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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

The Titusville, PA-based traditional maestros at Great Eastern Cutlery are readying a fresh batch of the H30 and H40, two hunting-style fixed blade models.Both of these Hunter models are no-frills hunting knives in the classic mode. To that end, they both have a very traditional clip point blade shape, with a very mild clip to their tips. This consideration gives these knives necessary piercing capabilities while minimizing the chances of accidental punctures during field dressing. The generalized blade shape can also be fairly easily flexed into a general purpose outdoors role, too, suitable for everything short of chopping and batoning.The difference between the two Hunter models comes down to blade length: the H30 is a little smaller, with a blade length of 4 inches, while the H40 runs to 4.5 inches in length. There are certainly specific scenarios where that half-inch difference will be key, but for most users the decision between the two (or the choice to acquire both) will come down to personal preference. GEC created both models with 1095 steel – which, as a carbon steel, will be subject to corrosion and staining in a hunting role; but this is probably something that most owners will welcome if they’re intending on using their knife.Beneath the H30 and H40’s finger guards we see thoroughly basic, rectangular handle shapes. If there’s anything unusual or remarkable about them, it’s in the acorn-style shield on the show side scales – a detail associated with slipjoint folders, not fixed blades. Users will be able to choose between two different woods for the material of the scales themselves: bocote or cocobolo. Gec opted for leather instead of Kydex for the sheaths on both Hunter models.This Hunter release will mark the first time the knives have been available since 2019, and the first time ever they’ve been available in cocobolo and bocote. As with most knives that GEC releases, they’ll be in limited supply and are likely to get snapped up quickly, so keep your eyes peeled for them if you’re interested. GEC hasn’t given a hard release date yet but says to expect them soon.

A new bill introduced in the Texas legislature last week would place some pretty stringent restrictions on the display of knives in a retail setting. HB 4415 aims to make it so that “A retail establishment that displays a knife at the establishment shall keep the knife in a locked transparent case accesible only with the assistance of an employee of the establishment.”As is often the case with legalese, there’s a veneer of specificity here which belies a certain underlying vagueness. In a recent news blast, Knife Rights lays out the problems. “For purposes of this bill, ‘knife’ is very broadly defined as ‘any bladed hand instrument that is capable of inflicting serious bodily injury or death by cutting or stabbing a person with the instrument,'” they write. “‘Retail establishment’ is also very broadly defined as ‘a place of business open to the general public for the sale of goods or services.'”This means that HB 4415 affects, not just cutlery stores, but any place that sells even a small selection of knives. Now, knives are often kept behind display cases in stores anyway, of course, but those cases are not always locked – and many knives are sold in blister pack-style packaging that can hang on shelf pegs like any other product. And, as Knife Rights points out, knife shows themselves also fall under HB 4415’s definition of “retail establishment.” If passed into law it would totally change the tenor of future knife shows in the Lone Star state.At this point, HB 4415 has only been introduced for consideration. It still needs to pass the Texas House and Senate and get signed by the governor before it becomes law. If it manages to clear these hoops, HB 4415 will go into effect on September 1, 2021.

James Brand is back with its first 2021 release, the Wayland. The Wayland is the company’s third slipjoint effort and takes the extremely popular barlow pattern as its inspiration.Even though it’s filtered through James Brand’s clean, modern aesthetic, the Wayland’s barlow heritage is evident from tip to tail – starting with the EDC-oriented blade. Measuring 3 inches on the nose, it has a sheepsfoot profile not dissimilar from what we saw on the Pike last year. But, in addition to being almost an inch longer, the Wayland sports a notable upgrade in blade steel compared to its stablemate, benefiting from S35VN super steel instead of the Pike’s capable, but undeniably more entry-level, 12C27N.Instead of a standard traditional knife nail mark, James Brand gave the Wayland a larger, dished-out nail groove. This provides more purchase when opening the knife while also mirroring the cutouts on some of James Brands other folders, like the Folsom and the Ellis. The pivot uses phosphor washers, and naturally the Wayland is a non-locking tool.The Wayland’s nail mark differs somewhat from traditionLooking at the handle, barlow nerds will be happy to see James maintained the oversized bolster, a core element of the pattern. Beneath the bolster is a 2/3rds scale made of one of several different materials, framed by a letterbox frame underneath. Potential buyers have their choice of three different material configurations: there’s the flagship version, with a titanium bolster and rosewood scales, but two other variations swap out the titanium bolster for a steel one with a black PVD-coating. There’s a black G-10 model, which also has a black coated blade, and a black Micarta model with a satin blade.The black Micarta/steel bolster WaylandIt’s also worth noting that the Wayland is put together like a modern knife, with standard hardware underneath its scales instead of a pin-style construction. The Wayland has a lanyard hole and carries loose in the pocket; it weighs 2.8 oz.This is James Brand’s first new model of 2021, and showcases an ongoing interest in the slipjoint category. Last fall they gave their County knife a subtle renovation in the form of the aforementioned Pike. The article is shared from Internet...knifeglobal：https ://knifeglobal.com