Knife News Wire Archives

BLADE’s Complete Knife Guide On Newsstands Now!

Steve Shackleford

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December 3, 2013

BLADE’s Complete Knife Guide On Newsstands Now!

BLADE’s Complete Knife Guide—your ticket to everything knife—is on newsstands now!

BLADE’s Complete Knife Guide (BKG) is the only knife buyer’s guide in a magazine format that gives you all the contact information for all the major players in the custom and factory knife industries—all in an easy-to-access format that provides each knife source’s physical and web addresses, phone numbers, specialties and much more.

In addition to being your No. 1 source for accessing the knife, knifemaker, knife company, sheath, knifemaking materials, purveyor, accessory and everything cutlery related that you need, BKG also contains the stories that help you identify and obtain the perfect cutlery product for you. Included in this issue are:

•What To Look For in EDC—We went right to the professionals who work in the business for a living and asked them what they look for in an everyday carry (EDC) knife, including size, price point, blade steel, taste and intent, “the essentials,” and much more;

•Sheaths Today: Dressed For Success—Sheath styles, materials, the top makers and more, this story takes you inside the minds of some of the industry’s leading sheath makers for their take on the subject as only they can provide it;

•Out-Of-Site Knives—Buying knives on the internet is the way a lot of folks do it these days. But do you know what to look for in the best custom and factory sites? BKG takes you inside some of today’s hottest sites and details the services they provide, the knives they sell and much more;

There’s much more in this issue, including new knives for 2014; knife guards that both protect and adorn; what makes some of the latest factory tactical knives tactical; today’s top knife steels and who makes them; special deals on how to make a knife on a budget; some of today’s top custom knife purveyors; sharpening made easy and much more.

For the latest knife news, stay tuned to www.blademag.com.

Share Your Knife Memories of Rob Simonich

Steve Shackleford

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November 19, 2013

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Share Your Knife Memories of Rob Simonich

If you knew knifemaker Rob Simonich, share your memories of him with us on www.blademag.com.

BLADE® field editor Dexter Ewing has written the story, “Heart and Soul,” in the February BLADE which remembers Rob on the 10th anniversary of the death of one of knifemaking’s favorite sons. Killed tragically in a truck accident, Rob was loved by many, and his award-winning knives were among the best of their time—and they still hold up today.

Ten years is a long time, and a lot of people have come into the knife industry since Rob’s passing that do not know of the kind of person he was. If you knew Rob, you can help them know what kind of person he was by sharing some of your favorite memories of him.

Though Rob was taken away far too soon, he left an indelible mark on the knife industry, and, of course, his wife Christine and daughter Megan. Rob loved to break new ground in terms of knives, especially with blade materials such as Talonite® and CPM S30V. His knives won a number of awards, including his Urban Raven taking home the BLADE Magazine 2003 American-Made Knife Of The Year®.

As good as his knives were—and they were extremely well thought of and accepted by knife enthusiasts—it was Rob’s warm smile and sincere manner that helped him win over many friends. He loved people and he loved the outdoors, and it showed in most everything he did.

He also loved the BLADE Show and made it a point to attend every one he could. It was there that he made many friends in the industry.

How about it? Care to share any memories? We’d love to hear them—as would those who both knew him and those who want to know more about him.

For the latest knives, knife trends, knife news and more, stay tuned to www.blademag.com.

Federal Knife Owners’ Protection Act Introduced

Knife News Wire

Steve Shackleford

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November 15, 2013

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Federal Knife Owners’ Protection Act Introduced

A federal act that would protect law-abiding knife owners traveling from state to state from various conflicting knife laws within those states has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, a Knife Rights internet news release reported.

Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ) introduced Knife Rights’ Knife Owners’ Protection Act (KOPA), H.R. 3478.

“KOPA will protect law-abiding knife owners travelling throughout the U.S. from the vagaries of restrictive state and local laws. As long as possession of the particular knife is legal in the state where the journey starts and ends, and provided the knife is secured in accordance with KOPA, a knife owner would no longer be threatened with arrest simply for traveling from one place to another,” Knife Rights headman Doug Ritter noted. He added that KOPA is the first proactive pro-knife federal legislation introduced in the nation’s history.

Ritter said Knife Rights needs your help to gain additional co-sponsors for the bill. If your representative is not already a co-sponsor, call or e-mail and urge him/her to co-sponsor KOPA. You can find your representative at: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

Additional co-sponsors are: Rep. Kerry Bentivolio (R-MI), Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN), Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ), and Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX)

“Those who travel across the country with knives for work, recreation and self defense are presently subject to arrest and prosecution under a confusing patchwork of inconsistent state and local laws and regulations, said Ritter, “what is perfectly legal in one place may be a serious crime in another, resulting in forfeiture of property and carrying significant penalties including jail time. Enforcement is not uniform even within jurisdictions and is subject to the vagaries of political expediency at times. Sportsmen and workmen who travel are particularly vulnerable.

“The culmination of almost three years of effort, Knife Rights developed the Knife Owners’ Protection Act to address this absurd situation in a commonsense manner that is fair and equitable and is based on established legislative and legal precedent,” Ritter said. “We’ve fought hard to defend the right to carry a knife in the individual states, cities and towns, but KOPA represents a key initiative to protect law-abiding knife owners simply passing through areas like New York City where possessing the most commonly owned pocketknife in America today, the one-hand opening folding knife, may result in arrest and prosecution.”

KOPA has teeth to defend those who travel under its protection because it also provides penalties for law enforcement, prosecutors and others who ignore the protections provided. Similar to the protections and penalties generally provided in USC 1983 to those whose civil rights are violated, a falsely arrested citizen can be compensated for the expense of defending themselves from an unwarranted violation of the rights Congress has protected in KOPA.

For the latest knives, knife news, trends tips and more, stay tuned to www.blademag.com.

New BLADE® Hits Newsstands Today!

Steve Shackleford

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November 5, 2013

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The new BLADE® is on newsstands now! Get the latest on knives for Veterans Day, the coolest factory assisted-opening knives, knife tests, knifemaker profiles and much more with newest edition of the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication.

Sporting the Condor Tool & Knife (CTK) Tactical Rescue Tomahawk (TRT) on the cover—the first time ever that an edged tool from CTK has appeared on the cover of BLADE®—the latest issue includes the TRT among four hawks tested by writer James Ayres.

It was almost 10 years ago this month that knifemaker Rob Simonich was killed in a vehicle accident. Join Dexter Ewing as he interviews those who knew and loved Rob—including Mrs. Christine Simonich, knifemaker Jerry Hossom, Mike Fuller of TOPS Knives, knifemaker Tom Mayo and others. Those who remember Rob will relish the story, and those who don’t get the chance to acquaint themselves with a man who touched the lives of many—and continues to to this day.

We often get letters from readers who want more on sheaths, and this issue ABS master smith Ed Fowler begins a multi-part story on how he makes the sheaths for his knives. Known far and wide for his sheep-handle knives with 52100 blades, Ed also makes one of the best pouch sheaths going. He shows you how he does it in part one of “Sheath How-To Step-By-Step.”

Part two of the story on the top makers in the 40 years of BLADE® focuses on the cream of the cutlery crop from 1989-2000. It was yet another golden age of knifemaking. Check out the top makers over that span as identified by our panel of edged experts. Tell us who we left out—because it’s impossible to do such a list and not leave someone out.

There’s much more in the issue—but the best way we know to tell you about it is to tell you to go get the latest issue on newsstands. Or, if you want it faster, subscribe to BLADE® digitally by visiting http://www.shopblade.com/blade-1-yr-digital-subscription

Enter KA-BAR’s Pumpkin Carving Contest

Steve Shackleford

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October 15, 2013

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Break out your favorite KA-BAR knife, grab a pumpkin and commence to carving—it’s time for KA-BAR’s third annual Pumpkin Carving Contest!

The winner will receive a free KA-BAR knife. The contest runs through Halloween, Oct. 31.

Using your favorite KA-BAR knife, carve a pumpkin and photograph the result. The photograph must also include the KA-BAR knife you used to do the carving. Upload the image to any of the KA-BAR social media channels—see below for a list of them—and you are officially entered.

Since you’ll need to upload the shot, you’ll need to use a digital camera. If you don’t have a digital camera, borrow one from a friend, or shoot a print and have a friend scan the image and upload it for you.

Be sure to follow all standard safety procedures when carving, including using a sharp knife—to ensure it’s sharp, touch the edge up beforehand—and when carving, cut AWAY from you and anyone else in the vicinity. You might even want to keep a box of bandages and other medicinal items on hand while you carve. You never can tell when you might get a bit klutzy (hey, it happens to all of us from time to time, right?).

If you have any questions about rules, eligibility, etc., contact [email protected]. They will be happy to help.

KA-BAR social media channels include https://www.facebook.com/KABARKNIVES and

https://twitter.com/KA_BAR

https://plus.google.com/u/0/108773739377759118633/posts

For the latest knives, knife news and more, keep it at www.blademag.com (www.blademag.com).

And happy trick or treating and Happy Halloween!

New BLADE Says Boo! on Newsstands Now!

Steve Shackleford

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October 8, 2013

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D.B. Fraley’s Torrent 5.0 “Grim Reaper” says boo to you on the cover of the latest BLADE® (www.blademag.com), on most newsstands TODAY!

Sporting extensive gold-inlay by engraver C.J. Cai in a fitting Halloween motif, the big flipper folder was five years in the planning and completion stages and its owner, Jon Ukman, is thrilled with the spooky result.

Elsewhere in the new BLADE (www.blademag.com):

•Discover which is best for you—a hunting knife that folds or is fixed—and why;

•See who our expert panel selects as the top 14 makers of the Golden Age of Modern Custom Knifemaking;

•Choose from a gaggle of top factory or custom slicing knives for that holiday turkey or ham;

•Learn whether the “Agent” by Jonathan Mcnees can pass the “steel-door-can-opening” test;

•Know a top traditional folder when you see it through “What To Look For in the Best Slip Joints”;

•Sample the top annual hammer-forged knives of the American Bladesmith Society as named at the 2013 BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) & Living Ready Expo;

•Read how collectors’ custom knives almost caused at least one divorce;

•Experience the week-long festivities of the Buck Collectors Club’s 25^th Anniversary Celebration in concert with Buck Knives;

•Follow the chops, cuts, slices and other blade-performance derring-do of the 11^th Annual BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) World Championship Cutting Competition;

•Learn what it takes to get started making tomahawks;

•Check out the latest knives, including the new bushcraft fixed-blade design for Colonial by Abe Elias, in “What’s New”;

•Absorb 3 keys to functional sheaths;

•Get the lowdown on makers Ron Appleton, Peter Rassenti, Ryan Lemaire, Patrick Randall, Rusty Waide and Robert Weinstock in “Knifemaker Showcase”;

•Also: see what the next knife show is nearest you; what to look for in the next issue; and much more, all in the January 2014 BLADE (www.blademag.com).

For the latest knives and knife news, stay glued to www.blademag.com.

NYC Anti-Knife Ruling Has Disastrous Implications

Knife News Wire

Steve Shackleford

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September 27, 2013

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People falsely arrested or threatened with arrest cannot sue in a federal lawsuit against New York City and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., according to a Wednesday anti-knife ruling by a U.S. District Court Judge.

If not overturned, a Knife Rights (KR) news release reported, the anti-knife ruling could have wide-ranging effects on knife enthusiasts throughout the USA, including re-classifying legal knives as illegal “gravity knives” and/or “switchblades.”

Judge Katherine B. Forrest ruled plaintiffs falsely arrested or threatened with arrest over “common pocketknives” cannot sue in part because the case documents don’t specify which knives would be illegal under NYC’s interpretation of New York state law—this despite the fact NYC’s inability to specify legal and illegal knives on a consistent basis is the exact reason the case documents cannot specify which knives are legal and which knives are not!

For the purposes of the case in question, “common pocket knife” is a legal term that covers knives with locking blades and a bias towards closure, KR’s Doug Ritter noted. As such, the legal term does NOT include traditional pocketknives in trapper, whittler, stockman and other old-time patterns.

The ruling is in response to a suit brought on June 9, 2011, by Knife Rights, Inc., John Copeland, Pedro Perez, Native Leather, Ltd., and Knife Rights Foundation, Inc., against D.A. Vance and the city of New York. The plaintiffs allege that the defendants’ “application of New York Penal Law 265.01’s prohibition on the possession of switchblade knives and gravity knives to possessors of common folding knives makes 265.01 void for vagueness under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.”

Meanwhile, as KR reported, thousands of citizens in NYC have been arrested on “illegal” knife charges. “In at least one instance of which we are aware,” a KR release stated, “the result of the bogus arrest was that the victim’s entire knife collection was confiscated from his home,” adding that gun owners have had their firearms confiscated based on bogus knife arrests, too.

For information on how to fight Forrest’s outlandish ruling, visit www.kniferights.org.

For the latest on knives and knife news, stay tuned to www.blademag.com (www.blademag.com).

Sniper Bladeworks And Mossy Oak Team Up

Mike “Whiskers” Allen: Award-Winning Custom Knifemaker/Designer Passes

Remembering Tim Britton: Rest Easy Marine

Knife Industry Wishes & Predictions: What the New Year Holds for 2026

Knife Steels To Watch In 2026

BLADE’s Complete Knife Guide On Newsstands Now!

Share Your Knife Memories of Rob Simonich

Federal Knife Owners’ Protection Act Introduced

New BLADE® Hits Newsstands Today!

Enter KA-BAR’s Pumpkin Carving Contest

New BLADE Says Boo! on Newsstands Now!

NYC Anti-Knife Ruling Has Disastrous Implications

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