Each month we share the Knife News column from the current edition of the Print magazine. The news is not always the most current by the time it reaches these digital pages, but gives you an idea of what has broken through as being worth one of our 4 slots each month.
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MagnaCut Fixed Blade is Latest Leatherman “Garage Project” Release
Leatherman’s Garage Project is sort of the company’s “Skunk Works”. The name pays homage to the company’s early days in Tim Leatherman’s Portland, Oregon Garage. It was there that he constructed, broke, reengineered, and adjusted his iconic tool, redefining the term “multitool” in the process. Through the Garage Project, Leatherman seeks to once again push the boundaries of production knife making, setting aside convention to produce small runs (<1000 pieces) of unique knives and tools.
For their latest release (Batch 007 if you are keeping score at home), Leatherman collaborated with the Malloy Brothers, a trio of surfers turned filmmakers, whose travels may find them far from their southern California base of operations and participating in any manner of outdoor activity. They designed the 007 Malloy Special to be the ideal everyday companion for such varied conditions.
The 007 Malloy Special is an EDC fixed blade made from mirror-polished MagnaCut steel. It features a 2.7” cutting edge with a classic drop point design. The scales are white micarta, and the knife features a lanyard hole and custom leather sheath.
Like all Garage Project offerings, the American made Malloy Special is being produced in a limited run, and when it sells out it is gone for good. Visit www.leatherman.com or call 800-847-8665 for more information. MSRP is $300.
CRKT Debuts Richards Rogers Q
New Mexico maker Richard Rogers began making knives in 1996. Alongside his custom work, which is heavy on exquisitely-made folders, Rogers is a prolific designer as well. His knives have been produced by several companies; most notably, he has been a long time collaborator with CRKT with the CEO being his most popular CRKT release.
Rogers is back with the new CRKT Q, a derivation of his custom model of the same name. The Q is an Italian-made MagnaCut folder with a titanium frame-lock and a carbon fiber scale inlay. The 3.31” blade has a decorative fuller which can be used when opening the knife two-handed, or a flipper tab which allows the blade to snap open smoothly on its IKBS bearing pivot. A single position (right-hand, tip-up) deep-carry pocket clip rounds out this practical EDC package.
The CRKT Q will have made its debut at Blade Show West by the time of publication. It is available from the CRKT website: www.CRKT.com, or through major retailers. For more information call 503-685-5015. MSRP is $225.
TOPS Channels Ancient Mythology in New Lilith
In Ancient Mesopotamian and Jewish mythology, Lilith can be described as anything from a “seductress” to a “primordial she-demon,” which is an interesting inspiration for the latest TOPS model to reach the market. One can certainly see the elegant curves in this Jason Johnson design, while at the same time it is easy to imagine the Lilith to be capable of inflicting a nasty bite if the situation warrants. Johnson, who markets his custom creations (knives and tomahawks) under the company name of Pro Knife Thrower, has a YouTube channel of the same name.
The TOPS Lilith itself measures an impressive 20.63” overall, with its grey powder-coated 1095 high carbon steel blade making up 14” of this. Because of Jason’s background as a knife thrower, the tan micarta scales have a distal taper, allowing for a smooth release of the knife. To prevent this for those times when being used in a chopping capacity, the Lilith features a retention ring for the index finger, and a lanyard-tube near the handle’s end. A Kydex sheath with leather dangler rounds out the package.
The Lilith is proudly made in Idaho. MSRP for the TOPS Lilith is $450, but even TOPS is listing it at a more pocket-friendly $340 on their website www.topsknives.com
Industry Legend B.R. Hughes Passes
The American Bladesmith Society (ABS) co-founder, member of the Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame and the ABS Hall of Fame, Billy Ray Hughes died at his Texarkana home on September 17th. He was 92 years of age.
From the late 1960s into the 2000s, B.R. Hughes and Ken Warner probably did more than anyone to promote handmade knives and their makers. During the 1960s Hughes began writing articles for gun and outdoors magazines including Guns, Gunsport, Gun World, and Muzzleloader. Towards the end of that decade he penned his first article on handmade knives, and in 1972 Hughes wrote one of the very first books on custom knives, American Handmade Knives of Today. In time, he would write or co-write other important titles including The Gun Digest Book of Knives (1973), The Gun Digest Book of Folding Knives (1977), Modern Handmade Knives (1982) and finally Master of the Forge (1996) with C. Houston Price, about their great friend Bill Moran.
Over the years Hughes wrote over 500 different articles about knives for various magazines, particularly American Blade (now Blade Magazine) and Knife World (now KNIFE Magazine). Most were about handmade knives, particularly profiles of knifemakers, and countless makers owe him a debt of gratitude for the success found in their careers. Hughes also wrote several articles on local knifemaking legend James Black, at a time in which Black received little support.
In 1976 he founded the American Bladesmith Society with Bill Moran, Don Hastings, and Bill Bagwell, all of whom are now deceased. Hughes served as the ABS Secretary for almost 40 years, traveling to countless events and playing a large role in helping the ABS grow to become the world’s largest knifemaking organization. He was instrumental in establishing Texarkana College’s ABS-affiliated Bill Moran School of Bladesmithing, which until 2019 was based in Washington, Arkansas and is now located at the school’s campus in Texarkana. This was the world’s first and for many years only bladesmithing school, and it played a huge role in encouraging the sharing of information among knifemakers.
Hughes was a recipient of the Knifemakers’ Guild’s Nate Posner Award and the ABS’ Don Hastings Award, both organizations’ highest honors. The annual award given for the best knife submitted by a new ABS Master Bladesmith is named in his honor.
B.R. Hughes is survived by his wife of 66 years, Carolyn Lee Hughes, who is the longtime editor of the ABS Journal and is herself a member of the ABS Hall of Fame.