Knife news, people, top picks and patterns
Les de Asis of Benchmade was interviewed by Marketplace.org (http://marketplace.publicradio.org) for a feature article on small-to-mid-sized companies that have actually continued hiring through the economic recession.
For the full story, follow this link:
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/09/08/pm-knife-maker-hires-amid-us-economic-woes/
There are knives and then there are presentation daggers that would look right at home in a general’s belt sheath, sash or shoulder sling. Larry Lunn’s interpretation of a Scottish officer’s dirk showcases a carved-ebony handle in a Scottish modified-knotwork-style motif, an engraved guard, silver dollar pommel (literally) and a foot-long damascus blade. It stands up, salutes and qualifies itself, volunteering actually, as an editor’s favorite from the Knives 2013 book.
Kai USA returned home from the Blade Show with four Blade Magazine Knife-Of-The-Year® awards. Considered the Oscars of the knife industry, BLADE’s Knife-Of-The-Year Awards are the most sought-after honors in the industry, with winning knives and accessories chosen and voted upon by industry peers with booths at the Blade Show. Winners are judged on a range of criteria, from design, innovation and function to craftsmanship and quality.
“We are very proud to be recognized by our respected peers in the knife industry for our ability to create top-quality knives and innovative designs,” said Jack Igarashi, chief of North American operations, Kai USA Ltd., and managing director of Kai Corporation.
Here’s a brief rundown on the winning entries:
Zero Tolerance 0888—2012’s Overall Knife Of The Year®
Blade Show judges were impressed by the clean, bold looks and advanced materials Zero Tolerance used to build the new 0888. The knife was designed to show off the metal—a Composite Blade of high-performance S110V and 14C28N stainless steel and a titanium handle. Except for the decorative pivot, there’s no visible hardware on the front side of the knife to interrupt the visual flow. To ensure the pivot aligned perfectly with the deep groove in both blade and handle, Zero Tolerance used an eccentric (off-centered) pivot shaft. The blade opens smoothly and easily with a flipper. Visually integrated into the design, the unusual pocket clip slides left or right for the user’s choice of carry options.
“Everybody here is pretty excited about the 0888 and it was great to discover that the rest of the industry shared our excitement,” said Thomas Welk, director of sales & marketing, Sporting and Professional Divisions.
Zero Tolerance & RJ Martin ZT 0600—2012’s Collaboration Of The Year®
Zero Tolerance collaborated with custom knifemaker R.J. Martin to bring a version of his award-winning Q36 to the public. The ZT 0600 features a B75P stainless steel blade and a titanium and carbon fiber handle. B75P is the new powder metallurgy version of the near-legendary BG42. For the award-winning knife, ZT thickened the blade stock to 3/16 inch, and gave it a handsome, stone-washed finish. The titanium pocketclip carries right or left, and a recessed lanyard attachment point means nothing interrupts the great look of the knife.
“Our goal is to create products that are handsome, functional, and innovative. Whether it’s an in-house design or collaboration with a custom knifemaker, our R&D team works hard to make these designs become reality. We’re lucky to have such a talented group of people, and I believe the extra effort they put in can be seen in the finished product,” said design engineer Jim McNair.
The Kershaw Cryo—2012’s Best Buy Of The Year®
The Blade Show judges chose the Kershaw Cryo, model 1555TI as the year’s Best Buy. The Cryo is a classic Rick Hinderer design, but built in stainless steel with matte-grey titanium carbo-nitride coating on both handle and blade. It opens quickly with either flipper or thumb stud, and has a sturdy frame lock with lock stabilization. With a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of just $49.95, the Cryo is indeed an excellent buy.
“With Hinderer design’s hard to get, and Kershaw is proud to be able to create a Rick Hinderer design at a price almost everyone can afford,” Welk said.
Shun Cutlery Taiyo—2012’s Kitchen Knife Of The Year®
Taiyo means “sunrise” in Japanese, and Shun named this limited-edition kitchen knife “Taiyo” for the sunrise-like rays that illuminate the blade surface of this spectacular knife. “We aspired to the highest level of quality on the Taiyo,” said Steve Grutbo, vice president of sales and marketing, Housewares Division. “Absolutely nothing was left undone on this superb knife.”
The Taiyo’s blade is a traditional Japanese kiritsuki blade. Japanese master chefs favor this multi-purpose blade shape and use it in ways similar to the European chef’s knife. The Taiyo’s blade has a cutting core of SG2 “micro carbide” steel. With SG2’s incredibly dense and pure grain structure, it takes and holds a fine edge with unparalleled durability. 160 layers (80 on each side) of damascus cladding support the SG2 core, add beauty, and are part of the sunrise pattern. The handle is a traditional Japanese octagonal shape, but it twists and becomes rounder as it nears the bolster in order to provide a comfortable grip.
“We have challenged ourselves to be the one knife maker that stands out in the minds of the consumer for quality, design and value,” said Igarashi. “Our ultimate goal is to create a deep connection with the knife user and a sense of pride in owning a Kershaw, Shun or Zero Tolerance product.”
These period bowies by Robert L. Appleby Jr. make my “Editors Favorites from the Knives 2013 Book” list because they scream early American knife renaissance. The clip- and spear-point bowies parade hand-rubbed, satin-finished 440C blades with fileworked spines, and cast white-bronze guards and pommels.
The sambar stag handle scales are inspired choices, particularly with nickel escutcheon plates and domed nickel pins. Each comes with a wet-molded leather sheath dyed ox-blood red with gold embossing and an antiqued nickel throat and tip. Getting excited yet? Me, too. The photo is by Chuck Ward.
A 6-year-old Texas boy is recovering after being attacked by a mountain lion while walking with his family during a vacation at Big Bend National Park. Rivers Hobbs was attacked late Sunday by the animal as his family returned to their room in the Chisos Mountain Lodge.
The mountain lion emerged from the bushes and onto the sidewalk where the family was walking, and clamped its jaws onto the 6-year-old boy’s face. Rivers’ father, Jason, reached down, retrieved and opened his Spyderco Caly 3.5 folder and used it to stab the mountain lion in the chest, causing the cat to flee.
“It sneaked up on me,” the young Hobbs said.
“The cat was clamped onto his face, I reached down and got my pocketknife out and stabbed the cat in the chest and it let go at that point,” Jason explained.
The boy’s wounds on the right side of his face took 17 stitches to close. The family is expected to return to their Leander, Texas, home late Wednesday. Once there, Hobbs will have to go though a series of rabies shots.
It was the second such attack of the day in the same area. The mountain lion tried to attack another family but was fended off with a backpack.
According to our readership surveys, BLADE®’s the “Knife I Carry” monthly column is definitely a reader favorite. We ask subscribers and newsstand buyers to email or mail high-resolution .tifs or .jpegs of themselves holding their favorite knife, the one they carry daily or most often, and a short paragraph telling us why and what they like about it, or what cutting chores it excels at. Any story about the knife at all is fair game.
You can participate, too, and be entered in a drawing to win a free pocketknife. Here’s how:
Tell us what knife you carry. Add a little history or an anecdote. Try to include a photograph (if digital, at least 600 KB but no larger than 2 MB) of you with your knife. We will publish your comments in an upcoming “The Knife I Carry.” Your name will then be entered in a drawing to win a free, high-quality, name-brand pocketknife. Mail to: BLADE®, P.O. Box 789, Ooltewah, TN 37363-0789, or e-mail [email protected]. If you send your entry by e-mail, please include your physical mailing address in case you win the pocketknife.
This is a great video of Kentucky knifemaker Bob Neal in action. I think you’ll enjoy it:
