The BLADE Show is the perfect place to spotlight a new release. Here are 13 knives that debuted at the 2018 event.
P.S. We hope to see you at BLADE Show West this October!
You need a knife. Everyone needs a knife. You know those plastic zip ties that you can’t get the scissor blade under that are lashing down the new grill spatula? Yeah, those. You need a knife for that. You know how it aggravates your sense of order when you’re forced to tear into the plastic shrink-wrapped to your case of water bottles? A nice slit down the center keeps the bottles upright without any unsightly stretches or ragged openings. You know how you try to open impossible-to-open snack bags with your teeth, because who carries scissors, and the seem causes a vertical tear? Yeah, that. You need a knife for that. But what we all need right now are some star-spangled, flag-waving knives that cut great!
We’ll start with six selections from the Freedom Collection assembled by True North Knives. Often these models are available with different options, and of course they’re made right here in the USA. Maker warranties cover defects, but not abuse, so remember, it’s a knife, not a hammer or a pry bar.
These custom cutters may take longer to receive, but that’s because they’re all made one at a time in the shops of hard-grinding knifemakers who sometimes have day jobs. They’re worth the wait and will have you hitting every note of “The Star Spangled Banner” when you see how they cut.
SIG SAUER, best known for its firearms, is once again teaming up to produce a line of knives, this time with Hogue Knives. It’s a natural partnership, since Hogue already produces G10 grips for SIG’s pistols.
From Hogue:
All of HOGUE’s “SIG” marked knives pair with the popular styles of the SIG SAUER firearms Hogue produces grips for. Each have the familiar “SIG” mark either machined in G10 or inlayed with a circular medallion. Hogue’s popular X5, EX-04, and EX-01 knives (both manual folding and automatic variations) are available to match SIG SAUER’s Emperor Scorpion and Exclusive Series Firearms including the Legion Series. Hogue’s EX-02 flippers are available to match ASE, Extreme, Scorpion, and Emperor Scorpion firearms. Finally, the Hogue EX-F01 has matches to SIG SAUER’s Stainless Elite and Exclusive Series firearms.
Hogue knives are made in the USA. MSRP ranges between $199.95 and $279.95.
Sweetening the deal is Hogue’s exclusive stake to all SIG automatic knives.
SIG previously partnered with Ernest Emerson and Rick Hinderer.
RAT Worx‘s new X-Factor knives don’t mind if you’re right- or left-handed. This new line of ambidextrous automatics uses a roller chain that pivots on a ceramic ball bearing for fast action. Buttons on either side of the handle will deploy the blade, although only one can be pressed at a time.
From RAT Worx:
The blade is opened with the help of a roller chain and 2 dual nested counter wound springs, down the spine of the handle. The knife can easily be swapped to right or left handed use. The pocket clip is fully ambidextrous for right- or left-hand use as well (You have to modify the knife to switch it to left hand use by removing a couple of screws.)
Also notable is that the identifying information is hidden in the handle design.
Editor’s note: The following originally ran in the August 2015 issue of BLADE magazine. All images are from their respective manufacturers unless otherwise noted.
Memorial Day (taking place in 2018 on Monday, May 28) holds a revered place in the hearts and minds of Americans, and knife manufacturers recognize the heritage of freedom that fits well with such a commemoration. Knives have equipped American fighting men and women since the first call for national defense more than 200 years ago, and these modern knives convey a sense of pride and honor for our time.
Buck Knives introduced the 245 MWG at the 2015 SHOT Show to honor the memory of Matthew J. Leathers, a highly decorated U.S. Navy SEAL who lost his life at sea in 2013. Matt was a member of Basic Under water Demolition/SEAL Training class 245, and the knife’s name says it all—245 to honor the class and MWG referring to the simple yet powerful phrase that was the young SEAL’s nickname: “Matt Would Go.”
The 245 MWG represents a partnership between Buck and Matt’s father, Tim Leathers. “During his nine years with the U.S. Navy SEALS, Matthew used many knives, but none that held up to his standards,” explained Stephanie Young, Buck marketing and communications manager. “He decided the only way to find a knife that met his criteria was to build it himself. Matt designed the knife that became a favorite among his fellow SEALS.”
The result of the Buck collaboration with Matt Leathers through his father is a sleek fixed-blade utility/fighting knife with a 5160 spring steel blade and tough Micarta® handle. Other features include the TEK-LOK® belt clip and a Kydex® sheath designed with a low-infrared signature.
A portion of the proceeds from sales goes to MattWouldGo LLC and in turn to the Navy SEAL Foundation.
“We are honored to bring this knife to the market for the Leathers family and happy to give something back to those who protect us,” Young commented.
A pair of Camillus fixed blades made to the exacting specifications of retired U.S. Army Green Beret and current military, law enforcement and survival trainer Grady Powell, and of Jared Ogden, a combat-decorated retired Navy SEAL and surface warfare officer, both of whom are featured on the National Geographic Channel TV show Ultimate Survival Alaska, makes great Memorial Day remembrance knives.
“These knives accommodate everything a SEAL or Green Beret would do in their duties,” explained Rick Constantine, Camillus marketing manager. “Both of these men had input on the design of these knives. They are true-life heroes, and that’s why we went after them. We all said we wanted to build knives that anyone would be proud to carry on active duty or elsewhere.”
Both knives feature 1095 high carbon steel blades and custom molded sheaths. Constantine said Powell wanted a knife useful in hand-to-hand situations, while Ogden stressed cutting ability and grip strength—particularly in water.
The Powell model features a half-serrated 4.87-inch blade with a G-10 handle that sports Micarta accents, and a 10.5-inch overall length.
Ogden’s knife includes a 4.75-inch blade with gut hook, a G-10 handle, a 10-inch overall length, and versatility that allows the user to fashion it into a survival spear.
Each knife is serial numbered.
“We have worked with a number of personalities through the years,” Constantine remarked, “but none have been better or more knowledgeable than these guys.”
When members of the First Special Service Force Association approached Case about a revival of the legendary V-42 stiletto, the company jumped at the chance.
Special Forces Association Montana Chapter 28 and a large number of knife enthusiasts supported the idea, and the new Case V-42 is true in detail to its heritage. Commissioned by U.S. Army Colonel Robert T. Frederick in 1942, the V-42 was issued to troops of the joint U.S.-Canadian First Special Service Force (FSSF), popularly known as the Devil’s Brigade. These soldiers served with distinction in World War II, and the V-42 was with them all the way. Case evaluated its own original museum V-42 and reproduced that fighting gem with painstaking accuracy.
Though the V-42 has been reintroduced a couple of times in the past, Case officials indicate this rendition is more accurate than ever.
“We really have a greater appreciation for what goes into making this knife,” said Case representative Fred Feightner. “We actually had it X-rayed to see how the handle was put together. We examined the knife from the inside out, and this was done on a much more detailed basis than previous re-releases of the V-42. The project took about five years to complete.”
The V-42’s blade of Case chrome vanadium steel—essentially, 1095 high-carbon steel with added chromium and vanadium—is double concave ground to reproduce the distinctive centerline along its length. The stacked-leather-washer handle is constructed with specialty gimping, and the famed V-42 “thumbprint” is embedded in the ricasso of the 12.5-inch, 7-ounce knife for proper blade orientation/indexing and grip strength. The leather sheath is complete with steel teeth reinforcing the sleeve and brass rivet covers.
“We’re extremely proud and honored to present a reproduction knife that is symbolic of our military elite and the American freedom they fought, and fight every day, to protect,” noted John Sullivan, Case marketing director. “Case knives and the American military share a long and distinguished history dating as far back as World War I, so we’ve taken great measure to ensure that the V-42 reproduction model meets the highest standards and is deemed authentic by the same brave Forcemen who carried the original into battle so many years ago.”
The new SEAL Strike from SOG Specialty Knives & Tools includes a 4.9-inch partially serrated AUS-8 stainless steel blade with cryogenic heat treatment, and a handle of glass-reinforced nylon.
“The biggest differentiator for the SEAL Strike is the sheath,” SOG’s Chris Cashbaugh explained. “It has several features that enhance the functions of the knife. You can use the line cutter to cut cord or webbing without having to expose the blade. The carbide sharpener is in the side of the sheath and can be used to touch up the blade while out in the field. The ferrocerium rod can help start a fire in an emergency situation.”
The SEAL Strike fits the Memorial Day theme well since its design relates to the longtime SOG collaboration with the military and the ultimate goal of producing a knife that fills the bill for troops on deployment or anyone in the field.
My daughters Savannah and Charlotte had always been craftsy and artistic, but they rarely spent time in my shop. One day in 2016, Charlotte, who was 15 at the time, asked me if she could make a knife. It was to be based on a knife from a TV show she was watching called Supernatural. A character on the show named Ruby used the knife to kill “demons.” It is a very unusual design.
I like teaching so I told her, “Sure, let’s do it!”
For her first knife I thought grinding it out would be easier than forging it. To get started I had her practice grinding wood to learn how to use the 2×72 belt sander. Grinding the bevels of the blade in wood to practice gives you very fast feedback and speeds up the learning process. I don’t use jigs, so it can be tricky to get hollow grinds the same height up the blade on both sides. Flat grinding is an easier technique to start with compared to hollow grinding, so we began with that.
Charlotte cut out and ground the blade, getting it ready for heat treating. We heated the blade until it reached critical temperature (when a magnet will not stick to the steel), then took the blade out of the fire and quickly quenched it in oil. Next we tempered the blade and sanded it to a high polish.
Charlotte carved the markings on the blade, and we found a piece of deer antler very similar to the TV knife to use as the handle.
As I taught each step I also taught her about knife shop safety, as so many of the tools and machines can be dangerous.
For instance, it’s important to know how to safely clamp a blade on a table for sanding and how to hold a blade against a buffer—the latter which I think is the most dangerous machine in the shop.
I showed her how to drill holes and gave her a safety tip on how to make sure a blade does not get away from you and spin around and cut you. She had her hair tied back and wore safety glasses, as well as Kevlar® gloves and hearing protection.
Charlotte’s first knife turned out great and it was so cool to see how fast she learned and progressed. It also surprised me that she did not experience all the challenges I had when I started.
The knife’s fit and finish was great, and the blade was straight. She decided to keep her first knife for herself. Each subsequent knife she made was different and she had to learn new skills for each new model.
The next knife Charlotte made was a copy of the obsidian dagger from the TV series Game of Thrones. In the show the dagger was made from “dragon glass” and was used to kill “night walkers.”
Charlotte employed O1 tool steel for the blade so she could gun blue it black like the TV dagger. She ground the blade and then textured it with the small half-inch-wheel attachment to look like obsidian. She polished it with a Dremel® tool. My brother Ted loved the knife so much he bought it.
Next up was a mini letter opener modeled after Bilbo’s sword “Sting” from The Hobbit. The new model required her to grind a dagger blade with a straight line down the center. She used a flat grind and, after heat treating, polished the blade by hand. She also learned how to carve with my high-speed/hand-held grinding tool.
She made the mini sword as a gift for her best friend, Morgan.
Charlotte wants to make knives for fun and as a part-time job, so she decided to make a kitchen knife to sell. It was a Japanese-style model and when it was done, I posted it on Facebook. It sold in no time.
With this new model she learned about Japanese kitchen knives and how thin they are. She also was introduced to forging by texturing the blade, which was later ground off to make the knife thinner.
Moreover, she learned a new skill making a multi-part octagon handle for the knife. Excited by her new part-time job, she decided to make a tanto. Again, the new style required learning many new skills. Her tactical-style tanto has a hollow grind, so we started with wood again to teach her how to hollow grind, ensuring the grind was even on both sides. She learned how to grind in a tanto tip and how to make the angle the same on both sides.
To make Japanese-style tantos, she had to learn how to create temper lines and put a high polish on the blade. She learned how to tie a Japanese wrap and etch the blades to make the temper line really stand out. She also learned how to make the mune (the blade spine). I posted a picture of the knife on social media and she quickly sold it and received another tanto order.
This past March break she forged out a bushcraft-style knife and will continue to work on it in my shop. She is not taking orders as she has a heavy school year finishing the 12th grade. She has been accepted to the University of Windsor in the forensic science program next fall.
She does have a waiting list and loves working with her hands. Knifemaking fills her need for creativity, just like it did for me. Charlotte intends to make one order at a time and she is getting comfortable using all the equipment. Making leather sheaths is the next skill she wants to learn.
There are so many branches to the tree of knifemaking and I look forward to seeing where she takes her knifemaking in the future Charlotte is a unique 17-year-old who wants to make knives and can do so just as well as boys. Her favorite part of knifemaking is watching the progress of polishing the blade. She takes her time with each step and really is a perfectionist. I am so proud of both my girls and it has been so much fun to show Charlotte what I have been doing for 32 years.
Go, Charlotte!
* All images by Wally Hayes unless otherwise noted.
As part of the Five Ks, the kirpan is a dagger that is central to the Sikh faith. Sikhs carry the dagger on their person, and that can conflict with knife restrictions. Simply put, Sikhs can find themselves forced to choose between adhering to their faith and breaking the law.
New Zealand, which restricts the public carry of daggers such as the kirpan, is one such place where this scenario plays out frequently. It’s home to 19,000 Sikhs, which is why that status could change in the future.
From Stuff:
National Party MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi wants the law changed to make it legal for Sikhs to carry ceremonial daggers.
It’s one of five articles of Sikh faith, that baptised Sikhs must carry the small, curved knives known as kirpan.
Bakshi said Kiwi Sikhs were “criminalised” by not being granted an exemption under the Crimes Act to practice their faith and wear the kirpan.
So what’s the hold up? It comes down to the challenge of separating “good” daggers from “bad” daggers.
“It requires an exception to the law carrying what could be classed as a weapon and it has implications for going onto aircraft, that sort of thing, you just have to really careful.”
That “careful” approach may be small comfort for the 19,000 Sikhs living in New Zealand, as indicated by similar attempts around the world to balance public safety and religious expression. Denmark, for example, ruled kirpans as illegal items in 2006. In Sweden, a kirpan must be dull in order to be carried in public. In the United Kingdom, where public knife possession could result in years in prison, kirpans are generally accepted as being lawful, although it may take a trip to court to prove it.
Not one to miss out on a holiday built around jokes (the knife puns write themselves!), the knife community sharpened its wits for April Fool’s Day. Here are two great examples.
From KnifeCenter.com:
From Kershaw:
If you ever thought to yourself, “What this yoga session needs is a knife strapped against my pelvis,” you’re in luck. Alexo Athletica recently debuted yoga pants with room for a sheathed knife, as well as any other items to round out your tactical-inspired athleisure ensemble.
From the Alexo website:
With nine pockets, these versatile high-rise quality leggings were designed to hold all your essentials that make you carry with confidence.
With yoga pants becoming ubiquitous outside of exercise rooms, it only makes sense that a company would design products for the concealed carry crowd. The Signature Pant, pictured above, was sold out at press time.
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You may face a crossroads, a time of decision involving the realization that interests, tastes and possibly buying power change. In such situations, you may decide to begin collecting a different genre of knives, departing from what you have collected. If and when that time comes, evaluating your situation and making informed decisions is crucial.
Some basic questions loom large, from deciding what to collect to getting the best education on what is available, selling or retaining an existing collection, and, if the choice is to sell, then maximizing the revenue generated.
Do you have a very good reason for starting over?
Do you sell or keep your existing collection?
If you sell it, how do you get the most out of it?
Are you trying to recover your initial investment or trying to make as much money as possible to assemble your new collection?
Are you comfortable with the effort and costs it will take to build a new collection?
Do you want to make money or collect, carry or use the knives?
What knives should you collect, and how do you best research them?
How available are they and are they of recent vintage?
Are they still in production or limited in distribution, both of which influence collectibility?
If antiques, where can they be found and can they be found without undue cost?
What are the prices typically asked for the knives in collectible condition?
Are you going to collect only mint or near-mint examples, and can you afford to pay premium prices for them?
If, after answering those questions, you decide to liquidate and start over, keep these guidelines in mind.
Collect what you like or even use.
Chasing trends is a fool’s errand. Collecting knives that are hot now means paying top dollar now as well.
Know which knives are collectible in specific geographic locations of the country.
Inexpensive, low-end knives will never appreciate to any degree.
Well-made, fine-condition knives should not lose you any money.
Don’t buy damaged/poor condition knives unless they are very old and collectible, such as antique bowies and rare military knives.
