening knife helped save the day in a recent car accident. Zachary Taylor was the passenger in a car driven by his fiance when it spun out of control while avoiding a large animal in the road.The passenger side hit two trees and Taylor’s right leg was pinned under the dash.

As Taylor recounts the incident, “My right arm was pinned because the impact swung it up under me, but I used my left hand to retrieve the Twitch II knife from my pocket, opened it with one finger, and cut the seat belt. I then used it to cut away my pants leg that hung up under the dash. If I would’ve not been able to get out of the car, we would still be sitting there as no one was around us, we were way off down the embankment, the cell phone was busted, the front lights had busted out, it was really cold and we were wet from an exploded cooler.”

You can read the whole story, including photos of the car, at http://on.fb.me/xWdPOI

The preceding is courtesy of Knife Rights. For more information click on http://kniferights.org/

For more information on the Twitch II, click on www.sogknives.com.

For more on the latest knives, knife legislation, knifemaking instruction, knife trends, knifemakers, what knives to buy and where and much more, subscribe to BLADE® Magazine, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication. For subscription information click on http://www.shopblade.com/product/blade-magazine-one-year-subscripti…?r+ssfb020112#BL1SU

Knife Of The Day XV: O’Hare Tanto

Steve Shackleford

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January 30, 2012

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Our Knife Of The Day is Sean O’Hare’s tanto. It sports a flat-ground, 3.75-inch blade of CPM-154 stainless steel, a stabilized buckeye burl handle with a bird’s-beak butt, and a 416 stainless steel guard. Sean also made the leather pouch sheath. His price for a similar piece: $395.

“This one is a bit of a departure from my norm as it is a tanto style,” Sean noted. “I was very pleased with the way it turned out. So far this is the only [tanto] I have made. It sold right away at the New York Custom Knife Show.”

For more information contact Sean at [email protected].

For more on the latest knives, knife legislation, knifemaking instruction, knife trends, knifemakers, what knives to buy and where and much more, subscribe to BLADE® Magazine, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication. For subscription information click on http://www.shopblade.com/product/blade-magazine-one-year-subscripti…?r+ssfb013012#BL1SU

Hottest EDC Knives

Steve Shackleford

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January 26, 2012

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Dave Stark of Steel Addiction Knives said Tom Krein’s Alpha folders are among the hottest of custom EDC knives. These two Alphas are both frame locks, and Krein said the one with the blue handle is the first knife he built with the Ikoma Korth Bearing System (I.K.B.S.). (Point Seven photo)

Keep your pockets warm with the hottest in everyday carry knives

By Mike Searson

Everyday carry knives—a.k.a. EDC knives—are models most of us carry every day in our pockets, on our belts or even around our necks. An EDC knife is suited to such mundane tasks as opening a piece of mail or cutting an apple or, in a pinch, to cutting a seatbelt in an emergency situation.

To determine the hottest EDC knives, BLADE® went straight to some of the top custom and production knife dealers in North America. On the production front, which seems to be where the majority of EDC knives come into play, Mark Christensen at BladeHQ and Jason Kunkler of Knifecenter.com held court.

“The majority just seem to be based on personal preference,” Christensen began. “We don’t sell many ‘traditional pocketknives’—tactical knives are popular—and right now those seem to be butterfly knives and automatic knives, especially out-the-front automatics, MicroTech in particular. Anything made by MicroTech sells very fast, and Spyderco is very popular right now. As far as model numbers go, I would say for MicroTech it would be the Ultratech [Model 122-1] at a price point of $255, and for Spyderco it would be any of the Para Military 2 models [C81] that sell in the $115-$170 price range.

“I think the Para Military is popular because of the Compression locking mechanism, combined with Spyderco’s round hole design. This makes the knife very easy to use with one hand and with gloves, so ease of use and convenience make it a great EDC knife. The MicroTech models are popular because they make the best OTF knives on the market, and have gained a reputation for excellence.”

While agreeing with Christensen on the popularity of Spyderco, Kunkler said most of his customers are leery of newer locks and favor traditional locking liners, lockbacks, Benchmade’s Axis lock and even contemporary slip joints. He indicated his biggest sellers among EDC knives are the Benchmade Griptilian (based on options, $80-$100 MSRP), Spyderco Delica ($69.95 MSRP), various fixed blades by ESEE, and Boker’s International Collection offerings based on classic Fred Perrin designs. “The ESEE models are so popular they sell out on arrival,” he noted. “At a retail price of $85-$125 they are a lot of knife for the money and feel great in the hand.”

Kunkler seemed to speak for Christensen as well when he said, “If there’s one thing people are looking for in a knife, I think it’s just convenience or ease of use. The hottest EDC knives are those that are just ‘user-friendly.’”

“Price does not seem to matter as much as you might think,” Christensen added. “People are always looking for a good deal, but are willing to pay more for quality.” Kunkler said $100 is the upper end of the price limit for most people looking for an EDC knife, whereas most knife enthusiasts are willing to spend two to three times that amount.

As for handle materials, both retailers said titanium for locking-liner and frame-lock folders is very popular, with G-10, Zytel® or anodized aluminum also found on the top sellers. Blade finish is even more of a personal preference. Christensen said his customers have a slight inclination for black coated blades over other finishes, while Kunkler indicated his clients prefer satin finishes to everything else. “Mirror-polished blades went out in the 1980s with parachute pants,” he quipped.

As far as blade length, Christensen said “somewhere around 3 to 3.5 inches” is most popular. “Some people are looking for California-legal automatics with a blade under 2 inches, but, aside from those, most people don’t seem to be worried about blade length for legal reasons,” he qualified.

Custom Iterations

On the custom side, Neil Ostroff of True North Knives and Dave Stark of Steel Addiction Knives shared their knowledge. “Without question, the most desired knives are tactical flipper folders made with some kind of bearing pivot system, like I.K.B.S. [the Ikoma Korth Bearing System],” Ostroff observed. “Close behind those are the non-flipping tactical folders.

“In the non-flipping arena, Bob Terzuola just blazes along with refreshing variations of older stable models like the venerable ATCF [TNK’s list price: $750] and new designs all the time. His special USN Gathering knives are always snapped up quickly, and he takes many orders for more while selling out early on at show after show.”

Stark agreed, adding the hottest EDC knives among his customers are made by Rick Hinderer (the XM series), Tom Mayo (TNT), Tom Krein (Alpha K-1 Folder), Greg Lightfoot (Ground Fighter), Mick Strider (SnG and SMF) and Ernest Emerson (CQC6). “Price doesn’t even seem to be a factor, despite the economy,” he said. “Most Mayos and Emersons I receive on customer trade-ins have to go back to those makers, as there are scuffs in the bead blast from being carried—and these are $1,200-$2,000 knives.”

Ostroff differed on the price point, saying most of his customers look for a knife that is $500 or less from such makers as Brian Fellhoelter (Kink, at $450) or Kirby Lambert (Inferno, $500). Ostroff and Stark agreed that fit-and-finish, performance, comfort in the hand and “buying the maker” had more influence than blade steel or price point.

Of pocket clips and blade finish, Ostroff opined, “Pocket clips are vital on a folder, and tip-up is the only way to go as long as the knifemaker ensures that the detent is strong.” Stark said “deep-carry pocket clips” that hold the knife significantly lower in the pocket are a strong selling point. Both agreed that stonewashed, satin or bead-blasted finishes are more desirable than polished or coated ones.

As with their production counterparts, both custom purveyors said 3 inches and under is the desired length for those living in cities with blade-length restrictions. However, the optimal blade length for a tactical or utility EDC folder is just under 4 inches.

Stark indicated some customers buy small EDC fixed blades such as the TK-1 (his list price: $225) or Pocket Bowie (his list price: $265), both by Tom Krein, or a number of pieces from Bob Dozier. He said both makers have been backordered for a long time.

All four sources are unanimous on one thing: blade shape. While past trends have pointed to leaf-shaped, recurved and tanto blades, today’s hottest EDC knives tend to have more traditional blade profiles. As to a plain or serrated blade, it is a matter of personal preference, though plain edges seem the most popular for all concerned. Perhaps it can best be said that the hottest EDC knives combine classic designs and profiles with modern materials.

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Steve Shackleford

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