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The string of TOPS releases continues with the High Impact, a new axe from the mind of company CEO Leo Espinoza. The High Impact earns its name through a maximalist construction that dials up the hatchet concept as far as it can go.Espinoza gave the High Impact a blade length of 5.75 inches, but that doesn’t tell the full story here. The axe’s overall length is the big draw: at over 20 inches long, and fashioned from a single piece of .38″ stock, this is a big boy. In fact, in the official product literature, TOPS posits that this might be the largest production hatchet on the market. Whether or not that’s the case, the High Impact definitely benefits from its burly dimensions. It can perform, and withstand big chopping jobs, while still remaining nimble enough to take care of the less demanding chores smaller hatchets and hand axes might be used for.There are no surprises on the steel choice here: 1075 carbon. It’s less common than 1095 in TOPS’s lineup, but an obvious choice for a tool like the High Impact. It’s a naturally impact-resistant steel, and that’s a trait they further bolstered by heat treating it to a softer RC of 56-58.The extra-long handle has an unusual profile. Beginning straight enough underneath the axe head, as it runs down it begins to curve upward in a hump before ending in a flared pommel. Tan canvas Micarta scales are laid on the full tang body; all in all the Impact weighs 58.8 oz. It’s a hefty piece of steel for sure, but it’s worth noting that the sheath – a leather blade cover – doesn’t add much weight.The High Impact has been floating around for several years, appearing every once in a while in prototype form. It’s not surprising that we’re finally seeing it in the wild, as TOPS is definely in the midst of a catch-up streak; the releases have been coming thick and fast since the Bestia debuted in February. The Filet Knife shortly followed, and then the Brush Wolf came out just last week.   The article is shared from Internet...knifeglobal：https ://knifeglobal.com

Jesper Voxnaes has a new knife coming out from Böker this year, the Karakurt. Named after an Eastern European spider, the Karakurt is the Voxnaes’s second automatic with Böker, but it departs from its predecessor in terms of size and application.Much like 2020’s Kompakt, the Karakurt’s headlining feature is its single action, automatic, button lock construction. Given the legal issues involved with automatic knife manufacture and shipping, Böker partners with U.S. manufacturers for their autos; the Karakurt is assembled by Hogue. The Karakurt’s blade length is 3.07 inches, and its shape is a simple, straightforward drop point. These two elements add up to something well-suited for classic EDC jobs – including ones that would be beyond the capacity of the California-legal Kompakt – but thanks to the fast automatic deployment there’s probably an element of tactical utility here as well.The Hogue heritage also comes through on the blade steel, which is 154CM, a standby within their own lineup. 154CM is an oldie but a goodie with solid performance in every category.Voxnaes’s work always possessed a utilitarian core while managing to invoke a unique sensibility and style. Even on his most work-oriented blades, little touches give away the knife as a Voxnaes design. The Karakurt’s handle definitely bears a similarity to the Kompakt’s, but elongated and tweaked. It’s slenderer in proportion to its blade, with a more pronounced finger groove, and a canted back end that functions like a bracket. All of these elements naturally help the Karakurt fulfill its all-purpose EDC remit. The handle material is aluminum, as is often the case with this style of automatic; the Karakurt weighs 3.35 oz. in total and comes with a reversible stainless steel pocket clip.Böker seems fixed on making a play for the automatic market in 2021. No other major knife company seems as committed to the niche as the Solingen, Germany-based outfit. Their AK-74 model is prolific, and can be had in dozens of variations.   The article is shared from Internet...knifeglobal：https ://knifeglobal.com

Serge Panchenko is bringing a new folder to his Serge Knives Inc. production line. It’s called the Slipjoint Razor, and is just that: a riff on the utility razor, elevated to modern EDC standards and sporting the standout Panchenko steampunk aesthetic.Panchenko’s folding knife work has almost always centered around luxuriously finished, smaller blades, so it makes sense that he would take a crack at the utility razor; it’s a niche genre that appeals to technical designers as well as those who like compact EDCs. It seems silly to mention the blade shape of these ubiquitous razors, but you get a wharncliffe-style blade, with a precise point and a straight edge; best used for opening boxes or quickly snipping things, but with the amount of edge the Slipjoint Razor leaves exposed, you could flex this knife into some medium cutting chores too.The razor blade is held in place by an arm that comprises the folding part of the design. A screwdriver is required to remove the blade for replacement. Although it doesn’t have a nail mark, the Slipjoint Razor is opened with two hands, in a pinch style, much like a traditional.And, although it is by no means a traditional, the Slipjoint Razor’s handle does have the bowed shape of a Sodbuster. It’s a handle design we’ve seen from Panchenko before on the Serge Knives Inc. slipjoints. The knife’s non-locking nature means that the handle scales can be identical on both sides, and users have their choice between several colors of G-10 and titanium. The Slipjoint Razor comes with a non-reversible titanium pocket clip.This isn’t the first time that Panchenko has worked with the utility razor idea, although his previous efforts in that arena were custom pieces. The first run of the Slipjoint Razor came in this week, and more are expected in the near future. The article is shared from Internet...knifeglobal：https ://knifeglobal.com

One of Gerber’s most unusual 2021 releases, the Doubledown, will soon be widely available. The Doubledown is an outdoors knife that takes advantage of the balisong form factor to create a uniquely rugged folder.The business end of the Doubledown is an imposingly broad drop point, running to 6.75 inches in length. Made from 420HC steel, this blade has a noticeable recurve and oversized jimping on the spine, running from the center of the blade out to the tip. It’s actually not made for your fingers, but rather to help transfer force through to the edge during batoning. Because despite its folding nature, the Doubledown is a blade optimized for hard outdoors work: Gerber doesn’t shy away from advertising its capacity for batoning, whittling, and chopping.There are lots of balisong fans who will tell you the knife has one of the strongest folding mechanisms available. Maybe that’s why Gerber decided to start with a bali-style handle when designing the Doubledown; whatever their reason, they went a step further and outfitted it with what they’re calling the QuadLock mechanism. This patent pending lock secures the Doubledown in the open position with two steel arms, one in each handle half; users manipulate the these arms by pressing down on two exposed tabs. In addition to locking in the open and closed positions, the QuadLock stops when partially closed, giving users the chance to clear their fingers from the blade channel before closing the knife completely.Nobody will be surprised to hear the Doubledown is not configured for in-pocket carry, and does not have a clip – nor would you want one. This is a massive knife, with a total weight of more than a pound; it is meant to be carried in the included belt- and MOLLE-compatible Nylon sheath.

Our last two stories on Böker’s new for 2021 knives focused on collaborations with outside makers Jesper Voxnaes and Lucas Burnley. For this last piece we’re taking a look at two more in-house folders, the Kaizen and a folding version of the famous Smatchet fixed blade.Folding SmatchetOkay, the Pocket Smatchet isn’t technically an in-house design, coming as it does from the historical smatchet fixed blade, designed by Rex Applegate and William Fairbairn for use by special forces in WWII; but Böker has been the premier production manufacturer working with the design since then, and now they’re rolling it out in a folding variant.The Pocket Smatchet retains the fixed blade’s iconic, leaf-dagger blade shape, albeit shrunk down to a pocketable 3.74 inches. Obviously, this is a single-edged iteration, made from VG-10 and opened via ambidextrous thumb disk. The size reduction changes the Pocket Smatchet’s particular remit but it retains a hard use, tactical element for sure. In terms of other materials, it falls onto the higher end of the Böker Plus lineup, with a sculpted pocket clip and green canvas micarta scales. Pocket clip or no, the Folding Smatchet is still a hefty boy at 7.03 oz.KaizenThe Kaizen is the latest design from Böker to find inspiration in the look and feel of Eastern swords. Its Japanese tanto showcases the way in this martial blade shape can become an EDC cutter when appropriately resized – in this case down to 3.03 inches. Böker made this blade from D2 steel, and it opens exclusively via a low profile front flipper tab.This style of opening method means that the Kaizen’s blade is almost completely concealed in the handle upon closing. The handle itself is made from G-10 with stainless steel liners (including the off-side locking leaf). The knife weighs 1.62 oz. and carries with a low-profile pocket clip. The article is shared from Internet...knifeglobal：https ://knifeglobal.com

Viper Knives is on the cusp of rereleasing the Fearless, a combat fixed blade designed by Tommaso Rumici. The Fearless first appeared on the scene more than ten years ago and kicked off Rumici’s entire career as a knife designer, but has been unavailable for a long time.When Rumici partnered with Viper on the Fearless in 2006, it was the first tactical fixed blade to appear in Maniago manufacturer’s catalog. And this isn’t a design that can be mistaken for anything other than a tactical knife: its intended role is immediately apparent in the 6 inch spear point blade and its pronounced, albeit single-edge, dagger grind. Obviously, piercing and slashing were the two primary concerns for Rumici here. The blade steel is Sleipner, a semi-stainless from Bohler-Uddeholm that’s an upgraded version of D2 steel. Sleipner is a favorite amongst the big Italian manufacturers, and makes perfect sense on a knife spec’d for hard use.While the Fearless’s blade shape falls in line with many combat-oriented fixed blades before it, but the handle design, while aiming towards the same end, takes a more unconventional approach. Its most notable feature is the extended spine side quillion, which functions not only as a guard but has a deep, knurled thumb ramp behind it. According to Rumici, this keeps the user’s hand in place during thrusting motions. There’s a deep finger groove on the bottom handle, but otherwise its shape is a neutral one, allowing users to hold the Fearless however they need to in the moment. The Fearless arrives with two different scale material options: burlap canvas Micarta, or carbon fiber.The 2006 Fearless was actually the first knife design of Rumici’s to ever make it to production, albeit in a very limited run of just 330 pieces. Still, the fixed blade kicked off a long career in knife design for Rumici. In just the last couple of years, we’ve seen him really ramp up his output, with work from Viper, Summit Knife Co., Fox, and Steel Will all hitting the shelves.

TOPS is bringing out a design from another first-time collaborator. The Hornero, a small knife with full-sized ergonomics from Argentinian designer Tomás Reynoso, is coming in hot this week.The Hornero is the smallest fixed blade TOPS has put out so far in 2021; you’d have to go all the way back to last year’s Mini Tanimboca Puukko to find something smaller. It’s a 3-inch blade, with drop point fundamentals modified by a deep groove on the spine and a harpoon swedge. The idea was to create something ready to do a nearly-comprehensive list of indoor and outdoor tasks, short of heavy duty chopping and the like; the Hornero can snip, slice, whittle, gouge, and more. No surprises with the blade steel here: 1095 carbon graced with a black powder coating.Reynoso’s aim in creating the Hornero was to marry a compact blade with a full-sized handle. By bringing the blade length down as far as possible without sacrificing his knife’s capabilities, he made room for a generous handle that doesn’t impact the knife’s carryability. The Hornero’s roomy handle has a bellied-out midsection and shallow groove below the finger guard; these features, along with that spine side groove, provide lots of options for grip adjustment without being overly proscriptive.The Hornero’s blade to handle ratio is deliberately skewed towards the latterThe wide frame is covered by two-tone canvas Micarta scales: black for the faux bolster, and tan for the rest of the handle. For the sheath material, the Hornero is getting good old fashioned Kydex, with a belt loop attachment included. The knife weighs 5.3 ounces in the hand, and 6.8 in the sheath.The Hornero, like the Brush Wolf before it, marks the debut of another new TOPS collaborator, and is the first design by Tomás Reynoso to be put before a wide audience. Reynoso is an outdoor instructor, which undoubtedly influenced the utilitarian design of the Hornero, and a part-time knife maker/modder/designer.

Buck is welcoming Lane Tobiassen to the team as the company’s new president. Tobiassen brings years of experience in knife-adjacent industries, and is the first president of Buck to not be a member of the Buck family itself.Since being founded in 1902, Buck has been a family affair, with four generations of Bucks taking the helm in turn. CJ Buck, an omnipresent mover and shaker in the knife world, was the most recent family member to hold the position. But he says in an official press release that the time was right for an outside influence in this key leadership role. “The final piece of the puzzle was to bring in outside expertise to lead the daily operations…It is a testament to the family’s commitment to make our company more robust and less vulnerable to fluctuations in our marketplace or the broader economy.”Recently, we’ve seen Buck focusing on its product development in relatively daring initiatives; it could be argued that 2017-2020 were some of the most adventurous years in the company’s history to date, with big riffs on their classic models, and several new lines that attempt to embody modern knife design values. CJ Buck, who is retaining his position as CEO, notes that bringing in Tobiassen will allow Buck to capitalize on these moves. “We continue on with the strategies we have been implementing over the last three years with a renewed clarity on flawless execution.”Prior to coming to Buck, Tobiasson has occupied leadership positions at Smith & Wesson, Crimson Trace, and LaCrosse – none of which are knife companies, of course, but all bear a relation to it under the greater “Outdoors/Sporting Goods” product genre. “I am very excited to lead the team at Buck Knives,” says Tobiassen in the release. “It’s such an honor to be welcomed into this family, and my experience in the outdoor industry and firearms market gives me the insight and perspective needed to drive growth strategies forward and execute on an exciting period of growth for Buck Knives.” The article is shared from Internet...knifeglobal：https ://knifeglobal.com

Shirogorov is back at it with a new limited run collaboration, this time with fellow superstar Russian maker Dmitry Sinkevich. The incoming knife is called the Kami, and it takes some cues from a previous design of Sinkevich’s while making significant changes as well.If you watch the high-high-end of the production scene, you might find the Kami’s overall profile somewhat familiar. “We want to point out that the handle design and milling are not new,” writes Shirogorov rep Tom. “Earlier a similar pattern was used in Dmitry’s collaboration with Rockstead, called SHUN.”Thus the Kami has the same modified sheepsfoot blade – a familiar style in Sinkevich’s general output – albeit sporting some notable alterations. The Shun’s cutting edge was over 4 inches long, but the Kami’s runs to just 3.42 inches. The steel has been altered as well, from ZDP-189 to S110V here on the Kami. S110V is a high performance super steel to be sure, and one that might be somewhat easier to sharpen than the notoriously obstreperous ZDP-189.Finally, perhaps most notably, the grind has been altered. Rockstead’s Shun came done up in a gleaming mirror finish; Shirogorov and Sinkevich took the Kami in a different, if not less impressive, direction. The front looks fairly traditional with its primary and secondary bevel, but the back has a tripartite compound grind, giving the Kami an asymmetrical look without affecting the actual cutting edge. “With the handle design this complex we just couldn’t put a plain blade into this folder,” notes Tom.The tripartite grind on the KamiThat handle is fully titanium, with a frame lock and lock bar insert. Both front and back scales have been given a complex, angular milling pattern, and instead of standard backspacer or standoff construction, the Kami’s sculpted titanium pocket clip pulls double duty, with two screws not only holding it in place for carry but also securing both scales. This reduces the amount of hardware and, along with the lightweight materials and some aggressive internal milling, keeps the Kami’s weight well below the four-ounce mark at 3.46 oz. It’s also worth noting that the entire setup is completely reversible, making carry easier for lefties.The Kami’s pocket clip works as a backspacer too   The article is shared from Internet...knifeglobal：https ://knifeglobal.com

The latest Custom Knife Factory release, the SM-Special, is now available. This is the third collaboration between CKF and Belarusian designer Alexey Vorobyov. Like all CKF knives the SM-Special comes with high end materials and premium finishing, but also packs in some details not seen on its luxurious stablemates.Vorobyov, who also created the Kadat and MILK for CKF, has whipped up a mid-to-large-size EDC knife in the SM-Special. Its drop point blade shows off classical proportions, with belly, straight edge, and a durable tip all present and accounted for. The blade steel is M390, the CKF standard; its presence ensures good edge life and impressive stain resistance to keep the SM-Special’s smooth satin finish looking good.The SM-Special is a pure flipper, but with the key difference that the tab itself can be removed and replaced with one of two other (included) tabs. All three options function identically, but change the overall profile, in particular the extremely subdued low-profile option CKF and Vorobyov included.Three different flipper tabs let users modifiy the SM-Special to suit their tastesThe SM-Special’s handle blends a very subdued, unembellished profile with flamboyant finishing and details. Taken as an outline, there are virtually no major ergonomic landmarks to note: just a little dip to demarcate the front and back portions of the handle. But the construction is typically lush, with a stepped titanium frame and, on the show side scale, a carbon fiber inlay. On the off-side scale, the sculpted titanium pocket clip is set into a centrally-located channel, and can be repositioned for either tip up or tip down carry (however, it’s not reversible to the other side). The SM-Special is a liner lock knife and weighs 4.2 oz. total.The SM-Special’s reversible clip in its channel.Like most companies big and small, CKF’s 2020 was hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic. They seem to be picking up steam this year, however, with a slate of releases planned to follow the SM-Special. Seven more knives have been announced for later this year, including releases from Peter Rassenti and Alexey Konygin.   The article is shared from Internet...knifeglobal：https ://knifeglobal.com