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Articles by Pat Covert
Sub-Hilt Knives: Aesthetics And Agression In Harmony
When it comes to sub-hilt fighters, BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Bob Loveless (page 68) is the standard bearer. The Spade Series includes two of his smaller sub-hilt fighters flanking his Big Bear sub-hilt, along with two other Loveless classics, all in engraving by the incomparable Julie Warenski.
Knife Steels To Watch In 2026
Dr. Larrin Thomas said the combination of nickel, tungsten and vanadium of the new steel known as Pop’s ProCut gives it high toughness and wear resistance while still being easy to forge and heat treat. Shane Frank uses it for the 10.5-inch flat/double-ground blade of his Arkansas Tactical Toothpick. Overall length: 16 inches. Shane’s price for a similar model: $750.
Gent's Knives: Classy Cutters That Are Tough As Nails
There’s a gent’s knife for any taste and need in this crew, from top: SOG One-Zero Auto, GiantMouse Ace Farley V2, Spyderco Metropolitan Lightweight and Fallkniven U2vi Virgo. Gent’s knife is a fitting name for a pocketknife that’s just downright handy. It’s a refined edged tool good to have for all types of small chores you encounter on a daily basis, from cutting cord to opening packages.
Bear & Sons Nekama
; . There aren’t many knife manufacturers left that are producing all of their wares in the United States, but Bear & Son Cutlery is proud to be one. Lately they’ve been investing in top-flight technology for proficiency, but the owners still believe human involvement in the process is still a huge key to their success. A pair of good-looking tactical folders recently caught our attention and we bring them to you here.
Affordable Chef's Knives: Options That Are A Cut Above The Rest
As you get older and entertain bigger gatherings, do you find yourself wanting to improve your culinary chops? A little more blade may be just what you need to sharpen your prep time so you can spend more time enjoying your food than getting it to the table. Larger and more focused kitchen tools can indeed improve your efficiency and your proficiency as a gourmet chef as well.
Montana Knife Company Blackfoot
; . Josh Smith got a taste of knifemaking at early age under the tutelage of master custom knifemaker Rick Dunkerly, a true great in the field. Josh made his first knife at age 11 and within two years he’d earned his Master Smith rating from the prestigious American Bladesmith Society, the youngest to ever achieve the rating. He went on to make exquisite Damascus steel art knives for two decades but by the year 2020 he had a radical change of direction. He founded the Montana Knife Company (MKC).
The good news about the financial state of our country is we have ended the stifling economy of the previous administration and are eliminating years of government waste. The bad news is the changes the Trump administration is implementing aren’t going to happen overnight. Even then, the sales of the firearms typically take a breather without the threats of a liberal government at the helm.
GUNS Magazine McNees PM Mac 2 - GUNS Magazine
; . Longtime outdoorsman and former Marine Jonathan McNees just happened to stumble on several knifemaking forums while surfing the net. He said to himself, “I can do that!” and — to make a long story short — he not only became a custom knifemaker but a manufacturer as well. Jonathan’s company, McNees Knives, is an all-American outfit that takes great pride in sourcing and producing knives on our soil as close to custom as it gets. We bring you McNees’ model PM Mac 2 (Gen 2) model here.
GUNS Magazine Case Kinzua
; . Case Knives has survived the tactical explosion since the early 1990s through some very smart marketing and the fact there are still hordes of traditional pocketknife fans out there. Interestingly, Case has released several modern tactical folders the last few years that show a lot of promise. I chose to review a Kinzua in black here. The styling of this folder is exceptionally clean, has a strong frame-lock mechanism and it’s made here in good ole Bradford, PA.
TOPS Trailhead Kukri
; . I was raised using machetes but about a dozen-and-a-half years ago, I took a spin with a Kukri clearing a ravine on my elderly mother’s land. Instantly, I became a huge fan. It snatched anything that got in its way, as a Southern comedian once said, “with the gusto of a hound dog in a slaughterhouse.” With that in mind, my curiosity was raised when I saw the downsized Trailhead Kukri on TOPS Knives’ website.
Best Scissor Sharpeners: Where To Find Your Edge
I sharpen knives frequently but must admit I’m a loathsome scissors sharpener. It’s not like I’ve never sharpened scissors but only when I had to and never in an organized way. However, when my editor gave me an assignment on scissors sharpeners, I took it as a personal challenge to mend my ways—and off I went. What follows is a primer on scissors sharpening using three different systems. Before starting, there are a few obvious things to point out.
Cut Like Diamonds!
DiamondBlade Knives has now been in the business of offering its customers Friction Forged blades for eight years and the company shows no sign of slowing. In fact, their fixed-blade line being well established, they have been expanding their line of folding knives as a major focus. Friction Forging is a patented process that uses heat and pressure to forge the lead edge of a blade while leaving the rest of the D2 Steel (a favorite among hunters) with enough elasticity to bend but not break.
Combat Legacy: Modern Military Knives [Field-Tested]
While U.S. troops have long had a choice of carrying alternative knives as opposed to military issued ones, nothing prepared them for the explosion of choices that came with the modern tactical boom of the early-to-mid 1990s. While the newly minted cutters were mostly of the folding knife variety, fixed blades also benefitted from the vast improvements in tactical designs and materials that shook the cutlery industry.
Spyderco Disarray Series
; . Spyderco is usually thought of as a “steady as you go” type of company but in 2025, they’ve put their foot on accelerator. There is a new color to crow about — Cobalt — and new handle textures and patterns, plus more Titanium frames than ever. The Spyderco Tenacious model, originally inserted in the line as a low budget satisfier, has sold very well and bloomed into the beneficiary of many of these niceties. We’re featuring the new Spyderco Disarray with a Titanium frame and D2 steel blade.
Sharps Brothers Knives
Sharps Bros. has been in the firearm upgrade business since 2012, offering receivers, bolt action chassis, grips and grip modules. In 2023, the company added knives to its repertoire and has since rapidly expanded the company’s line to several cutlery categories ranging from EDC, outdoors and culinary fare.
DiamondBlade Summit
; . DiamondBlade Knives turns 20 years old in 2025 and during those two decades they’ve won more accolades and cutlery industry awards than companies many times their size. Over the years, DiamondBlade has garnered a reputation for making high-performance traditional knives that cut like a house on fire.
GUNS Magazine Teale Folders
; . Replaceable blade technology has exploded in recent years and lately one knifemaker with a dynamic approach caught my eye. Logan Thompson of Virginia Beach, Va. is the creative behind Teale Designs and five years ago he began putting his background in manufacturing and engineering to good use. He started by making EDC pry bars and rapidly expanded to tool sets and utility knives, including the cool XL Utility Knife folding knives you see here.
Tony Bose: The Legend's Effect On Pocketknife Designs
The story of the knife is one of evolution, with thousands upon thousands of steps along the way. When you boil it down, however, it’s really just the passing of knowledge gained from one individual to the next. One who earned an immortal slot in that incredibly long span of time is BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Tony “Old Dog” Bose.
Sharps Bros. Meanstreak 3.5
; . Sharps Bros., an aftermarket manufacturer to the firearms trade, has launched a cutlery division and, if looks could kill, they’re off to a good start. The Meanstreak 3.5 is the largest of three siblings in a trio of very sleek — yet very beefy — folders geared to the hip EDC crowd. The Meanstreak’s 3.5″ moniker connotes blade size and, fully opened, it stretches out to a healthy 8.375″.
Leap Of Faith Knifemakers: From Home Shop To Factory
Ever wonder why some custom knifemakers decide to take the leap from the rarified air of being a sole artisan to the crowded arena of factory fare? Sometimes the answer is easy. For instance, in 1999, BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Chris Reeve switched his custom shop over to a micro-manufacturing outfit in Boise, Idaho, simply because he couldn’t supply enough of his popular Sebenzas to a thirsty knife-buying public.
GUNS Magazine ESEE Fixer EDC
; . The modern tactical folder boom of the early 1990s had many spinoffs, none more prolific among cutlery users than the EDC, or “everyday carry.” Despite this onslaught, as the decades progressed I noticed another small, but stalwart, group of aficionados who chose to EDC fixed-blades among ESEE Knives users on Facebook. As social media expanded exponentially, EDC fixer fans have grown even more prominent on a variety of cutlery groups today.
Best Daggers: Top Options That Get To The Point [Tested]
Daggers have been a favorite go-to blade of humans for many millennia. Before the advent of metals, symmetrical blade styles such as daggers and spear points, as well as projectile points, were the earliest formal cutting edges of Stone Age peoples. It was only natural these forms carried over into the Bronze Age and, indeed, through to today. The knife with the decidedly pointed tip and double edge* played a prominent role in both World Wars and continues to be a prime choice of many operatives.
Flipper Knives: Top Fast-Deployment Blades
When BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Kit Carson’s CRKT M16 design hit the shelves in 1999, it was a crapshoot in a rapidly growing field of modern tactical folders. To say the least, the M16 caught on like gangbusters and, well, here we are a quarter century later featuring the genre in BLADE®. Kit is no longer with us but his legacy is cemented in cutlery history as the popularizer of the modern-day flipper folder.
GUNS Magazine CRKT Soldotna
; . When Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT) wanted a special knife to celebrate their 30th anniversary, they turned to one of their longtime custom knife collaborators, Russ Kommer. The result is the exquisite Soldotna hunting knife, named for a town on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska where Russ and CRKT founder Rod Bremer would often hunt.
Flipper Knives: Top Fast-Deployment Blades
When BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Kit Carson’s CRKT M16 design hit the shelves in 1999, it was a crapshoot in a rapidly growing field of modern tactical folders. To say the least, the M16 caught on like gangbusters and, well, here we are a quarter century later featuring the genre in BLADE®. Kit is no longer with us but his legacy is cemented in cutlery history as the popularizer of the modern-day flipper folder.
GUNS Magazine AG Russell Powerball Review
; . The A.G. Russell Powerball tactical EDC is now in its fourth generation and is by far its slickest version yet. The Powerball 4 is the first version released since Russell passed away in 2018. Given Russell’s knack for exploring new mechanisms, this slick new addition is a fitting tribute by the Russell design team. The Powerball moniker was derived from its blade pivot which rides on caged ball bearings, making for a butter-slick blade action.
Knife Steel Trends: What To Look Forward To In 2025
Every cutlery buyer faces a dizzying array of steel choices when it comes to buying that next knife, an array that represents the proverbial “double-edged sword.” While it’s nice to have choices, it can also be hard to keep up with so many options. Fortunately, industry professionals are available to help sort out which stainless and carbon varieties are either catching fire or cooling off.
New Knives From Kershaw
Kershaw Knives turns 50 years old in 2024; their success is due in large part to their ability to adapt to a changing knife industry. The company started up at a time when traditional pocket knives and fixed blades ruled the day, but that business model got turned on in its head in the early 1990s when the first Gulf War in Iraq reared its ugly head. Within just a few years, traditional knives became an afterthought, giving way to the modern tactical knife movement.
Bear Valley Axe review
; . Modern tactical axes are just as home breeching domestic drug dealers flats as they have rooting out bad guys in Middle Eastern hinterlands. They are both weapons and tools. Bear Valley Tactical, a family-owned company in southern Utah, has made their BV-TAC 8 tactical axe much more useful by adding a host of other functions to its repertoire. A “multi-axe” if you will. The first thing I immediately noticed about the BV-TAC 8 was this is one beefy axe.
Best Steak Knives: These Are A Cut Above The Rest
Cooking a great filet mignon, ribeye or any good cut of meat is an art, so shouldn’t eating it be the same? Most of you have had a good cut of meat fall victim to a dull knife, sliding around on the plate like an ice skater on a rink, scattering peas and mashed potatoes to the wind. As blade-loving folk you know the benefits of a good cutter, so in BLADE®’s special kitchen knife issue let’s consider some of the more refined offerings in steak knives.
Hatchets: Hackers That Pack A Punch
There’s a good reason hatchets have always been a staple of camp tools. They pack more punch for their size than just about anything else you can put in your hand. Sure, an axe can outperform its smaller sibling but can be both size and weight prohibitive on many outings. Saws are lighter but their blades can break, leaving you empty-handed without a hatchet in the wings. The CAS Iberia APOC Hundr gets its name from the Old Norse word meaning hound in reference to man’s best friend.
SOG Kiku XR Blackout Review
; . Kiku Matsuda is a knifemaking legend in Japan and his relationship with SOG Knives goes back to 2008. We covered his first folder collaboration with SOG back in 2014 so, while perusing the company’s offerings online, I was delighted to see the company still offers a couple of Matsuda’s exquisite designs — especially the Kiku XR folder. Though not brand-spanking new, in this writer’s opinion Kiku’s designs are timeless. I procured a sample of the Kiku XR and bring it to you here.
A Nice Slice Of Profits! - Shooting Industry Magazine
Many firearms retailers can stand a boost in profits during these times of high inflation — and with hunting season just around the corner, opportunity awaits. Sales of hunting knives, with their friendlier markups, can significantly complement your firearms sales. And, this multi-billion dollar industry boosts sales without breaking the bank.
Still the Standard
If there were ever a benchmark for quality in the modern-day cutlery world, Chris Reeve Knives has set the standard. For over 30 years, this knife manufacturer quietly tucked away in Boise, Idaho, has produced top-shelf knives for discriminating cutlery consumers the world over without ever needing to shout it from the rooftops.
Bear Forest Recurve
; . Bear Forest Knives is an up-and-coming knife outfit in Palm Desert, Calif., owned by knifemaker Garrett Tremblay. A seasoned metalworker, Garrett was well-positioned when he went into the knifemaking business — and makes knives he does! I had the opportunity to test one of his knives recently, the Bear Forest Custom Recurve, and was impressed. Dainty it ain’t. Tremblay is one of those knifemakers who builds his knives extra tough in case you need it to go the extra mile — an admirable trait.
Modding the Vic!
; . Modding is nothing new to firearms owners thanks to burgeoning aftermarket that’s been in place for what seems like eons. The cutlery industry is finally catching on and replacing handle scales, previously somewhat limited in past years, is a booming business now. Victorinox, the Swiss Army Knife people, are enjoying much of this attention for a couple of reasons. First off, they have a huge, long-earned international following.
New Edge Knives
In the good ole days, custom knifemakers wanting exposure had to travel the knife show circuit to show off and sell their wares, then hope the cutlery magazines took note to help them get the word out. The internet has changed all that, and today, savvy knifemakers travel the social media circuit from the comfort of their home offices. Talented custom knifemaker Kevin Smock represents this modern breed of custom cutlery artisan.
Recurve Knives: Top Options In These Curvy Carvers
The sexy shape of three U.S.-made recurve blades addresses both performance and aesthetics. As blade patterns go, the recurve is right up there in the “flair department.” Just as the curves of a Ferrari add irresistible styling to the classic sports car’s appearance*, so does the curvature of a blade’s edge add to that of the look of the knife. It also changes the geometry of a blade—sometimes radically—in some ways better and other ways not so much.
IronClad Command Tactical Pro Gloves
Ironclad Performance Wear makes quality gloves for work and sport for men and women. The 10 different styles in their tactical line, value priced from $15 to $35 a pair, address various protection, comfort, tactile and dexterity requirements.
Gerber Game Shears
; . The “Game Shears” segment of the overall cutlery market is a small one, but these handy game-processors are big to the sportsmen who use them. Designed for processing smaller furry, winged and aquatic game, these shears are an efficient way of getting the job done quickly. Some manufacturers have goosed their entrees up with all sorts of gee-gaws like cap lifters and screwdrivers while others have kept things simple by focusing on the job at hand.
GUNS Magazine Spyderco Smock
; . Like a fine wine, Spyderco’s Smock folder has improved with age. Designed by custom knifemaker Kevin Smock, it’s a production send-up of the knifemaker’s sleek SK23 model. Interestingly, Kevin applied for licenses for the company’s trademarked “Round Hole” thumb opener and their Compression Lock (blade lock) way back in 2015 for use on a knife and incorporated both into the SK23.
The Hawk Strikes!
Early summer of 1999 found me in Boise, Idaho on assignment to pen a feature for American Handgunner on Chris Reeve Knives’ recent move to shift his custom knives work to micro-manufacturing. Chris relayed to me he simply couldn’t keep up with the demand for his extremely popular Sebenza folder.
Bear & Sons Bold Action XV
; . For over 30 years, Bear & Son Cutlery of Jacksonville, Ala. has become known for their well-built, affordable traditional folders and fixed-blades — so much so their modern tactical fare has been under the radar. Truth is, the company joined the revolution now in its mid-20s, quite a while back. The new Bold Action XV auto is testament to how serious the company’s Bear Ops line of tactical blades has come.
Game Shears: Affordable Options To Cut Bones And More Down To Size
When you think of processing game, a skinner is typically the first knife that comes to mind—and rightfully so. At the same time, game shears provide a viable role in the processing equation, particularly with small game like squirrels, rabbits, fowl and fish. A good pair of shears made for small game processing can cut through bone, slice hide, remove unwanted viscera and, in the case of fish, remove heads and fins.
Keychain Knives: Unlocking The Secrets To The Convenience Blade
As competitive as today’s cutlery market is, it behooves a factory knife company to fill as many categories as it can—including the keychain knife. In fact, keychain knives offer a number of the same utilitarian functions as many contemporary tacticals and EDCs. Whether you need a small knife to handle daily chores or a back-up to your back-up in an emergency, a keychain knife can answer the call.
This River Cuts
White River Knives has never been a company to flood the market annually with the latest, greatest trends that may or may not play out in the cutlery marketplace. Instead, this family business located in Fremont, Michigan, chooses to keep a steady flow of new products at their own pace. The company, owned by the Cammenga family and led by father John, pick and choose the new additions to their line with care and a goal of giving people a lot of knife for their money.
GUNS Magazine CRKT Bona Fides - GUNS Magazine
; . When CRKT introduced ace knife designer Ken Onion’s Field Strip mechanism a few years back, the cutlery world took note. Here was a mechanism that, like firearms, allowed you to take your knife apart in the wild and thoroughly clean it. Highly impressed, we covered Onion’s innovative Field Strip design on the CRKT Homefront folder in the February 2017 issue of GUNS.
GUNS Magazine TOPS Field Dog
; . Skinners come in all shapes and sizes and it all comes down to personal preferences. TOPS Knives offers as wide a range as you’ll find for a couple of reasons. First off, they are located in the Rocky Mountains of Idaho where hunting all types of game abounds and, secondly, just about everyone who works there hunts. The TOPS Field Dog is their latest skinner release and it hits a nice middle ground for processing a wide range of game.
Jantz Knife Supply: Providing Everything Required To Make Knives
For 58 years Jantz Knife Supply has met the needs of cutlery craftsmen of all stripes, from green behind the ears to on up in years, with everything needed to make knives. This includes specialty steels, handle components, sheath materials, hand tools and sanding supplies, as well as the heavy equipment for knifemaking. What started as a small mom-and-pop gun supply outfit founded by Ken and Venice Jantz in 1966 is no less than a U.S.-based juggernaut in today’s cutlery industry.
Finch Knife’s Shiv
The “shiv” is commonly known as a rough, handmade prison knife. Think of it as the Saturday Night Special of penitentiary life. Now, Finch Knife has taken the idea of the Shiv and made it downright presentable. Finch’s hallmark is to take traditional pocketknife patterns, bring them up to modern design standards and give them cool names.
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