BLADE magazine review: For an MSRP of $60, it’s tough to beat the Buck Inertia as an EDC knife. The locking blade keeps accidental opens at a minimum. (Mary Lou Ayres photo)
Why the Buck Inertia is a Great EDC Knife
The Buck 293 Inertia Assisted Folding Knife stands out with a mechanism to lock the blade closed. An open blade in a waistband or pocket could be a painful, bloody mess.
With the lock disengaged, pushing the hole in the blade opened the knife smoothly and strongly without it threatening to jump from my hand. The liner locked the blade open securely.
On all cutting materials the drop-point blade performed with predictable results—well. I mean, come on, it’s a Buck!
The skeletonized scales lightened the knife and gave it a nice balance right at the index finger. The clip was strong but a little too short to prevent the knife from moving when worn with elastic-waisted athletic pants. The tip-up position required a shift of grip to get to a cutting hold after withdrawing the knife.
Cutting strips of dried palm fronds with the Buck Inertia. (Mary Lou Ayres photo)
The Verdict
All in all, the Inertia is a good example of a contemporary assisted opener at a modest price from an old-line company known for decades of quality.
It’s challenging to know which knife sharpeners are junk and which are worth the money. To help, BLADE staff and contributors assembled this list. These are the knife sharpeners that those “in the know” use, but they won’t break the bank.
How BLADE Chose These Knife Sharpeners
BLADE received no compensation for the items that appear on this list. BLADE does not benefit financially from affiliate programs on any of the links. These picks are based on experience, knife sharpener reviews from the magazine, and what’s hot in the marketplace. There are more excellent options beyond this list.
Remember: a sharpener can’t help you if it never leaves the drawer! Buy a knife sharpener you’ll enjoy using.
Top Pick: Electric/Manual Combo Knife Sharpener
Work Sharp Combo Knife Sharpener
PROS
For all types of knives
Simple to use for beginners, but yields advanced results
Offers electric sharpening (removing metal) and manual honing (straightening metal) in one unit
Easy maintenance with compressed air
CONS
Produces metal dust (store it away from food)
Only offers 25-degree angle for edges
The Work Sharp Combo Sharpener is designed for those who want simplicity along with the results that abrasive belt sharpening offers. One speed, one belt, one angle—everything is fixed. (DMS Captures image)
Winner: 2016 BLADE Magazine Accessory of the Year!
Featuring a flexible abrasive belt, the motorized Work Sharp Combo Sharpener (WSCS) from Work Sharp is simple and effective. It uses long lasting abrasive-belt-sharpening technology and puts a convex edge on any blade.
It has one sharpening angle, one motor speed and one grit of belt only. Simply plug it in and turn it on. Configured in a nice, compact form, the built-in angle guides eliminate the guesswork of holding a consistent 25-degree angle.
Pull the blade through each slot to sharpen both sides. After achieving a sharp edge using the belt, switch to the tapered ceramic rod to further hone the edge to hair-popping sharpness. Rest the blade flat against the yellow pads and move it from tang to tip in one sweeping motion using light pressure.
The McGowan DiamondStone electric sharpener is a singlestage unit with counter-rotating abrasive wheels that produce a keen edge quickly on any blade, though it does so especially well with kitchen knives.
PROS
Quick and easy to use
Works especially well on kitchen knives
Chrome finish doesn’t look out of place on the countertop
Design keeps metal dust to a minimum
Less noisy than other models
CONS
Boxy design may not be visually appealing to everyone
Housed in a combination metal/plastic housing, the DiamondStone is available in brushed chrome or black. The brushed chrome blends in nicely on a kitchen countertop with other kitchen appliances.
Out of the box, the sharpener looks well built with top-notch fit and finish. It is quite boxy in appearance, with a pronounced slot running down the middle. Inside the slot sits multiple diamond-infused ceramic wheels that interlock and rotate counterclockwise in relation to each other in order to sharpen both sides of the edge simultaneously. The unit runs smoothly with minimal noise.
Place the blade in the slot starting with the tang end and pull straight toward you, using a minimal amount of pressure on the wheels and drawing back at a moderate pace to allow the ceramic wheels to do the work. As you approach the blade tip, lift the handle slightly so you can sharpen the blade’s belly evenly as well. Once you reach the tip, lift the knife out of the slot and repeat. Usually, a few strokes through the DiamondStone yield a very sharp edge.
This is an ideal type of sharpener for novices because there’s only one motion involved—pulling the blade through the machine.
The best pull-through, manual knife sharpeners feature a secure grip, a sturdy design, and solid construction for durability. A $20 investment ought to last you several years. (AccuSharp image)
PROS
Rubber grip for secure sharpening
Sharpening and honing options
Heavy duty design
Compatible with most plain-edge knives
Could not be simpler to use
CONS
Sharpener/honer may become loose after years of use (as with most manual pull-through knife sharpeners
Lacks the “cool factor” of more advanced knife sharpeners
Yes, there are plenty of pull-through, manual knife sharpeners out there. Some of them even resemble the design of the AccuSharp Pull-Through Knife Sharpener. So why did this one make the list?
To put it simply, this is a well-built manual knife sharpener with a sturdy design. That’s really all you need to worry about, because the sharpening technique will be the same. Draw the blade through the sharpening or the honing V with gentle pressure. Let the tool do the work. So long as you can safely move the blade through the V, this manual sharpener will tackle any type of knife (except for serrations).
This is a knife sharpener to keep in the kitchen drawer, the work bench in the garage, at the cabin, or even in a backpack.
See Also: Just about any other manual, pull-through knife sharpener. Look for solid grips, a sturdy design, and solid construction. It’s OK to pay a few dollars extra for durability’s sake.
Knife Honing Rod Tips
What’s the difference between honing and sharpening knives?
Honing rods refresh an edge, but they do not sharpen. That’s an important distinction. Honing is something that’s done regularly to tune up a blade, such as before preparing a meal, or immediately after sharpening. That’s because honing straightensthe existing edge. Sharpening removes metal from the edge, which is why it shouldn’t be done as often as honing.
Confusing this entire category is how some honing rods are called sharpening rods, and vice versa. The key is to look at the material.
Three Types of Honing Rods
Generally speaking, there are three types of honing rods: steel, ceramic and diamond. While each has different characteristics, there are some things to watch for:
A secure, ergonomic grip
A sturdy guard that protects your hand
A ring on the handle for slipping a pinky through in case you drop it
The rod should be longer than the blade of the knife/knives you intend to sharpen
There’s no need to overspend on steel honing rods. This 12-inch rod from Utopia Kitchen goes for $15.99.
Steel honing rods are the most common type, and the least expensive. Because they’re made from metal that’s softer than what’s typically found on knives, they’re excellent honing tools. Don’t pay more than $20 for one.
The Idahone Fine Ceramic Sharpening Rod sells for $34.99 at most retailers.
Ceramic honing rods are a bit more aggressive than steel versions. They’ll remove some steel in the process of honing. Isn’t that technically sharpening? Yes! However, if you’re someone who doesn’t sharpen as often as you should, a ceramic honing rod is a way to delay the inevitable. Expect to pay between $30 to $40 for the best value.
The 12-inch Diamond Steel Sharpening Rod has an MSRP of $39.68.
Diamond honing rods remove the most amount of steel during the honing process, which is why they’re basically sharpeners. If you go down the diamond rod route, pick up a steel or ceramic honing rod, too. On the plus side, diamond rods will last a lifetime. Pay $35 to $45 for a nice ROI.
Portable Keychain Knife Sharpener
CRKT Knife Maintenance Tool (KMT)
The CRKT Knife Maintenance Tool is an excellent portable knife sharpener. (CRKT image)
PROS
Compatible with most folding knives
Tungsten manual sharpener on one side
Ceramic honing edge on the other
Attaches to keychain
Bonus: T6 & T8 Torx screwdrivers
CONS
Too small for larger fixed blade knives
Maybe you prefer a different screwdriver?
Winner: 2018 BLADE Magazine Accessory of the Year!
The KMT weighs in at only 2.2 ounces. It sports a glass reinforced nylon handle. (CRKT image)
Too many keychain knife sharpeners are garbage. They fall apart, don’t get the job done, or are challenging to hold safely. The CRKT KMT, however, is an exception.
Place the KMT horizontally on a surface, then pull a blade through the tungsten carbide sharpener or the ceramic honing edge. Use gentle pressure, because the classic V will automatically bite into the edge’s preset angle.
The T6 and T8 screwdrivers may seem like filler for a keychain knife sharpener, but they actually offer a nice grip while working the blade.
An MSRP of $29.99 may seem high for a keychain knife sharpener, but consider the abuse you put your keys through on a daily basis, and it’s worth the price.
Here’s how to sharpen serrated knives. (Bear & Son photo)
PROS
Tapered diamond rod makes sharpening knife serrations a breeze
Built-in carbide sharpener tunes up plain edges, too
Bonus: Magnesium fire starting rod
Compact design: Both rods fit inside the body
Rugged body keeps components safe
CONS
Best used in tandem with a separate, dedicated sharpener for plain (non-serrated) edges
May not want to pay extra for the fire starting rod
A view of the Scepter 2.0 fully assembled, with both rods inside the body. (Bear & Son photo)The two rods screw apart and back into the knife sharpener’s body. This is a serrated knife sharpener that should last you a lifetime. (Bear & Son photo)
The GATCO Scepter 2.0 leans toward the survival category, but don’t let that turn you away from it. This is an overbuilt tool that should take care of sharpening your knife serrations for the rest of your life. Diamonds are forever.
The tapered diamond rod easily sharpens all types and sizes of serrations on tactical, sporting and kitchen knives. Simply lock the rod into the groove of a serration and lightly run it toward the blade’s edge. The classic V of the tungsten carbide sharpener will handle plain edges, too.
But the real gem in this design is the way the components can all be screwed into the rugged, 6061-T6 aluminum carbide body for secure storage.
Do you really need the magnesium fire starting rod? Maybe, maybe not, but that’s just gravy.
“We invented the Tri-Angle Sharpmaker because, while similar to the [V-stick] sharpener, it solved many sharpening challenges/problems the [V-stick] couldn’t perform,” he says.
One of those problems is the V-stick model could not sharpen serrated blades. Enter the Sharpmaker’s triangular-shaped rods, which allow it to address both plain edges on the rods’ flats and serrations using the “points” of the triangle.
Once you set the sharpener up, start your blade from where the edge starts closest to the tang and run it down the hone, at the same time pulling the blade back toward you, ensuring the hone contacts the entire length of the cutting edge all the way to the tip. Hence, you’re doing two simultaneous motions—moving down the hone and pulling the blade back toward you. Do it all with light pressure.
Don’t think you can learn how to sharpen a ceramic knife? Think again. (Dexter Ewing image)
PROS
Handles ceramic or steel blades
Don’t need to mail ceramic knives in for sharpening
Works with most types of knives
Simple to use
CONS
Only offers a convex edge
Pricier than other sharpening options
As with all motorized Chef ’s Choice sharpeners, the 702 will handle steel kitchen knives. However, it also will put the same quality edge on any ceramic kitchen blade. Employing advanced diamond abrasive technology, the 702 features two sharpening slots that hold the knives at pre-set angles, optimized for the best edge on both ceramic and steel blades. Turn the motor on and, using a steady drawing motion, pull the blade through each slot.
The 702 applies a convex edge, or what the Chef ’s Choice literature calls a “gothic arch,” to either steel or ceramic blades. The resulting grind leaves behind more “body,” which gives the edge added strength and resists chipping, while still remaining very sharp. This translates into a longer lasting edge.
The DMD Double Sided Bench Stone features two grits on one stone. Coarse (400) and fine (1,000) grits address high-performance steel blades. The metal plate is double sided and lies on the base just so to provide sharpening convenience. (DMS Captures image)
DMD Double-Sided Bench Stone
PROS
As with all knife sharpening stones, total control over edge angle
Two sides offer two grits
You look like a pro
Sharpens knives and edged tools
CONS
May be too advanced for knife novices
Some prefer a larger stone
The DMD double-sided bench stone sports two different grits: a coarse 400 and fine 1,000. The base is molded ABS plastic and features wide, anti-skid rubber feet to keep the sharpener in place while working on a flat table, counter or bench. The sharpening surface sits in a cavity of the base. To change grits, flip the hone over and return it to the base.
A hex-like pattern on both sharpening surfaces removes the tiny metal particles so they won’t collect and clog the surfaces as you sharpen the blade.
Work with the DMD and discover the convenience of a double-sided diamond bench stone, a rarity among such stones. The coarse side easily and quickly re-establishes worn edges to sharp. After you establish the primary edge, flip the sharpening surface over to the fine side and fine-tune the blade.
Pro Tip: Try using a permanent marker to color in the entire cutting edge on both sides of the blade. As you sharpen, note where the ink is removed and where it remains on the cutting edge. By doing so you can adjust your angle accordingly to capture the entire cutting edge and, therefore, keep the angle consistent for a sharp blade.
The Cordless Knife & Tool Sharpener from Smith’s Products features easily adjustable angle guides that hold the knife at the proper set angle for a consistent edge. (DMS Captures image)
PROS
Take an electric knife sharpener anywhere
No need to replace batteries
Sharpens knives and tools
Interchangeable belts for different grits
Backer plates offer extra safety
CONS
Belts can wear out
“Grabby” belts can apply an uneven edge if you’re not careful
Battery life limits use time
The Cordless Knife & Tool Sharpener represents a new step for Smith’s Products. While the company has sold and continues to sell electric sharpeners, this is the first time it has offered a powered abrasive-belt unit. Moreover, Smith’s added an extra twist by making it cordless and rechargeable. A pivoting head enables the unit not only to sharpen knives, but other cutting and digging tools such as axes, hedge clippers, bypass pruners, shovels and more. It comes with three interchangeable belts in coarse (80), medium (220) and fine (600) grits.
The belts are simple to change and color-coded for easy recognition. In addition to the multiple grits of belts, an adjustable guide maintains a consistent angle throughout the sharpening process. Another cool feature consists of “backer plates” behind the flexible sharpening belts.
“The backer plates prevent the belt from wrapping around the tip of your blade when you pull it through the sharpening slot,” says Ricky Dukes, Smith’s vice president of marketing.
Pull the blade through the slots to easily achieve a very sharp cutting edge. An ergonomic, soft-grip molded handle makes holding the sharpener very comfortable as well as non-slip.
In order to operate the sharpener, depress the rocker switch with your finger. Release the switch and the motor shuts off. There is no trigger lock to enable the sharpener to run continuously. Hence, if you need to stop the unit to regain control, simply release the switch.
One of the unit’s advantages—being cordless and rechargeable—is also a downside. BLADE’s tester operated it non-stop for 8 minutes and 20 seconds before it ran out of charge with no warning. Around the 8-minute mark the motor slowed slightly and 20 seconds later it shut off . There was no gradual tapering off —it simply shut down.
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!
6 Selections From True North Knives’ Freedom Collection
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.
Brian Fellhoelter’s Freedom Frikkie has a 1 3/4-inch blade of stone-washed CPM 154 steel. The frame is stone-washed titanium. Overall length is 4 1/8-inch, overall weight, 1.27 ounces. Maker’s list price: $180. Contact: www.truenorthknives.com.Three-time recipient of the BLADE Show Knife of the Year Custom Best Folder, Brain Nadeau adds the Freedom Hurricane Flipper to True North Knives’ Freedom Collection. 9 1/8 inches overall, it has a 4-inch blade made of hand-rubbed CPM S35VN. The handle is titanium. Maker’s list price: $1250. Contact: True North Knives.Chris Reeve’s contribution to the True North Knives Freedom Collection is the Flag 21 version of the Sebenza 21. The 3-inch blade is made with CPM S35VN stainless steel in a tanto design. The polished titanium frame sports an anodized flag pattern. Makers list price: $425. Contact: True North Knives.Rich Hinderer’s XM-18 Flipper is another knife in the True North Knives’ Freedom Collection. The CPM 20CV blade is done in Hinderer’s Harpoon Spanto design and measures 3.5 inches. The frame is titanium and measures 8.25 inches. Maker’s list price: $650. Contact: True North Knives.True North Knives’ Freedom Collection includes Jake Hoback’s Freedom OSF (Open Source Folder). The 3.5-inch blade is made out of CPM S35VN stainless steel in a modified sheepfoot design. Overall length is 8.75 inches, overall weight, 6.4 ounces. Frame is titanium. Maker’s list price: $550. Contact: True North Knives.We round out the True North Knive’s Freedom Collection with Michael Zieba’s S1 Mini. The 2 5/8-inch blade is made with M390 super stainless steel. Overall it measures 6 inches and weights 2.288 ounces. The frame is titanium. Maker’s list price: $395. Contact: True North Knives.
21 Patriotic Cutters From Custom Makers Across The USA
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.
The Warnaught by Eric Luther has a S35VN blade, full titanium frames, clip and backspacer, and ceramic detent and bearings. The custom Cerakote is by Warlock Custom. Maker’s list price: $700. Contact: [email protected] or join Eric Luther Knives on Facebook.Brent Chumbley of Triple Deuces Knives made this Regulator with a 3-inch blade made of Bohler N690 steel. The titantium framelock handle’s custom Cerakote job is by Chad Waldow. Overall length is 7 1/4 inches. Maker’s list price: $510. Contact Brent Chumbley on Facebook at Triple Deuces Knives and on Instagram at triple_deuces_knives.The Beaver Tooth by Matthew Nolan of Angry Beaver Knives, has a Scandi V-ground 3 1/2-inch blade made out of W2 steel and acid etched with a flag design. The handle is a Rob Carper Innovations patriot red pine cone in white and blue resin. Maker’s list price: $275 with Kydex sheath, $325 with leather. Contact: Matthew A. Nolan, [email protected], 518-791-2551 or on Facebook at Angry Beaver Knives.Cody Wheeler of Mill Creek Knives calls this his Steel Bridge Camp model. The steel is a Nicholson American file with CARVex “We the people” scales by VP5. The 3-inch blade has a flat grind. Maker’s list price: $225. Contact Cody Wheeler at [email protected], on Facebook at Mill Creek Knives and on Instgram @millcreek_knives.Spencer Aplin of STA Custom Knives made the 9-inch blade for this American Glory out of star feather-pattern steel from HHH Damascus and Knives. The fittings are nickel silver and the handle material is stabilized and double-dyed California buckeye burl. Maker’s list price: $2000. Contact Spencer Aplin at www.stacustomknives.com.The Driver Defense Toxin has a 3.5-inch tanto blade made out of S35VN. The knife is 7.5 inches overall with jigged and dyed blue bone scales with bone bolster and red G10 liner and spacer. Maker’s list price: $250. Contact Dustin Driver at Driver Defense on Facebook.This 13-inch chef knife by Jack Keith of Dunnottar Forge Knifeworks has an partially flat-ground 8-inch blade made out of CPM 154 that is finished with a hollow grind and satin finish. The handle is stacked maple and walnut veneer with a cast blue acrylic with white stars. Maker’s list price: $350. Contact Jack Keith at www.dunnottarforge.com.The Karma by Jase White at Kastaway Custom Living was inspired by a real-world self-defense situation. The knuckles are in the CPM S30V blade rather than the handle, which is made of 1095 carbon steel. Maker’s list price: $50. Contact: Jase White at 423-453-9793, [email protected] or message at Kastaway Custom Living on Facebook.Rich Richardson made this for a retired navy commander. The blade is a mix of Devin Thomas Damascus steel in basket weave pattern and steel from the battleship USS Texas. (Authentication was provided.) Overall length is 9 inches. Handle is stag with a mesquite spacer. Maker’s list price: $800. Contact Rich Richardson at [email protected] or message him on Facebook.Jason Karl Glover of Mammoth Creek Knives made this 5 1/2-inch cleaver with triple grinds out of 1095 steel. The handle is Kirinite Patriot scales. Overall length is 11 inches. Maker’s list price: $375. Contact Jason Karl Glover at [email protected], call 801-540-7023 or message him on Facebook at Mammoth Creek Knives.JD Edwards hand-forged and hammer-finished this pair of fighters in 1095 carbon steel. The knives are 16 inches overall with an 11-inch cutting edge. The handle is made of bubinga wood and fitted with brass pins. The knives were commissioned by a family member of two brothers who are combat veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Maker’s list price: $250 each. Contact: JD Edwards at [email protected] or message him on Facebook at JD Edwards.Bobby Toerck made this trailing-point skinner with a 4.5-inch 1095 carbon steel blade, polished to a mirror finish. The overall length is 9 1/2 inches. The scales are fashioned with Wavy American Flag by Robert Belcher of Mental Co. Maker’s list price: $350. Contact Bobby Toerck at 903-812-1173 or message him on Facebook at T4 Custom Knives.Tom, short for Thomas, Jefferson of No Surrender Holsters made this sheath with a slide-out beverage opener on the backside to accompany “Forged In Fire” winner James Huse’s BBQ knife below. Contact Tom Jefferson on Facebook at No Surrender Holsters.James Huse, “Forged In Fire” champion made this knife using patterned steel from Alabama Damascus Steel. The blade is 9.5 inches, 14.5 overall. The handle is made from Patriot Kirinite. Maker’s list price: $700. Contact James Huse on Facebook at Huse Knives.Adam Rose of The Bearded Blade made this 4-inch blade from 1075 steel for a veteran who recently returned from Afghanistan. The handle is made from We the People CARVex scales. Overall length is 9 inches. Maker’s list price: $150. Contact Adam at [email protected], on Facebook at The Bearded Blade or on Instagram @thebeardedblade.Clay Smith of Sinister Knives calls this model the Battle Bean. The everyday carry is a friction folder knife/ bottle opener, perfect as a BBQ buddy! The 2-inch hollow-ground blade is made with W2 steel. The hardware and pivot pin are stainless and the liner and backspacer are aluminum. The handle scales are by Voodoo Resins. Maker’s list price: $150. Contact: Clay Smith at Sinister Knives on Facebook @bud809 on Instagram or email him at [email protected].Dale White of White Made Knives in Sweetwater, Texas, made this 10-inch knife for a soldier. Both the staff sergeant and the knife did two tours in Iraq. The blade is hollow-ground made out of 440C steel. The handle is sand-blasted canvas Micarta. Maker’s list price: $350. Contact Dale White at [email protected] or on Facebook at White Made Knives.John Waltz of Edge7 Custom Knives made this everyday carry tanto out of CPM3V. The hollow-ground blade is 3 inches and the knife is 7 inches overall. The scales are from J Hue Customs. Maker’s list price: $275. Contact John Waltz through www.edge7customknives.com.Jr. Madan of Patriot Horde Knives calls this model DaCleava. The 4-inch blade is made out of 1095 steel with a flat grind. Overall length is 9 inches. The handle is fashioned with CARVex Wavy Flag scales, fitted with brass pins and lanyard tube. Maker’s list price: $250 with Kydex sheath. Contact Jr Maden or Patriot Horde Knives on Facebook.Denny Furey of Furey’s Urban Combat Knives Unlimited uses high carbon 1095 steel to make the Americana. The knife is 7.5 inches overall with a 3.25-inch blade with mild hamon. There is file work on the spine, and the bolster and pommels are 410 stainless steel. The handle is fashioned from Patriot Kirinite scales. Maker’s list price: $300 shipped with Kydex sheath with hardware and embossed makers mark. Contact Denny Fury at [email protected], 405-642-2198 or at Furey’s Urban Combat Knives – Unlimited on Facebook.Tim Lambkin of Chops Knives hand makes everything on The Patriot Folding Lockback. The overall length is 8 1/8 inches. The 3 1/4-inch blade is made with pattern-welded stainless steel by Chad Nichols. The handle scales are mammoth tooth with anodized titanium bolsters and pommels. Filework everywhere, inside and out, is done by Tim. Maker’s list price: $1950. Contact Tim Lambkin at [email protected] or on Facebook at Tim Lambkin (Chops Knives).Shane Barefoot of Barefoot Custom Knives offers the Competition Chopper model in 3/4 size. Overall length is 13 inches. The flat-ground blade is made with 52100 steel. The handle is made with blue-and-red-dyed maple burl. Barefoot Custom Knives big-vine filework is filled with red resin. Maker’s list price: $450. Contact Shane Barefoot at 864-444-7410 or visit www.barefootcustomknives.com.
What knives does the TSA allow on airplanes? Here’s the list. Keep in mind that checked luggage is still subject to search, so don’t pack anything you’d miss if you lost it.
That said, there are still other considerations even if you decide to bring knives in your luggage.
Put Inexpensive Knives in Your Checked Baggage
For vacationing knife enthusiasts, Plaza Cutlery’s Dan Delavan suggests a Spyderco, Kershaw or CRKT knife in the $30 to $70 range. An example of the latter is the CRKT Pilar with a 2.4-inch blade of 8Cr13MoV stainless and a closed length of 3.5 inches. MSRP: $39.99.
The kinds of people who walk into Dan and Pam Delavan’s Plaza Cutlery retail knife store in Costa Mesa, California, go for all kinds of knives, from classic folders to KA-BARs. But when they walk through Plaza Cutlery’s doors to buy a knife for vacation, most buy inexpensive models to slip into their checked baggage—inexpensive in case the knives get lost, stolen or confiscated.
“When they fly, that’s when the knife changes,” Delavan said.
He shows them budget models by Spyderco, CRKT and Kershaw, knives ranging from about $30 to $75. If customers are into Spyderco knives they might buy one from the Byrd line, folders from Spyderco with cost-friendly materials. If the customers like higher-end models, they might buy a Benchmade.
“It’s all relative to what you can afford,” Delavan said.
Plaza Cutlery is in South Coast Plaza, a mall that bills itself as “a luxury shopping experience”—a vacation destination in and of itself. Nearby Disneyland is an international draw. Hollywood and its attractions are close, too.
When Delavan heads to Disneyland with Pam and the grandchildren, he often carries the Victorinox Swiss Army Classic, which can slip on a keychain. He said it’s small enough that the park allows him to carry it. Of course, always research the knife laws of the areas you will be visiting. For most places in the USA, a small, non-locking knife should be OK, “but you’ve got to check” to be sure, Delavan noted.
What Knife is Legal Everywhere? Best Bet: Small, Non-Locking Knife that Opens with Two Hands
While there are no guarantees that a knife will be legal everywhere, your best bet is with a small, non-locking knife that opens with two hands. This Victorinox Money Clip is a great example.
Joe Tarbell’s retail store, JT’s Knife Shop, sits in a small building in Port Jervis, New York. The family-owned business began as an army surplus store near the Delaware River, which, during the summer, fills with kayakers and rafters.
“People ask me about knife laws quite often and it’s a pretty complicated subject,” he said. “Knife laws can be very vague and misunderstood. I have even had police tell me a lot of it is up to the discretion of the officer. I tell people to research the best they can and check out AKTI [American Knife & Tool Institute]. I can’t tell you how many people think that the law states that a blade can’t be larger than the palm of your hand, which is ridiculous.”
If a customer is traveling overseas, he suggests a small, non-locking knife such as a multi-tool or an Opinel.
What Happens If TSA Confiscates Your Knife?
You’ll likely have to buy it back, if you can find it. Start with GovDeals.com, where government-seized property is often sold.
Michael Burch employed Chad Nichols’ “Stripes” MokuTi for his integral folder. The blade is 1095 carbon steel with hamon and a nail nick. Burch said the Stripes MokuTi works well on larger knives. (photos courtesy of Michael Burch)
In the northern Mississippi town of Blue Springs, in a rural area between Tupelo and the Tennessee border, a company called Chad Nichols Damascus is forging steel that is taking knives to a new level. The company’s owner and namesake, Chad is an easygoing Southerner who created a damascus product called MokuTi that boasts a stunning combination of shapes and colors.
The name explains it perfectly. It is mokume that includes titanium laminates. MokuTi adds an exceptional visual boost to a knife, with swirled or mosaic tones of blue, gold, orange, silver and pink, depending on the composition of the materials used.
In his affable manner, Chad assured that Chad Nichols Damascus did not invent the colorful titanium laminate; the company just came up with a new way to achieve it—which, he noted, was not an easy task.
“We haven’t invented the wheel or anything,” Nichols said of MokuTi. “I don’t have to be the first one doing anything. I just want to be the last one doing it. We run this like a business, not an ego trip.”
Years in the Making
MokuTi is a great way to accent a knife with color. Neil Blackwood does it here for the handle inlay and clip of his Henchman flipper folder. The 4-inch blade is CPM S30V with a two-tone finish. His list price for a similar knife: $1,200. (photo courtesy of Neil Blackwood)
It would figure that something that looks as good as MokuTi would be difficult to produce. Nichols said it took several years to figure out.
“That’s not blowing it out of proportion,” he laughed. “I messed with it for a while, then I just put it away because I kept failing.”
He remembered getting tunnel vision trying to figure out why it was not working.
“You keep doing it and it’s insane,” he said, “because if it didn’t work the first three times and you didn’t do anything different, it’s not going to work the fourth time.”
Through trial and error he was finally able to figure out how to bond titanium with the other metals, but he is understandably tight-lipped about his proprietary secrets.
“I’m not going to tell you how we do it,” he admitted, “but there’s things we do that might seem minute to some people. However, we found those things to be critical.”
He explained a myriad of variables when bonding the layers in presses and rolling mills, including oxygen, heat and surface texture.
“Without getting into too much detail as far as bonding the layers, I’ll just say it’s tricky and it doesn’t always work,” Nichols allowed. “If I don’t make MokuTi for a month or two, I kind of count on the first two tries being crap.”
Peter Carey outfitted his Tension flipper folder with “Crosswalk” MokuTi bolsters and a blade and clip of Nichols’ “Whiplash” stainless damascus. The handle is lightning-strike carbon fiber. Carey’s list price for a similar model: $1,200. (photo courtesy of Peter Carey)
The experimental journey to fruition brought Nichols’ shop down some rocky roads.
“We recently made some MokuTi and threw zirconium in there,” he noted. “We love bonding titanium to other metals, but you just can’t do anything with [titanium and zirconium]. They just won’t bond because I guess the ductility is too different and the metals move at different rates during forging. It was a disaster, so we quit trying.”
It is all part of the ride, he said, and you cannot be scared to “just throw something in there” and see what happens.
Meteorology Matters
Another variable that affects producing MokuTi successfully is the atmosphere. While forging carbon damascus is fairly predictable, Nichols said forging MokuTi is much more complex.
“When you get into stainless and even Mokume, with the copper and brass with the nickel silver in it, and especially with the MokuTi, it gets complicated,” he continued. “What people don’t understand about forging, especially down where I live, is that with humidity of 100 percent is going to get hotter than if it’s 50 percent the next day.”
A Sixth Sense for MokuTi Damascus
Nichols searched for the words to explain his approach. Maybe it is a feeling, maybe it is a sixth sense, and maybe it is just exposure and experience.
“I hate saying this but you just get in tune with what’s going on. It’s like using the word ‘organic.’ I hate it when I have to use that word, but sometimes there’s no other word to describe it,” he lamented. “We made a new pattern a couple weeks ago called ‘Boomerang’ and some guy goes, ‘What’s it like?’ and, between groans, I said, ‘It’s very organic looking.’”
Put a Tie on that Knife
The MokuTi handle of Jon Graham’s GL Razel SS3 Bolsterlock is joined by a blade of Chad Nichols’ Iguana stainless damascus and Graham’s “Tailclip” pocket clip. Closed length: 5 inches. Graham’s list price for a similar piece: $1,400. (photo courtesy of Jon Graham)
“I’ve used MokuTi on a variety of styles,” said Michael Burch, Missouri knifemaker and owner of Burchtree Blades. “It’s like putting a tie on a knife—it just adds some class.”
Adding MokuTi as an accent is a common way to integrate the material into a knife without breaking the bank. Still, it is not cheap. The more of it the maker adds to the knife, the more it adds to the sale price.
“I charge twice as much for MokuTi bolsters as I would titanium bolsters due to the extra finishing time with polishing and heat coloring,” explained knifemaker Peter Carey. “I use MokuTi on all my folders because it’s strong and has an exotic look.”
Carey said he also uses it as an accent material on his knives, such as for bolsters, pocket clips, back spacers, thumb studs and pivot rings. He said accenting with MokuTi injects some color and flash without overwhelming the knife. A good example of employing MokuTi is as a pivot collar on a stonewashed framelock, Burch added.
The Mini Tank flipper by Allen Elishewitz has MokuTi bolsters and carbon fiber scales. The blade is Takefu Special Steel’s laminated stainless with a VG-10 core. (photo courtesy of Allen Elishewitz)
“It makes for great contrast and can really dress up a user folder,” he observed. “It’s costly but if customers saw what went into making it, it would seem cheap.”
“It appears that everyone likes the material and it usually ends up on my higher-end knives,” Carey said. “Some of my customers ask for it as full scales or for a framelock, so I use it that way also.”
As Carey noted, MokuTi comes from Nichols Damascus as a billet that must be worked to shape and then colored.
“[Chad] usually colors it so you can see the pattern, but that gets ground off when you work it,” Carey said, explaining that it is a surface color that does not go all the way though the material. “When you get it to final shape and finish, you have to heat color or anodize it to the colors you want.”
“The other cool thing about MokuTi is dealing with Chad,” he maintained. “He’s a great guy, a friend, hard working and you can’t beat his customer service.”
When she was 15, Charlotte asked Wally if she could make a knife. He likes teaching her so he said, “Sure, let’s do it!” (Morgan Graham image)
Making “Ruby’s Knife” from Supernatural
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!”
A Daughter’s First Knifemaking Project
To get Charlotte started, Wally had her practice grinding. Note her safety glasses and gloves.
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.
Safety First
Charlotte drills a hole while in her dad’s shop. Note the gloves and ear protection.
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.
A Fantastic Finish
That first knife is always special. Charlotte’s initial piece not only is special but also unusual—based on a model used by a character in the TV show Supernatural to kill “demons.”
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.
Making the Game of Thrones Obsidian Dagger
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: Sting from The Hobbit
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.
Hooked on Knifemaking
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.
Charlotte learned how to tie a Japanese handle wrap and etch the blade to make the temper line or hamon really stand out on her tanto. She also learned how to make the mune (the blade spine).
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.
This past March break, Charlotte forged out a bushcraft-style knife and was working on it in her dad’s shop at press time.
What Better Way to Spend Quality Time with Family?
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.
The Buck 293 Inertia Assisted Folding Knife stands out with a mechanism to lock the blade closed. An open blade in a waistband or pocket could be a painful, bloody mess.
