Innehållsförteckning för December 2018 från Knives Illustrated

“WHEN I THINK OF EDC KNIVES, I LIKE TO CONSIDER THE TYPES OF FUNCTIONS THEY MIGHT NEED TO PERFORM.” I carry what I need. When I think of EDC in general, I try to consider the essentials of everyday life and the possibilities that can arise in any given situation. When I am putting together my personal, small EDC day pack, I try to ensure that I have the essentials—water, fire, shelter and essential tools—covered. When I think of EDC knives, I like to consider the types of functions they might need to perform. However, I may be one of those who goes a little overboard sometimes. In fact, I have heard my brother say that I look like Mad Max going into Bartertown, pulling out item after item. But…

As tough as their namesake. When it comes to quality, the name Spartan Blades has a way of rising to the top of the list. Perhaps it is the clean, well thought out designs. Or maybe it is the fact that the owners—and general designers—are retired special forces Green Berets and design all of their products based on operational experience. Or it could simply be that the products are purpose built for extremely hard use, and every time you pick one up you can feel the soul and strength of the great Spartan warrior class joining you in that selection. Whatever it is, one thing is for sure: When you pick up a Spartan Blade, you will feel the overwhelming sense of security that you are ready for whatever life…

I don’t know about you, but an obvious question comes to mind when a company describes a knife on its website in the following way: “Our bushcraft friendly knife.” My question? “Well, just how friendly is it?” LOL. And then along comes the Bradford Guardian 4.5 Bushcraft knife. When I seriously assess the company’s statement, I take it as it has developed a product that works well with few complications, provided the user has good woodsman skills. Of course, bushcraft skills are rather specific, but some of these other activities are a bit broader in range. So, let’s see just how friendly the Bradford Guardian 4.5 Bushcraft knife is. Getting Into Specs The knife’s overall length is 9.2 inches, and it has a CPM-3V steel blade with a full-flat grind…

There is strength in solid steel. A good friend and fellow writer has always preferred fixed-blade knives for everyday carry as well as field use, and he describes folders as “pre-broken knives.” While I’ll admit, I do normally carry a folder and don’t feel as strongly about the issue as he does, I have to concede he has a point. A fixed blade is never going to have a lock failure and is inherently stronger than a folder. With that said, I’m not toting a bowie with me everywhere I go, so if I do EDC a fixed blade it needs to be something manageable. Wilmont Knives makes a couple of very nice 4-inch-bladed models, but the niche that interested me was its smaller EDC models with blades in the…

01 Amok Equipment Draumr 3.0 Camping Hammock I have found that hammock camping is the most comfortable I have ever been in the woods or jungle, but sometimes it can feel a little cramped and it is hard to lie on my side or stomach. The new Draumr 3.0 Camping Hammock by Amok Equipment has a unique design with all of the comforts of a hammock combined with the lie-flat comfort of a bed. Its sleep pad sleeve allows you to add an extra layer of comfort for three-season camping. The side adjustment straps allow you to convert it to a chair while lounging around camp. DETAILS Sleep flat on your side, back and stomach Chair mode: Adjustment straps to turn the hammock upright like a chair Integrated bug net…

If you’re going to trust your life to a self-defense system or even any individual tactic, it needs to make sense. When you execute that technique, you should have a crystal-clear understanding of exactly what you’re trying to achieve and how the physiological damage you cause will actually stop your attacker. If it’s a weapons-based technique—like the defensive use of a knife—you must also ensure the knife you use is actually capable of fulfilling the needs of that technique. For example, if your preferred technique involves thrusting deeply into an attacker’s torso, you should know specifically what anatomical target you’re trying to affect, why damaging it will physically disable him and how long you’ll have to wait for that damage to take effect. Blindly stabbing to the torso and hoping…

If you’re a knife guy and aren’t familiar with Kizer Cutlery, you should be. I’ll be honest; I was slow at coming to the table, even though I’d been hearing the name percolating through the knife community for a number of years now. I’d even seen the company’s booth at the SHOT Show but hadn’t stopped to investigate. I hate to admit it, but it was at least in part because it was a Chinese firm. I know the Chinese can make some very good knives—I’ve seen contract blades from major U.S. companies that are very well done—but I didn’t give much thought to a fully Chinese owned and run operation. That was until I got Kizer’s Tangram Progression folder in hand. “THE ACUTO 440 IS JAPANESE STEEL THAT’S BASICALLY…

I have to confess that I was first lured into Chris’s table by his wide array of beer openers. I like beer. I like gadgets. Chris has some neat gadgets that open beer, so I was hooked. I just happened to find some great knives while I was there, too. Chris sent along a variety of openers with my test knives, including a trio of knuckleduster style Beerdefenders, a Beeracuda and a Beertop. The Beerdefenders are slick two-finger models that look good and work even better—at opening beer of course. I have a stainless model that’s 0.375-inch thick and weighs in at almost 3 ounces, and a pair of black anodized aluminum ones that are 0.25-inch thick and a feathery 0.6 ounce, which would work great on a key chain.…

OK, he is fictitious. Still, he makes me wonder, and he makes me think. You know MacGyver, right? He is the title character from the TV show of the same name. He is a scientist who works as a troubleshooter. I often wonder what a guy like this would carry as a survival tool. Sure, it’s just TV, but he can fix or make just about anything out of simple chewing gum. He is the guy, who within seconds, fastens together a bomb-defusing device using an old rusty butter knife, a rubber band and a bobby pin from his pocket … and saves the day with only a mere second to spare. Again, just what kind of a survival tool would he carry? Options 1 & 2 I think he…

Knife Rights reports that Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) has introduced S.3264, the Knife Owners’ Protection Act of 2018 (KOPA), including repeal of the Federal Switchblade Act. This is a companion to their House KOPA bill, H.R.84, introduced last year. As originally conceived and authored by Knife Rights in 2010 and first introduced in 2013, these revised KOPA bills would remove certain restrictions on interstate trade in switchblade (automatic) knives that are legal to one degree or another in 44 states, while also protecting the right of knife owners to travel throughout the U.S. without fear of prosecution under the patchwork of myriad state and local knife laws. Sen. Wicker said, “I am pleased to introduce the Knife Owners’ Protection Act. This legislation would provide law-abiding knife owners the appropriate protection…

“MY KNIFE STYLE IS BASICALLY AN EXTENSION OF MY PERSONALITY; WHICH IS, I TRY TO SMASH EVERY SINGLE THING IN FRONT OF ME, AND THE BLADE THAT I CARRY IS REMINISCENT OF THAT.” – BILL GOLDBERG It just keeps getting better. If you have been following my series on the “Forged in Fire” judges over this past year, it will be obvious that I am loving the knife-related air time happening over at History Channel. So, last year when “Forged in Fire: Knife or Death” was announced, I was almost beside myself with anticipation. A knife show, where the contestants are actually getting out onto a course and showing the world what knife sports are all about? That sounded like my kind of show. Add to that the fact that…

Strong designs come from strong people. Maury Abreu’s reputation in the combatives community precedes him. He is a humble family man and a talented instructor with the heart of a student. I first heard of Maury back in 2013 when my teacher, Kelly McCann, featured Maury’s instruction in the training video, “Edged Weapon: Responses to Violent Knife Attacks” produced by the now defunct Paladin Press. We soon connected through social media, as many who share like-minded interests do, to keep in touch. Eventually we began to talk via phone as our friendship developed. During the course of one of our conversations, Maury revealed that he was working on a new knife design. Knowing his passion for knives and knife combatives, I was excited to see what he came up with.…

It was a way of life and they lived it well. I have had the distinct pleasure of speaking with Ernest Emerson on a few occasions about his collection of antique weapons—ranging as far back as the Neanderthal era—and it is apparent that he has a love of the Vikings and their weaponry. Not that it is a stretch to feel that way, as the Vikings were very adept at weapon and tool making, considering that their axes were the tools they depended on for war and farming alike. With their recent addition to an already diverse line of edged weaponry—the Battle Axe—Emerson Knives has brought old school weaponry to the forefront with a design that harkens back, directly, to one of the more prolific warrior classes the world has…

“… THE ZT0393 TACTICAL FOLDER WILL NOT FAIL YOU AS YOU GO INTO YOUR SURVIVOR MODE WHEN SITUATIONS GO SOUTH.” Along legacy of dependable knives for professional personnel. Zero Tolerance, or ZT, has been in the business of making knives since 2006. The company is a member of Kai USA Ltd, as is Kershaw Knives. At first, ZT made combat knives, but it now focuses on designing and manufacturing—with warriors in mind—folding knives in the USA. Many of its most devoted customers are law enforcement, military, firefighters and first responders—like emergency medical personnel. Also, many governmental emergency management personnel who go into the field to face the daunting tasks of disaster management are packing a Zero Tolerance blade. Being in law enforcement and having spent almost five years in countries…