Doug Ritter
| Bushcraft, Hunting, & Survival, EDC, Industry News / New Products, Production Knives
February 25, 2021 – Gilbert, Arizona: Survival authority Doug Ritter’s compact RSK® Mk5 fixed blade is back! Available again from your favorite knife retailers with an MSRP of just $15.95, the RSK® Mk5 is a petite, lightweight fixed blade that will fit in almost any small personal survival kit or stash-away location, or it can be carried as a neck knife, yet it is robust enough that it’s a knife you can bet your life on™.
Available in Stonewashed or Black-coated finish with a Glass-Reinforced Nylon Sheath, it comes packed in its own bright orange Survival Preparedness Tin (same size as an Altoids tin). Included are instructions from Ritter to assemble your own survival tin kit.
The RSK® Mk5 is manufactured for Blue Ridge Knives, the world’s largest knife distributor, in the same factory as the CRKT original. MSRP is now only $15.95.
RSK® Mk5 Specifications*
Blade Material: 3Cr13 Stainless Steel hardened to 52-55 HRC
Blade Length: 1.75 in. (44.5 mm)
Edge Length: 1.94 in. (49.3 mm) plain edge
Blade Thickness: 0.12 in. (3 mm)
Blade Shape: Wide-Chord Drop Point
Blade Grind: High Flat Grind
Overall Length: 3.80 in. (97 mm)
Handle: Skeletonized Tang
Weight: 0.78 oz. (22 g)
Sheath: Molded & Riveted Glass-Reinforced Nylon
Weight w/ Sheath: 0.88 oz. (25 g)
*Specifications subject to change without notice. All dimensions and weights are nominal.
Income from the sale of the RSK® Mk5 Ritter’s other RSK® knives and gear allow Ritter to spend the majority of his time on Knife Rights’ efforts to free knife owners from irrational knife restrictions. This has resulted in 33 bills enacted repealing knife bans in 23 states and over 100 cities and towns, eight anti-knife bills defeated and numerous litigation victories since 2010. Check it out at www.KnifeRights.org
I have always been fascinated by covert edged weapons—especially the various “hideout” knives associated with the famed operatives of the OSS (Office of Strategic Services—the predecessor of the CIA) and, even more accurately, the SOE (Special Operations Executive—the OSS’ British equivalent).
From a collector’s and historian’s perspective, lapel daggers, thumb daggers, sleeve knives, spikes, and similar esoteric blades are a deep and satisfying rabbit hole. However, as an instructor of practical self-defense, and devout student of the realities of knife wounds, I also know what it takes to reliably stop an attacker with an edged weapon.
With these two conflicting interests in mind, it’s only natural to ask what place hideout knives actually have in realistic self-defense.
KnifeNews
| EDC, Industry News / New Products, Production Knives
Among the many models on display in Böker Plus 2021 catalog are three EDC-spec’d flippers. And while they’re all ostensibly in the same general category, this incoming trio varies wildly in their styles, materials, and mechanics….
It’s obvious at a glance that the Bonfire is a play on the modern traditional concept. It appears to be most closely modeled after a single blade trapper knife, with a 3.43-inch clip point blade and two-grooved handle….
We’ve already seen one new for 2021 variant on Lucas Burnley’s Kwaiken this year, an OTF auto. The popular pattern is also rolling out in a new “Air” variant…
The Cataclyst is an in-house Böker joint with full titanium scales front and back, a sculpted titanium pocket clip, and ball bearing flipper deployment – placing it on the higher end of the Böker Plus pricing spectrum.
The Outdoor Retailer Summer 2021 show is shifting back two months. Mark your calendars for the new dates of August 10-12, 2021, when we’ll return to the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. Originally scheduled for June, this change allows more time to facilitate a safe and successful in-person event, gives exhibitors and attendees more days to plan participation, and provides greater peace-of-mind in the opportunity to gather and do business together.
We remain committed to ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of each member of our community, our internal team and everyone involved with the show. We have been working closely with Visit Denver, the Colorado Convention Center, and hotel partners to implement the highest safety protocols and measures recommended by health officials and government agencies, and we are available to address any questions or concerns you may have.
We’ve heard from many of you who are eager to reunite and ready to get back to the productive work you find at the in-person show. We’re anxious to see you too! When we reconvene in Denver this August, expect to see extra precautions we are taking beyond those mandated by government authorities, and face masks will be required of all persons entering the building, without exception.
KnifeNews
| Bushcraft, Hunting, & Survival, Industry News / New Products, Production Knives
The spate of releases from TOPS continues with the much-anticipated Brush Wolf, another long-anticipated 2020 SHOT Show blade. This knife is a collaboration with Houghton Era Outdoors and is a beefed up revision of one of the truly classic outdoors knife patterns.
It’s plain at a glance that the Brush Wolf’s blade is a take on the nessmuk, an all-purpose outdoors knife designed by writer George W. Sears (who wrote under the pen name “Nessmuk.”) And indeed the nessmuk knife is required reading for anybody interested in bushcraft blade history. The Brush Wolf plays up the original elements of the shape somewhat: its 6.5-inch edge is a very pronounced belly, sweeping out to a low, but acute, tip. The spine is capped with a run of saw teeth, but a short section has been defanged to allow for use of a fire striker. The blade steel, as it often is on TOPS’s classically outdoors-focused offerings, is 1095.
Other recent TOPS drops like the Bestia and the Filet Knife were both quite specialized knives, but the Brush Wolf is capable of a wide gamut of outdoors and bushcraft chores. Its size and typically sturdy TOPS construction mean that it can flex between bigger and littler tasks without a hitch: batonning, chopping, and detailed whittling are all on the table for this one.
A hatchet is the one outdoors tool you just can’t live well without. Around camp, it can handle just about any cutting task, whether you need to shave tinder and split kindling for a fire, whittle a tent stake, or even pound cube steak. At home, hand axes and hatchets indispensable as a handy hearthside companion. And with the advent of modern survival hatchets, this is the one tool you don’t want to leave home without. A solid design made of tough, corrosion-resistant materials can ride in a toolbox or storage bin and be close at hand if you need to clear a trail or help someone in danger. To make the best choice, read on to find out about the different kinds of steel used in hatchets and how handle and head designs affect performance. Then learn why a handy hatchet has been among the world’s most useful tools for centuries.
This is the hatchet version of yesterday’s Outdoor Life primer on machetes
Do you believe or have friends or customers who believe that there is a get-out-of-jail-free “Collector” exception to knife laws that otherwise prohibit certain knives? Some states do provide limited exceptions for antique weapons, including knives. But it is essential to Know Your Knife Laws – Collectors, and important for anyone who is the intended beneficiary of a curio or collection to understand the law.
We’ve been very busy the last month working on legislative initiatives with some success and some disappointment. AKTI continues to work in several states and on the federal level to make rational and reasonable changes to knife laws as efficiently as possible, maximizing the value of your membership dollars and contributions.
The most recent knife legislation status can always be found on our website at Follow Current Knife Legislation.
• Washington State – A disappointment. Despite the tremendous effort from our coalition headed by Mike Vellekamp of V Nives, HB 1244 died in committee for lack of a hearing being scheduled.
• Iowa – HB 250 would remove penalties for concealed carry unless the knife is used in criminal activity.
• Michigan – HB 4066 would enact statewide knife preemption.
• Minnesota – A constitutional amendment has been introduced to enact the right to bear arms, including knives specifically referenced.
• North Dakota – AKTI provided written testimony supporting HB 1339 to remove name-based restrictions, including automatic knives. Another disappointment – it was delayed by referring it to a legislative staff study.
• Ohio – Success! SB 140, which allows the sale and manufacture of automatics and clarifies that a concealed knife is not a weapon unless used as such, will be effective April 12, 2021.
• South Carolina – HB 3551 to add knives to the existing firearms preemption legislation – a continuation of previous efforts since 2012.
• Vermont – HB 201 was refiled to allow the sale and possession of automatic knives without a less than 3″ blade length restriction. HB 254 to enact statewide knife preemption was introduced.
• Federal Initiatives continue to repeal the 1958 Federal Switchblade Act and protect traveling knife users.
We’re very grateful for the individuals helping on the ground in states, legislators willing to listen and act, and groups and other supporters lending their backing to our efforts. Legislative initiatives are truly a team sport!
A quick reminder to our industry members – email your press releases for AKTI’s Industry News section and post your job openings on the Career Center.
EverydayCommentary
| EDC, Knife Stories, Production Knives
Over the years I have reviewed a lot of gear. I have handled even more. I have seen great stuff. I have seen horrdenous stuff. But a few things have managed to avoid the churn of gear buying and selling. Some of those items are things I just can’t see parting with and a few are things so good I regularly carry them regardless of what else is on the review shelf.
These items are my very favorite pieces of gear and two of them have been significantly modified from their original form. This is MY EDC, the default I go to when I am not reviewing stuff. Here is the story of how I put it together.
February 25, 2021 – Gilbert, Arizona: Survival authority Doug Ritter’s compact RSK® Mk5 fixed blade is back! Available again from your favorite knife retailers with an MSRP of just $15.95, the RSK® Mk5 is a petite, lightweight fixed blade that will fit in almost any small personal survival kit or stash-away location, or it can be carried as a neck knife, yet it is robust enough that it’s a knife you can bet your life on™.
Available in Stonewashed or Black-coated finish with a Glass-Reinforced Nylon Sheath, it comes packed in its own bright orange Survival Preparedness Tin (same size as an Altoids tin). Included are instructions from Ritter to assemble your own survival tin kit.The RSK® Mk5 is manufactured for Blue Ridge Knives, the world’s largest knife distributor, in the same factory as the CRKT original. MSRP is now only $15.95.RSK® Mk5 Specifications*Blade Material: 3Cr13 Stainless Steel hardened to 52-55 HRC
I have always been fascinated by covert edged weapons—especially the various “hideout” knives associated with the famed operatives of the OSS (Office of Strategic Services—the predecessor of the CIA) and, even more accurately, the SOE (Special Operations Executive—the OSS’ British equivalent).
Among the many models on display in Böker Plus 2021 catalog are three EDC-spec’d flippers. And while they’re all ostensibly in the same general category, this incoming trio varies wildly in their styles, materials, and mechanics….
The spate of releases from TOPS continues with the much-anticipated 
A hatchet is the one outdoors tool you just can’t live well without. Around camp, it can handle just about any cutting task, whether you need to shave tinder and split kindling for a fire, whittle a tent stake, or even pound cube steak. At home, 
Over the years I have reviewed a lot of gear. I have handled even more. I have seen great stuff. I have seen horrdenous stuff. But a few things have managed to avoid the churn of gear buying and selling. Some of those items are things I just can’t see parting with and a few are things so good I regularly carry them regardless of what else is on the review shelf.
