Innehållsförteckning för March 2016 från Knives Illustrated

“YOUR KNIFE SELECTION SHOULD BE THE CULMINATION OF CAREFULLY EVALUATED OPTIONS AND FEATURES.” THE word of the day is “tactical.” You hear it everywhere now, sometimes good and sometimes bad. When I look around at the state of the industry today, and everywhere I look is enveloped by a sea of tactical toothbrushes, tactical underwear, tactical tactics for the tactical minded tactician, it seems difficult to really know what an actual good, tactical product is anymore. It has gotten to the point where I find myself really scrutinizing anything labeled “tactical” and expecting far more from it than any other item in the same category. Unfortunately, the knife industry is not immune to tactical marketing and many people are falling prey to cheap, made in China, “tactical” junk. The Right…

“WITHOUT THE PROPER MAINTENANCE, YOU MIGHT WATCH YOUR INVESTMENT LOSE ITS USEFULNESS VERY EARLY IN ITS LIFE.” INVESTING in quality knives can be very fulfilling and rewarding, not to mention that the knife is one of the most useful and versatile tools developed to date. However, without the proper maintenance, you might watch your investment lose its usefulness very early in its life. Proper care and maintenance will ensure that your knife will withstand the test of time, while also promoting safe knife use. We recently spoke with Charlynn, who heads up Spyderco’s Warranty & Repair Department, to provide you with some very useful tips to get the maximum life out of your knives. 1 Keep your knives clean, washing them with mild liquid dish soap and warm tap water.…

The Gerber Air Ranger G-10, as its name suggests, is now offered with textured G-10 grip panels. Mine is in FE-Green, but it is also available in black. This simple knife, designed by Bill Harsey, features a 3.3-inch clip blade with dual thumb studs and a liner lock. It is 4.2 inches long closed and weighs a mere 2.6 ounces. It comes with a lanyard hole in the tail end and the pocket clip is positioned for tip-down carry, which is the way I prefer it, as less of the hand has to sink into the pocket to retrieve the knife and it seems to come into the hand, ready to be deployed more smoothly. The Air Ranger G-10 is an excellent EDC knife and with an MSRP of just…

“AS THE NAME IMPLIES, THE XIPHOS IS A GREEK-INFLUENCED DOUBLE-EDGED BLADE WITH A WASP-WAISTED DESIGN.” LET’S face it, there are a lot of zombie-themed products and businesses on the market, and let’s just say that the level of quality and practicality of the items varies greatly. With that said, I started catching good reports on Zombie Tools’ products on some of the internet forums, so when I stumbled onto the crew from ZT at the Blade Show, I had to stop and check them out. Holding Court The guys didn’t have a booth at the show, but I did find them holding court in The Pit — the hotel bar attached to the Cobb Galleria where the Blade Show is held. As it turns out meeting the guys over a…

“HELM TAKES CUSTOMER REQUESTS, BUT HAS TO FEEL THAT IT MESHES WITH THE WAY HE WORKS AND THAT HE CAN DO IT SATISFACTORILY.” FORGED in the heat of the southern Texas sun himself, James Helm began his career, pounding steel to his will in high school. Coming from a family history of blacksmithing and a love for fantasy novels, it is no surprise that James found himself at home in front of an anvil. Following are some facts about this up-and-coming knife maker, who runs Helm Enterprises. 1 Before the Knives Growing up on his parents’ farm, Helm regularly used bladed tools to clear brush. 2 The Challenges His biggest challenges are balancing time, money and resources between shop repairs/upgrades, experimentation and completing customer work. 3 His Philosophy If you…

AS you read this, Knife Rights’ 2016 legislative efforts are in full swing. Knife Rights Chairman Doug Ritter told us the organization expects to be running bills in six to 10 states this year. You can find out the latest on these bills at www.KnifeRights.org . We asked Ritter which question he is asked most frequently. His quick response was, “When will you fix (insert a state name)?” He explained, “Every victory — 19 bills passed to date in 14 states — means we are closer to being able to affect change in other states, regardless of which state that is. But, with limited resources, we have to be smart about which states we work in and when.” Ritter noted that Knife Rights focuses on the “states…

“ … THE PALLAS PROVIDES THE MODERN-DAY WARRIOR WITH A KNIFE FIT FOR THE BATTLEFIELD BUT STEALTHY ENOUGH FOR URBAN LIFE.” LIKE its namesake “Pallas” — the Titan god of War-craft and father to the gods Victory, Rivalry, Strength and Power — Spartan Blades’ Pallas knife is a titan that lives up to the legacy from which it was born. Adding to a robust lineage of hard-use, combat-oriented knives designed by those who have been in the fire and came out as hard as the steel they form, the Pallas provides the modern-day warrior with a knife fit for the battlefield but stealthy enough for urban life. Initial Impressions When I first opened the Pallas’ box, I was surprised by the size of this knife, because it is quite substantial…

“OVER THE YEARS, I FOUND THAT VICTORINOX SWISS ARMY KNIVES WERE AMONG THE MOST PRACTICAL ITEMS I’VE EVER CARRIED IN MY POCKETS.” EVEN during my days as a police officer, I found the need to be practical more often than to be tactical. Over the years, I found that Victorinox Swiss Army knives were among the most practical items I’ve ever carried in my pockets. I had a chance to test the Victorinox Swiss Army Soldier’s Knife recently and was pleased to find that I still feel the same way about them. THE SOLDIER’S TOOLS The Victorinox Swiss Army Soldier’s Knife doesn’t have the traditional toothpick, tweezers and corkscrew. But it does have a good lineup of tools, including a main one-handed blade that locks, a wood saw, a can…

“I HAVE SEVERAL … GRAB PACKS AND EMERGENCY BINS WHERE SERVICEABLE KNIVES, SUCH AS THE BKE, ARE WELCOME ADDITIONS.” WHEN it comes to dependable knives, there are some inexpensive models that can make the cut. The new 12 Survivors BKE is one of them. I admit that over the years I’ve become somewhat of a snob when it comes to the knives for which I’m willing to exchange my hard-earned cash and tend to gravitate toward blades starting at about $100. However, more often than not, the ones that get my attention are those costing two or three times that much. After all, if you want top quality, you get what you pay for, right? I have to remind myself that through many years of tight household budgets, I had…

I own many knives, but I carry this one a lot. This Columbia River Knife and Tool offering, designed by Alan Folts, is a small fixed blade that comes in tanto, Wharncliffe and Bowie blade configurations. Mine is a Bowie, which amuses some people as its blade, of 5Cr15MoV stainless steel, is a mere 2.125 inches long. I’ve gotten a lot of work out of this mini fixed blade and for most everyday cutting tasks, this small blade is sufficient. The blade configuration provides a natural guard while the handle features finger grooves which work together with the jimping on the spine, allowing you to get out over the top of the blade for precise control. The Kydex sheath comes with a belt attachment, but I’ve used it almost exclusively…

THERE’S a lot that can be said for experience, and Dave Canterbury is the perfect example. Drawing from his experience and training in outdoor survival, Canterbury started the Pathfinder School, which eventually led to Self Reliance Outfitters — a one-stop resource for hand-selected survival and camping gear. So, it would only make sense that the Pathfinder Knife Shop would follow to round out Canterbury’s offerings. No survival kit is complete without a good knife, and Pathfinder Knife Shop has been offering some great entries into this field. Its newest product is the Scorpion, a hardy, midsized bushcrafting knife with hard use in mind. The Scorpion is a solid workhorse with simple elegance and style at an affordable price point. Sheath I am not a personal fan of dangler sheaths, so…

TAKE a journey from the backwoods of Georgia and Alabama to the Eastern Woodlands as Smith & Sons knives blaze their own trail. Brief History Gary, his two sons and his wife, Pam make up Smith & Sons Knife Company. They started out as a small outfit, out of Sulpher, Louisiana, but in an instant became a full-time, family-run knife company. Smith & Sons are an in-house operation. Their steel comes from small American suppliers, as well as their handle materials. Besides that, Smith & Sons do all their own heat treating and tempering, grinding, and leather work. Materials Smith & Sons use D2 steel as their steel of choice. The inherent toughness and Rockwell hardness of D2 steel makes it harder to sharpen for some, but the upside is…

Zombie Tools is a shop unlike any other. They make modern, battle-ready blades in a wide variety of styles, but they keep their sense of humor about things, which is evident when you read their sword and axe descriptions or if you watch the videos on their website. I’m particularly fond of their “Jawas vs. Pumpkins” video and highly recommend it since pumpkins are my favorite sword-cutting targets. Don’t miss their FAQ’s either. Lots of good information there as well as a lot of beer references. Beer is a favorite of mine too. Big blades, pumpkins and beer, all in one place; what’s not to love? Zombie Tools started out in 2007 in Missoula, Montana with the three original founders, Maxon McCarter, Joey Arbour and Chris Lombardi. Since then the…

“SIMPLE, HEAVY DUTY, COMFORTABLE AND FUNCTIONAL TOOLS ARE THE BEDROCK OF THIS FORGE.” The NORSEMAN. The nickname sends you directly back to the Middle Ages and likely conjures up images of a ruthless warrior who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. There certainly is a hardness to Dave Williams and it’s entirely correct to attach the word warrior to him, but the owner of Survival Hardware in Idaho is definitely not ruthless. Tough? You bet. He is a former Marine. Relentless? Absolutely, as he will stop at nothing to produce great product. You’re about to read how he has put his many years of training and experience into his unique and inspiring tools and knives. Simple, heavy duty, comfortable and functional tools are the bedrock of this…