The BLADE Blogs Archives

Holy Grail Knives in New BLADE

Steve Shackleford

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July 12, 2016

Are you in search of your “Holy Grail” of knives or have you found it? Or did you find it and trade it away? Or do you doubt that such a knife exists? The new issue of BLADE®, on newsstands now, examines the topic of holy grail knives in depth with a special story interviewing those who have found theirs and still have them, and another enthusiast who questions whether there even is such a knife.

Also in the latest issue of the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication is our semi-annual story on the planet’s hottest custom knifemakers’ hottest knives. We polled those who buy and sell the top custom knives for a living—custom knife purveyors—for their opinion on the matter, and they list the knives by maker and price in “Feel The Burn.”

Are you ready to make knives? You may be more prepared than you think. Knifemaker Brian Goode has been making knives for 10 years and has written and talked on the subjects not only of getting started in knifemaking but also how to do it on a budget—including a class on the latter at the 3rd Annual BLADE University during the 2016 BLADE Show. Learn his thoughts on the subject in his special story.

Flipper folders, slip joints and tactical fixed blades remain among the world’s most popular knives. Join Dave Rhea for the latest factory flippers, James Morgan Ayres for a test of today’s sharpest tactical straight knives, and Abe Elias as he gauges the performance of some of contemporary cutlery’s most economical slip joints in the latest BLADE.

The question of whether collectible knives also should be used is one that has been debated by knife enthusiasts for decades. Veteran bladesmith/BLADE field editor Ed Fowler supplies the answers as only he can in “Collectors or Users: Who Comes First?”

There’s much more in this issue, including some of the coolest knives from the 2016 Art of Steel Little Rock Custom Knife Show; factory knife companies that continue to offer new knives in a selection of different old-school high-carbon steels; a test by MSG Kim Breed of two utility fixed blades; visits to the shops of Turkish knifemakers who trace their cutlery lineage back over eight centuries; John Doyle’s modern interpretation of an ancient Eastern design known as the kard; instructor Doug Hepler and a class on cold forging he taught to high school students on a lonely atoll in the South Pacific; the knives carried by three BLADE readers; and more, all in the latest BLADE—on newsstands now!

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A Special Knife for a President

Steve Shackleford

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February 20, 2012

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On this Presidents Day, we are honored to show you a knife American Bladesmith Society master smith John Horrigan made for and presented to President George W. Bush on Dec. 4, 2009.

John’s twin brother Robert, also a knifemaker and a member of the U.S. Army 7^th Special Forces Group, was killed in action in Iraq on June 17, 2005. John met with President Bush a week after Robert’s death, and it was then he promised the knife to Mr. Bush.

A spectacular bowie with a mosaic damascus blade forged with images of Old Glory and engraved with the words “To the Fallen,” the knife remains a reminder of Robert Horrigan and others who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

For more information contact John Horrigan at www.eliteknives.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+ssfb022012#BL1SU

Factory Friday: Spartan Blades Hybris Combat/Utility

Erin Healy

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September 8, 2017

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Factory Friday: Spartan Blades Hybris Combat/Utility

The co-owners of Spartan Blades, in keeping with the company name, decided to call their 10 7/16-inch reverse-tanto sheepsfoot-bladed combat/utility knife, Hybris. Those familiar with Greek mythology might vaguely recall indirect reference to her hubris (over-inflated pride), insolence and arrogance. However, she is also the goddess of violence and outrageous behavior, necessary traits in elite warriors, no matter the era or place in which they fight. According to myth, she was the last among her peers to marry, so Polemus, the god of war and battle, married her. Clearly, an ideal christening for Spartan Blades Hybris Combat/Utility Knife.

Spartan Blades' Hybris Combat/Utility Knife is available in a number of different blade, handle and sheath colors. — The 5 7/16-inch reverse-tanto sheepsfoot blade on the Spartan Blades Hybris Combat/Utility Knife is made with CPM S35VN steel with a black or earth finish. Handle comes in black or green canvas Micarta. MSRP: $330. Contact Curtis V. Iovito, Spartan Blades, LLC, 625 SE Service Road, Southern Pines, NC 28387; 910-757-0035, [email protected], www.spartanbladesusa.com.

Should you want to accessorize, Spartan Blades offers an appropriately warrior-looking line of beads in spartan helmet, skull with beret, shield and crusader cross designs, MSRP: $5-$10. However, there’s also a line of beads in sterling silver and bronze, including the exclusive-to-Spartan-Blades plumed spartan helmet, crafted by GD Studios in Latvia and exclusively imported by veteran-owned GD Skulls USA in Florida, MSRP: $98.

Curtis Iovito and Mark Carey co-founded Spartan Blades in 2008. The two retired from U.S. Army Special Forces with over 40 years combined service. They prefer to focus on providing military personnel and outdoor enthusiasts with functional, durable knives, rather than chasing the latest innovations, which may or may not have staying power. They stick to using U.S. materials, and batches are small so that quality control can remain exacting. Accompanying sheaths are made by American- or U.S. veteran-owned businesses. At the BLADE Show® Spartan Blades’ Kranos framelock flipper model won the BLADE Magazine 2017 American Made Knife Of The Year®.

Since Curtis and Mark taught at the U.S. Army Special Operations Command sniper school (Special Forces Sniper Course), they continue to support the school and USASOC International Sniper Competition. At one event, they ran into guest speaker Sebastian Gorka, intelligence analyst, best-selling author of “Defeating Jihad, The Winnable War” and now-former deputy assistant under President Donald J. Trump.

Sebastian Gorka, military and intelligence analyst, stopped to chat with the co-owners of Spartan Blades, Curtis Iovito and Mark Carey. — American military and intelligence analyst, author of “Defeating Jihad, The Winnable War” and former deputy assistant to President Donald J. Trump, Sebastian Gorka (center), spoke at a U.S. Army Special Operations Command event attended by the co-owners of Spartan Blades, Curtis Iovito (right) and Mark Carey (left).

Read About New Releases From Knife Manufacturers In BLADE

A U.S. subscription to BLADE magazine, 13 issues, is $21.98. — An annual U.S. subscription to BLADE is $21.98. You can get your 13 issues sent to Canada for $39.98 and internationally for $49.98. Or go green and get your issues sent digitally for $17.98.

Each month BLADE Magazine features new knives from manufacturers and custom makers in its What’s New section. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out. You can also read about some of them here on our website. Be sure to Like and Follow us on Facebook at BLADE Magazine.

Sharp Knowledge: 3 Knife Steel Basics

Steve Shackleford

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September 24, 2013

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One of the questions knife enthusiasts ask most is What is the best steel for a knife? Before you can answer such a question, you must first know exactly what it is you need in a knife.

1) Will you use the knife to cut meat, or paper, or rope, or plastic, or a little bit of everything? Much depends on what you will be using the knife for, and just about any knifemaker or knife manufacturer who knows his stuff will know which steel he has on hand will be best for your purposes.

how-to-make-knives-knifemaking-book — Learn more about selecting steel types and how to make knives in the third edition of “BLADE’s Guide to Making Knives.” The classic is back and better than ever!

2) The steel is just part of the equation. The blade’s geometry is also important. By blade geometry is meant how the blade is ground and tapered from the back (spine) to the edge. If too thick, it won’t slice or cut properly; if too thin, it may chip.

3) How is the steel heat treated? As BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Wayne Goddard has written, “A knife of the very best steel may not perform any better than one made of an inferior type steel unless it is heat treated to bring out the full potential of the alloy content.” He also writes, “The reasons for a maker to turn out incorrectly heat-treated blades are too many to list. However, the most common is not having the correct heat-treating specifications from the steel maker.” If you find the maker does his own heat treating and does not go by the heat-treating specs provided by the steel maker, that’s an immediate red flag. In fact, many makers simply have professional heat treaters do their heat treating. Goddard is among them.

These are just three basic things to know about knife steels. There are many others.

Art Knife vs. Cutting Tool Debate

Joe Kertzman

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September 19, 2013

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The art knife versus cutting tool debate of whether knives are, or should be, works of art or cutting tools has always intrigued me. There are those who are a bit “put off” by art knives because they prefer utilitarian knives made to be used and employed when needed. That is certainly understandable, and thank goodness there are companies and makers out there fashioning good, sturdy, sharp serviceable fixed blades and folders.

But the notion that art knives are a modern phenomenon ignores the countless officers of world armies who historically carried dress daggers, kings and queens of countries gifted with jewel-encrusted, gold-inlaid, sculpted and carved swords and other edged weaponry, and the “average joe” who saved his pennies in the 1960s and ’70s to buy a Buster Warenski, Bill Moran, Jim Schmidt or even Bob Loveless (many considered him a maker of art knives on occasion) art knife.

And one other argument I’d make is this—the debate doesn’t need to be debated at all. There is plenty of room in the knife industry for both art knives and more utilitarian hunters, soldiers’ knives, blue-collar fixed blades and folders, and many more. Look at it this way, just because one guy prefers his three-blade stockman for ranch work doesn’t mean he shouldn’t welcome the collector of high-end art knives into the industry and market with open arms. Collectors who appreciate that artistic nature and handcraft of knives help drive the industry forward and ultimately expand its offerings. And that’s just good for knives and knife enthusiasts in general!

To see and read about as many well-crafted custom knives, both utilitarian and artistic, as humanly possible, the Knives 2014 book is a must-have for your library. To keep updated on factory, custom and semi-production knives 13 times a year, subscribe to BLADE now!

Majority Opposes Ivory Ban At Meeting

Steve Shackleford

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March 24, 2014

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Anywhere from 50-to-60 people attended the March 20 public meeting held by the Advisory Council to the Presidential Task Force on combatting wildlife trafficking, with more than twice as many voicing opposition to the ivory ban as those supporting it.

Among those representing the knife industry at the meeting held in Washington, D.C., were scrimshander Sandra Brady, knifemaker Edmund Davidson and others.

“There were about 27 people who stood up to make statements and only about eight were in favor of the ban,” Brady noted. “Even though the words ‘ivory ban’ were not used at all by the committee, that is the ONLY thing that was talked about.

“We had statements from three antiques people, cane collectors, scrimshanders, musical instruments, a knifemaker and knife rights people, among others. So what I came away with is that the committee didn’t expect such a [pro-ivory] turnout. I can only imagine how many more statements were submitted via e-mail. We may have turned the tide at least a bit.”

On the other hand, the pro-ivory ban forces continued their full-court press, and there is much to be done to fight a number of punitive measures federal officials are considering, including making all illegal ivory sales felony violations. Committee members also talked about requiring violators to pay restitution and basically treat selling ivory as selling illegal drugs. “It was three hours of the ‘for-the-greater-good’ stuff, so that was the bad news,” one observer stated.

Several initiatives were mentioned by the knife industry group against the ivory ban, including finding a congress person to champion the anti-ivory ban cause and also the possibility of setting up an official fight-the-ban organization.

Craig Hoover of U.S. Fish & Wildlife said he expected someone on the advisory council to post more information, perhaps a summary video of the meeting, on its web page at some point. The link to the page is

http://www.fws.gov/international/advisory-council-wildlife-trafficking/

For further developments stay tuned to www.blademag.com.

New Measure Will Revamp Alaska Knife Law

Steve Shackleford

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June 25, 2013

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New Measure Will Revamp Alaska Knife Law

With the stroke of a pen, Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell has signed a new measure known as HB33 that will result in sweeping reform of Alaskan knife law.

The new law will go into effect Sept. 18. Until then, however, existing Alaska knife laws remain in place.

According to Knife Rights, HB33 will legalize the possession, transfer and carry of automatic knives, aka switchblades, and also enact knife law pre-emption, which repeals all local knife laws and prevents new ones from being enacted—in this case, in Alaska.

Alaska will become the 7th state to enact knife law pre-emption, Knife Rights reported.

The new law will be particularly beneficial to the state’s outdoor and hunting industries, both of which rely heavily on hunters and outdoors people—and most hunters and many who spend time outdoors use and carry knives.

Knife law pre-emption, meanwhile, prevents the oppressive practice used by many towns, cities and counties within states whereby the knife laws are contradictory and you may literally be legal, illegal and then legal again when you carry a knife and pass from town to city to county.

Gov. Parnell invited Todd Rathner, Knife Rights director of legislative affairs, to the signing ceremony in Palmer, Alaska. Also in attendance were Ray Thibault of Northern Knives retail knife store, Sen. Charlie Huggins, HB33 Sponsor Rep. Mark Neuman, House Speaker Rep. Mike Chenault, Rep. Wes Keller and Rep. Bill Stoltze.

For more information on the new law and pro-knife laws in general, contact Knife Rights and/or stay tuned to www.blademag.com.

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D2 Tool Steel Just Keeps Cutting

Holy Grail Knives in New BLADE

A Special Knife for a President

Factory Friday: Spartan Blades Hybris Combat/Utility

Read About New Releases From Knife Manufacturers In BLADE

Sharp Knowledge: 3 Knife Steel Basics

Art Knife vs. Cutting Tool Debate

Majority Opposes Ivory Ban At Meeting

New Measure Will Revamp Alaska Knife Law

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