Joe Kertzman's Blog

2014 will go down as a year that marked some noteworthy knife company anniversaries and milestones. On top of the heap is Puma, celebrating its 245th anniversary! Yes, you read that correctly, Puma Knife Co. is nearly two and a half centuries old.

Other anniversary milestones: Boker (145th); Case (125th); Gerber (75th); the Buck 110 folding hunter (50th); Frost Cutlery, Kershaw and Plaza Cutlery (40th); Lansky and Masecraft (35th); Outdoor Edge (25th); CRKT and Microtech (20th); Benchmade McHenry & Williams 710 AXIS™ and Pro-Tech (15th); and Canal Street Cutlery (10th.)

That’s a lot of anniversaries, and a lot of cool, quality knives. For more, click here.

The following is excerpted from the KNIVES 2015 book.

By Roderick T. Halvorsen

One of the grandest campfire knife debates involves the age-old question of whether costly, premium knives are worth the buck paid. Are quality knives worth the quid? Arguments rage one way or another, with the debate oftentimes stalling due to a dearth of experience with the real pricey ones. Truth is, who wants to plunk down the big dough just to treat a cutting tool like a farm implement in order to find out if it was worth all the quid? And, well, what if it isn’t?

Mulling this over, I decided to dedicate myself to the exclusive use of a pair of “high enders” in order to see for myself. Where I use my knives in winter, I must have good faith they will serve well or I may be in it deep. Deep snow and ice that is, and far from home and hearth. I cannot afford failure, whatever the dollar price paid! My work and play take me into remote, high mountains where knives are not just helpful, they are essential.

So it was with a little trepidation I swore off my own handmade and well-proven knives in order to obtain a couple Fällkniven AB models. Fällkniven has earned high praise the world over, and is a thoroughly modern company. The finest Swedish iron is mined 140 miles from its headquarters in Norbotten, Sweden, whereupon it is shipped to Japan. There, Swedish iron becomes Japanese steel, and the knives are made. Some years ago, the company used Hitachi ATS-34 stainless steel, but now favors a VG-10 steel laminate for the toughest of its outdoors knives. Leather scabbards are made in Spain.  

See the KNIVES 2015 book to read the rest of the story. Click here. And let us know your opinion. Are quality knives worth the quid?

Sometimes we get so carried away talking about the coolest new knives, the hottest tactical folders, the neatest mechanisms, latest locks and hottest handle materials, we forget about the average knife user, the end user, the guy or gal who carries and uses a knife everyday as a tool. That person might or might not be interested in the most state-of-the-art steels and most wicked blade grinds. Few of their knives are probably embellished with scrimshaw, engraving or jewel inlays. Even fewer probably have gold, silver, diamond or precious stone inlays.

AKTI—the American Knife & tool Institute, a knife legislative body fighting for our knife rights—has a cool link on its homepage titled “Everyday People Use Knives Every Day.” Clicking the link, web browsers land on a page that says “We’re your neighbors. We use knives every day in our work or carry them for other activities,” and it lists jobs and occupations in which people employed in those areas use knives every day. The page also has a query, simply reaching out with “Let us know if you’re not on the list.”

So, BladeMag.com visitors, please let us know if you’re not on the following list (from the AKTI website [and click here for more everyday using knives]):

Accountants
Adventure Racers
Advocate (for homeless)
Aircraft Mechanic
Antique Collectors
Archeologists
Architects
Artists
Armorer
Attorney
Automotive Technicians
Backpackers
Bakers
Basket Weavers
Beekeepers
Bicycle Repairmen
Bicyclists
Big Game Hunters
Bioscience / Biomedical Workers
Bloggers
Boaters
Book Binders
Bow Hunters
Boy Scouts
Business Executives
Butchers
Cable Installers
Campers
Canoeists
Carpenters
Carpet Installers
Carvers
Citizens Emergency Response Team
Chefs
Christmas Tree Dealers
Clammers
Clothing Designers
Cobblers (Shoe Makers)
Knife Collectors
Computer Technicians
Construction Workers
Cross Country Skiers
Curriers
Dairy Farmers
Deep Sea Fishermen
Deli Workers
Doctors
Downhill Skiers
Editor
Education Aministrator
Electricians
Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs)
Engineers
Factory Workers
Farmers
Firemen
Fish Farmers
Fish Mongers
Fishermen
Floor Layers
Florists
Forensic Investigators
Forest Rangers
Four-Wheelers
Furniture Makers
Furriers
Game & Fish Rangers
Gardeners / Horticulturists
Garment Workers
Girl Scouts
Glaziers
Geocache Hunter
Greenhouse Worker
Gunsmith
Helicopter Pilots
Highland Game Participants
Hikers
Historical Re-enactors
Horse Breeders
Horse Drawn Carriage Drivers
Horseback Riders
Hunters
Ice Fishermen
Industrial Workers
Information Techs
Investigators
Janitors
Jewelers
Kayakers
Knifemakers
Landscapers
Leather Workers
Legislators
Licensed Firearms Dealers
Line Workers
Locksmiths
Loggers
Machinists
Mechanics
Metal Casters
Military Personnel
Miners
Milliners
Model Makers
Mold Makers
Moms
Motorcyclists
Mountain Climbers
Movers
Museum Curators
Musicians
Nurses
Nursery Workers
Office Workers
Outdoorsmen
Paramedics
Park Rangers
Photographers
Physical Therapists
Physicians
Plumbers
Police Officers
Potters (ceramic workers)
Precious Stone Setters
Printers
Private Pilots
Probation / Parole Officers
Project Managers
Railway Workers
Ranchers
Retired People
Roofers
Sailors
Salespeople
Scouts
Scout Leaders
Scuba Divers
Sculptors
Seamstresses
Search & Rescue Teams
Security Guards
Sheriffs
Shipping Clerks
Short Order Cooks
Sky Divers
Snowboarders
Snowmobilers
Sporting Goods Dealers
Stage Hands
Stone Workers / Masons
Surgeons
Survival Instructors
Tailors
Taxidermists
Teachers / Instructors
Telephone Repairmen
Television Repairmen
Tile Workers
Tow Truck Drivers
Tower (Cell/Phone/Radio) Climbers
Tractor Trailer Drivers or Commercial Truck Drivers
Trail Runners
Trappers
Veterinarians / Vet Techs
Warehouse Workers
Watchmen
Watchmakers / Horologists
Water Skiers
Weavers
Welders
Wood Workers

Really, an even dozen? Yes, and you’ll love this eBook collection if:

• You are a custom knifemaker searching for examples of fine knives
• You love knives of every shape, size and purpose
• You enjoy a wide collection of photographs and informative captions of handmade, custom knives

The KNIVES 2004 to 2015 Digital Download Collection in eBook format includes:

Unparalleled writing, incredible photography, irreplaceable resources – KNIVES is the most trusted and cherished annual in the industry. And now more than a decade’s worth of this iconic journal is available in one place, the KNIVES 2004 to 2015 Digital Download Collection. This collection boasts the top names in the field, putting their top-notch reporting and storytelling at your fingertips. And it is filled with vivid color photos of some of the hottest knives that have been produced.

It doesn’t matter your passion when it comes to knives, this collection has you covered. There are in-depth looks at some of the top knifemakers from around the world and how they’ve impacted the field. Articles covering the latest factory knives and how they are being used – whether folders or kitchen knives. And the art knives will leave your jaw slacked with impressive wire work, gobs of gold inlay and the beauty of scrimshaw, engraving and sculpting. Truly, this collection expands your knife knowledge and your knife library, but won’t take up a single shelf.

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.

Sponsoring the Eldred World War II Museum’s Memorial Day Weekend celebration, this marks the third year KA-BAR Knives has honored veterans killed in service to our country. KA-BAR has contributed 13 knives to be used as a fundraiser with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the Eldred, PA-based museum. To donate for a chance to win a knife, please visit http://eldredwwiimuseum.net/contributions.html.  Secure donations can be made, though no donation is necessary for your chance to win.  However, donating increases your odds of winning a knife: a $5 donation gives you three chances to win a knife and a $2 donation gives you one additional chance.

The Eldred World War II Museum will celebrate Memorial Day 2014 by offering free admission to the museum.  The museum will also feature guest speaker Joseph Krygier, author of the book A Rage to Live: Surviving the Holocaust So Hitler Would Not Win and an exhibition on recent additions to the museum’s collections by museum Director Steve Appleby.

For more information on KA-BAR, click here. For more information on the Eldred World War II Museum or to support the museum, please visit eldredwwiimuseum.net. For more World War II knives, click here.