Spyderco Delica 4. Great Value. Great Knife.

Spyderco Delica 4, 2-7/8" VG-10 Stainless Blade, Green Handle C11FPGR

One of Spyderco's best selling knives of all time is the Delica.  With a multitude of variations, from handle material types to blade steels, there is bound to be one made that fits your needs.  The Delica shown here is shown with a green Fiber Glass Reinforced, or FRN, handle which is a lightweight and extremely durable material.  The color is optional, you can get this particular model with a blue, purple, gray, black, brown and of course, green FRN handle.  The blade steel is a higher end stainless steel made in Japan called VG-10 which will offer great corrosion resistance and excellent edge retention.  The grind on this particular model is referred to as a full flat ground which means that when the blade was ground, starting at the cutting edge and moving to the spine, the blade begins thing and gradually gets thicker.  This grind is well suited for low resistance slicing.  This also features a right hand/left hand, tip up or tip down black pocket clip which allows you to adapt it to your needs.

This this particular model is $53.99 + shipping (starts at $3.99 for USPS Priority) at www.NationalKnives.com.  You can also view other Delica models here.


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

Keeping those knives, scissors, etc. sharp

A dull knife will make any job more challenging than a sharp knife will.  A dull knife can potentially cause more injuries as you will exert more force when cutting than you would if you were using a sharp knife.  A knife is a tool made to simplify your task, you can relate a dull knife to a coin and a sharp knife to a flat edge screwdriver, both can potentially get the job if unscrewing/screwing done, just one (the sharp knife/flat edge screwdriver) is going to make it a whole lot easier and is going to require a lot less effort on your part.  Your pocket knives, hunting knives, kitchen knives, scissors of all varieties, lawn mower blades and more, they all perform better when properly sharpened. 

You say that you don't know how to properly sharpen a knife?  Good news!  Spyderco manufactures the Triangle Sharpmaker, model 204MF which is a relatively inexpensive kit that is very easy to use and gets your knives back in to proper working order.  It comes with a "How To" DVD and instruction manual, 2 - fine grit triangle rods and 2 - medium grit triangle rods, 2 - brass safety rods and a base that doubles as a storage container for the rods.

Spyderco Triangle Sharpmaker Sharpening Set, Instructional DVD 204MF

National Knives sells this kit for $51.99 + shipping (starting at $8.99).  Replacement fine and medium rods are available for $11.49 + shipping (starting at $3.99) and are sold individually.  For those that have knives in poor shape and need to remove a lot of metal fast, you can purchase the optional diamond rods for $41.99 + shipping (starting at $3.99) for a set of 2 rods.  If you are really looking for a professional edge Spyderco also manufactures an ultra fine rod that polishes up the edge of your knife.  The fine, medium and ultra fine stones are made of high alumina ceramic, can be cleaned with a plastic scouring pad and a powdered abrasive cleaner and are autoclave safe.  The diamond rods should be rinsed in fresh, clean water.

This kit is capable of sharpening both plain edge knives and serrated edge knives, but also has the capability of sharpening pointed items like fish hooks, darts, awls and more.

Rob

Spyderco Caly 3.5 Sprint Run with Aogami Super Blue Steel Blade

Spyderco Caly 3.5, 3-1/2" Super Blue Steel Blade, Gray Handle C144GPGY

I really like this knife!  The Spyderco Caly 3.5 Sprint Run with gray G-10 handle and Aogami Super Blue Steel blade is home run in my opinion.  There are some of you that don't like the color of the handle, being a lighter shade of gray, you feel as though this particular color is prone to show more dirt and I won't argue with you as it probably will.  If I was keeping this knife in the safe or as part of a collection and was concerned about getting it dirty, I could relate, but if I am carrying this knife on a day to day basis, then I would expect it to get dirty and if it didn't, then I would know that I don't need to carry a knife at all as I am not using it. 

This knife comes wrapped in a corrosion preventing paper wrap as the blade is not 100% corrosion resistant, in fact, it will "tarnish" as time goes by and some fans of this knife have been purposely "tarnishing" the blade as some feel it adds to the beauty of the knife.  I would suggest you visit some knife forums and get some suggestions and ideas on how to go about it and what to expect. 

The name of the steel used to manufacture the blade on this knife, as mentioned earlier, has nothing to do with the color of the blade.  When the steel is produced it is wrapped in paper that is blue before being shipped to be made into knife blades, etc. and that's it, nothing more to it and nothing less.\

National Knives has these in stock and ready to ship.  They are a great buy at $145.99 + shipping (starting at $3.99 for USPS Priority).

Rob

Spyderco UK Pen Knife in G-10

Unfortunately, knife laws are following gun laws and are being strengthened all over the world.  I won't go into whether or not they are effective, I think you can probably figure out my stance on the issue without me having to tell you.  I will tell you that to some it nothing more than a mere hindrance and to others, they are more like a nightmare you just can seem to wake up from. 

The United Kingdom has had laws imposed on what kind of knife can be carried and Spyderco answered with the UK Pen Knife (UKPK).  The name may imply that this knife is only available in the United Kingdom, thankfully, Spyderco has made it available to all and with the rapidly changing laws, I would have to agree with their marketing strategy. 

Spyderco UK Pen Knife, 3" S30V SS Blade, Foliage Green Handle C94GPFG3

The UKPK utilizes GIN-1 and CPM-S30V stainless steels as it's primary blade materials.  The handle materials include Carbon Fiber, Titanium, Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon (FRN), and G-10 (shown above).  Carbon fiber and FRN both are lightweight materials with carbon fiber adding a decorative, classy touch and FRN being relatively inexpensive, but neither are very "grippy".  Titanium is another smooth material, virtually indestructible, and high tech, but expensive.  G-10 is not as expensive as carbon fiber or titanium, but is more so than FRN.  With G-10, the user ultimately gets a knife that offers great grip allowing for better control over the knife, in turn allowing for more precise cuts and better safety.

The UKPK is part of Spyderco Slipit line in which the blade does not incorporate any form of locking mechanism, the blade is held open (per Spyderco) by "resistance pressure at the pivot area" of the blade.  The non-locking platform is what keeps this knife legal in the UK as well as other areas of the world. 

Of course, you don't have to be obligated by law to be "forced" to have to carry the UKPK, you can carry it in any area of the world where it is legal for the simple reason that it is a high quality knife that will offer you years of reliable use in an attractive, handy and lightweight package.





Rob

One beautiful pocket knife, Made in the USA

W.R. Case & Sons is an iconic American manufacturing company.  In 1889, four brothers started making and selling knives, I doubt that they knew at that time how famous their brand of knives would become.  With over 19,000 members, W.R. Case & Sons boasts the largest knife collector communities in the world.  This should speak volumes of the time and effort Case puts into the development, manufacturing and quality control of their product lines. 

Case occasionally retires a particular model and refines them and then, in time, brings them back to the market even better than before.  One particular model is the Case Cheetah.  This model was taken out of production 3 years ago and reintroduced in 2011.  The model shown below features a stunning Raindrop Damascus pattern blade and India Stag Handle and nickel silver bolsters.

Case Cheetah, 3-1/4" Raindrop Damascus Blade, India Stag Handle Model 6087

This is a great knife for a gift for a friend, a family member or to treat yourself with a beautiful knife made in the United States.

Rob