Knife collecting is an extremely rewarding experience for knife enthusiasts. There truly is a knife for everyone. Many increase or hold their value throughout the years, making collecting knives something to pass on to the next generation of knife collectors.
Saddle up for Valentine’s Day with the Case John Wayne peanut.Whether you’re spoken for or not, the Kershaw Spoke will cut it for you and/or your sweetie-pie.
Valentine’s Day is a heartbeat away and there’s no better gift than his/her knives. These knives especially fit the bill because they are smallish folders that work well for both men and women. Featuring blades under 3 inches, they make the ideal everyday carry knife in most any venue.
Boker’s Damascus African Thuya is just such a knife. Boasting a 2.25-inch blade of Chad Nichols ladder-pattern damascus, it has a handle of tight-grained African thuya wood. MSRP: $299.
The Buck Apex is a sporty little folding knife with a 2 5/8 blade of 420HC stainless and a carbon fiber handle with carabiner, pocket clip and integrated bottle opener. Weight: 1.7 ounces. Closed length: 3.75 inches. MSRP: $45.
Boker’s Damascus African Thuya makes a great Valentine’s Day gift.Buck’s Apex features a carabiner, pocket clip and bottle opener in the carbon fiber handle.
If you’re into the Duke—John Wayne for you tenderfoots—Case’s John Wayne peanut pattern should be your cup of cattle-drive coffee. Sporting clip and pen blades—the former with Wayne’s signature—the Red River “D” shield and “The Duke” inscribed on the bolster, this one is made for Wayne fans everywhere.
The black-oxide-coated Spoke from Kershaw is an assisted-opening flipper folder with a 2-inch blade of 4Cr14 stainless and a forged steel handle. Closed length: 2.8 inches. MSRP: $27.99.
Finally, yet another great small knife for Valentine’s Day is the SOG Cash Card. The 2.75-inch blade of 8Cr13MoV stainless and full-metal construction make this minimalist’s dream knife come true.
SOG’s Cash Card should appeal to him or her on Valentine’s Day.
His/her knives—you can’t beat ’em! For more on these classics and other great knives, stay tuned to blademag.com and the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication, BLADE®.
When it comes to knives, an array of products sits ready to address the issues of protection and maintenance. Depending on personal preference you have your choice of paste waxes, aerosols, oils and cloths to get the job done. Price points vary widely as well.
Tracy Mickley of Midwest Knife Supply suggests the old reliable 3-In-One Oil or another petroleum-based product called Nano-Oil. The 3-In-One Oil sells for about $3 in a 4-ounce applicator container.
“There are hundreds of different things out there,” remarked Tracy Mickley, owner of Midwest Knife Supply in North Mankato, Minnesota. “Many of them are very good, including carrying cases that are protective and sometimes fleece lined. They are inexpensive at $5 to $20 depending on the size.”
John Perry employs the classic gunstock-lobster pocketknife pattern to showcase the mother-of-pearl. (Chuck Ward image)Gold engraving by Martin Butler borders the stunning black-lip mother-of-pearl inlay in Warren Osborne’s interframe folder. (SharpByCoop image)
7 pearl knives for Dec. 7 somehow seems oh so fitting. Dec. 7, 1941—the date which lives in infamy marked the USA’s entry into World War II and the awakening of a military dynamo that would vanquish Japan and play a crucial role in the defeat of Germany in Europe. Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor early that day thrust America headlong into the maelstrom that would change the world forever.
With the 74th anniversary of that momentous event upon us, we thought a fitting way to observe it would be with knives sporting one of the most beautiful of handle materials: mother-of-pearl. Called pearl by most, the material is coveted on higher-end knives and makes for a most worthy edged presentation.
Herein are seven of those knives in memory of Dec. 7. Enjoy!
Black-lip mother-of-pearl rarely looks as pleasing as it does on Tom Overeynder’s folding art dagger. (PointSeven image)Don Hanson’s mother-of-pearl folder boasts some of the maker’s forged mosaic damascus for the blade and bolster, and titanium liners anodized blue. (PointSeven image)Kyle Hanson goes the mother-of-pearl route in damascus and with a handsome leather sheath. (PointSeven image)Ken Steigerwalt uses black-lip mother-of-pearl for the inlay on his damascus art folder with a modified tanto blade. Accents in 14k gold add to the mix. (SharpByCoop image)Gilles Victors of Vacquiers, France, offers up his “Zephyr” model in mother-of-pearl as well as a handle of carbon fiber. The damascus blade comes in a modified wharncliffe style.
Ron Newton’s bowie features an ancient ivory handle. (PointSeven image)
Massachusetts and New Jersey made advances in the fight against each state’s ivory ban proponents over the past two weeks.
Opponents of the Massachusetts ivory ban outnumbered the proponents in a Nov. 17 hearing before the state’s Joint Committee on Environment. In other words, there were many more legitimate business people there—scrimshanders, musicians, antique dealers, etc.—than animal activists, and that’s a good thing for people interested in maintaining a legal ivory trade in the state.
The ban’s opponents gave many examples of art and culturally significant antiques that would needlessly be rendered worthless under the ban. The committee seemed to acknowledge the beauty and distinctiveness of the antiques that would be outlawed, and that an all-encompassing ban was unnecessarily broad. The activists commented on the “different tone” and the concern the committee showed for scrimshaw and antiques. Many of the questions asked related to creating legal exceptions to the ban.
The Massachusetts developments followed on the heels of the chaotic hearing on the Big 5 African Species ban before the New Jersey Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee on Nov. 10. The oppressive bill heard before the committee would have made possession of ivory a criminal offense punishable by three-to-five years in prison and a $5,000 to $50,000 fine. It also would have targeted other wildlife materials, including varieties of mother-of-pearl, shark’s teeth and many more. Thanks in no small part to the invaluable help of Knife Rights and Doug Ritter, written criticisms of the ban read to the committee helped result in a watered-down version of the bill that, among others, exempted ivory and rhino horn and no longer requires ivory owners to comply with the bill’s new possession prohibition and certification requirements; dramatically reduced the number of species covered from 11,800 to around 10; and slashed the penalty for failing to comply with their certification requirements from felony-level penalties to a civil penalty.
Despite the watering down of it, the New Jersey bill is still a bad one and represents a Pyrrhic victory of sorts. Though ivory was excluded, the bill still constitutes unconstitutional taking by criminalizing commercial trade and possession of otherwise legal private property without just compensation. It imposes taxes on those who lawfully possess wildlife through its certification requirements that remain in place, and manages to include additional species with no evidence of a connection between New Jersey and the targeted items. Finally, its one-size-fits-all-prohibition style strips wildlife of all commercial value to local African countries and communities best suited to protect them.
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Knives 2016, 36th Edition
The trusted guide for knife collectors, enthusiasts, knifemakers, and dealers around the world, this knife book covers the latest and greatest from front to back. A collection of feature articles explores the latest developments, history, and transformation of knives, swords, and edges of various kinds. Get your copy
The following is an excerpt from the KNIVES 2016book. Click here to order your copy, read many entries like it and view some of the most gorgeous knives on the planet.
Edges of the World
You know it’s American when you see it. That’s the easy part. Isn’t it amazing how something “foreign” is also instantly recognizable? And it doesn’t matter which country you live in, a Chevy is as American as a Ford, and a Maserati as Italian as a Ferrari. One doesn’t look at a Dodge pickup truck, and say, “Wow, those Japanese imports are sure stylish.” The Dodge is easily identified as an American truck. And likewise, even the most novice of car enthusiasts can tell that a Hyundai isn’t a product of Detroit, Mich.
So should knives and swords be any different? When you shrink your product down from a vehicle that a person rides inside to a knife he or she carries, one might think that identifying it by country of origin would be more difficult. But that’s not the case. Many knife enthusiasts recognize Persian upswept blades when they see them, Scottish basket-hilt swords, Japanese tantos or wakizashis, French poniards, Napalese kukris and American bowie knives. Those are the easy ones. But can you identify a Hungarian foko or a Spanish belduque? It doesn’t take much practice.
Perhaps we’re more worldly than we give ourselves credit for. Sure, the average American can’t likely name the countries of South Africa, but we know Chinese food when we taste it, a Cuban cigar when we smoke it and a Mexican fiesta when we attend one. Regional recognition isn’t limited to geography, but also includes cultures, people, clothing, food, arms and armor. That means knives, and these exotic beauties will take you to the edges of the world and back. Or is the world round?
Knives 2016, 36th Edition
The trusted guide for knife collectors, enthusiasts, knifemakers, and dealers around the world, this knife book covers the latest and greatest from front to back. A collection of feature articles explores the latest developments, history, and transformation of knives, swords, and edges of various kinds. Get your copy
The classic Case V-42 with thumbprint ricasso. (SharpByCoop image)Two Mark 1’s, one by Pal (top) and Robeson (bottom).
In honor of Veterans Day, here are a few of the veterans’ knives that have seen action over the past century in the service of our country:
•U.S.N. Mark 2/U.S.M.C. fighting-utility knife: Known to many simply as a KA-BAR or kabar, it was made during World War II not only by Union Cutlery/KA-BAR but also, among others, Pal, Case, Camillus, Utica, Conetta and Robeson Shuredge. The iconic picture of it on the hips of U.S. Marines on the black sands of Iwo Jima tells it all—it was there and so were the Marines, who, by the way, are also celebrating their 240th anniversary. Semper Fidelis!;
•U.S. Mark I Trench Knife: It has all the trimmings: skull crusher, dagger blade, and the four finger holes in the knuckle guard. It reeks of Doughboys, Over There and Jimmy Cagney’s The Fighting 69th;
•Randall Model #1-8: WIth its stacked-leather grip and flowing blade, slightly dropped handle, double guard and narrow tang opening into a magnificently ground clip-point blade, the Model 1 has some of the most beautiful lines of any knife ever made;
Two Mark 2’s stamped “KA-BAR.”
•Case V-42: Classic skull crusher, cylindrical/swell-center handle, double guard, dagger blade and the clincher, the thumbprint indentation iwth grooved lines on the ricasso alone would guarantee the V-42 a place in any pantheon of military knives;
•Gerber Mark II: The one with the “cat-tongue” handle—so-called because of the feel of the grip created by spraying molten stainless steel onto the aluminum—and the wasp-waisted blade is a favorite from the Vietnam War;
•SOG Recon: The “twin-peak” blade spine readily identifies this military classic from the Vietnam War. “SOG” comprises the last three letters in the MACV-SOG acronym, the seven which stand for Military Assistance Command Vietnam-Studies and Observations Group;
•Ulster Mountain Pocketknife: These utlilitarian pocketknives reportedly were issued to the First Special Service Force during World War II and later to the troops of the 11th Mountain Division.
U.S. Marines land at Iwo Jima, their U.S.N. Mark 2’s/Ka-Bar fighting/utility knives at their sides.
The tactical folder in the line is the 2-Stage, a Robert Carter design with a tanto blade.Ken Steigerwalt’s new Ruger/CRKT design is the Crack Shot: Compact.
Sturm, Ruger & Co. and CRKT announce new knives designed by a selection of award-winning custom knifemakers.
The designers include Ken Steigerwalt, Ryan Johnson of RMJ Tactical, Bill Harsey, Matthew Lerch and Robert Carter.
CRKT has the knives produced under license from Ruger. They include a selection of EDC, tactical, hunting and utility patterns in an assortment of sizes and materials.
Of the five designers, Harsey designed the most knives: three. His are the “Go-N-Heavy” folder highlighted by a hard-anodized, sure-grip handle and a 3.5-inch blade, the “All-Cylinders” folder with a black, stonewashed 4-inch blade and a “revolver cylinder-style” pivot, and the “Accurate,” a fixed-blade hunter with a reinforced nylon-fabric sheath. The folders have drop-point blades with a choice of plain edge or Veff serrations. The Go-N-Heavy stores in a nylon-fabric sheath.
Bill Harsey’s Go-N-Heavy is highlighted by a hard-anodized sure-rip handle.
Johnson’s designs are the “Cordite: Compact” straight knife sporting a 2.5-inch drop-point blade and a paracord-wrapped handle with a “revolver cylinder style” bead, and the “Powder-Keg” fixed-blade survival knife featuring a 4.75-inch blade and rubber overmold full-tang handle with an inset Ruger medallion. The former has a glass-reinforced nylon sheath, the latter a leather sheath.
The Cordite: Compact has a 2.5-inch drop-point blade and paracord-wrapped handle.
Lerch’s design is the “Follow-Through” flipper folder with a Ruger-inspired, diamond-checkered, glass-reinforced nylon handle.
The locking liner knife has a 3.75-inch drop-point blade and a two-position pocket clip. Steigerwalt’s design is the “Crack Shot: Compact” assisted opener with a 3.5-inch drop-point blade and a Ruger American Rifle-inspired, glass-reinforced nylon grip with pocket clip.
The blade is stonewashed and available in a plain or serrated edge. Carter’s design is two sizes of the “2-Stage,” a tactical flipper folder with a choice of a 4- or 3.58-inch (the “2-Stage: Compact”) tanto blade in a plain edge or with Veff serrations. Each knife has a machined/hard-anodized aluminum and stainless steel handle, and four-position pocket clip.
Matthew Lerch’s Follow-Through flipper folder includes a Ruger-inspired, diamond-checkered glass-reinforced nylon handle.
