Folding Knives

Sleek new factory folders fuel consumer demand.

There’s a lanky breed of factory folder fueling consumer demand, and several notable entries in the genre are turning heads. Accomplished designers have teamed with knife companies to meld form and function with select materials to accomplish a sleek, majestic look exhibiting comfortable carry and easy deployment.

CRKT Stylus

The high-powered combination of BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Ken Onion and Columbia River Knife & Tool has resulted in the Stylus, tailor made for a man or woman on the move who appreciates quality attributes in an EDC knife with great aesthetics.

“The Stylus is made to tackle just about any EDC task you can throw at it,” related Doug Flagg, CRKT vice president of marketing and innovation. “Boxes and letters are, of course, no match, but the blade has some paring knife characteristics so that it excels at peeling and even piercing tasks as well.”

Flagg has carried a Stylus for months and attests to its ability to make short work of straps, clam packaging and even a steak. “We went lean with the Stylus to balance form and function, really,” he added. “It’s lightweight, so it’s easy to carry, but it also has a certain panache that makes a statement any time you pull it out of your pocket.”

The lightweight handle combines strength with minimal weight. Texture adds purchase and control with a ridge line that brings a dimension of safety, preventing the knife from twisting in your hand. Fine 12C27 stainless blade steel and assisted opening with the Ikoma Korth Bearing System (IKBS) add to user enjoyment.

According to Flagg, Onion wanted to create a simple, streamlined pocketknife that could act as sort of an office EDC to be carried in a shirt pocket, fifth pocket or standard pants pocket. “Across the knife world, Ken noticed a movement toward cleaner, leaner, more simplified designs that were a different approach compared to his typically large and more flowing knives,” Flagg concluded. “With the Stylus he was really trying to emulate that and have some fun with something new and unique.”

Coast Products Founder Series

The Founder’s Series from Coast Products is a design collaboration between Todd Ernst and David Goldman, and it hit the mark with the intent to produce an elegant executive knife. “Based on feedback from customers and when looking at our offering, we wanted to design something that would not necessarily look like a knife when in a shirt or pocket,” explained Doug Hutchens, Coast sales operations manager.

“A knife designed to flip open must have a combination of correct geometry, minimal weight in the blade, and ball bearings at the pivot to create minimal friction to facilitate easy flipping,” Hutchens noted. “The tanto blade style is also popular and provides good looks. Then, without sacrificing strength in the frame, we designed the Micarta®, aluminum and titanium handle choices to keep weight at a minimum.”

The variety of handle materials makes buyers checking out the Founder’s Series feel like kids in a candy store. Hutchens noted that each material is attractive, strong and designed to give the customer variety in aesthetics. “That’s so they can choose the style that they like best,” he said. “Another customization was the pin color in the end of the knife handle, which was designed to be visible when carried in a pocket. At purchase, we provide two pin color options for the customer to further choose their own styling. The red pin is a nod to the red Coast ring trademark, which you’ll find on most every Coast product.”

Thin but mighty, the Founder’s Series is up to the rigor of daily use. Hutchens commented, “All knife design is a compromise with purpose. The length of the handle allows the butt of the knife to be captured by the user’s palm easily and quickly. Because of this there is no need for large finger grooves or guard projections. Lock it into your palm and it is very secure in your hand.”

Spyderco Ikuchi

Paul Alexander and the Spyderco design team have created a long, lean gem in the Ikuchi, distinctive with its scalpel-like blade boasting the company’s trademark hole. Alexander looked at a number of traditional knife patterns while scheming the Ikuchi, including the Texas toothpick and French laguiole.

“The Ikuchi design came from two distinct drivers,” Paul remarked. “First, I wanted to explore some designs based on more traditional patterns, but evolving and modernizing. Second, I wanted to create a piece with decidedly different blade geometry than the other collaboration pieces I’ve done with Spyderco. On the latter front, I was looking to design a pocketknife with a much narrower/shorter blade and width/height.

“I decided to take the narrow blade concept to the extreme, working to conceal the entire blade width within the handle scales when closed. The idea was that a knife this size would inherently take up a minimal amount of pocket space, strongly feature the handle shape, and create designs unique among Spyderco offerings.”

The thin nature of the Ikuchi handle makes the knife responsive in your hand while maximizing a user-friendly experience. Alexander explained, “The thin handle, without any features to lock any fingers into a set location, makes the knife more grip agnostic and easily repositionable in the hand. But thin handles can cause some difficulty for folks that may have limited hand dexterity, or lost some of it.

Both are true of the Ikuchi, but seeing as it’s meant for EDC and light-duty tasks, I don’t find myself overly concerned when using the knife appropriately and responsibly. The handle material was Spyderco’s call but I admit I’m a sucker for carbon fiber scales, and the textured, peel-ply carbon fiber [Spyderco uses] is a great blend of aesthetics and grip without adding much mass.”

Spartan Blades Spartan-Nemec

Czech designer Ondrej Nemec joined Spartan Blades to produce the Spartan-Nemec folder, intended to be practical and versatile in the EDC role, a tool for any common job. Compact and easy to carry in a pocket, the Spartan-Nemec is a snap to deploy and makes light work of cutting boxes, envelopes or tape.

Nemec grew up in his father’s workshop, and Ondrej’s steady commitment to quality knives led to the founding of his Acta Non Verba knife company over 10 years ago. “The knives he designed in the past are similar to the quality and size of Spartan models, making him a good fit for Spartan while bringing a new flair to what we do,” related Curtis Iovito, company president.

Looking good always helps says Iovito of the smart, lean lines of the Spartan-Nemec. He adds that the knife incorporates features such as a secure locking mechanism, comfortable grip, and ambidextrous design for easy use by both southpaws and right-handers. “The biggest advantage of the design is that it stays out of your way when in the pocket,” Curtis smiled.

User ergonomics guided the Nemec design, making it ideal for quick and precise handling. The length of the handle contributes to stability and ease of control. In combination, the design elements produce an efficient everyday tool that can act as a backup in special circumstances, too.

“Although made with everyday tasks in mind, the knife boasts sufficient length to serve as a viable defensive tool in emergency situations,” Iovito indicated. “This contributed to our decision to incorporate a flipper mechanism facilitated by caged bearings and a strategically positioned flipper tab, ensuring readiness for such scenarios.”

Iovito also notes that the Spartan-Nemec’s inspiration was a “larger counterpart,” the KA-BAR Ek Models 4 and 5. “Originating from KA-BAR, this larger knife has been scaled down to create our folding version tailored for everyday carry,” he said. “While the concept of a penknife is not groundbreaking, we are confident that our rendition stands out as a well-crafted and reliable tool.”

Check Out More Knife Drops:

• Production And Custom Kitchen Kinves
• Production And Custom Damascus And Stainless Steel Knives
• Production And Custom Large Blade Knives

Hip pocket feel empty? We got the cure for that…

The pocketknife was once a rare term, most likely because back in the pioneering day fixed blades of all types ruled the roost. With few bears to skin nowadays and more wire to strip and boxes to dismember, a pocketknife practically means knife to a wide swath of people. This ubiquitous class of knives helps make our daily world go round—be they tactical do-alls or slip-joint stunners. And we have gathered a load of new ones—factory and custom—hitting the market.

Barnett Custom Knives 6-Blade Congress

Knife pattern: 6-blade congress
Master blade length: 17/8”
Blade steel: Ladder-pattern damascus
Blade grinds: Flat
Scales: Gold-lip mother-of-pearl
Handle frame: .030” 410 stainless steel
Bolsters: 416 stainless
Closed length: 3.5”
Knife to know: Bruce Barnett is an ABS journeyman smith
Maker’s price for a similar knife: $2,750
Maker: Barnett Custom Knives (Rod Hoare image)

Manuele Messori Little Blue

Knife name: Little Blue
Blade length: 3.5”
Blade material: Björkmans Twist damascus forged by Damasteel w/Fat Carbon White Storm inlay
Pivot: Ceramic bearings
Scales: Titanium GR5 w/Fat Carbon White Storm, zirconium and mother-of-pearl inlays
Backspacer: Zirconium
Hardware: Titanium screws
Closed length: 4”
Maker: Manuele Messori (SharpByCoop image)

Andrew Demko Full-custom AD-20 Stinger Tanto

Knife name: Full-custom AD-20 Stinger Tanto
Blade length: 3.5”
Blade steel: CPM MagnaCut stainless
Blade grind: Compound
Scales: Fat Carbon
Liner material: Titanium
Lock: Shark Lock
Closed length: 5”
Maker’s price for a similar knife: $2,000 (standard U.S.-made AD-20 starts at $450)
Maker: Andrew Demko (SharpByCoop image)

Bob Hook Linerlock Folder

Knife type: Linerlock folder
Blade length: 3.75”
Blade steel: Reptilian damascus by Vegas Forge
Blade grind: Flat
Scales: Caramelized musk ox
Bolster: Same material as blade
Closed length: 3 5/8”
Knife to know: Handle has detailed screws and liners; maker’s name in the interior; stud opener; the maker is an ABS journeyman smith
Maker’s price for a similar knife: $1,200
Maker: Bob Hook (Jocelyn Frasier image)

Fallkniven GPbm

Knife model: GPbm
Blade length: 3.07”
Blade material: Laminated CoS (cobalt steel) stainless
Rockwell hardness: 60 HRC
Blade grind: Flat
Blade @ thickest: .11”
Lock: Linerlock
Weight: 3.3 ozs.
Closed length: 3.94”
Carry: Suede pouch
Knife to know: GPbm stands for Gentleman’s Pocketknife Black Micarta
Country of origin: Japan
MSRP: $327.95 at press-time exchange rate
Company: Fallkniven

Kershaw Livewire

Knife name: Livewire – Double Edge
Designers: Kershaw Originals and Matt Diskin
Knife type: Out-the-front automatic
Blade length: 3.45”
Blade steel: CPM MagnaCut stainless
Rockwell hardness: 60-63 HRC
Blade @ thickest: .125”
Handle material: Textured 6061-T6 aluminum
Pocket clip: Deep carry, right/left, blade tip down w/black Cerakote® finish
Hardware: Black-oxide steel screws
Knife to know: Double-action (opens and retracts automatically w/sliding button)
Weight: 3.1 ozs.
Closed length: 4.8”
Country of origin: USA
MSRP: $400
Company: Kershaw

GiantMouse ACE Biblio XL

Knife name: ACE Biblio XL – Green Canvas
Blade length: 3.2”
Blade steel: Elmax stainless
Blade @ thickest: .138”
Blade finish: Stonewashed
Scales: Green canvas Micarta®
Lock: Linerlock
Pocket clip: Wire, reversible
Backspacers: Brass
Weight: 3.915 ozs.
Closed length: 4.375”
Country of origin: Italy
MSRP: $225
Company: GiantMouse

A Sharp Life with Bob Terzuola

Video series: A Sharp Life with Bob Terzuola
What’s included: 11 episodes start to finish of building one of BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Bob Terzuola’s groundbreaking ATCF tactical folders, and also on knifemaking in general.
Knife to know: Buy the entire series alone or bundle it with Bob’s monthly subscription service, Shoptalk, the latter which includes weekly Q&A Zoom calls with Bob and two “deep dive” educational videos per month, “Terzuola Swag” and more.

Halfbreed Blades MILSPEC MILF-02PS

Knife name: MILSPEC MILF-02PS
Knife type: Flipper folder
Blade length: 3.54”
Blade steel: CPM S30V stainless
Rockwell hardness: 59-60 HRC
Blade grind: Hollow
Blade @ thickest: .19”
Blade style: Harpoon drop point
Finish: PVD coated throughout
Washers: Phosphor bronze
Handle frame, liner & spacers: 420J2 stainless
Scales: G-10
Pocket clip: Ambidextrous, blade tip up or down
Lock: Framelock
Weight: 7.34 ozs.
Closed length: 4.84”
Country of origin: Comprises Australian and Taiwanese manufacture
MSRP: $185 at press-time exchange rate
Company: Halfbreed Blades

Barking Gecko Forge Eureka Jack

Knife pattern: Eureka jack
Blade lengths: 2.44” (main) and 1.57” (pen)
Blade steel: CPM 154 stainless
Blade grinds: Hollow
Scales: Giraffe bone
Bolster: Fluted 416 stainless steel
Sharp stuff: Domed pins, fileworked liners and center spacer, jeweled liners and stainless steel shield; long-pull nail nick on main blade
Closed length: 3.54”
Maker’s price for a similar knife: $795 at press-time rate of exchange
Maker: Barking Gecko Forge (Rod Hoare image)

Rothman Knives Elephant Toenail

Knife pattern: Elephant toenail
Blade length: 2”
Blade steel: CPM 154 stainless
Blade grind: 14” hollow
Handle frame: 416 stainless in an integral construction
Scales: Mammoth ivory
Knife to know: Fileworked liners; the elephant toenail is also known as a sunfish; the maker is a probationary member of The Knifemakers’ Guild
Closed length: 3.5”
Maker’s price for a similar knife: $1,200
Maker: Rothman Knives (SharpByCoop image)

Shane Taylor Linerlock Folder

Knife type: Linerlock folder
Blade length: 3”
Blade steel: Dragon damascus
Blade grind: Flat w/convex edge
Bolster: Same as blade
Scales: Mammoth ivory
Lock type: Linerlock
Backbar: Engraved
Closed length: 3.75”
Maker’s price for a similar knife: $2,800
Knife to know: The maker is an ABS master smith
Maker: Shane Taylor, Miles City, Montana, [email protected], taylorknives.com (Jocelyn Frasier image)

Check Out More Knife Drops:

• Production And Custom Kitchen Kinves
• Production And Custom Damascus And Stainless Steel Knives
• Production And Custom Large Blade Knives