Buyer's Guides Archives

Throwing Knives: Ready For A Serious Fling?

Buyer's Guides

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November 22, 2023

Throwing Knives: Ready For A Serious Fling?

Ready for a serious fling? We have the throwing knives–some of which are on target–to get you flying right off the bat.

While you’ll never nail an enemy sentry from 87 feet like Skeeter Vaughan reportedly did with a throwing knife during World War II, you can score a number of bull’s-eyes with today’s throwers.

To test some of the latest airborne blades, I visited my buddy’s house. Together with a few friends, we had a good ol’ time flinging the throwers at a wood target.

Unlike many of my other BLADE® articles, I went into this with very little experience or prior knowledge, except that which I learned from previous backyard throwing sessions. None of my friends had additional experience, except for a buddy’s wife who was probably the best among us as far as results went. I feel that this was probably the best-case scenario.

From left: Spyderco Thrower, CRKT Onion Throwing Knife, and Kizlyar Impulse and Kizlyar Ocetp.

In testing knives other times I went in with tons of previous experience from hunting, bushcrafting, skinning, fishing and other outdoor activities. The playing field was thus level and I was going to get the purest experience from these knives, as I had no prior notions of what success looked like—other than having fun.

As with most knives, there’s a science that goes into making throwers. I am in no way an expert. I approached the story with the distinct impression this would be more difficult than I thought. Most who are into throwing knives buy for either pure recreation or actual skill-building for competition. While I have no statistical way to prove it, I feel that 99.9 percent of people who buy throwers do so for recreation in the backyard, during cookouts with friends and family, etc.

Throwing Knives Tested

The featured knives are all factory made. The Spydercos are shaped like leaf-blade daggers with a slight crossguard and sharp, diamond-shaped tip. They come in a set of three with a handsome but tight-fitting leather sheath that will require a bit of break-in. While the knives all fit, the overall package is a bit heavy. The Spydercos were easily the favorite of the testing. They can be thrown with good accuracy using a variety of techniques. Out of the reviewed group they are a good starting set and offer the most feature-wise for the thrower looking to gain skill.

Minimalist in design, the Onion Throwing Knives are long and thin, with a red-and-black-splatter-finish scheme. They are Ken Onion’s first-ever throwing knife design for CRKT. (CRKT image)

Designed by BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Ken Onion, the CRKT entries likewise come in a set of three, though are far more minimalist in design. They are long and thin, with a red-and-black-splatter-finish scheme. The knives come in a black nylon sheath. The profile of the knives is quite thin with a slender cross section. They are well balanced but have little meat mid-knife, making them have an iffy rotation in flight. The knives did perform well but were more or less hard to index in the hand.

The two Russian-made knives from Kizylar Supreme vary in appearance, one reminiscent of a drop-point field knife and the other a large leaf-blade profile. The knives are roughly finished and have some issues when in use, which I’ll detail more below. The knives are somewhat hard to get these days with the various trade situations with Russia, but I wanted to put them through their paces anyway. They are solidly built and very rugged but are not for everyone. Neither knife came with a sheath or storage case.

Results

Factory-made throwers are, at least in my years of backyard trials, inconsistent at best and largely made to look cool. Most of these knives, including the ones used in this review, were only loosely able to give consistent results. The Spydercos were probably the most consistent among the people I roped into testing them. This was in large part due to the fact that one of my friends employed an underhand throw, using the holes in the handle as pendulum points to help get a consistent rotation.

The author stated the Spyderco knives were easily the favorite of the testing, in large part because they could be thrown by the testers with good accuracy using a variety of techniques.

Weight distribution among the review knives was all over the place. The Spydercos were a bit heavy across their entire length, but they did fly true for the most part. The CRKT knives ran into a bit of trouble with their relatively thin profiles. They seemed to easily spin out and rotate along the tip-to-pommel axis if they caught the air wrong. They were also significantly lighter than the rest, which made it just a bit difficult to gauge their feel in the hand when throwing. Most of the reviewers felt the Spydercos were the best, though perhaps a bit too heavy. The CRKT knives certainly look the coolest but were a bit too light and thin overall for true consistency.

The two Russian knives were the poorest performing in the test, mostly because they were just so large and heavy that they seemed to have no point of balance at all. Out of five people, myself included, none made consistent throws with either of the knives. The weight factor was a main issue. The knives are heavy, like throwing a piece of raw bar stock. We tried just about every possible style of throwing: overhand, underhand, tip hold, handle hold, etc. None of us could make them stick with certainty. This toyed with me because, in theory, a heavier knife should be easier to develop muscle memory with and should maintain more energy on impact to drive the tip home.

Ocetp designed by V.S. Kovrov — Along with the Impulse, the Ocetp is designed by V.S. Kovrov, a Russian “Grand Master” throwing knife instructor.

The tip profiles on both Kizlyar knives were wanting. Where the others were actually sharp and very pointy, these knives had a very thick, squared tip that resulted in a good number of bounce-off hits even if we got them to land straight-on. My only thought about this is that some provinces have restrictions on shipping sharp edged swords or specialty cutlery, with some places in Europe requiring a 1-millimeter edge so it’s not too dangerous to exist in their nanny states. If the intent is to sharpen the knives at home, it makes these the only throwing knives I’ve ever encountered that are not ready to go out of the box. My only other idea as to why these knives are shaped this way is they may have been intended to strike softer targets, such as hard foam. When used against wood, which I feel is safe to say is the most prevalent knife target material, they seem tremendously unsuited.

Why Fling Flyers?

Throwing knives is a lot of fun, and you should exercise a reasonable amount of caution when using them. If you want to get into the sport, these knives are a good place to start, and you’ll have a great time learning. You really can’t go wrong with any of these. I would hesitate a bit on the Russian knives, but if you have the time and patience, I’m sure that you would enjoy them as much as I enjoyed the struggle and laughs in trying to use them.

SPYDERCO THROWERS SPECS
DESIGNER: Harald Moeller
MODEL TYPE: Large
KNIVES IN SET: Three
BLADE LENGTHS: 6.63”
BLADE STEEL: 8Cr13MoV stainless
HEAT TREATMENT: Tough spring hardness
BLADE TIP: Sharpened diamond profile
BLADE EDGE: Non-sharp
HANDLE MATERIAL: Steel
WEIGHT: 10.2 ozs. each
OVERALL LENGTHS: 11.13”
SHEATH: Leather three-knife piggyback model w/belt loop
KNIFE TO KNOW: The knives are available in small- and medium-sized sets, too. Each set comes with a copy of Harald Moeller’s book, Knife Throwing: The Knives and Throwing Technique of Harald Moeller.
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: China
MSRP: $166

CRKT ONION THROWING KNIVES SPECS
DESIGNER: Ken Onion
KNIVES IN SET: Three
BLADE LENGTHS: 6.25”
BLADE MATERIAL: 1050 carbon steel
BLADE EDGE: Non-sharp
BLADE FINISH: Corrosion-resistant powder coating
HANDLE MATERIAL: None
WEIGHT: 5.1 ozs. each
OVERALL LENGTHS: 11.66”
SHEATH: Black nylon w/belt-loop carry
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
MSRP: $75

KIZLYAR SUPREME THROWERS SPECS
DESIGNER: V.S. Kovrov, Russian throwing knife instructor
BLADE LENGTHS: 5.25” (Ocetp), 6.5” (Impulse)
BLADE STEEL: 420HC stainless
ROCKWELL HARDNESS: 42 HRC (edge) and 45 HRC (spine)
BLADE EDGE: Non-sharp
HANDLE MATERIAL: Steel
WEIGHT: 8.4 ozs. (Ocetp), 12.5 ozs. (Impulse)
OVERALL LENGTHS: 9.4” (Ocetp), 10.5” (Impulse)
SHEATH: None
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Russian Federation
MSRPs: $49 each

Check Out More Outdoor Knives And Tools:

Best Bushcraft Knife: When Steel Meets Woods
Best Camp Knives: Outdoor Do-Alls
Best Hatchets And Axes For Survival And Camping
Best Gut Hook Hunting Knives

Parts Of A Knife: Crash Course In Knife Anatomy 101

Matt Collins

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November 20, 2023

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Parts Of A Knife: Crash Course In Knife Anatomy 101

Looking to learn the proper names for everything that makes up a knife?

Like sailors, stagehands, and sommeliers, knifemakers have some very particular terms for the tools of their trade. It helps to know the lingo if you’re getting into knives, or just want to know what the hell “jimping” is when you read it in a product description.

Most of us use knives regularly, and some of us may even be sharpening pros, but there’s still a lot of knife terminology out there that doesn’t come up that often and some of it can be confusing.

Today, we’re going to clear all that up with a primer on all the major parts of modern knives. This is Knife Anatomy 101.

We’re not going to cover everything because you probably don’t need to know the exact name for the type of guard commonly found on a 14th-century German langmesser, but for those of you shopping for a new kitchen or pocket knife, this should cover everything you need to know.

Blade Essentials: Things (Most) Every Knife Has

Spine

The spine of the blade is the part furthest from the edge or edges. On a single-edged knife, this would be the side of the blade opposite the edge, and on a double-edged knife or dagger, this is the middle of the blade between the edges.

The spine on a good knife will typically be heat-treated differently than the edge. The goal is usually to make the spine of the knife softer, and therefore allow it to flex and absorb energy while keeping the edge harder and more resistant to wear so it stays sharper longer.

This is called a differential heat treat and is especially important on larger, hard-use knives or other blades that might have to take impact forces.

Point

You probably know this one, I won’t lie, but technically the point is the place where the edge and the spine or opposing edge meet, typically at a very sharp (pun intended) angle. This is what you use for piercing, and most knives have one.

Tip

Technically different than the point, the tip of the blade is the forwardmost section of the blade, usually considered to be the last 20% or so of its length.

This section may be sharpened differently, have an unsharpened false edge along the spine, or be heat-treated differently to achieve different results. It includes the point of the blade.

Edge

The edge of the knife is the (usually) sharpened portion furthest from the spine. It includes everything from the point to the heel, which we’ll get to later. Basically, this is the part you cut with, and on most knives, the whole thing will be sharpened the same.

There are some knives that have serrations for part of the blade, or certain fighting knives that leave sections unsharpened for the user to grip, though this fell out of fashion around the time the pilgrims landed in America. Today, most fighting or tactical knives are sharp from handle to tip.

One related term you will see is “edge geometry” or “edge angle” which refers to the angle at which the knife is ground or sharpened. Typically, this will be 20 degrees for something like a pocket knife or Western-style chef’s knife, or around 17 degrees for Japanese knives.

If you aren’t sure, a simple bevel gauge will tell you what the original edge is that you should be sharpening towards.

Grind

The grind of a blade, also called the geometry of a blade, refers to its cross-section and how the blade was ground by the maker. There are many different ways to grind a blade, with the most common being some form of hollow or flat grind, with convex grinds being a fairly distant third.

Every grind is a balance between strength and sharpness and is used for different things depending on the type of blade.

Some grinds lend themselves to a more robust edge that is less sharp, and some grinds, like the hollow grind you’ll find on most kitchen knives, give us an edge that is more susceptible to damage if misused, but better at slicing.

Various common grinds you’ll see frequently are hollow, flat, sabre (or saber), chisel, convex, and Scandi. All have their uses and are worth looking into further if you really want to dive into blade geometry and have the very best knife for the job.

Living on the Edge: Parts of the Sharp Part

Fuller

A fuller is a rounded or beveled section of the blade that is either added as part of the forging process or ground in before the blade is heat treated. The purpose is to reduce weight and if forged, to strengthen or widen the blade as needed.

Bolster

The bolster of a knife, usually found on a kitchen knife or other fixed blade, is a thickened section of the blade that flows smoothly into the handle. This adds strength to one of the weakest areas of any knife (the junction between blade and handle) and helps with ergonomics by providing a smooth transition.

Heel

Not all knives have a heel, but if your knife has an edge that extends down and away from the handle, then you can think of the “bottom” of the blade furthest from the tip as the heel.

This is most common on kitchen knives and is typically rounded over or left rather wide to keep your middle finger comfortable when using a pinch grip. Japanese blades are notorious for having a prominent heel.

Tang

The tang of a knife or sword is the portion that extends into the handle. This can be the back of a folding knife blade that is drilled for a pivot, or the longer unsharpened rectangular section of a fixed-blade knife that the handle is attached to.

A “full tang” is when the tang extends all or most of the way through the handle, and adds a great deal of strength, making it the preferred style for hard-use or high-end fixed-blade knives.

Choil

The choil of a knife is the space at the bottom of the edge, furthest from the tip and nearest the handle, and is left unsharpened and hollowed out. On some knives, it’s large enough to accommodate your index finger when using the knife in order to give you a bit more control.

However, the main purpose of the choil is so that the whole length of the edge can be sharpened without any issues.

Jimping

Jimping is the name of the grooves or notches added to the spine of a knife in order to increase grip. The most common places you’ll see this are on pocketknives and hard-use fixed blades, on the spine right where the blade meets the handle.

By having a grippier, high-friction surface there, you can better manipulate the knife, especially with wet or dirty hands

Getting a Handle on the Rest

Handle

As you probably know, the handle of a knife is the part you hold. On a sword, or longer martial weapon, you will typically see the handle referred to as the hilt, but there’s not really much of a technical difference here.

It includes the guard, the grip, and the pommel if present.

Guard

The guard of a knife is the bit that stops your hand from sliding forward and generally keeps you from hurting yourself with the knife. Many kitchen knives forgo a guard because you aren’t really supposed to stab them into things while fighting knives…well let’s just say swords had crossguards for a reason.

Pommel/Butt

Historically, the pommel of a knife refers to a weighted cap or round at the end of a handle that was meant to balance out the weight of a knife or sword blade. These days, few knives have one, but you may still see the bottom of a knife’s handle furthest from the tip be referred to as a pommel.

More commonly (and correctly) you’ll see this referred to as the butt of the knife.

Quillon

On a sword or knife, the quillons are part of the guard that extends outwards at a right angle to the blade to keep the user’s hand from sliding up the blade when using it. These would often be very ornate on a more elaborate piece but would often be very simple.

Final Thoughts

And that does it for this one folks, thanks for stopping by. You should now know everything you need to know about the different (common) parts of knives.

There’s some other stuff out there that might come up if you start getting beyond Western-style knives or branching out from kitchen and pocketknives, but this is definitely 99 percent of what you’ll ever need to know when it comes to knife anatomy.

Also, the very distinctive nail-like guard that protrudes out on a messer is called a nagel and it is designed to stop parried enemy blades from sliding down and cutting your hand. In case you were wondering.

More Knive 101:

What Is Stropping And How Do You Do It?
Tools Knifemaking Pros Use
Learning How To Make A Knife
Best Knife Handle-To-Blade Ratio

CRKT Clever Girl And Stylus Drop In November

Buyer's Guides

Elwood Shelton

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November 15, 2023

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CRKT Clever Girl And Stylus Drop In November

Just in time for Christmas, CRKT adds a pair of sleek and stylish options.

Little surprise, CRKT’s insatiable march of designs continued in November with a couple of wickedly lithe designs.

The Clever Girl Fixed and Stylus most certainly cut different profiles from each other and seem different as night and day. However, the new release certainly mimics each other in their sleek and slender designs, with their nimbleness apparent even out of hand. Additionally, both are in time for the impending Yuletide season, making them both perfect additions under the tree.

Let’s take a look at what each of these new CRKT drops brings to the table.

Clever Girl Fixed

This knife somewhat returns to its roots, taking the Clever Girl back to the fixed-blade configuration. However, the Austin McGlaun design has some new twists that keep the Persian-style trailing point fresh. In particular, partial serration of the blade.

These are a series of three large, scalloped Veff serrations (CRKT proprietary and created by professional sharpener Tom Veff) running near the midpoint of the 4.6-inch blade. This enhances the knife’s sawing power, particularly against materials such as rope or fabric—think seatbelts. But let’s face it, it also takes a pretty menacing original design and makes it look a dash more ominous.

The other change on the Clever Girl Fixed is the handle, with CRKT bidding adieu to black G-10 scales and replacing them with marbled blew G-10. Not a huge switch-up, but one adding a touch of flair to the knife, particularly when offset by the black powder-coat finish on the blade.

As to the finer points of the knife, the blade is made from SK-5 steel, providing a good balance between toughness and ruggedness. It comes with a molded Kydex sheath for ease of carry. And it the Clever Girl Fixed watches her weight, tipping the scales at a very nimble 6.3 ounces. CRKT lists the knife at $114 on the company’s website and a portion of every sale—as with every knife in Columbia River’s Forged By War collection—is donated to the Green Bret Foundation.

CRKT Stylus

A Ken Onion classic CRKT brought to the masses a few years back, the Stylus has proven a popular addition to the company’s catalog. Unable to leave well enough alone—lucky for knife nuts—CRKT has released an updated version of the classy and svelte, assisted-open. In particular, the new version of the Stylus offers several upgraded materials, including a titanium handle and powerful CPM S35VN blade steel. The handle is especially nice, accentuating the crisp lines of the knife, making the already clean and sleek design seem even more so

The updated Stylus offers the points that have made the flipper a favorite of many, such as an IKBS ball bearing pivot for a silky blade deployment, a thick locking bar to secure the frame-lock’s blade and an extremely low profile. At present, CRKT lists the new Stylus listed at $195 on the company’s website.

More On Fixed Blades:

Best EDC Fixed Blade Knife: A Cut Above The Rest
Four Battle Tough Military-Style Fixed Blade Knives
World War II Fixed Blade Knives
Fire Starter Knife: Blades Designed To Spark A Flame

Bob Dozier’s Skinner Review: A Hammering Humpback

Buyer's Guides

Msg Kim Breed (ret.)

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November 15, 2023

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Bob Dozier’s Skinner Review: A Hammering Humpback

Bob Dozier’s skinner in CTS 40CP is the patient.

Once in a blue moon I get lucky. This time I get to cut with a knife by Bob Dozier, winner of the BLADE Magazine 2023 Industry Achievement Award and one of the legends of the custom knife industry.

I’ve known Bob since my first BLADE Show in 1992. He’s made his mark in the knife world time and time again, always willing to help a new knifemaker out with great advice. D2 is Bob’s favorite steel, so to test one of his knives made from a different steel type makes my day. I know of the extensive testing that Bob does on the steels he uses, so I was excited to see how well his humpback skinner in CTS 40CP performs.

Dozier Skinner Light Cutting Tests

Dozier’s knife cutting leather — The knife zipped through the wide leather quite forcefully.

I checked the edge first with a slice of 20-pound bond paper. The “humpy” sailed through the slicing very fast with push cuts. The handle is extremely comfortable and makes controlling each slice easy. The knife is handle-heavy, so I felt no resistance on each slice.

On deck: double-walled cardboard. The CTS 40CP was very aggressive in cutting the material. You could hear the zipping sound on each cut. I really like the overall grip shape for cutting control; it provides good, positive handling.

To check the knife for what I call the “crunch effect,” leather skiving was next. The humpy was very aggressive slicing leather, crunching loudly on every cut. The high hollow grind made for easy thickness control on each slice. Just for kicks I grabbed some wider leather to cut. The knife zipped through the leather quite forcefully. I barely managed to keep my fingers out of the way of the sharp edge.

Dozier Skinner Heavy Cutting Tests

Batoning the Bob Dozier’s skinner — During the baton through firewood, the handle absorbed the shock and didn’t transfer it to the author’s hand. The humpback design provided a high spot to baton the blade. There was no damage to the handle or the edge.

It was time to whittle a firestick. The high hollow grind made controlling the depth of each cut simple. The blade produced good curlicues, both fine and thick. Again, the comfortable handle provided positive blade control.

I just had to smack the humpy through firewood. The handle absorbed the shock and didn’t transfer it to my hand. The humpback design worked out as it provided a high spot to baton as the blade bit into the wood. There was no damage to the handle or the edge.

It was time for my favorite all-around test medium: sisal rope. The humpy smoked through 200 crunching cuts before my hand started to tire. I experienced no hot spots from the handle. It was very comfortable. The blade just kept on crunching. Very nicely done, Dozier Knives!

Normally when I have a knife that cuts like a razor blade, the steel can be brittle along the fine edge. Thirty edge whacks on a whitetail deer horn would let me know if the heat treatment was on point. There was no damage whatsoever. I even returned to slicing 20-pound bond paper to see if the edge would hang up. Nope, nothing but smooth slices.

Overall Take On The Skinner

This is a very nice knife in form and function. It has an extremely comfortable handle design with a stainless blade that keeps on cutting. Excellent job, Dozier Knives. I might make the blade a tad thicker to even out the balance of the humpy.

Dozier Classic Nessmuk/ Dozier Knives Specs
Blade Length: 37/8”
Blade Steel: CTS 40CP stainless
Blade Grind: Full hollow
Blade Style: Modified humpback skinner
Blade Thickness: .156” @ thickest
Blade Finish: Satin
Guard: Stainless steel
Handle: Butterscotch Micarta® w/ivory Micarta®, brass, red and melamine spacers
Overall Length: 8.5”
Sheath: Custom-fit and molded-leather Snap-Lock belt/pouch model all handsewn by Bob Dozier; features custom-molded Kydex liner inside
Maker’s Price: $725

Benchmade Bugout Review: Getting A Handle On The EDC Icon

Dexter Ewing

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November 13, 2023

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Benchmade Bugout Review: Getting A Handle On The EDC Icon

Is there a perfect EDC knife? If not, the Benchmade Bugout will do until perfect shows up.

When it comes to EDC folders, without a doubt the Benchmade Bugout is the king of the hill.

Its compact profile and just-right length make this model a popular hit with knife guys. It is all made in the USA with excellent fit, finish, and—perhaps key to EDC—Benchmade has cut its weight to the bone. Furthermore, the blade steel is premium level. In short, the Bugout is geared to go the distance.

So, if you haven’t yet checked out this icon, it’s high time you did. Because, if you take your everyday carry seriously, you owe it to yourself. We’ll lay a foundation for the knife in this article.

Bugout Blade

The Bugout is offered in two sizes—the Model 535, the company’s standard-sized version boasting a 3.2-inch blade, and 533 Mini, which pars the blade down to a very manageable 2.8 inches.

Benchmade Bugout Open — Standard-model Bugouts sport CPM S30V steel blades, however, S90V and M390 are available on higher-grade models. Photo: Marty Stanfield

The base models Bugouts use premium CPM S30V steel, a steel that is used widely for high-end factory knives. This is mainly due to its ability to hold an edge for an extended period, longer than most blade steels. Additionally, it is highly resistant to stains and corrosion.

As for the blade profile, the Bugout is a modified drop point and is highly adaptable to many tasks. Nicely, Benchmade outfits the knives with thumbstuds on either side of the blade, permitting ease of opening with either hand.

Getting A Handle On The Bugout

The handle of the base Bugout is made from molded Grivory, making the Bugout a very lightweight folder. The standard size tips the scales at 1.85 ounces and the Mini at 1.5 ounces. Benchmade offers other handle material options, including anodized aluminum, carbon fiber, and CF Elite (a glass-reinforced nylon synthetic material that is lightweight and stiff).

Benchmade Bugout Spines — Given there is a thriving aftermarket for Bugout scales, the sky is the limit on the knife’s handle. Photo: Marty Stanfield

And if you have to have custom, there are aftermarket scales for the knife in a host of materials—titanium, copper, brass, bronze, G-10, and Micarta. In turn, you can truly have a one-of-a-kind feel and look to your Bugout.

Bugout Action

The Bugout uses Benchmade’s critically acclaimed Axis Lock crossbar lock, hailed by many as ultra-strong yet extremely safe because you don’t put any fingers in the path of blade travel. Add on to this, it’s easy to unlock with either hand, and you have a naturally ambidextrous across the board. The lock is simple, just pull back on one of the exposed lock bar ends at the back of the handle and then rotate your blade closed. Internally, two Omega-shaped springs provide constant tension for the lock bar on the blade tang to ensure positive lock engagement.

Benchmade Bugout Axis Lock — The Bugout is outfitted with Benchmade’s rock-solid Axis Lock crossbar lock, which has the added benefit of being ambidextrous. Photo: Marty Stanfield

As for other odds and ends, the handle’s checkering does a great job of preventing your hand from slipping. A deep carry, fold-over pocket clip carries the Bugout deep in your pocket and can also be switched to provide easy carry for left-handers. Integrated lanyard hole permits the use of Paracord for a lanyard if you are into that sort of thing.

Using The Bugout

In use, the Bugout hits hard in spite of its ultra-lightweight stature. The flat ground blade bites in and is very effective. Opening mail, opening packages, peeling an apple, cutting up hose, cutting cardboard, or stripping wire—the Bugout won’t break a sweat. Perhaps the best way of thinking about the knife is as a minimalist working folder.

The higher grades of the Bugout have carbon fiber handles and milled aluminum handles, paired with S90V and M390 blades respectively. These upgraded blade steels offer high-performance cutting with excellent edge holding. The higher-grade handle materials give a bit more heft to the Bugout as well as an enhanced, high-tech appearance. It only makes sense to have upgraded blade steel with upgraded handle material.

Benchmade Bugout Closed — Overall, the knife is lightweight, rugged and more than capable of tackling most task. In short, it’s dang near the perfect EDC option. Photo: Marty Stanfield

Even with the base model’s S30V, you still pack plenty of muscle for those long-cutting jobs. I like how thin the Bugout’s blade stock is combined with the flat ground blade bevel giving it plenty of bite to it.

Some knife folks favor not a high performance without the bulk. I get it, it all makes for a comfortable everyday carry folder. For those of you who favor these kinds of knives, the Benchmade Bugout is for you. You have a high-end blade steel with a proven and popular blade lock, with a no-frills handle design.

MSRP for the full-size Bugout starts at $180 and varies up from there depending on handle material and blade steel. There is also a Mini Bugout which scales the size down some to an even more pocket-friendly size.

Go here for more information on the Benchmade Bugout.

Bugout Model 535 Specs
Blade length: 3.2″
Blade thickness: 0.090″
Overall length: 7.4″
Weight: 1.85oz
Blade material: S30V
Handle material: Grivory

Mini Bugout Model 533 Specs
Blade length: 2.8″
Blade thickness: 0.090″
Overall length: 6.5″
Weight: 1.5oz
Blade material: S30V
Handle material: Grivory

More Knife Reviews:

Coast LX532 Review: Slim, Sleek And Up To The Task
Cold Steel Engage Review: Full-Sized Folder With Fight
Condor K-Tact Kukri Review: New Old School
Damned Designs Dasilisk Review: Wide And Wicked

Tactical Fixed Blade Knife Buyer’s Guide

Pat Covert

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October 31, 2023

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Tactical Fixed Blade Knife Buyer’s Guide

These tactical fixed blade knives are set to conquer the most extreme tasks.

When the Gulf War took off in Iraq in the early 1990s, the knife industry took off, too, and a steady stream of tactical fixed blades has surfed the wave ever since.

Needless to say, there are military fixed blades aplenty in the cutlery industry with no single design or manufacturer having a chokehold on today’s market. This has given knife users an abundance of choices, from pure fighters to utility users and everything in between.

A diverse quartet of the genre includes the Condor Fighter Knife, Emerson CQC-7 Fixed Blade, KA-BAR/John Ek Commando Short Clip and Spartan Blades Harsey Fighter. To determine their strengths and weaknesses, the first order of business was a common test for penetration.

Testing

I set up a heavy-duty corrugated-board box with a 1-inch Styrofoam™ liner made for shipping frozen foods. I tested each knife by thrusting the blade into the side of the box forcefully, and then pushing it through from a standstill with the tip resting on the box. All the knives penetrated the thick, layered material with ease—not surprising considering they have either clip-point or tanto blade patterns, both adept at stabbing. There was very little differential from one model to the next. What follows is a look at each knife and how it performed other chores.

Condor Tool & Knife Fighter Knife

Condor Fighter — The author took the Condor to task batonning a length of seasoned hardwood with good effect. According to him, “This is one versatile knife that even a bushcrafter would love.”

Condor Tool & Knife specializes in bang-for-the-buck blades and the Fighter Knife is no exception. Indeed, it is the most affordable of the test group. From the side the knife appears to be pudgy but it is actually quite nimble. The clip-point blade has jimping on the rear of the spine for enhanced purchase on detail cuts.

The tan handle is hidden tang in construction with a fine stippled surface texture, an ample palm swell in the middle and a lanyard loop. The exposed steel at the butt can be used for hammering. The sheath is MOLLE compatible, injection molded and features a black leather drop loop.

The knife easily switches from combat to field chores—not surprising as the company specializes in both. The wider blade is similar to that of many field knives, as is its deep grind. Slicing 3/8-inch rappelling rope and taking curls for firestarter were a breeze. I set the blade across the end of a 15-inch piece of tough seasoned hardwood, 25/8 inches across, and drove it clean through. This is a rugged knife. The sheath is relatively unobtrusive and rides about 2 inches above the beltline.

Condor Fighter Knife Specs
Blade length: 4.91”
Blade material: 1075 carbon steel
Blade grind: Flat w/secondary bevel
Blade finish: Black Cerakote®
Handle length: 4.83”
Handle material: Tan polypropylene
Weight: 8.82 ozs.
Overall length: 9.74”
Sheath: Tan polypropylene/leather belt strap
Country of origin: El Salvador
MSRP: $100

KA-BAR John Ek Commando Short Clip

Ka-Bar Commando Shor Clip — The Commando Short Clip tackled a 2.75-inch-diameter chub of summer sausage admirably. The blade is 5.125 inches of 1095 Cro-Van carbon steel, a time-proven KA-BAR favorite.

The John Ek Commando Short Clip is one in a series of military-type models KA-BAR Knives offers by the cutlery legend. This one is all black and a timeless, no-nonsense John Ek design. The blade is complemented by a 4.125-inch “stick” handle with scales affixed by big, fat screws, an Ek hallmark. The blade clip breaks with a slight harpoon kick, which I’m not sure Ek ever used, though it works wickedly, and there’s a short guard below the blade. The symmetrical handle has a lanyard hole at the butt. All of this is delivered with a modern, MOLLE-compatible sheath.

KA-BAR has done an admirable job picking up the John Ek banner and blending the old with the new. The Commando Short Clip’s narrow blade—1.31 inches wide—proved proficient at slicing. I tested it on paracord, 3/8-inch rappelling rope and a large round of 2.75-inch summer sausage, and it did a masterful job of tackling them all. It is a combat knife at heart and its light weight is not as skillful at tough field chores like hacking wood, but that’s not its department.

The handle is fine for small and medium hands but could be a challenge for those with large ones. The modern sheath is very well done and rides with the butt of the handle just above the waistband. Overall, this modern take on a classic leans toward a combat knife with enough utility to get you by.

KA-BAR/Ek Commando Short Clip Specs
Blade length: 5.125”
Blade material: 1095 Cro-Van carbon steel
Blade grind: Flat
Blade finish: Black powder coat
Handle length: 4.125”
Handle material: Polymer
Weight: 10.4 ozs.
Overall length: 9.25”
Sheath: Black polymer Celcon/MOLLE compatible
Country of origin: USA
MSRP: $155

Emerson Knives CQC-7

The Emerson Knives CQC-7 Fixed Blade hasn’t gotten a lot of face time because the overwhelming amount of tactical knife coverage of the company is devoted to folders. It’s the way of the world. The Emerson is the shortest of the review subjects and is also the one that tilts more toward being a pure combat knife—something its designer, martial arts specialist/custom knifemaker/cutlery entrepreneur Ernest Emerson, knows a thing or two about. The tanto blade sports a flat V-grind and a stonewashed finish. The blade has three straight grinds: the main edge, tip grind and a clipped saber grind. An Emerson Wave shape on the rear of the blade spine serves as a thumb ramp. The handle has a nice palm swell, a symmetrical dimpled texture for enhanced purchase and a lanyard hole in the butt.

The blade’s 7/16-inch edge grind was delivered wicked sharp and I took it to task slicing one of my favorites, 3/8-inch rappelling rope. The rope is extremely strong because lives depend on it. In one test I pulled the edge through three consecutive cross sections of rope. The drag on the blade was much less than I normally encounter—a pleasant surprise. It slashed the corrugated board outer layer into the Styrofoam effortlessly, and when I slowed the process down with a little more pressure, it dug through the foam as well. The sheath is a study in minimalism, but that’s what you want when concealment is at a premium.

Emerson CQC-7 Fixed Blade Specs
Blade length: 4.125”
Blade steel: 154CM stainless
Blade grind: V-grind
Blade finish: Stonewashed
Handle length: 4.625”
Handle material: Black G-10 composite
Weight: 5.86 ozs.
Overall length: 8.75”
Sheath: Black Kydex®
Country of origin: USA
MSRP: $237.95

Spartan Blades Harsey Fighter

A goodly portion of observers seem to believe the Spartan Blades Harsey Fighter is noted knifemaker Bill Harsey’s consummate work and, though he has a load of nice designs in his stable, I wouldn’t argue. It is the largest of the test knives and a blend of modern styling with traditional cues. It is the Pineland Cutlery version manufactured by KA-BAR under the Spartan label.
The clip-point blade has a fuller that butts up against the ricasso. The handle surface boasts a diagonal rib pattern for enhanced grip and an ample lanyard hole at the butt. The sheath has a fabric-fastener drop loop and retention strap. There’s also a swing-out lock at the rear guard that secures the knife in the main body of the sheath.

It’s amazing what a couple of inches in length, a couple of ounces in weight, plus an extra inch in the handle add to the versatility of a knife. That’s on average what the Harsey Fighter has over the other knives tested. This is not a knock on the others, just the advantage of having more knife.

For chopping ability I tested the blade on a thick-skinned cantaloupe. I had to chop the melon off center to clear the handle but the blade made its point in one fell swoop. The extra weight allowed me to tackle tougher chores and the added blade length made for excellent slicing and hacking. You can clear a camp with the Harsey Fighter. The comfortably sculpted handle can accommodate the largest of hands and the upper flare offers good finger protection. The sheath is very well made but the guard lock takes some getting used to and is one added step for a quick draw. All in all, the Harsey Fighter earned its mettle in spades.

Spartan Blades Harsey Fighter Specs
Blade length: 6.125”
Blade material: 1095 Cro-Van carbon steel
Blade grind: Flat
Blade finish: Black powder coat
Handle length: 5.35”
Handle material: Black G-10 composite
Weight: 11.5 ozs.
Overall length: 11.5”
Sheath: Black polymer/nylon belt loop/MOLLE compatible
Country of origin: USA
MSRP: $195

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Benchmade 940 Review: EDC Knife By The Numbers

Buyer's Guides

Dexter Ewing

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October 30, 2023

0

Benchmade 940 Review: EDC Knife By The Numbers

Does it deserve its reputation as a definitive EDC knife?

What makes a great EDC folder?

Well, the obvious would be a highly useful blade shape paired with an ergonomically shaped handle. Then, make both out of high-grade materials for durability and longevity. It wouldn’t hurt to have a popular knifemaker scratch up the design and make certain the QA is in line.

Put together this amalgamation and the result might just be the Benchmade 940.

Designed by the late Warren Osborne, the production knife is some somewhat an outlier in his portfolio. The Texas maker is perhaps best known for his high-dollar art knives favored by discriminating collectors around the world. Osborne’s 940 design was refreshingly non-tactical, especially for a company who a large presence in this niche.

Benchmade 940 half open — A top seller for Benchmade, the 940 has come to help define EDC knives. Photo: Marty Stanfield

Furthermore, it has a broad appeal for those who are serious about their daily carry knife checking all the boxes. It’s no stretch to call the 940 a workhorse of a folding knife.

Since its introduction in the early 2000s, the Benchmade knife’s popularity has skyrocketed to the point it has a sort of cult following. We’re going to take an in-depth look at why this is so. It is why the 940 might even be worth adding to your collection.

Benchmade 940 Blade

The blade profile of the 940 is a reverse tanto, in which the edge and spine of the classic tanto design are flipped. However, it does somewhat look like a clip-point blade, albeit one with an extremely abbreviated downward-sloping tip.

Measuring 3.4 inches long, the blade uses CPM S30V premium stainless steel for the ultimate edge-holding capabilities. The alloy provides the muscle required for most daily cutting chores inside and outside of your house as well as offering excellent corrosion resistance.

Benchmade 940 blade half open — The 940 boasts thumb studs and Benchmade’s ambidextrous axis-lock. Photo: Marty Stanfield

Dual thumb studs provide an ambidextrous opening with either hand. Satin is the standard finish, though a black-coated blade is available at a minimal cost increase. The blade’s slender form factor allows the 940 to get in and out of a variety of cutting tasks with great efficiency. Not to mention, this svelteness doesn’t raise eyebrows in public like some bigger, more brawny tactical folder designs.

940 Handle

In the handle department, the 940 uses aircraft grade T6 6061 aluminum, offering excellent weight savings while not compromising strength. The handle is given a very nice dark green hard anodized coating, which is both scratch-resistant and aesthetically pleasing. Milled channels in the handle provide a slim-feeling knife in hand.

A tip-up-only pocket clip mounting is available on both sides of the handle to accommodate both left-handed and right-handed users alike.

Benchmade 940 clip — The clip is situated at the butt of the handle for tip-up carry. Photo: Marty Stanfield

The blade is secured in the open position by Benchmade’s own Axis Lock—regarded as the original crossbar lock. It promotes a smooth opening and closing action as well as very positive blade engagement, securely holding the blade open until you release it. Ambidextrous thumb buttons on either side of the handle allow one to release the lock with either hand. The Axis Lock is truly righty and lefty friendly, unlike liner locks that are specifically for right-handers.

940 Performance

Not only does the 940 perform very well, but the knife also carries like a dream. It’s lightweight and compact, allowing it to disappear while clipped to jeans, casual pants, or dress slacks. It doesn’t weigh you down by any means. The handle sits deep enough in the pocket, away from prying eyes but there still is enough to grab onto when you want to retrieve the knife and put it to use.

In use, I appreciate the way the handle drops down a bit, forming a finger guard of sorts to keep your hand in place. It also helps to index your grip, as well. The purple anodized titanium handle spacer provides a neat pop of contrasting color against the green. Traction notches above the pivot give enough friction to hold your thumb or index finger in place during tough cutting tasks.

Final Cut

A great testament to Benchmade’s manufacturing quality, every single 940 I have seen out of the box, the blade is centered in the handle, and the action is very smooth. These knives are really dialed in when they come from the factory.

Benchmade 940 three models — Aside from the standard 940 (middle), Benchmade offers the automatic 9400 (bottom) and compact 945 Mini Osborne (top). Photo: Marty Stanfield

Benchmade also expanded the selection of 940 to include variants that have carbon fiber handles, G-10 handles, and even an automatic opening version with the model 9400, which utilizes a coil spring-fired blade and a button plunge lock as opposed to the Axis Lock. There’s also the model 945 Mini Osborne which scales the 940 down some, creating a nice, ultra-compact folding knife with a 2.9-inch long blade. It still opens quickly, and cuts efficiently.

MSRPs understandably vary with size and handle materials. However, the MSRP for the standard 940 is $240, which puts it on par with other USA-made folders on the market.

Get one and it became fairly clear why the 940 resides at the top of Benchmade’s catalog. Even better yet, you will not be disappointed with the knife as your everyday companion.

Benchmade 940 Osborne Axis Lock Specs
Blade length: 3.4″
Blade thickness: 0.115″
Overall length: 7.8″
Weight: 2.9oz
Blade material: S30V
Handle material: T6 6061 aluminum
MSRP: $240

For more information on the 940, please visit Benchmade.

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