I am in Asheville for a few days. I got to visit my favorite stream in the entirety of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park – Cataloochee Creek. It was a wonderful day.
Readers who have followed me from TTAK will recognize my Mora. it was my first knife review, back when I was just a writer. I still consider it my magnum opus knife review. I will have to see if I can find it on wayback machine.
Gear Patrol
| EDC, Knife & Accessory Review, Production Knives
To serrate, or not serrate: that is the question. These days it seems straight blades have become the norm, but maybe it’s time for a vibe shift. Why? A serrated blade bites through everything from rope webbing to grilled steaks to packing tape with more alacrity than a non-serrated blade. It’s ready for anything, and isn’t that sort of the point of a pocket knife?
Today we’re looking at something that represents the best of both worlds –– a knife with a half-serrated blade. Plus, it comes at a price point that won’t make you feel like you need to baby it or leave it in your desk drawer. It’s a knife that will actually get used. The knife in question? The Gerber Air Ranger.
Meh. I am yet to be impressed with a folding Gerber import. The fixed blade Downwind series of fixed blades however, are actually pretty darn good.
KnifeNews
| EDC, Industry News / New Products, Production Knives
Is 2022 the busiest GiantMouse year yet? It’s certainly shaping up to be. The company just rolled out their Nazca with its Axis Lock-style mechanism, and now they’re prepping a new model called the Nibbler for release later this summer.
The Nibbler’s modified wharnie blade measures just 2 inches long, which makes it the smallest folding knife in the GiantMouse catalog. It also makes the Nibbler legal in many places, while still leaving it plenty capable for most of the average user’s everyday cutting chores. GiantMouse is rolling out the Nibbler in two tiers of steel, an N690Co steel model and a premium CPM-20CV steel option; the two variations also have different handle materials, but more on that below.
I always question the utility of tiny blades like this. The only one that has really wow’d me is the CRKT Minimalist, in its various iterations – especially the wharncliffe.
We don’t often bring you GEC content, because most is from forums and doesn’t port over well. We need more GEC because they make great great knives in the USA.
The Wrap
| Knives in the News, Military/Tactical Knives
SEAL Team 6, best known for killing Osama bin Laden in 2011, used hatchets made by Daniel Winkler, a North Carolina knife maker who forged blades for the 1992 movie “The Last Mohicans” starring Daniel Dey-Lewis, according to the The New York Times.
The article titled, “The Secret History of SEAL Team 6: Quiet Killings and Blurred Lines,” claims that “during one period, members of Team 6’s Red Squadron — its logo shows crossed tomahawks below the face of a Native American warrior — received a Winkler hatchet after their first year in the squadron.”
In an interview, Winkler refused to say which SEAL units had received his tomahawks, but acknowledged that many were paid for by private donors.
Several former Team 6 members said that some SEAL members carried the hatchets on missions, and at least one killed an enemy fighter with the weapon.
Surprise..It’s Daniel Winkler. The Last of the Mohicans reference tipped it odd for me.
Victorinox — maker of the Swiss Army Knife — has launched a limited run edition of its extremely durable watch collection, the I.N.O.X. Carbon. Today’s Macy’s-exclusive release is designed with a carbon composite used on space shuttles to protect them against the heat of re-entry, the Carbon can withstand more than 1,000 degrees Celsius — hopefully, you won’t ever experience that temperature. This Swiss-crafted conversation piece wristwatch won’t just keep from scratching for years to come, it’ll also give you a solid and rugged timepiece that will last forever and serve you in your most adventurous moments. Today’s launch gives you a chance to sport a very rare watch, as each one is part of a limited 1,200-piece collection that’s numbered and packaged with an extra strap, a paracord key ring, a Rescue Tool, and other accessories. That extra strap is made of the same leather firefighters use in their boots. For the consummate watch shopper who leans toward experiencing feats or standing out in the crowd, the I.N.O.X. Carbon is a rare chance for a perfect product. Use code ESCAPE at checkout to get 25% off your order.
I am not a watch-head, but this is cool. I would certainly take one if it were proffered.
Bladesmith, instructor, and former Forged in Fire judge Jason Knight is bringing out a KnivesShipFree-exclusive version of the Knight Elements V2 Kukri folder. Compared to the 2017 original, V2 comes with a refined pocket clip setup and a key tweak to the ergonomics for a different overall hand feel.
The first version of the Kukri folder stepped onto the world stage at Blade Show 2017. It was a collaboration between Knight, fellow Forged in Fire judge Doug Marcaida, and Fox Knives. Back then it was called the MK Ultra Kukri, but the bones of the imposingly spec’d folder were established: the 4-inch blade, commensurately scaled handle, ball bearing flipper action, and beefy titanium frame lock. The series caught our attention, but also that of the judges at Blade ’17, taking home the Best New Collaboration award.
KnifeNews does such a great job sharing the breadth of new releases from around the industry that it is easy to forget that KnifeNews is actually the house-blog for KnivesShipFree. In fact, KSF had just closed the deal acquiring KnifeNews when founder Derrick Bohn tragically passed away, and KnifeNews founder Alex Antoniou actually offered to void the deal. The decision was made to go ahead with Derrick’s vision, and they have done this vision justice.
A good EDC knife is a great tool to always have at your side no matter what you’re doing. I’m quite fond of them myself and have a wide variety of them but I’m always on the lookout for new, quality EDC folders to add to my collection. Sandrin Knives has just announced the introduction of their new Tungsten Carbide EDC folder, the Monza, which features a new Recoil Lock Mechanism, and ceramic opening, and closing action for a smooth, high-quality, and durable EDC blade design.
New Sandrin Monza Titanium and Zirconium Tungsten Carbide knives can be found online or in stock at Sandrin’s USA retailers like Cabot Guns which is one of the official US Distributors of Sandrin Knives. Each blade costs $399.00 if ordered online and will come with the following features:
3.38” Tungsten Carbide Blade HRC7
7.67” Overall Length
3.45 Ounces Titanium Handle (Silver)
Recoil Lock Mechanism Inspired by SNECX
Runs on Ceramic Bearings
Precision Jimping and Chamfered Spine
Reversible Titanium Pocket clip
Rustproof Blade
Tip-Up Carry
StaySharp™ Technology
Ambidextrous RH or LH Carry
Sandrin gave me one of their first knives at the 2020 SHOT Show. The tungsten blade is interesting, but the knife’s construction was lacking. Looks like they have figured out the actual knife part of the equation.
To serrate, or not serrate: that is the question. These days it seems straight blades have become the norm, but maybe it’s time for a vibe shift. Why? A serrated blade bites through everything from rope webbing to grilled steaks to packing tape with more alacrity than a non-serrated blade. It’s ready for anything, and isn’t that sort of the point of a pocket knife?
Is 2022 the busiest 
SEAL Team 6, best known for killing Osama bin Laden in 2011, used hatchets made by Daniel Winkler, a North Carolina knife maker who forged blades for the 1992 movie “The Last Mohicans” starring Daniel Dey-Lewis, according to the The New York Times.
Victorinox — maker of the Swiss Army Knife — has launched 
Bladesmith, instructor, and former Forged in Fire judge 
A good 
