Big, Brutish and ready for action.

In ancient Greek myth, Kronos (or Cronos) was king of the Titans—the first generation of gods who ruled the cosmos. It’s a pretty weighty title to hang on a knife company, but one the new(ish) upstart affiliated with gunmaker Palmetto State Armory has done a solid job of filling. Since its founding in 2024, Kronos Knives has left its mark on the industry and recently developed a line likely to further solidify its position.

Shake hands with the Gung Ho! line designed by Ken Onion.

Always a head-turner among knife buyers in the know, Onion designs have proved sought after. However, the Kronos knives are a far cry from many of the BLADE Cutlery Hall of Fame member’s recent entries. The four knives comprising the collection are big, brutish and ready for backwoods or tactical action. Honestly, it was more than what Mike Probyn expected when he initially talked with Onion about creating the line.

“I told Ken he had free reign to do whatever he wanted,” the President of Kronos said. “When I saw what he came up with, I told him there wasn’t a thing that needed to be changed.

We’ll look a little closer at each model of the Gung Ho! line in a second, but for the sake of expediency, let’s cover the knives’ commonalities first. Each of the knives is a full-tang fixed blade constructed out of 1095 steel and boasts G10 handles. The scale is held in place by oversized torx screws and the butt of the knife has a lanyard hole. Finally, all the Gung Ho! knives are American-made.

Kronos Truedefender

The knife has perhaps the most unique lines of the collection, boasting a wide belly on the blade and a modified drop-point profile. The knife has a sight rake at the grip, giving the blade an aggressive edge-forward posture when in the hand. While not pegged to any one particular role, the Truedefender certainly would excel as a bushcrafter or fall into any tactical task with ease. MSRP: $228

Kronos Maxhunter

Living up to its name, the Maxhunter is a traditional hunting knife profile, with a long clip-point blade. The knife has somewhat of a dual personality. A thick spine towards the rear ensures it’s stout enough for tough chores, such as chopping or battoning. The tip comes to a sender finish, making it deft at more delicate tasks, like skinning. MSRP: $228

Kronos Elitesurvival

Aimed at bushcrafting, the Elitesurvival provides a very rugged design for those who thrive in the backwoods looking for. The drop-point blade is meaty and hardy enough to take the abuse commonly doled out in camp and survival tasks. A nice touch, the tapered grind on the spine—near the tip—provides a good striking surface for firecraft. MSRP: $256

Kronos Stiffneck

Maybe the wickedest looking one of the bunch, the Stiffneck offers up a dagger profile with a single edge. The false edge on the blade, however, comes down thin enough that it would likely be no issue to grind an actual one onto it—if it’s legal in your neck of the woods. Though, it doesn’t hold like a dagger as the handle is not asymmetrical, with an aggressive rake similar to the Truedefender. MSRP: $220

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