Home Folding Knives Page 14

Folding Knives

Most popular

Benchmade Bugout Review: Getting A Handle On The EDC Icon

Dexter Ewing
-
2
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:

Case Axe Handle Lockback: Ruple Colabs With Case For First Time

LeRoi Price
-
0
Case Axe Handle Lockback: Ruple Colabs With Case For First Time

First Case/Ruple collaboration officially debuts at BLADE Show ’24.

The combination of mechanical features, artistic design and choice of handle materials make the Bill Ruple x Case Axe Handle collaboration a unique knife for the user and collector.

Case Knives and BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Bill Ruple didn’t just bump into each other at the convenience store one day and say, “Hey, let’s do a knife collaboration.” That alone likely would have led to a great pocketknife, but no, there was a lot more planning and history that went into this new joint venture. We’ll talk about some of that but first let’s talk about the knife itself. It’s got some special character.

Case Axe Handle Design

Despite both being giants in the slipjoint field, Bill and Case sifted through some ideas and came up with a lockback pattern for an initial collaboration. It was not just one part but several features Bill combined together to make this knife unique.

Bill Ruple
Preeminent member of the Texas Slip Joint Cartel, Ruple more than understands what makes a good slippy.

As a man who had farmed the soil, he noted the end of the knife resembled the shape of an axe handle, thus the name. The upward curve of the handle butt provides some useful ergonomics but also strategically holds the tail of the lockbar. In this location, there is resistance to accidental unlocking of the blade while it’s in the open position. As well, it eliminates the need for a thumb cutout in the handle to release the blade. With an upward curve partially concealing the lockbar plus the absence of a thumb cutout, the handle makes the knife appear not to be a lockback pattern at all. In fact, since at first glance it seems to be a slipjoint, it has a bit of the trick-knife or mystery-lock character.

Initial prototyping by Bill in his shop hit a snag in that the slipjoint knives he’s used to creating have a rear bolster. That did not fit the artistic design for the new collaboration. However, Bill cleverly overcame the so-called snag by using a feature called a scissor spring (see illustration, page 40), which rests on a bushing to provide the needed tension to work the lockbar. Bill has prototyped knives for Case and also assisted with some aspects of manufacturing just as his Case collaboration predecessor, mentor, very close friend and fellow Cutlery Hall of Famer, Tony Bose, had done. Bill stated that nobody could replace Tony Bose and Case misses him. (Don’t be at all surprised if Case makes a commemorative knife in honor of Tony in the future.)

Bill Ruple's design drawning of the Case Axhandle
A few notes on Ruple’s design, the scissor spring (rear top right) is an efficient use of space with a one-piece unit of lockbar and spring. The bushing (lower fork of the spring), the spring rides on this avoiding excessive wear and taking up less room. It also acts as a rear spacer.

Both Case officials and Bill say Tony would be pleased with the new collaborative effort. The initial run will be 1,000 knives. Then the model will be made in a traditional slipjoint pattern. There is an aim at “near custom maker quality” for the first run, glibly naming the process “almost custom,” beginning with the parts being wire cut. That’s the cool way to say electrical discharge machining, or EDM. Production is assigned to a specific group of three workers only. No one else will work on the knives. That sort of consistency helps maintain quality control in manufacturing the knives.

MORE TO COME
Is this collaboration just an outlier or will there be more Case/Ruple lockbacks in the future? Interest in the knife at BLADE Show 2024 (page 26), where the knife was officially introduced, was quite favorable. Both Bill and Case officials were pleased with how things have turned out, so expect to see another collaboration introduced at next year’s BLADE Show. That knife likely will be a slipjoint. Another lockback might be seen in the future, though a bit further down the road.

The Axe Handle with the birdseye maple handle
Natural birdseye maple is one of but several handle material options on the new Bill Ruple x Case Axe Handle.

As collaborative efforts go between manufacturer and custom maker, the Axe Handle knife is a superlative effort. And there is strong motivation to produce more collaborations, both commemorative and unique.

Ruple’s First Case

Does BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Bill Ruple remember his first Case knife? Is Texas big?

“Oh yeah,” the good-natured, award-winning knifemaker and South Texas Slipjoint Cartel trail boss said. “My dad gave me a Case knife when I was 9 or 10 years old, and it was a yellow handle Case trapper. And man, in about a month I had sharpened the blades completely out of that knife. And he gave me another one, and so he told me not to sharpen it quite as often. But yeah, a long time ago.”

Case Axe Handle Specs
Knife type: Lockback
Designer: BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Bill Ruple
Blade length: 3.46”
Blade material options: Wire-cut 154CM stainless steel or damascus
Rockwell hardness: 57-59 HRC
Blade grind: Flat taper
Blade @ thickest: .126”
Blade pattern: Clip point
Blade finish: Satin
Handle material options: Natural birdseye maple, Rogers jig chestnut bone, standard jig antique bone, marbled black carbon fiber, abalone, English walnut
Lock: Lockback
Opener: Nail nick
Pocket clip: None
Weight: 4.21 ozs.
Closed length: 4.4”
Carry: Suede leather taco pouch
Special features: One-piece designed backspring & lock mechanism.
Country of origin: USA
MSRP: $599.99 to $774.99
Available: Late Summer 2024

More On Case Knives:

New Knives: January 2026

BLADE Staff
-
1
New Knives: January 2026

From Ancient Inspiration to Modern Innovation: A First Look at the Year’s Most Anticipated Custom and Production Blades.

The new year kicks off with a formidable array of steel, ranging from primitive-inspired spears to high-tech tactical folders. This month’s selection highlights the incredible versatility of the modern cutlery world, showcasing the work of veteran masters with nearly four decades of experience alongside award-winning new makers. Whether you are looking for an ultra-premium custom Bowie for a collection or a hard-use MagnaCut automatic for daily carry, our January 2026 roundup proves that the industry’s innovation shows no signs of slowing down.

Jean-Pierre Potvin Short Spear

Jean-Pierre Potvin Short Spear

Blade length: 3.5”
Blade material: Damascus of 1084 carbon and 15N20 nickel-alloy steels
Blade grind: Flat
Handle: Ash w/burnt and oiled finish
Furniture: Bronze and copper
Overall length: 18.5”
Knife to know: Jean-Pierre Potvin created the texture for the blade steel by forging damascus and using a rotary tool to accentuate the details … he “wanted the texture to be similar to the flint spearheads that existed long ago”; he has been making knives for 36 years
Maker’s price for a similar piece: $2,500
Maker: Jean-Pierre Potvin (SharpByCoop image)

Grant Cunningham Trench knife

Grant Cunningham Trench knife

Blade length: 8”
Blade material: 52100 carbon steel
Blade grind: Double convex
Handle: Handmade brass knuckles, vulcanized fiber liners
S-guard: Brass
Overall length: 13”
Sheath: By Grey Leather Co.; black leather w/snap strap
Maker’s price for a similar knife: $1,250
Maker: Grant Cunningham, cunninghamcustomshop.com (Jocelyn Frasier image)

Rian Doudle Doudle Streetfighter Bowie

Rian Doudle Doudle Streetfighter Bowie

Blade length: 7.1”
Blade material: W’s pattern damascus in 1084 carbon and 15N20 nickel-alloy steels
Blade grind: Flat
Scales: Western myall, an Australian hardwood
Guard: Wrought iron
Overall length: 12.6”
Maker’s price for a similar knife: $1,200 at press-time exchange rate
Maker: Rian Doudle, Fallen Forge, fallenforge.com.au (Rod Hoare image)

Frank Edwards Push Dagger

Frank Edwards Push Dagger

Blade length: 3.25”
Blade material: Twist-pattern damascus of 1084 carbon and 15N20 nickel-alloy steels
Blade grind: Dagger
Scales: Carved interior mammoth ivory
Overall length: 6.5”
Maker’s price for a similar knife: $2,550
Maker: Frank Edwards (Jocelyn Frasier image)

SOG Knives Gambit XL

SOG Knives Gambit XL

Knife type: Fixed-blade karambit
Blade length: 4”
Blade steel: CRYO AUS-10A stainless
Blade @the thickest: 0.19”
Blade finish: Black stonewash
Blade finish: Hawkbill
Handle: Green paracord wrapped
Weight: 4.75 ozs.
Overall length: 8.75”
Sheath: Kydex® w/Safe-Lock clip
Country of origin: China
MSRP: $139.95
Company: SOG Knives, sogknives.com

APOC Wallace Small Puukko

APOC Wallace Small Puukko

Designer: Mike Wallace
Blade length: 3”
Blade material: D2 tool steel
Blade @thickest: 0.118”
Blade pattern: Drop point
Blade finish: Titanium coated
Scales: Black G-10
Weight: 3 ozs.
Overall length: 6.88”
Sheath: Kydex®; comes w/fire steel
Knife to know: Specs vary from piece to piece
Country of origin: China
MSRP: $82
Company: APOC, casiberia.com

CRKT Xolotl OTF

CRKT Xolotl OTF

Knife type: Out-the-front auto
Designer: Michael Rodriguez, U.S. Army Green Beret
Blade length: 3.5”
Blade steel: MagnaCut stainless
Blade @the thickest: 0.13”
Blade pattern: Spear point, ground on both edges
Blade finish: Titanium nitride
Scales: Aluminum
Opening mechanism: Dual action
Pocket clip: Sternum shaped, reversible
Weight: 3.2 ozs.
Closed length: 5.31”
Knife to know: An Aztec deity, Xolotl is “the guide of souls to the afterlife” … the handle has 21 ribs, one for each of the designer’s years in service
Country of origin: USA
MSRP: $324.99
Company: CRKT, crkt.com

Cold Steel Frenzy II

Cold Steel Frenzy II

Knife type: Tactical folder
Knife designer: Andrew Demko
Blade length: 5.5”
Blade steel: S35VN stainless
Blade polish: Satin
Scales: G-10
Pocket clip: Yes
Lock type: Tri-Ad®
Weight: 5.7 ozs.
Closed length: 6.75”
Country of origin: Taiwan
Knife to know: Design based on the kabutowari, an ancient Japanese design
MSRP: $239.99
Company: Cold Steel, coldsteel.com

TOPS Knives A-Klub

TOPS Knives A-Klub

Designer: Amanda Kaye
Blade length: 12.38”
Blade material: 1095 carbon steel
Rockwell hardness: 56-58 HRC
Blade @the thickest: 0.19”
Blade finish: Acid Rain
Scales: Green canvas Micarta®
Weight: 23.8 ozs.
Overall length: 17.88”
Sheath: Black Kydex®
Sheath clip: Dangler
Weight w/sheath: 33 ozs.
Country of origin: USA
Knife to know: The A-Klub is the first TOPS knife designed by a woman, Amanda Kay, a past participant on TV’s Naked and Afraid; design influenced by American Indian war clubs
MSRP: $409.95
Company: TOPS Knives, topsknives.com

Geoff Keyes Pirate Bowie

Geoff Keyes Pirate Bowie

Blade length: 16”
Blade material: 1080 carbon steel
Blade grind: Flat
Scales: Buffalo
Furniture: Integral bolster, steel and copper
Extras: Silk tassels handmade by Marianne George
Overall length: 22”
Maker’s price for a similar knife: $1,500
Maker: Geoff Keyes, 5elementsforge.com (Jocelyn Frasier image)

Taran Ma Sanctum

Taran Ma Sanctum

Knife type: Utility folder
Blade length: 3.5”
Blade steel: MagnaCut stainless
Blade openers: Blade oval and ambidextrous thumb studs
Scales: Titanium
Lock type: Framelock
Pocket clip: Yes
Closed length: 4.25”
Knife to know: Taran Ma has been making knives for 1 year
Maker’s price for a similar knife: Contact maker for information
Maker: Taran Ma (SharpByCoop image)

Josh Davis Sgian Dubh

Josh Davis Sgian Dubh

Blade length: 3.46”
Blade material: 80CrV2 carbon steel
Blade grind: Hollow
Blade thickness @ricasso: 0.118”
Blade @the widest: 1.8”
Scales: Ebony, mosaic pin, TruStone and brass
Overall length: 7.9”
Sheath: By the maker
Maker’s price for a similar knife: Contact maker for more info
Knife to know: Josh Davis won Best New Maker for his sgian dubh at the 2025 Adelaide Cutlers Expo; he is also a member of the Australian Knifemakers Guild
Maker: Josh Davis, CSC Knives (Rod Hoare image)

Check Out Other Months:

First Look: Kershaw Noventa

Mike Ableson
-
0

The New Kershaw Noventa Is A Fun Knife. The Art Deco-Inspired Handle And D2 Steel Blade Make For A Showpiece That Can Handle Being An EDC.

Kershaw’s last product drop of 2022 featured the Noventa. The stylish drop point is inspired by Art Deco architecture with a two-tone blade made from robust D2 high-carbon tool steel. The hidden flipper adds to the sleek look and feel of the knife. 

The D2 blade is highly wear-resistant and retains an edge well. The two-tone black oxide and satin finish looks great and is a wonderful complement to the handle’s textured stonewashed steel. Aesthetically, this knife stands out from almost every other comparable knife on the market.

Kershaw’s dropped a beautiful knife at a great price. What more could you ask for?

MSRP: $79.99

Read More

CRKT And Hogue Announce New Knife-Making Partnership

BLADE Staff
-
0
CRKT And Hogue Announce New Knife-Making Partnership

First Announced At SHOT Show 2023, CRKT And Hogue Knives Announced A New Manufacturing Partnership To Create The Next Generation Of CRKT Knives.

The collaboration between the brands launched at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas with the release of two new American-made knives: the Definitive and LCBK. This new joint effort showcases CRKT’s eye for design, craftsmanship, and making purpose-driven products.

First announced at SHOT Show 2023, Columbia River Knife & Tool and Hogue Knives will join forces in a new manufacturing collaboration. The partnership blends the Oregon-based CRKT’s innovative and user-friendly ethos with Hogue’s long history of precision engineering and will focus on the next era of CRKT knives.

CRKT Definitive And LCBK

CRKT Definitive
The sleek CRKT Definitive has an MSRP of $215, the same as the LCBK.

The companies showcased their first two knives together at SHOT: the Definitive and LCBK. Both models are high-end folding EDC knives made from 154CM steel married to a G10 handle. Both are also among the first in the CRKT lineup to feature a crossbar lock, the ambidextrous, one-handed locking mechanism.

The Definitive is the bigger of the two knives with a 3.7-inch blade (vs a 3.48-inch blade on the LCBK), and it outweighs the LCBK 3 ounces to 2.8 ounces. The blade on the Definitive features a stonewashed finish while the LCBK has a bead blast finish.

Both knives have an MSRP of $215.

The Future Of The CRKT/Hogue Collaboration

LCBK knife
The LCBK has a bead blast finish and is a light 2.8 ounces.

These knives are meant to be the first launch in a long-term, wide-sweeping alliance between the two companies. Both have said they are excited to work together and learn from each other’s expertise.

“We’ve known the team at Hogue Knives for quite some time and their sterling reputation in the marketplace is well deserved,” said Doug Flagg, VP of Marketing & Innovation for CRKT. “As we looked towards partners in US manufacturing, they were an obvious fit in helping us develop top-notch American-made knives and we couldn’t be more pleased to be working with them.”

“This partnership with CRKT is a natural extension for our business,” said Jim Bruhns, President of Hogue Knives. “CRKT’s penchant for design and willingness to take risks and stand out fits right in with the ethos here at Hogue Knives and we’re excited for what the future holds for both brands.”

Read More

New Knives: Hunting Knives And Outdoor Blades

BLADE Staff
-
0
New Knives: Hunting Knives And Outdoor Blades

Hunting and outdoor endeavors, these blades are a cut above the rest.

Looking to kit up for the next hunting season? Need to start thinking about filleting this summer’s catch? Or maybe you just require a little summer to make camp life a little easier. We’ve got you covered! From stunning custom creations to workhorse production models, we’ve gathered up top-not hunting knives, camp knives and about every other blade to tackle your outdoor adventures.

Paul DiStefano: Hunter

Paul DiStefano: Hunter


BLADE LENGTH: 5”
BLADE STEEL: Mosaic damascus
BLADE GRIND: Flat
HANDLE: Ivory Micarta® carved w/Japanese maple leaves and birds native to Japan; bird’s-beak butt design
HANDLE CARVED BY: Paul DiStefano
GUARD: Mosaic damascus
OVERALL LENGTH: 9.5”
MAKER’S PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE: $2,200
KNIFE TO KNOW: Paul DiStefano is an American Bladesmith Society journeyman smith
MAKER: Paul DiStefano

Jacob Gaetz: Hunter

Jacob Gaetz: Hunter

BLADE LENGTH: 4.5”
BLADE MATERIAL: Mosaic damascus of 1084 carbon and 15N20 nickel-alloy steels
ROCKWELL HARDNESS: 61 HRC
BLADE GRIND: Full flat, .01”-thick BTE (behind the edge)
HANDLE: Stabilized redwood burl
HANDLE PIN: Argentium silver
SPACER: Heat-colored damascus
GUARD STEEL: Heat-colored 416 stainless
OVERALL LENGTH: 9 5/8”
MAKER’S PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE: $2,000
KNIFE TO KNOW: Jacob Gaetz is an American Bladesmith Society journeyman smith
MAKER: Jacob Gaetz (Jocelyn Frasier image)

Tanner Couch: Rabbit Skinner

Tanner Couch: Rabbit Skinner

BLADE LENGTH: 3”
BLADE STEEL: CPM 154 stainless
BLADE GRIND: Hollow
HANDLE FRAME: 410 stainless steel
HANDLE MATERIAL: Ivory
BOLSTER: 416 stainless
CLOSED LENGTH: 37/8”
MAKER’S PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE: $1,600
KNIFE TO KNOW: Tanner Couch is a card-carrying member of the South Texas Slipjoint Cartel
MAKER: Tanner Couch (SharpByCoop image)

Chris Hamelin: Saratoga Hunter

Chris Hamelin: Saratoga Hunter

BLADE LENGTH: 4”
BLADE STEEL: 440C stainless
BLADE GRIND: Flat
HANDLE: Maple Valley Richlite w/copper pin and lanyard tube, natural Micarta®
BOLSTER: Copper; engraved by Wolfgang Loerchner
OVERALL LENGTH: 8.5”
SHEATH (not shown): Belt model w/snap closure of leather and alligator skin inlay by Buffalo Bones
MAKER’S PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE: $1,300
MAKER: Chris Hamelin (Jocelyn Frasier image edit)

Charlie Lloyd: Crushed W’s hunter

Charlie Lloyd: Crushed W’s hunter

BLADE LENGTH: 5”
BLADE MATERIAL: Crushed W’s damascus of 1080 carbon and 15N20 nickel-alloy steels
BLADE GRIND: Flat
GUARD: Damascus
OVERALL LENGTH: 10”
MAKER’S PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE: $1,200
KNIFE TO KNOW: Charlie Lloyd is a journeyman smith in the American Bladesmith Society
MAKER: Charlie Lloyd (SharpByCoop image)

CAS Iberia: Modern Tanto

CAS Iberia: Modern Tanto

BLADE LENGTH: 10.5”
BLADE MATERIAL: 1566 carbon steel w/hamon
BLADE THICKNESS @ GUARD: .21”
BLADE THICKNESS @ TIP: .157”
TSUKA (handle): G-10
HABAKI (collar): Copper
MENUKI (handle ornaments): Silver shi shi (lion dogs)
SAYA (scabbard; not shown): Textured black
WEIGHT: 15 ozs.
OVERALL LENGTH: 16”
MSRP: $259
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: China
COMPANY: CAS Iberia

Russell Roosevelt: Hunter

Russell Roosevelt: Hunter

BLADE LENGTH: 5.5”
BLADE MATERIAL: Ladder-pattern damascus of 1084 carbon and 15N20 nickel-alloy steels
BLADE GRIND: Flat
HANDLE: Amboyna burl
GUARD: 416 stainless steel w/spacers
OVERALL LENGTH: 10.75”
KNIFE TO KNOW: Russell Roosevelt is a journeyman smith in the American Bladesmith Society
MAKER: Russell Roosevelt (SharpByCoop image)

Josh Hults: Skinner/camp knife

Josh Hults: Skinner/camp knife

BLADE LENGTH: 3.5”
BLADE MATERIAL: Twisted ‘W’s’ damascus of 1084 carbon and 15N20 nickel-alloy steels
BLADE GRIND: Flat
HANDLE: Stabilized black ash
HANDLE SPACERS: Copper and G-10
OVERALL LENGTH: 9.5”
MAKER’S PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE: $800
KNIFE TO KNOW: Josh Hults is a journeyman smith in the American Bladesmith Society
MAKER: Josh Hults (Jocelyn Frasier image edit)

Outdoor Edge: Razor VX 4

Outdoor Edge: Razor VX 4

BLADE LENGTH: 3”
BLADE STEEL: 420J2 stainless
BLADE FINISH: Black oxide coated
HANDLE MATERIAL: Forged carbon fiber
LOCK: Linerlock
LINERS: Vented stainless steel
PIVOT: Ceramic ball bearing
CLOSED LENGTH: 4.25”
KNIFE TO KNOW: The Razor VX 4 is a replaceable-blade model; also available in handle materials of green Micarta® ($54.99) and Black G-10 w/spring assist $44.95)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: China
MSRP: $69.99
COMPANY: Outdoor Edge

Spyderco: Spyder Thrower, Small

Spyderco: Spyder Thrower, Small

DESIGNER: Harald Moeller
BLADE LENGTH: 5.3”
BLADE STEEL: 8Cr13MoV stainless
BLADE GRIND: Dagger
BLADE @ THICKEST: .217”
BLADE FINISH: Two-tone black oxide and satin finish
WEIGHT: 7 ozs.
OVERALL LENGTH: 9”
SHEATH: Leather
KNIFE TO KNOW: Comes in a set of three w/three-tiered leather sheath and a copy of the instructional booklet, Knife Throwing: The Knives and Throwing Technique of Harald Moeller; designed to be thrown by either the blade tip or handle butt
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: China
MSRP: $144 for the set
Company: Spyderco

Smith’s Consumer Products Inc.: Lawaia Flex Fillet Knife

Smith’s Consumer Products Inc.: Lawaia Flex Fillet Knife

BLADE LENGTH: 7”
BLADE STEEL: 400 series stainless
BLADE FINISH: Corrosion-resistant coating
HANDLE: Thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) w/non-slip soft grips and hole for a lanyard
SHEATH (not shown): Breathable TPE
KNIFE TO KNOW: Designed for cleaning small-to-medium-size fish like speckled trout or yellowtail snapper
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: China
MSRP: $12.99
COMPANY: Smith’s Consumer Products Inc.

GiantMouse: ACE Iona V2

GiantMouse: ACE Iona V2

BLADE LENGTH: 3”
BLADE STEEL: CPM MagnaCut stainless
BLADE @ THICKEST: .115”
BLADE FINISH: Stonewash
HANDLE MATERIAL: Green canvas Micarta®
POCKET CLIP: Wire, reversible
PIVOT: Washer
LOCK: Linerlock
WEIGHT: 3.4 ozs.
CLOSED LENGTH: 4.34”
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Italy
MSRP: $195
KNIFE TO KNOW: The knife is named after the Iona Bar, “a beloved establishment” in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York
COMPANY: GiantMouse

Check Out More Knife Drops:

5 Pocketknife Breakthroughs That Changed The Class Of Knife

Elwood Shelton
-
0
5 Pocketknife Breakthroughs That Changed The Class Of Knife

The technological advancements that have redefined the pocketknife as we know it.

When I stumbled onto the knife scene in 1985, the only pocketknives I had carried up to that point were slipjoints and lockbacks. Of course, slipjoints weren’t called slipjoints back then but simply pocketknives. Today, as far as BLADE® is concerned—not that it’s any major newsflash or anything—any knife you can carry in your pocket is a pocketknife.

All of which brings me to the subject at hand: my picks of the five most important pocketknife developments of the modern sporting knife era. In rough chronological order they are:

•The pocket clip: BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Sal Glesser’s introduction in 1981 of the Spyderco pocketknives with the hole in the blade and the pocket clip would turn the genre on its head. While the hole in the blade was a masterstroke in and of itself, it was the pocket clip that forever changed the way people would carry their pocketknives. Rather than rattling around in the bottom of a pocket with change, car keys and what have you, the closed knife was held on the pocket lip by the clip, free from pocket-bottom scratches and poised at the ready to be deployed to cut whatever needed cutting.

•The linerlock: Cutlery Hall-of-Famer Michael Walker invented the linerlock in 1981, but it would take a few more years before custom knifemakers—and shortly thereafter, factory makers—began readily adopting the lock that made one-hand manual opening and closing of the pocketknife an easy reality rather than an exercise in hand contortions. Today, the argument can be made that the linerlock is used on more sporting folders than any other lock.

•The flipper: While exactly who made the first folder with the flipper tab that manually deploys a folding blade with the tap of a finger may be up for debate, there is no debating that the person who popularized it was Cutlery Hall-of-Fame knifemaker Kit Carson. A simple addition to the pocketknife on its face, the flipper tab opens a blade as fast and easy as any other manual method—probably faster.

•The Ikoma Korth Bearing System (IKBS): Pivot systems that helped open folding blades quickly and smoothly had been around before, but it was the IKBS conceived in 2002 that took blade opening to a new level of quick and smooth. In conjunction with the flipper especially, the IKBS transformed one-hand pocketknife opening from fast to just this side of automatic. Developed by Brazilian custom knifemakers Flavio Ikoma and Ricardo “Rick” and Paulo Lala (the latter two collectively known as Korth), the IKBS is another masterstroke of design and invention.

•Material upgrades: These cover a number of materials and years, from Walker’s switch to titanium for his linerlock spring in 1983, to a wide array of other hi-tech substances in subsequent years for pocketknife handles, including titanium, thermoplastics, Micarta®, G-10, carbon fiber and other state-of-the-art materials that not only were super strong and tough but also were lightweight, reducing the weight of pocketknives to the point that they were basically unnoticeable in a pocket. Meanwhile, the advances in blade steels over that same stretch are too many to mention.

How about you? What are the most important pocketknife developments? Tell us in the comments.

More On Pocketknives:
1...131415...23Page 14 of 23
Advertisement

Must Read Articles

Read this before you make a knife

Knifemaking 101 – Read This Before You Make a Knife

Wayne Goddard -
  by Wayne Goddard My experience has taught me that there's nothing like digging in and getting started. I've often said the hardest part of the...
forged in fire knifemaking tv show

8 Things You May Not Know About “Forged in Fire”

how to forge damascus steel

How to Forge Damascus

James Huse ordered a custom sheath by No Surrender Holsters for his BBQ knife.

How to Create Damascus Patterns

Why Are Switchblades Illegal?

Advertisement
Advertisement
BladeMag.com
Facebook Instagram Pinterest X