Knives Illustrated January - February 2022

WELCOME TO THE 2022 ISSUE OF THE ANNUAL KNIVES ILLUSTRATED BUYER’S GUIDE. We hope you enjoy looking at all these knives and making mental notes of the ones you’d like to own. I was like the proverbial kid in a candy store while helping to put this together. This is technically our January/February issue, but because it actually comes out before Christmas, you still have time to open the magazine to the page of your choice and leave it where someone might coincidentally, but conveniently, take notice of it or even accidentally trip over it. And if that special someone thinks you’ve been less naughty than nice, just maybe you’ll have that solid little rectangular package waiting for you under the Christmas tree that you know from experience must be…

“…AT THE END OF THE DAY WHAT MATTERS IS WHETHER THE KNIFE WILL PERFORM ITS JOB WELL.” From the time the first caveman realized a chipped bit of obsidian could be used to remove skin and meat from animals they harvested, humans have sought to improve on the basic design of that sharp edge. For some collectors, the shape of the blade, often called the blade’s profile, is primarily a matter of aesthetics. They might purchase a specific knife simply because they don’t have a hawkbill or trailing-point knife in their collection yet. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that approach in the least. Others, though, buy a knife because it is designed to tackle a certain task or range of chores efficiently and effectively. This is largely determined by…

“HOW YOU CARRY A KNIFE IS A PERSONAL DECISION AND SHOULD BE BASED ON THE TYPE OF KNIFE YOU NEED AS WELL AS THE TYPE OF WORK YOU’LL BE PERFORMING.” IT IS SAID THAT THE BEST KNIFE IS THE ONE YOU HAVE WITH YOU WHEN YOU NEED IT. After all, if it is sitting in a case at home, it won’t be of much help when you’re two days into a five-day hiking trip. Yet, at the same time, when it comes to shopping for a knife, often we’re far more concerned with the blade steel and handle material than we are about how we’re actually going to carry it with us. While some models might incorporate more than one of them into the design, there are four materials that…

“…TWO MAIN AREAS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO KNIFE COLLECTING SATISFACTION: ACCURATELY JUDGING THE QUALITY OF A KNIFE, AND ACCURATELY MANAGING THE ECONOMICS…” I’M NOT SURE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF ONE DAY I WOKE UP AND EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE IN THE WORLD WERE HONEST, STRAIGHTFORWARD, AND ACCURATELY REPRESENTED. I’d think I had been abducted by aliens or something, because the world I’m familiar with is often deceptive, or at least has yucky consequences for my bad choices. When it comes to buying and selling collectible and custom knives, I’d love to say, “It’s all good, just go buy one. Maybe buy a dozen, because it always works out great!” But we instinctively know from observing the world around us that it’s not “all good” all the time. There are two main…

Jason Fry www.frycustomknives.com and @frycustomknives on Instagram Princeton Wong www.princecustomks.com and @princecustoms Tony Baker 213-543-1001 and @tonybakerknives Andy Roy www.fi ddlebackforge.com and @fi ddlebackforge Salvatore Puddu @salvatorepuddu_ Johnny Stout www.stoutknives.com and @stouthandmadeknives Tyler Turner turnerknives@yahoo.com and @turnerknifetool Karl Andersen www.andersenforge.com and@karlb.andersen Kyle Royer www.learnknifemaking.com and @kyleroyerknivees Brian Nadeau www.sharpbydesign.com and @sharpbydesign…

“…A TOOL SO VERSATILE THAT IT COULD BE MADE TO SERVE WELL IN MOST ANY OF THE ROLES LISTED IN THIS ISSUE.” YOU CARRY ONE ALWAYS AND WONDER HOW ANYONE CAN GET THROUGH A DAY WITHOUT ONE. Often, an everyday carry knife is a tool so versatile that it could be made to serve well in most any of the roles listed in this issue. From tactical to hunting and fishing to survival to food prep, these knives are called on to do it all because they’re the ones close at hand all the time. Open a package, clip a coupon, cut a rope, fend off an attacker, free someone trapped in a vehicle, or slice some meat and cheese for your lunch. Whether you choose one that’s long and…