KnifeNews
| Custom Knives & Makers, Knives in the News
Jon Graham, custom maker and knife designer, passed away late last week. Graham left an indelible mark on the knife community with his singular vision.
Graham was one of very few modern knife makers who can rightly claim to have created a truly new blade shape. His famous Razel takes characteristics from straight razors and chisels, blending them together to make something that looked deeply original, but worked as hard and as intuitively as traditional blade shapes.
I didn’t know him, and I am out of the office this week. I am sure Mark would have more to say from a first hand perspective. I will pass his thoughts along if/when I get them .
Gear Patrol
| EDC, Knife & Accessory Review, Production Knives
The world of everyday carry is an extremely vast one, laden with everything from wallets to multi-tools (and just about any other pocket-sized gear you can imagine). The world of folding knives, while somewhat narrower in scope, is similarly overwhelming in depth, containing — and I say this without exaggeration — thousands upon thousands of available models, and that’s to say nothing of the blades that have gone out of production over the years.
The point is: with so many great knife models flooding the market, it is exceedingly difficult for any single one to really stand out against the pack. But that’s part of what makes Benchmade’s Bugout such an impressive, unique, time-tested cutting tool. Not only did it makes waves pretty quickly after its first release in 2017 (Benchmade didn’t make a big to-do, but it took off anyhow), but it’s since become a staple of the industry — spoken about with reverence amongst hobbyists and professionals alike — and has shown no signs of fading away anytime soon. Today, I’m going to look at the brief history of this knife, its cultural impact on the everyday carry and outdoor worlds and my own hands-on experience with a base model Benchmade Bugout to clarify what all the fuss is about.
KnifeNews
| EDC, Industry News / New Products, Production Knives
Five years after releasing the original, non-locking Terminus, SOG is returning to that model for a refresh and line expansion. The new Terminus SJ and SJ LTE freshen up the slippie design, bringing it in line with the locking models that followed.
The Terminus XR is one of SOG’s most popular recent models – so popular, in fact, that it’s easy to forget the Terminus line actually began in 2017 with the release of the original Terminus, an earlier entry in the now very crowded, certifiably trendy modern slipjoint category. When the XR models followed, they cleaned up the design itself in addition to adding in SOG’s proprietary, ambidextrous XR lock, making the original Terminus feel just a tad outdated.
These two new Terminus SJ models have a look much more in line with their XR predecessors, with cleaner smoother lines all over. The 2.9-inch blade is a middle width drop point which takes to EDC like a duck to water. Not only is the blade non-locking, but it is also two-hand opening only, so no flipper tab here – just the enduring, crescent-shaped nail mark.
I am looking forward to seeing the post-GSM acquisition SOG lineup in person at Blade Show.
The bottom of the window was about three to four feet above the ground. The bear had to jump up to get through the window. The window appears to be a typical northern Wisconsin type which slides vertically up and down, with an insect screen on the outside. The screen is gone on the picture from the sheriffs office, so the bear probably clawed the screen out as it came inside.
After the wife yelled at the bear, the bear forced its way through the window and attacked the wife. The husband came to the aid of his wife, interjecting his body between them. The bear attacked him. He suffered severe bites to the neck and may have had an arm broken.
The wife, freed from the bear attack, accessed a knife and attacked the bear mauling her husband. The bear turned its attention back to the wife, which allowed the husband to escape momentarily. He was able to access a 9mm Sig handgun. He quickly returned and killed the bear.
During the attack, which probably lasted 30 seconds, the couple’s children were sleeping in their bedrooms.
Gun Fu beats Knife Fu. but if a knife is all that is available…
My Tactical EDC
| Knife & Accessory Review, Modern Tactical Knives, Production Knives
The Boker Magnum Spike Karambit perfectly combines size, durability, and functionality. This full-size, budget-friendly karambit uses a minimalistic, yet contemporary, design profile. While this curved knife is larger than most fixed blade karambits, the balance and ergonomics remain perfect. The Magnum Spike karambit is not a great candidate for concealed carry due to its 4″ long blade, but it is perfect for utility and field applications.
With a single edge, deep belly, and full tang construction, you can make short work of, well, any work you’ve got to do, including cutting rope, breaking down boxes, and hacking through vines or wires. The solid construction and entry-level price is ideal for first responders. The safety ring and textured G10 handle scales enhance grip security and allows for use in all kinds of environments and conditions.
This is a simple, straight forward karambit with no bells or whistles, but it’s solidly built and, for the price of around $72, you can’t beat the performance.
Knife Informer
| EDC, Knife & Accessory Review, Production Knives
In today’s world, it seems difficult to support small business, buy local, and slow down to appreciate the details in a luxury item like a high end pocket knife. But today, we’re going to do just that. Take a detailed look at a knife that’s made mostly by hand, or hand operated tools and machines, and the single knife offered by Oz Machine Company – the Roosevelt. Operated by one man to begin with, Daniel Osborne, and adding in his brother mid 2021, Oz Machine is a small knife maker in Indiana. They make very few knives compared to a standard high production company, but offer unique styling, hand finished parts, and a simple, elegant knife to carry and use. And yes, we know these are extremely hard to come by but you can still get your hands on one through the secondary market.
I haven’t heard of them, but they are made in the USA
EverydayCommentary
| EDC, Editorial, Knifemaking & Materials, Production Knives
Our grandparents carried folders, usually slip joints. The knives were small, very few over three inches in blade length, and ALL of them were ground thin. Even those with thick stock, like the Buck 110, were very thin behind the edge. Knives, it appears, were for cutting and slicing. Then, somewhere along the line, folks went tactical and tactical brought a lot of design changes—folders got clips and locks (yay!) and, in some instances, thick blades ground thick (boo!).
The tactical trend has been going strong for twenty or thirty years now, as people obsess with knives as overbuilt hand tool equivalents of Humvees. But like the Humvee, knives have undergone a change. In the past few years, in part to shift the trend and in part due to higher edge retention steels, knives have gotten thin again. Sure there are still folding bricks out there, but they are fewer and farther between. ZT makes a sub 2” knife. Benchmade’s best seller, the Bugout, is a 2.0 ounce blade. Even Medford makes knives that can pass for slicey.
Is this trend away from bulky pocket “knives” here to stay? I hope so. For so many reasons, thinner sliceier folders are just better. Even I can appreciate a good thick folder, see below, but the availability of alternatives like the TRM Neutron 2 above, is a good thing. Things that were not possible years ago when the tactical trend started are now easy. Furthermore, the trend results in thinner, smaller knives, i.e. knives more likely to actually be carried. Finally, thinner knives help keep production costs down.
KnifeNews
| EDC, Industry News / New Products, Production Knives
Gerber has turned its gaze once again towards the enthusiast sector with a new knife called the Savvy. Available in both the standard line and through Gerber’s custom shop, the Savvy aims to please diehard knife nerds with quality materials, trend-conscious design, and their take on a popular lock mechanism.
According to the Gerber literature, the Savvy’s intended to be an intuitive, flexible, comfortable user. There are lots of different elements in its design that speak to these goals, none more so than the blade. Say what you want about Gerber, they’ve been quite in tune with blade shape trends; so we see the Savvy packing a 3.5-inch wharncliffe blade, modified just a tad to turn the traditional straight cutting edge into something with a bit more belly to it. Opened with a thumb stud, it’s made from CPM-20CV steel. A modern super steel in the Gerber lineup isn’t the shock that it would’ve been a few years ago, but it’s still an uncommon sight and a performance-friendly way for the Savvy to establish its bonafides.
I am looking forward to seeing this one at Blade Show.
Jon Graham, custom maker and knife designer, passed away late last week. Graham left an indelible mark on the knife community with his singular vision.
The world of 
Five years after releasing the original, non-locking Terminus, SOG is returning to that model for a refresh and line expansion. The new 
The bottom of the window was about three to four feet above the ground. The bear had to jump up to get through the window. The window appears to be a typical northern Wisconsin type which slides vertically up and down, with an insect screen on the outside. The screen is gone on the picture from the sheriffs office, so the bear probably clawed the screen out as it came inside.
The 
In today’s world, it seems difficult to support small business, buy local, and slow down to appreciate the details in a luxury item like a high end pocket knife. But today, we’re going to do just that. Take a detailed look at a knife that’s made mostly by hand, or hand operated tools and machines, and the single knife offered by Oz Machine Company – the Roosevelt. Operated by one man to begin with, Daniel Osborne, and adding in his brother mid 2021, Oz Machine is a small knife maker in Indiana. They make very few knives compared to a standard high production company, but offer unique styling, hand finished parts, and a simple, elegant knife to carry and use. And yes, we know these are extremely hard to come by but you can still get your hands on one through the secondary market.
Our grandparents carried folders, usually slip joints. The knives were small, very few over three inches in blade length, and ALL of them were ground thin. Even those with thick stock, like the 
Gerber has turned its gaze once again towards the enthusiast sector with a new knife called the 
