Knives Illustrated September 2016

Once you’ve placed your trust in something for so long and it’s proved faithful, it’s hard to let it go. Every year, I bring my Wicked Edge sharpening system with me to deer camp and work on everyone’s knives, and it’s very cool to see the variety of knives that show up each year; all different knives for all the different personalities, physiques and methods of processing deer. There is one, however — an old Schrade that’s brought by one of the older gentlemen in camp — that has been on the hunt for more years than some of the hunters in camp have been alive. A knife as seasoned as its owner himself, with an edge that has been sharpened so many times that its original form is worn…

Knife Rights Chairman, Doug Ritter said, “We were glad we could protect the knives of NRA Members attending the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum, just as we protect the rights of all knife owners in America.” Ritter reported that they checked 2,600 knives as well as a host of other metal items, with not a single knife lost in the process. Ritter added that “while I felt bad for the 14,000 folks who had to stand in line to go through security, every one of them passed by our booth and banner and were introduced to Knife Rights. It was a great opportunity for our efforts to forge a sharper future.” Doug explained, “with the able assistance of Leaders and Scouts from the Lincoln Heritage Council, Boy Scouts of America, each knife…

LET’S BE FRANK. When it comes to hunting knives, it’s rather hard to come up with anything revolutionary; particularly something that works well and doesn’t compromise the basic design. Since man knapped out that first piece of flint to process game untold years ago, there hasn’t been a lot of innovation. If you look at most hunting knives, both past and present, you typically see something with a 3 to 4-inch blade, a bit of a belly to it, a good sharp point and some sort of handle. There have been some variations over the years that have incorporated other features into the blades, like saws and gut hooks, but frequently these are compromises that impact the handling and performance of the knife in one form or another, or simply…

If you aren’t familiar with Glenn Klecker and David Kurt, I’ll give you the five-minute rundown here. Glenn is a U.S. Marine Corp veteran of the first Gulf War and has an extensive engineering design history in the industry, working with companies such as Crimson Trace, Leatherman and Columbia River Knife and Tool amongst others. He founded Klecker Knives, LLC a few years back as a collaboration between him and his son Nathan Klecker. Since that time, Glenn has put out a number of folding knives: the innovative KLAX axe covered here in Knives Illustrated back in 2014, as well as the nifty wooden knife kits designed with Nathan. David is a custom knifemaker who began making knives as a hobby 11 years ago and went full time as a…

“… IT IS PURPOSE-BUILT AS A TRUE FIELD SKINNER THAT CAN GET THE JOB DONE …” I am not a winter person, far from it. I would take blue skies and 80s every day for the rest of my life, if I could. However, every year I do find myself longing for a short burst of winter in November. That time of the year is when we all get together at deer camp and swap big stories and even bigger lies. Each year, everyone asks me what new knife I have, and this year I am looking forward to introducing the TOPS Knives’ Quick Skin to camp. I am sure it will receive a very warm welcome. Not every year is a boon for our camp, but it is…

When you find a hunting knife that you love, it becomes one of your favorite go-to pieces of gear, one that you might even instill with traits of an indispensable good luck charm. I have hunting knives that I’ve used for more than 40 years and they’re just as good now as they were then. But knife manufacturers are continually trying to entice us away from these old favorites with excellent new designs and updated takes on traditional blades. My tastes vary. Sometimes I’ll opt for a no-nonsense model that simply gets the job done — one for which I won’t shed a tear if it gets dirty, scratched or lost. But I do appreciate a classier knife too — one that offers more elegant and timeless form, as well…