Joe Kertzman Blog Blade Magazine

Loveless-Parke Is Part Drop Point, Part Skinner

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August 17, 2012

Spending a day with the Loveless-Parke drop point would be like spending a day in the park. What I love about this knife is that it is a drop-point hunter, but it has that high grind and skinner-like hump along the blade spine toward the tip.

Only 36 knives bearing the Loveless-Parke logo were ever produced (Parke was an investor in Loveless’s knifemaking business for a short period of time.) This knife, made in 1967, is an example of that effort. It features a brass singe guard and stag handle with a hidden tang. And because I was born in 1967, it’s all that more sweet to me.

The knife photo is by Hiro Soga, the knife is from the John Denton collection, and it was featured in the book Knifemaking With Bob Loveless.

Indiana Senate Passes Pro Knife Rights Bill

Joe Kertzman

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January 25, 2013

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Indiana Senate Passes Pro Knife Rights Bill

It’s unanimous! By a vote of 47-0, the Indiana Senate passed Senate Bill SB181, a Knife Rights-requested bill that would repeal Indiana’s outdated and unreasonable ban on the possession and sale of automatic knives.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jud McMillin and cosponsored by Reps. Sean Eberhart and Jim Baird, now moves to the House. Kudos to Senate sponsor Sen. Jim Tomes and co-authors Senators Taylor, Arnold, Steele, Nugent, Randolph and Hume for their winning efforts in passing SB181 in the Senate.

If you work, live or travel in Indiana, contact your Representative and ask them to support SB181. Click here to locate your Representative, or one who represents where you work or travel.

A Pearl In the “Greatest Loveless Knife Designs” Rough

Joe Kertzman

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July 30, 2012

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When considering the “Greatest Loveless Knife Designs,” a pearl-handle piece is probably not the first that enthusiasts would think of. In fact, this “gent’s” model is one of the very few knives made in pearl from the Loveless shop. And what a beauty she is! … including the naked lady logo.

Thanks go to Dave Ellis for lending the image and his expertise on the matter. Dave has two websites: http://www.robertloveless.com and http://www.exquisiteknives.com.

Bring Your Own Steak Knife (and Fork)

Joe Kertzman

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December 23, 2013

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An article posted by Bee Wilson on The Guardian website’s Life & Style blog is titled “Bring Your Own Cutlery: Why We Should All Carry Our Own Knives and Forks.” Following is a short excerpt from the interesting and informative article about the practice—and suggestion that the tradition continue—of bringing your own knives, forks and necessary cutlery to restaurants.

In China and Japan, a “bring-your-own-chopsticks” movement has sprung up. Could a similar trend take off here, or are we too wedded to disposable plastic cutlery?

In medieval Europe, people used to carry their own personal knife – a sharp one – for every eating occasion. There was no expectation that cutlery would be provided, except perhaps for spoons. When the meal was done, the knife was wiped clean on a napkin and carefully returned to your person. The knife was worn so habitually that – as with a watch – you might start to regard it as a part of yourself and forget it was there. A 6th-century text reminded monks to detach their knives from their belts before they went to bed, so they didn’t cut themselves. Like many aspects of medieval life, this knife carrying now seems pretty weird.

But was portable cutlery really such a bad idea? Click here to read more.

Click here to get your own household cutlery.

Knife Test: Winkler Knives II Get A Tough Workout!

Joe Kertzman

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November 9, 2011

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Master bladesmith Daniel Winkler’s knives and axes created for elite Special Operations teams. http://www.winklerknives.com/

BLADE/F+W Media Acquires KnifeForums.com!

Joe Kertzman

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December 19, 2011

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F+W Media, Inc./BLADE® Magazine announced today the acquisition of Knifeforums.com, a premier online community for knife, firearms and outdoors enthusiasts. The acquisition complements the company’s current firearms, knives and outdoors communities, adding actively engaged enthusiasts who connect through Knifeforums.com’s highly trafficked web forums to its industry leading brands, including BLADE magazine, shopblade.com and the BLADE Show.

With this acquisition, F+W Media announces Jim Nowka, founder of Knifeforums.com, will join the company as associate publisher focused on developing content, engaging conversation, and building audience in the area of survival and disaster preparedness. Online forums, education, e-books and print books, as well as seminars at the BLADE Show & International Cutlery Fair, are in development now, led by Nowka together with the F+W Media team.

“Knifeforums.com has been a leading online resource for everyone who makes and appreciates great knives for nearly 15 years. It’s exciting to invite our Blade Magazine customers to their communities, and vice versa,” said David Blansfield, President, F+W Media. “And having Jim Nowka on the F+W team is a ‘win-win’ for everyone, for us and our customers. We’re excited to be working together to offer up new and improved products and services to people who are keenly interested in not just knives and firearms but disaster readiness as well.”

“Partnering Knifeforums with Blade magazine will benefit both parties,” said Nowka. “Knifeforums will now have access to the editorial resources of the BLADE and Gun Digest brands, while the editors can engage directly with our forums’ communities. This coming-together will help us provide the information resources current and future customers need. Expanding our interests further into survival and disaster preparedness will be a big-plus too.” Nowka is formerly an advisor to the Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command (CFSOCC-A) and is recognized as an expert in scenario planning and disaster readiness.

The Firearms, Knives, and Outdoors Communities at F+W includes: BLADE Magazine; the Blade Show & International Cutlery Fair, held every June in Atlanta, GA; Gun Digest magazine; Tactical Gear Magazine; Gun Digest Books; and ecommerce stores GunDigestStore.com and ShopBlade.com. Knifeforums.com brings a broad range of topics to the community – outdoor cooking, kitchen cutlery, survival and disaster preparedness. For more than 35 years, Deer & Deer Hunting Magazine has provided serious whitetail hunters with practical and comprehensive information about deer and deer behavior to make them better hunters. The popularity of the magazine led to the launch of two television programs – Deer & Deer Hunting TV (now in its 7th season on Versus) and the newest release Land of Whitetail (appearing on The Pursuit Network).

Knife Trends—Flipper Folders

Joe Kertzman

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January 14, 2015

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When it comes to big flippers, one of Darrel Ralph’s Madd Maxx 5.5-inch MGB bearing models fills the bill. In this instance, Ralph outfits his big flipper with a blade of PD1-core san-mai damascus forged by Chad Nichols. The knife comes in a run of 25 numbered pieces.

Flipper folders are wildly popular. Aside from adding an interesting visual element to any knife, the flipper serves a few key roles, including as a one-hand opening device, and as a guard.

Just like innovation and technology drive any industry, the same can be said for the knife industry. What’s neat about knives is that they’re often designed by handmade knifemakers, craftsmen, really, and innovations often take the form of folder locks, assisted opening devices, and in this case, flipper folders.

While the Strife, a collaboration between Brous Blades and Dustin Turpin, is a big flipper, Jason Brous said size is not so important as design execution.

There are some monster flipper folders today. As Dexter Ewing writes in the March issue of BLADE®, “Flipper folders, aka flippers, continue to be wildly popular. Aside from adding an interesting visual dimension to the knife, the flipper—a simple protruding lobe at the bottom of the blade’s tang—serves a few roles. One is as a quick and convenient one-hand opening device. Clutch the closed knife’s handle, give the flipper a swift tug with your index finger and the blade has enough inertia to propel itself to the open and locked position. The flipper also serves as an integral hand guard when the knife is open, providing a physical obstruction to prevent your hand from sliding forward onto the blade.”

At 8.5 inches long open, the Camillus Jolt designed by Will Zermeno is a big flipper in every sense of the word. The 3.25-inch blade is hollow-ground D2 tool steel and the scales are a carbon fiber with a subtle pattern designed to enhance the frame’s curved shape.

To read the rest of the story, see the March issue of BLADE.

Recommended for You:

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Loveless-Parke Is Part Drop Point, Part Skinner

Indiana Senate Passes Pro Knife Rights Bill

A Pearl In the “Greatest Loveless Knife Designs” Rough

Bring Your Own Steak Knife (and Fork)

Knife Test: Winkler Knives II Get A Tough Workout!

BLADE/F+W Media Acquires KnifeForums.com!

Knife Trends—Flipper Folders

Flipper folders are wildly popular. Aside from adding an interesting visual element to any knife, the flipper serves a few key roles, including as a one-hand opening device, and as a guard.

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Joe Kertzman's Blog

Flipper folders are wildly popular. Aside from adding an interesting visual element to any knife, the flipper serves a few key roles, including as a one-hand opening device, and as a guard.

Recommended for You:

Must Read Articles