New to the market - Fixed Blade Knives and Folding Knives

Over the past few months, there has been several new additions to the cutlery market.  I won't list them all, but will focus on a select few.

The Cold Steel Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) Hunter is an updated version of more traditionally styled folders.  The Hunter features Cold Steel's patented Tri-Ad Lock which essentially adds a stop pin to the mix of the internal workings.  That addition aids in the reduction or elimination of vertical blade play that is present in many lock back type folders. 

The blade is AUS-8A stainless steel and features a plain edge and a 3.5" (89 mm) length bringing the overall open length of the Hunter to approximately 8.25" (210 mm) and a overall weight of 6.6 ounces (187 grams).



 

Cold Steel Mackinac Hunter, 3-1/2" SS Blade, Faux Stag Handle 54FBT

Spyderco has put out some great knives in recent times and one of my favorites is the Gayle Bradley Air.  This sweet little liner lock features an M4 steel blade which is renown for it excellent cutting abilities.  The blade is a 2.5" (76 mm) sheepsfoot style, plain edge and is approximately 3/32" (2 mm) thick.

This incredible knife features gray glass fibers scales that offer a bit of texture for grip, but also helps keep the weight down.  As the name implies, the Air is a lightweight knife coming in about an incredible 1.3 ounces (37 grams).  That is a whole lot of knife in a very lightweight package.



Spyderco Bradley Air, 2-1/2" M4 Blade, Glass Fiber Handle C159GFP
 

The Air is definitely one of my favorites in the world of new releases, however, there is another Spyderco that is competing for top spot in my book.  It is the Spyderco Techno.  What a great knife!  Not as light as the Air, in fact if it is more than twice the weight of the Air and comes in about 3.5 ounces (99 grams).  Like the Gay Bradley Air, the Techno features a flat ground 2.5" (76 mm) blade, but that is where the similarities end.  The Techno's blade features Carpenter Steel's CTS-XHP stainless steel (stonewashed) and is almost twice as thick as the Air's blade at 5/32" (4 mm).

The Techno also features a titanium handle with a built in frame lock and accommodates a right hand or left hand tip up pocket clip option.



Spyderco Techno, Plain 2-1/2" CTS-XHP SS Blade, Ti Handle C158TIP

All these great knives can be found at National Knives, LLC along with many others.  Stop by and take a look.  While you are there, don't forget to scroll down to the bottom of the page and Join the Mailing List where you will receive occasional emails from National Knives, LLC introducing new products, email only specials and more.

Thanks for looking,
Rob

Spyderco Manix 2. Made in America. Made Right.



Spyderco Manix 2, 3-3/8" Plain 154CM Stainless Blade, Black G-10 Handle C101GP2

A great multi tasking folder that utilizes a ball bearing lock system, grippy black G-10 handles and a plain edge, 3-3/8" 154CM stainless steel blade.  The pocket clip is set up for right hand/left hand tip up carry and the knife features a lanyard hole.

The Spyderco Manix 2 is Made in the USA in Golden, Colorado and is now in stock at National Knives for $69.99 plus shipping (starting at $3.99).

Rob

TOPS Tom Brown Tracker Knife

TOPS Tom Brown Tracker, 4-1/4" Blade, Linen Micarta Handle TBT-010

TOPS Knives are built tough.  These knives were designed to be used and used hard, to stand up in extreme conditions and have been proven in the hands of professionals from around the world.

Starting with the "working end" of the knife, the blade, it is noted that the overall shape of the blade is not of a traditional design, then again this is not a traditional knife by any means.  This knife is designed to be multifunctional and can be used to saw, chop, carve, split, scrape, etc.  Built of 1095 high carbon steel and hardened to HRc 58 allows this knife to be abused with limited concern of breakage.  It is easy to keep sharp and is willing to take a shaving sharp edge given the correct amount of attention and experience. 

The Linen Micarta handles finish off this 11-7/8" (302 mm) knife and wrap themselves around the full tang and provide excellent grip, with or without gloves and offer several hand placement positions for a multitude of tasks.

You can purchase this knife here for $239.20 with free USPS Priority shipping to all 50 U.S. states and APO/FPO addresses.

Rob

Get a grip! Wood as a knife handle material.

I would like to expand our knowledge of handle materials and their advantages and disadvantages. A knife handle is simply the part of a knife that was built with the specific purpose of being able to safely hold and use the knife it's attached to. In the beginning, the handle material was the part of the cutting tool that didn't cut you, not much as changed regarding the concept of the handle. However, the materials used and their purposes have changed.

I won't be covering all the different types of handle materials as just about anything that is relatively hard can be used. A shortened list of those materials would include, metal, wood, plastics, animal horns and more. I will cover some of the more basic materials of knives that National Knives has in stock and for sale or had in stock at some point.  This blog will focus on wood.

The first material I am going to address is wood. It's all around us and used virtually everywhere in just about everything, or so it seems anyways. Knife manufacturers don't simply rely on one type of wood to all their products. Different species of woods offer different textures, grains and either add or detract from the overall appearance of the knife. Wood can add to the cost of the knife or detract from it, depending on the type of wood used and how attractive it makes the knife when it is on the dealers shelves waiting to find a new home. A scarce wood that is plain in appearance and offers no usable advantages probably won't increase the value much, but probably wouldn't be used by a manufacturer to begin with. A scarce wood that offers visual appeal and/or usable advantages will not only add to the appearance of the knives but will usually add the the price of the knife too. Some of the more common wood types that are used in the manufacturer of knife handles are : Cocobolo, wood laminates (often dyed), Pakkawood, Rosewood, Oak and Sandalwood.
I would like to expand our knowledge of handle materials and their advantages and disadvantages. A knife handle is simply the part of a knife that was built with the specific purpose of being able to safely hold and use the knife it's attached to. In the beginning, the handle material was the part of the cutting tool that didn't cut you, not much as changed regarding the concept of the handle. However, the materials used and their purposes have changed.

The picture attached to this post features a Mcusta model 13D folding knife. Mcusta used ebony wood as the handle material with this knife. This particular model is finished smooth but has indents where the user can rest their fingers. I would not consider this knife a "hard use" knife, in other words, it would not be good for military, police, fire, EMS, survival applications. I would classify it more of a gentleman's knife and a great every day carry (EDC) knife and with it's Damascus style blade adding to the visual beauty, this would make a great special occasion folder.

Some woods are absolutely beautiful, but are difficult to keep stable so they won't split, crack or chip. One manufacturer recently used Spalted Maple, which is a heavy grained wood, as a handle material on a fixed blade knife that resulted in the manufacturer having to switch to a non-wood material and selling the defective knives at a discount. The knives were easy on the eyes with the beautiful heavy grained wood handle, unfortunately it just didn't work out for the manufacturer.

Please feel free to contact me at Sales@NationalKnives.com.

Rob