Ed’s K.I.S.S. design for CRKT was the BLADE Magazine 1998 Imported Knife Of The Year® and is widely considered one of the most copied knives in modern cutlery history.
Edward Francis Halligan—better known as Ed—designer of the revolutionary K.I.S.S. folding knife and long-time custom knifemaker, passed away Saturday. He was 81.
Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. Nov. 22 at Hillcrest Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia, under the direction of Gamble Funeral Service of Savannah.
An aircraft mechanic in the U.S. Air Force from 1953-57, Ed also worked for Delta for 37 years. He founded Halligan and Son Knives in 1985 and became a member of the Knifemakers’ Guild in 1990 and the American Bladesmith Society in 1992. He received his ABS master smith rating in 1996 and the B.R. Hughes Award for the best knife submitted by a master smith applicant the same year.
Ed passed away Saturday. He was 81.
Ed’s K.I.S.S. custom folder took the world of knives by storm in the late 1990s at such venues as the Guild Show and the BLADE Show. Halligan signed a collaboration deal with CRKT to reproduce the K.I.S.S.—”Keep It Super Simple”—and the knife won the BLADE Magazine 1998 Imported Knife Of The Year®. CRKT officials heaped praise on the K.I.S.S., calling it one of the knives that put CRKT on the map, and the neat little folder became one of the most popular and most copied knife designs in the world. It also spawned any number of designs based on the K.I.S.S. in the CRKT line, including the Delilah’s P.E.C.K., Sweet K.I.S.S. and others.
According to a CRKT release, “Ed’s passion for knifemaking and his zest for life were an inspiration to all. He will be profoundly missed. Our thoughts go out to his wife, Beverly Ann Halligan, and the rest of his family during this difficult time.”
Ed had an outgoing personality and a lively, quick wit. He made many friends in the industry and stayed active into his later years, including riding his recumbent bike.
See the latest knives, swords, and edges of all types, and explore the latest trends in blades, steels, styles, and materials. Gaze upon a “State of the Art” section parading engraved, scrimshawed, jewel-inlaid, carved, etched, sculpted and forge-welded, and Damascus and mosaic-damascus knives. Click here.
Medal Of Honor recipients Sammy Davis (left) and Harold Fritz (right) will lead a special Case/Zippo Veterans Day ceremony today at 3 p.m.
In recognition of Veterans Day, Case, Zippo and two Medal Of Honor recipients will install an exclusive Medal Of Honor commemorative knife and lighter set in the Zippo/Case Museum today in Bradford, Pennsylvania.
Medal Of Honor awardees Sammy Davis and Harold Fritz, both of whom received the country’s most prestigious military honor for their gallant actions during the Vietnam War, will lead the ceremonies, which begin today at 3 p.m. Others who will help lead the ceremonies will be Greg Booth, Zippo/CASE CEO, and George Duke, owner and chairman of the board for Zippo/Case.
The Case trapper features a red, white and blue themed bone handle, intricately laser-engraved with images of an American eagle, American flag and a reproduction of the Medal Of Honor Society seal. The Zippo lighter features a high-polish chrome Armor case with deep dimensional engraving, a 24k-gold repro of the MOH seal and a heavy gold-plated inside unit.
Sometimes known as the “real” Forrest Gump because his heroic acts and MOH citation were the basis for Gump’s Vietnam story, Davis was able to hold off an overwhelming force of Vietcong long enough to tend to three wounded GIs on the other side of the river from his original position. He couldn’t swim so he paddled across the river on an air mattress, and other GIs followed him. He gave all the wounded soldiers morphine and provided cover fire before returning to the fight, where he was wounded. He carried a Case pocketknife throughout his tour of duty.
Fritz led a point-blank charge on a North Vietnamese position in Quan Loi and was hit several times by shrapnel and small arms fire. He later returned to the battlefield to find his Zippo lighter, a present from his wife, that had been in his left breast pocket and stopped a bullet, saving his life.
For more on today’s ceremonies, contact Amanda Kleps at [email protected] or call 814-368-2992.
See the latest knives, swords, and edges of all types, and explore the latest trends in blades, steels, styles, and materials. Gaze upon a “State of the Art” section parading engraved, scrimshawed, jewel-inlaid, carved, etched, sculpted and forge-welded, and Damascus and mosaic-damascus knives. Click here.
The following is excerpted from the KNIVES 2015 book.
By Roderick T. Halvorsen
One of the grandest campfire knife debates involves the age-old question of whether costly, premium knives are worth the buck paid. Are quality knives worth the quid? Arguments rage one way or another, with the debate oftentimes stalling due to a dearth of experience with the real pricey ones. Truth is, who wants to plunk down the big dough just to treat a cutting tool like a farm implement in order to find out if it was worth all the quid? And, well, what if it isn’t?
Mulling this over, I decided to dedicate myself to the exclusive use of a pair of “high enders” in order to see for myself. Where I use my knives in winter, I must have good faith they will serve well or I may be in it deep. Deep snow and ice that is, and far from home and hearth. I cannot afford failure, whatever the dollar price paid! My work and play take me into remote, high mountains where knives are not just helpful, they are essential.
So it was with a little trepidation I swore off my own handmade and well-proven knives in order to obtain a couple Fällkniven AB models. Fällkniven has earned high praise the world over, and is a thoroughly modern company. The finest Swedish iron is mined 140 miles from its headquarters in Norbotten, Sweden, whereupon it is shipped to Japan. There, Swedish iron becomes Japanese steel, and the knives are made. Some years ago, the company used Hitachi ATS-34 stainless steel, but now favors a VG-10 steel laminate for the toughest of its outdoors knives. Leather scabbards are made in Spain.
See the KNIVES 2015 book to read the rest of the story. Click here. And let us know your opinion. Are quality knives worth the quid?
The Nov. 4 elections will impact the pending ivory ban, though to what extent depends on several factors. Meanwhile, even legal ancient ivory has been banned in New Jersey! Robert Appleby uses legal mammoth ivory on his fixed blades. (Chuck Ward photo)
While some might think Republicans taking control of Congress as a result of the Nov. 4 elections will be good for those fighting a pending legal ivory ban, such may not be the case.
Rob Mitchell of the Elephant Protection Association indicated that though the election results would seem to make a Republican majority in Congress more effective at challenging “out-of-control administrative agencies” that want to ban all legal ivory, including knives with handles of legal ivory, it could also have the opposite effect.
Since President Obama has indicated he will do what he thinks necessary to deal with aliens in the country illegally through executive order or administrative action by the end of the year at the latest, it also may mean he will take a similar approach to such issues as the ivory ban. “If so,” Mitchell writes, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) “may become more aggressive with regulations putting politics ahead of science-based conservation.”
Moreover, he added, such non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as the World Wildlife Fund, Africa Wildlife Foundation, Wildlife Conservation Society, international and American humane societies and others will “continue to spread misinformation in Congress to confuse issues and push an animal rights agenda in spite of the harm it will cause to legitimate conservation efforts and people who own legal ivory.”
As a result, Mitchell urges all those against the ban on legal ivory to either contact or to continue to contact their legislators and see where the legislators stand on House Resolution 5052 and Senate Bill 2587. In a nutshell, if approved, both measures would roll back the attempt by USFWS to ban legal ivory to the status quo of February 2014, “while allowing the government to pursue other means to combat elephant poaching and other wildlife trafficking.”
See the latest knives, swords, and edges of all types, and explore the latest trends in blades, steels, styles, and materials. Gaze upon a “State of the Art” section parading engraved, scrimshawed, jewel-inlaid, carved, etched, sculpted and forge-welded, and Damascus and mosaic-damascus knives. Click here.
Kirby Lambert’s straight razor graces the cover of the latest BLADE®, on newsstands NOW!
Stubble is in trouble thanks to the hottest straight razors—one of which, the newest model by Kirby Lambert, is the cover piece for the latest BLADE®, on newsstands NOW!
Known for his custom tactical folders, Lambert is one of several makers who offer custom razors, the others highlighted in the story on page 12 being Sal Manaro, Rick Barrett, Wally Hayes, Neels van den Berg and Bill Ellis. There’s also a factory version from Boker that made the cut. Speaking of Hayes, he wrote a story outlining his approach to making straight razors on page 20.
Is a tactical knife a fixed blade or a folder? The answer depends a lot on who you ask. While knife-o-philes continue to ply the age-old question, we provide nine of the best factory buys in the genre—both folding and fixed—on page 28.
Knife kits have some a long way from the days when they consisted of a blade blank, a couple of handle slabs and several screws. Now they offer folders in a number of configurations, including one for a butterfly knife. Check out the latest versions on page 40.
You’ve already read on blademag.com about the first-ever knife show that will combine members of both the Knifemakers’ Guild and the American Bladesmith Society set for Sept. 18-20 in Kansas City. However, BLADE gets more of the inside info—including the fact that the old Muehlebach Hotel, site where Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Bill Moran reintroduced damascus at the 1973 Guild Show, is in one of the wings of the new venue—for you on page 46.
Spyderco long has been a world leader in factory knives and it continues that role with its Ethnic Series of knives that include designs by such international makers as Pekka Tuominen, the late Eduard Bradichansky and Gabor Szakonyi, as well as accomplished American maker Ed Schempp. Go global with the Spydie guys on page 50.
There’s something about a super-thin custom folder that bespeaks of elegance. And some are so thin and delicate you’d think they might not be able to do their cutting jobs—though such is not the case. Check out some of the leanest of the keen by Richard Rogers, Cliff Parker, Bill Ruple, Scott Sawby and Ken Erickson on page 74.
There’s much more, including Ed Fowler’s “12 Keys to Great Knife Promotion”; a look back at the many contributions of the late, great Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer, Kit Carson; a test of two big fixed blades in MSG Kim Breed’s “Spec Sheet”; E.C. Loerchner’s masterful “Autumn Knife”; and much more, all in the latest issue of BLADE.
Custom knife purveyors can help you find the knife that’s best for you. In the foreground, from left: Dan Delavan, knifemaker Pat Crawford, Strider Knives’ Josh Lee and Dave Nittinger. Dan and Dave are veteran custom knife purveyors.
Choosing the custom knives that are best for you can be a tricky proposition. There are a number of things to consider, including how much money you have to spend, whether you’re buying the knife to use, collect or resell, and other factors. Especially if you’re new to the market, looking to change the focus of the kinds of knives you buy or simply unsure which knife is best for you, a custom knife purveyor (also known as a dealer) is out there who can help you.
There are a number of different types of custom knife purveyors. Some specialize in one type of knife only, such as art knives or tactical knives. Since tactical knives have been hot for a long time, there are probably more tactical knife purveyors than any other type.
The serious ones have websites with professionally photographed images of the custom knives they offer for sale, and/or advertise their purveying service in knife magazines and/or other media. A sign of a purveyor who is in business for the long haul is one who advertises consistently over an extended period of time. (The latter also goes for knifemakers.) Still other purveyors may photograph their knives for marketing purposes—with some being quite good at it—own a brick-and-mortar retail knife store, and a very few produce/coordinate their own knife shows. Some purveyors do two or more of the preceding and at least one does all three.
To find out which purveyor fits your needs, ask around at knife shows, knife discussion forums, social media sites and other venues, check websites and knife magazines, etc. Talk to your friends or acquaintances who buy custom knives or ask them for the names of others who buy custom knives. Tell them what kinds of knives you’re looking for and ask them which purveyors are the best at providing such knives and offer the best customer service. Get as many opinions as you can. It’s better to have more information than not enough. Whittle the purveyors down to a select few you think you might want to work with and call them and feel them out. Go with the one you connect with best—in other words, go with your gut feeling in picking the one you want to use.
Before we continue, some fundamentals on how purveyors obtain the knives they sell is in order. It’s really pretty cut and dried: the purveyors attend select knife shows in search of the top knives and makers and/or establish relationships with those makers—and a select knife show is always a great place to both meet the maker and see some of his/her best work. The best purveyors work with proficient makers who are good at meeting deadlines on the knives they agree to make, offer good customer service if something goes wrong with the knife, and who, in general, appeal to custom knife enthusiasts of most all stripes. The purveyor will reach an agreement with the maker to buy one or more of his or her knives and then sell the knife/knives at enough of a markup to make a profit, stay in business and buy more knives for sale. That’s pretty basic, but that’s essentially how it works.
Why should you buy from a purveyor instead of a maker? Actually, if you can bypass the purveyor and buy directly from the maker, you probably should. However, that’s not always possible and is where purveyors come in. (Besides, as noted, if you’re new to the market or unsure of what to buy, the guidance a capable purveyor can provide in buying a custom knife can be invaluable.) Through the working relationships they establish with leading makers, purveyors have access to knives from those makers that most individual custom knife enthusiasts do not. Many makers have to struggle to make deadlines for other custom orders and knife shows, and often cannot fill your order quick enough or before the knife loses some of its luster and is no longer “hot.” Purveyors, on the other hand, may have the knife in question in stock or something from the maker that will fill your needs immediately.
As an aside, if you look around enough, you will no doubt hear from some that one purveyor or another is prejudiced in favor of a certain maker or makers. Whenever you hear this, take it with a grain of salt because most all purveyors will indeed be prejudiced in favor of makers that are a) easy to work with and b) make deadlines—traits that you would probably like in a maker as well.
These are just some of the things to look for in a custom purveyor. The more you look and ask around, the more you will find other traits that will make the custom purveyor the best for you and your knife needs.
See the latest knives, swords, and edges of all types, and explore the latest trends in blades, steels, styles, and materials. Gaze upon a “State of the Art” section parading engraved, scrimshawed, jewel-inlaid, carved, etched, sculpted and forge-welded, and Damascus and mosaic-damascus knives. Click here.
We’ve all heard it said: “There’s nothing new in knives.” And maybe there’s not. It could be that’s a true statement, although the flipper folder, assisted-opening knives, Mokuti (mokumé and titanium combination), lightning strike carbon fiber and other materials and mechanisms may be considered new. Perhaps innovation could be considered a newness, or progression at least.
Chelsea Miller Rounded Cheese Knives. Click to enlarge.
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