A sharp knife is a safe knife. But knives also dull incrementally every time you use them. So, if you want to use a knife safely, you need know how to sharpen it. Hereā€™s a look at all the major tools and techniques available to sharpen knives, so you can pick the one that will work best for you.

Before we dive in, let me give you the single most effective piece of knife sharpening advice out there: It is much easier to keep a knife sharp than it is to make it sharp. Maintaining a knifeā€™s edge with frequent honing involves much less work than starting over from a dull edge. Thatā€™s why itā€™s so important to find a sharpening toolĢżyou likeā€”using it every time, or every few times a knife gets used is the best way to take care of that knife.

To begin, you’ll need to learn one key piece of information about your knife: the angle of its edge. Many outdoor blades use 20 degree edges; many kitchen knives are 15 degrees. But there is no hard and fast rule here. Also of note: attempting to sharpen a knife using the wrong angle between it and an abrasive medium will dull its bladeĢżand may result in permanent damage.Ģż Look up any knifeā€™s edge angle before attempting to sharpen it.

There are many devices and techniques out there to sharpen a knife, and each one has its pros and cons. We dove into each method to help you find the best one to suit your needs.

If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside.ĢżLearn more.

Whetstones

Affordable but They Have a Steep Learning Curve

A whetstone is just a flat, abrasive rock or synthetic stone. It’s as basic as a sharpener gets.

Pros and Cons
āŠ• Cheap
āŠ• Will last through generations of use
āŠ• Small, robust, and easy to transport
āŠ— No angle guide
āŠ— Risk of cutting yourself
āŠ— Not effective enough to work on very durable steel

Youā€™ll find sharpening stones made from actual stone, ceramic, or synthetic materials. Ones that feel porous require water or oil to carry away material left behind by theĢżaction. With proper technique, a sharpening stone can be extraordinarily effective, but used incorrectly, one can also exacerbate blade wear, and alter the angle of the edge grind.

To use one, you simply push the knife along the stone, towards the edge, as if youā€™re trying to carve into the stone. Care must be taken to maintain a precise angle as you push the knife along the stone. And just to make things harder, most sharpening stones wonā€™t be broad enough to span a bladeā€™s entire length, so you must also push or pull a knife sideways as you move it forwards, again while using your hands to try and maintain that angle.

Sandpaper

Cheap but Requires Fine Motor Skills

A good substituteĢżif you donā€™t have a dedicated sharpener on hand, sandpaper also allows you to choose and change the level of abrasion.

Pros and Cons
āŠ• Cheap
āŠ• Using different grits will deliver custom results
āŠ— No angle guide
āŠ— Wears out quickly
āŠ— Requires precise technique

Wrap a block of some kind with sandpaper, then use it identically to that whetstone. Changing from a coarse to a fine grit as you go can help you achieve razor-like sharpness, even on very hard steels.

Honing Rods

Good for Everyday Touchups but Can’t Sharpen a Dull Blade

When you use or sharpen a knife, you actually roll the very thin edge to one side slightly. This is called a micro-burr, and a honing rod can get rid of the burr without removing more material.

Pros and Cons
āŠ• Helps edges and blades last longer
āŠ• Quick and easy to use
āŠ• Little potential for error
āŠ— Canā€™t actually remove material from edge

Softer steels sharpened at a fine angle (think: cheap kitchen knives) have a tendency to roll their edges to one side. A few swipes on a each side along a honing rod can correct this. The same thing happens to all knives when you sharpen them. This is why you try and do an equal amount of strokes along each side of the blade, but variables like pressure and duration are difficult to account for when sharpening by hand, so employing a rod at the end of any sharpening session can help ensure the edge is aligned.

Strops

They Deliver an Ultrafine Edgeā€”but Only After Prior Sharpening

Look at the edge of a knife under a microscope and it will appear jagged, or even serrated. Polishing that edge after sharpening can remove some of those imperfections.

Pros and Cons
āŠ• Makes sharp knives sharper
āŠ• Feels really satisfying
āŠ— Returns diminish quickly. A quality sharpener used correctly should produce similar results.

Apply a polishing compound to a piece of leather, and run the knife along it like itā€™s a stone. This polishes out microscopic imperfections to create truly razor sharp edges capable of cleanly slicing without tearing.

Pull-Through Sharpeners

Dead Simple but They Can Damage Your Knives

A style of sharpener commonly found in kitchens, these employ two abrasive rods set at a fixed angle inside a guide.

Pros and Cons
āŠ• Cheap
āŠ• Easy to use
āŠ— Versions without hand guards can prove dangerous
āŠ— Fixed angle isnā€™t compatible with many knives
āŠ— Can pinch, roll, and otherwise damage edges

This is probably the kind of sharpener your grandparents kept in their kitchen. A housing holds two abrasive rods in a V shape, and can be rested on or mounted to a counter or other work surface. To use one, you just pull a knife through the V, repeating until you achieve your desired results. These things are cheap for a reasonā€”they won’t get your knives razor sharp and could damage the blade in the process.

Electric Belt Sanders

They Work Quickly. Use with Great Care.

Basically just a power sander. You can actually use one of those, but dedicated sharpeners will have angle guides and other safety features.

Pros and Cons
āŠ• Extremely effective
āŠ• Big results in little time
āŠ— Can easily damage or destroy knives if used incorrectly
āŠ— Requires a power source

This is how knives are sharpened at the factoryā€”belt sanders are the tools professional knife sharpeners employ. Some models are simple, and use belts of a single grit. Others may be more elaborate, featuring precise, alterable angle guides, hand guards, interchangeable belts, and other features.

Just be careful to read any relevant instructions, watch some video tutorials, and practice first on a knife you donā€™t care about. These things work well enough that you can quickly round a bladeā€™s tip, destroy a steelā€™s heat treatment, or cause undue wearā€”even in just a few seconds of carelessness.

Ceramic Rods

Safe and Easy to Use but They Require Patience

Set into holes in a stable base, ceramic rod sharpeners help maintain a consistent angle while protecting your hands.

Pros and Cons
āŠ• Consistent results
āŠ• Easy to use
āŠ• Safe
āŠ— Results can be limited on harder steels
āŠ— Ceramic rods break when dropped

Addressing the major issues inherent in whetstones, ceramic rod sharpeners work on similar principles, but are farĢżeasier to use. Simply pull a knife down the guided rods, and repeat until the edge is sharp.

Guided Angles

Expensive and Time-Consuming, but You Canā€™t Argue with the Results

These things combine precise angle control while the gentle nature of manual sharpening.

Pros and Cons
āŠ• Easy on your blade
āŠ• Extremely effective
āŠ— Can be expensive
āŠ— Time consuming to set up
āŠ— Results require patience

To use a guided angle sharpener, just clamp it to the edge of a counter or workbench, install the correct angle guide, clamp in your knife, then manually sweep ceramic abrasives in swappableĢżgrits across your edge. These are a great option for expensive knives because the angle between blade and abrasive is precisely controlled, and you can be as gentle as you need, or really bear down on the handle to bring a dull knife back from the dead. I struggle to find the patience to set mine up and take it down, so even while this is likely the most effective option, itā€™s also one it takes commitment to employ regularly.

Rolling Stones

Foolproof, but Can Only Get Your Knives So Sharp

Also combining precise angle control with manual operation (and few or no moving parts), these promise to work as well as a Guided Angle sharpener, with no setup or takedown.

Pros and Cons
āŠ• Dead simple
āŠ• Gentle on your blades
āŠ• Precise angle control
āŠ— Limited effectiveness
āŠ— Incompatible with some blade designs

These burst into social media prominenceĢżout of nowhere in the last couple of years. I bought one on the promise that itā€™d be as foolproof as a guided angle sharpener without all the hassle, but was immediately disappointed when the angle guide (a magnetic block you place on your counter, then push the blade against) refused to hold a saber-ground knife securely at the 20 degrees I needed.

To use one, you just use that guide to hold your knife inverted, then roll the sharpener back and forth while pushing your hands together to create pressure. Swapping wheels to different grits can achieve progressively finer results.

The post The 9 Best Ways to Sharpen Any Knife appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

It was a big year for outdoor gear. From e-bike technology that promises to revolutionize kayaking to the invention of a new super steel that makes knives more indestructible, there was a lot for gearheads to get excited about in 2023. These are the six innovations in outdoor gear that topped the list.

BOA Fit System for Ski Boots

For decades skiers have been clamoring for something (anything) that would make ski boots more comfortable and less complicated. This year, four prominent boot brandsā€”Atomic, K2, Salomon, and Fischerā€”finally heard those cries and delivered a solution to address fit and function: a BOA Fit System to replace the lower buckles on select ski boots. BOA lacing itself isnā€™t new; itā€™s been commonplace on snowboard boots and cycling shoes for years. But it hasnā€™t been adopted by ski boot manufacturers until now because of durability and performance concerns. However, the new BOA H+i1 dial, specifically designed to withstand the type of wear and tear ski boots are accustomed to, alleviates those concerns and won over major boot brands. What does this mean for skiers? Dialing in your ski boot fit just got a little easier. .

Safeback SBX Technology for Avalanche Safety

An avalanche airbag can decrease your risk of being buried in an avalanche, but if you do (heaven forbid) get caught up in sliding snow and find yourself under it, an airbag wonā€™t do you much good. In that event, your best hope of survival is being found and rescued before you run out of oxygen. Asphyxiation is the leading cause of death in avalanche victims, a statistic Norwegian brand Safeback hopes to change with its innovative SBX Technology. This fan system, which is integrated into the DB Snowpro Vest 8L and the Y MountainLine Daypack 40L, provides clean oxygen to an avalanche victimā€™s air pocket, decreasing the risk of asphyxiation before rescue. .

Kayaks with Electric Pedal Assist

Pedal kayaks arenā€™t newā€”theyā€™ve been around since the nineties. But in 2023, the first electric pedal kayak came to market. The Old Town Bigwater ePDL+ 132, the first kayak ever fitted with electric pedal assist, gives users the choice between manual pedal power, power-assisted pedal, or fully-motorized propulsion at the push of a button. Casual kayakers out for a cruise are sure to appreciate the assist when they run out of muscle power. But our tester, Wes Siler, thinks anglers stand to benefit the most from this new technology. ā€œOld Townā€™s electric pedal assist technology is so effective, that many anglers will likely be able to use it to replace gasoline-powered skiffs, utility boats, and fishing rigs in many, if not most applications,ā€ noted Siler. ā€œAnd in so doing they wonā€™t just be eliminating emissions, theyā€™ll be gaining ease of transport, simplicity of use, lower maintenance, and a smaller, less invasive footprint on the water, all at a lower cost.ā€ Read Silerā€™s deep-dive review here.

Supershoe Foam Harnessed for the Trail

For the past several years, shoe brands have been trying to translate the technology found in road racing super shoes (first introduced in the 2016 Nike Vaporfly) to work on the uneven, unstable surface of trails. The challenge requires enabling the shoe to adapt to the terrain and not roll or bounce off in random directions while retaining the trampoline-like rebound that makes super shoes super. While several models have been released since 2021, none, quite frankly, have mastered the feat. In the summer of 2022, Nike released a prototype trail model to its athletes that used the same ultra-soft and bouncy foam as found in its signature racing models. While it was more energetic than other trail models to date, athletes found it too unstable, particularly in the high-stacked heel. In creating their 2023 production Ultrafly, rather than opting for a less-bouncy foam or making it denser, Nike creatively wrapped the foam in a thin, durable mesh fabric, which controlled the squish and wobbliness without dampening the rebound. Plus, it served as a skin for the soft foam, protecting against punctures and tears from trail hazards. The innovative solution worked so well the shoe won our Editorā€™s Choice award for all running shoes in 2023.

Knives Featuring MagnaCut Super Steel

When you shell out big bucks for a quality knife, itā€™s fair to expect that knife to be tough, durable, and have a superior edge. But the reality is, common steel doesnā€™t usually excel in all three of those properties. Enter MagnaCut, a new stainless steel that resists rusting, holds an edge well between sharpening, and is resistant to edge rolling and chipping. How is that possible? Metal magic, or metallurgy. MagnaCut is produced by Crucible Industries, a New York-based steel manufacturer whose specialty is a powder metallurgy processā€”known as Crucible Particle Metallurgyā€”which allows for fine control of a steelā€™s molecular properties. Learn more about MagnaCut steel and our favorite MagnaCut knives here.

Lightweight Tents and Tarps Made From UltraTNT

Big news in the ultralight backpacking world: Dyneema finally has a stronger, more affordable rival. This year Challenge Sailcloth, the fabric-maker that produces Ultraweave (the superstrong material found on many new ultralight backpacks), released UltraTNT, an even lighter-weight fabric designed for shelters. Itā€™s 100 percent waterproof and supposedly becomes more resistant to tears and punctures as the fabric breaks in. Will this new fabric replace Dyneema or silnylon, the two most popular fabrics in the ultralight gear world? Not likely. Instead, our ultralight backpacking expert Nathan Pipenberg expects it to become a popular choice for four season shelters. .

The post The Top 6 Gear Innovations of 2023 appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

If you go shopping for a premium knife right now, youā€™ll find a new word plastered across online retailers and local shops: MagnaCut, a new type of blade steel thatā€™s dominating the market all of a sudden. Now, MagnaCut is being used to justify some astonishing prices. So I set out to learn what it is, how it performs, and whether or not itā€™s worth the premium. And because Iā€™m just a casual knife enthusiast rather than an engineer or craftsman, I set out to do that in terms us normal people could understand.

ā€œMagnaCut has generated quite the buzz due to its toughness, edge retention, and corrosion resistance,ā€ explained Morgan Keenan, who produces handmade knives in Bozeman, Montana for his brand . ā€œTypically it is very difficult for a steel to excel in all three of those categories. One that is very hard, and able to hold an edge very well, tends to be more brittle. A steel that can bend and take a beating tends to be softer. Stainless steel that can do all that without corroding? Itā€™s just a game changer for the knife world.ā€

ā€œA user will experience a steel that resists rusting, holds an edge well between sharpening, and is resistant to edge rolling and chipping,ā€ Larrin Thomas, the metallurgist who invented MagnaCut, told ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų.

ā€œGenerally speaking, you can maximize two of those things, but not the third,ā€ said Peter Parker, lead design engineer for Leatherman. That brand just released a new flagship multitool called the Arc, which justifies its $80 premium over similar tools thanks to the incorporation of a MagnaCut blade. ā€œIf you make a knife that doesnā€™t corrode, then it doesnā€™t hold an edge. Stainless is not as great as carbon steel at holding an edge. But then carbon steel corrodes. With smart and clever metallurgy [Thomas has] found a sweet spot in the chemical composition that hasnā€™t been done before.ā€

MagnaCut is produced by Crucible Industries, a New York-based steel manufacturer. The companyā€™s specialty is a powder metallurgy processā€”known as ā€”which Thomas explains allows for fine control of a steelā€™s molecular properties.

“The liquid steel passes through a nozzle which is sprayed with nitrogen gas to instantly solidify the steel into fine particles,ā€ Thomas describes. This gives steels, ā€œa much finer microstructure for more consistent properties.ā€

It also allows metallurgists like Thomas to tinker with precise ratios of different compounds in a steel alloy, and how they interact with each other.

ā€œStainless steels have high chromium, forming chromium carbide with the high carbon necessary for high-hardness knife steels,ā€ explains Thomas. ā€œThe best non-stainless powder metallurgy tool steels only have the hardest carbide types, typically vanadium carbide. The powder metallurgy keeps the carbides small for good toughness, while the very high hardness of the vanadium carbides provides wear resistance. Chromium carbides are smaller and so do not provide as much wear resistance, while being similarly detrimental for toughness. More carbide means more wear resistance but lower toughness because they are hard, brittle particles. A harder carbide provides a better combination of wear resistance and toughness. Therefore, the combination of wear resistance and toughness was better for the non-stainless steels.ā€

ā€œMagnaCut uses a unique approach where the chromium content was reduced and the other alloying elements balanced so that chromium carbides are avoided and it has the same properties as non-stainless steels,ā€ the metallurgist continues. ā€œRemoving chromium carbide from the microstructure also improved corrosion resistance versus other stainless steels. Stainless steels get their corrosion resistance from a chromium oxide passive film at the surface. If the chromium has already formed a bond with carbon, it is not available to form the chromium oxide. MagnaCut avoids this issue, so it has both better corrosion resistance and a better wear resistance-toughness balance than prior stainless knife steels.ā€

I asked Keenan to put all that in plain English. ā€œWhat makes stainless steel ā€˜stainless’ is the amount of chromium in the mix,ā€ he explains. ā€œBut this chromium can bond with carbon creating carbides and negating the corrosion resistance and ā€˜stainless’ property. ā€œThe beauty of MagnaCut is in the mix, there is just the right amount of carbon to keep all of the other elements of the mix in carbides, and the chromium is able to maintain the stainless properties of the steel.ā€

Before developing MagnaCut, Thomas worked on automotive alloys, while writing about his passionā€”this history of knife steel metallurgyā€”on his blog: . One brand that was heavily inspirational in his work used to put the word ā€œcutā€ after the name of its unique alloys, so Thomas wanted to pay homage to that naming convention with his first knife steel.

ā€œI named the steel MagnaCut, Magna being the Latin word for great or awesome,ā€ he says.

Leathermanā€™s Parker notes that MagnaCut does have a downside. ā€œItā€™s kind of expensive, thatā€™s the tradeoff,ā€ he explains. ā€œAll this awesome stuff doesnā€™t come for free.ā€

Parker says that the powder atomization process and heat treatment for MagnaCut cost about the same as any other premium steel, but that thereā€™s more costs on the manufacturing side.

ā€œOnce we have it in the factory, itā€™s really hard to grind and process it,ā€ he says. ā€œIt doesnā€™t wear out when the consumer is using it, but it also puts up a fight when we try and make these to the Leatherman quality standard. Itā€™s hard to make it uniform from side to side. You tend to get one side that looks different from the other because you have to push on it so hard to grind the material. That means the tooling has to essentially be pushing harder to the metal which makes things flex. Youā€™re battling the material.ā€

Still, ā€œthis is a massive step in the knife world,ā€ says Keenan.

The Best MagnaCut Knives

For The Kitchen: Sitka x James Brand Anzick ($499)

My wife and I have been using one of these regularly since May, supplanting all other knives in our kitchen. We cook almost all our meals, and this sucker is still sharp. Itā€™s also sturdy enough that itā€™s on the packing list for both a three-week holiday trip to our cabin and a three-month camping trip to Baja Sur and back next year.

For Your Pocket: ($225)

Legendary knife designer Ken Onionā€™s take on an Old West boot dagger, this thing is more fun to fidget with than it is practical, but it is still a very pocketable blade that you can flick open and cut stuff with. It also feels like it costs a lot more money than it does thanks to the sturdy stainless steel and G10 handle.

For The Outdoors: ($225)

Small, slim, and lightweight, this thing is my constant companion in the backcountry. Thatā€™s due as much to the excellent sheath as it is to the blade itself. Much less bulky than similar sheaths from other companies, this one allows you to mount the knife tip-up to a pack strap, horizontally to a belt, or in the traditional tip-down belt hang. Across two weeks spent in a skiff on the Prince William Sound, the knife didnā€™t develop a single spec of corrosion.

For Fixing Stuff: ($230)

Easily the sexiest multitool ever made, this thing is also immensely practical thanks to two bit holders, a redesigned awl, a diamond-like coating on the file, and of course that strong, sharp, easily accessible MagnaCut blade.

The post This Super Steel Is Revolutionizing Knives. Is It Worth the Price? appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

Handy people know the multitool conundrum: Do you carry one in lieu of a quality pocketknife? If you forgo the knife, you’ll sacrifice good ergonomics, rapid access, and durable blades. But in exchange you’ll receive a more diverse array of tools.

Thatā€™s the problem Leatherman is trying to solve with the new Arc ($230). The multitool comes complete with a 2 3/4-inch knife blade made from ā€”the latest, greatest, and trendiest steel on the market. Complete with a generous thumb stud, deep carry pocket clip, and an ideal tip-up, right-hand carry configuration, it attempts to combine a full-size multitool with a very good knife. But can it do so without compromise?

The Arc is an evolution of Leathermanā€™s Free P4 platformā€”first released in 2019. That tool uses magnets and redesigned tool access that make the thing operable one-handed, while also packing more tools than other models into a slimmer footprint. All that works exceptionally well. Reviewing that tool, we called it, ā€œthe only series of multitools you should consider.ā€

On top of the Free P4, the Arc adds a black-anodized body to give it a more upscale look, and has revised the tool selection based on customer feedback to add more utility. AĢżnew bit holder replaces the Free P4ā€™s fixed flat and Phillips-head screwdrivers. Combined with an 20-tool bit selection housed in the included nylon sheath, this adds a diverse array of new capabilities.

ā€œIt made sense to put all of our best features and all of our best tools into into product,ā€ explains Leatherman Senior Product Manager Jeremy Rodriguez.

From left to right: Pry bar, medium flathead and bottle opener; mini-bit driver; awl and wire stripper; scissors; wood/metal file, diamond-coated file, edge file; needlenose pliers, regular pliers, wire cutters, electrical crimper, striking surface; CPM Magnacut knife blade; saw; bit driver; can opener. (Photo: Leatherman)

I find the inclusion of the T10 Torx driver in that toolset particularly useful, allowing me to check tightness on the small screws that mount my Trijicon red dot sight to my handgun. Those are prone to coming loose if the gun gets knocked around outdoors, which switches the sight off. Being able to simply grab the Arc from my pocket, re-torque the screw, and bring the sight back to life saves a lot of headaches, and here in grizzly country, might even save my life.

Thereā€™s also a mini-bit driver which holds a double-ended eyeglass screwdriver, with both flat and Phillips heads. Housing such small tools inside a large, easily portably, one-hand accessible device means I have the ability to cinch up the arms on my Randolphs, and run less of a chance of losing one of the two tiny little screws that holds them together.

That mini-bit driver is adapted from the one first prototyped on Leathermanā€™s limited-edition Mr. Crunch tool, which was released as part of the companyā€™s new Garage program last year. The purpose of Garage is to give the company a means to test new solutions and designs across a large numbers of users (500 Mr. Crunchā€™s were made), then gather user feedback to develop better tools. Itā€™s nice to see that program bearing fruit so soon, and promises more user-centric innovation in the future.

But ultimately, the point of Arc is the blade. ā€œCPM Magnacut maximizes edge retention, toughness, and corrosion resistance,ā€ explains Leatherman Lead Design Engineer Peter Parker, on what makes that steel such an upgrade. Previously, knife steels have been able to optimize for one or two of those features, but not all three.

Other brands are rapidly adopting Magnacut for everything from large fixed-blade bushcraft knives to high-end pocket folders and chefā€™s knives. ā€œItā€™s kind of expensive, that’s the tradeoff,ā€ says Parker, going on to explain that it brings layers of new challenges to Leathermanā€™s manufacturing process, which explains the Arcā€™s price. Where the regular Free P4 retails for $150, the Arc adds $80 to that, mostly just to include the Magnacut blade.

Iā€™ve been carrying the Arc for a few weeks, and have tried to use the knife on it as often as possible for everything from food preparation, to wild game processing, and cutting up cardboard boxesā€”a task which rapidly dulls most blades. And while I can report that it remains shaving sharp, thatā€™s nothing new for Magnacut. Other blades in my connection made from that material have held up to months of daily use before going dull. Which leads us to another downside of Magnacut: Itā€™s difficult to sharpen.

Where previous blades on Leatherman tools have been made from 420ā€”a very basic stainless steelā€”and are terrible at edge retention as a result, they are at least simple to sharpen. Iā€™ve failed at all attempts to return any Magnacut knife to anything approaching usefulness myself, and have been forced to seek the help of a professional.

Other than its use of Magnacut, the only remarkable thing about the Arcā€™s blade is the big thumb stud, which makes deploying the knife easy. The drop point and hollow grind are similar to the blade on the Free P4, as is the 2 3/4-inch length.

And, like any other multitool, the Arc remains less than ideal when considered purely as a pocketknife. While the clip is a good one, the handle is just too large and too awkward to provide much comfort or security, and even with the thumb stud, deploying the blade isnā€™t anywhere as slick as the mechanism achieved by by pretty much any quality folder.

If youā€™re used to carrying a real knife in you front pocket everywhere you go, the Arc probably isnā€™t going to replace that. Whether or not the presence of a Magnacut blade justifies the $80 premium is going to likely going to come down to your desire for owning the latest, greatest gadget, versus either your patience for relying on a professional sharpening service, or your skill performing that job.

The Arc represents a solid effort at refining the Free P4 platform, achieving the impressive trick of packing even more usefulness into a tool of the exact same size. But it still asks users to compromise ergonomics and convenience if they want to carry one in place of their pocketknife. Mine lives in my backpack, in the exact same pocket every multitool I’ve carried before has.

The post Can the New Leatherman Arc Replace Your Trusty Pocketknife? appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

Fire making is one camp chore Iā€™m always trying to make easier. Whether itā€™s simply collecting enough wood to enjoy a summer evening in the mountains, or desperately trying to keep the stove in my canvas wall tent hot enough to survive a sub-zero winter night, chopping and splitting logs into useable sizes involves a ton of time and effort. But for the last year or so, things have improved, thanks to the ($180).

What Is a Froe?

A froe is a traditional wood working tool thatā€™s shaped like an “L”. Used to precisely split logs apart along the grain, it features a heavy, wedge-shaped blade attached to a handle at a 90-degree angle. You use one by placing the blade atop a log in parallel with its grain, along the exact line you want to split apart, then whack the back of the blade with another log or a mallet. The long 90-degree handle then makes it easy to counter the rotational force applied by those whacks, keeping the blade perpendicular to the log as you separate it.

Thatā€™s the same way you use a big survival-style knife to baton logs in camp. Only, as anyone whoā€™s used a knife to do this knows, itā€™s more a tool that can get the job done, rather than one purpose designed to split wood. Why? Knife blades need to be able to slice, too. And combined with a need for portability, that often creates profiles that are too thin to make good wedges. To perform other tasks like meal prep or detailed wood work, knives also prioritize a balance point close to where the handle and blade meet, reducing their ability to chop. Valuable blade real estate is also lost to pointy ends, limiting their ability to span the full width of larger logs.

Why the 108 Compadre Froe Makes Splitting Wood Easy

That said, knives are easier to pack into the backcountry than some big L-shaped doohickey. And thatā€™s the problem Buck set out to fix when it designed the 108 Compadre Froe. It takes the blade from the traditional tool, and adds a handle similar (if ingeniously a little different) to a large survival knife. The result is a dedicated wood processing tool thatā€™s easy to carry, and incredibly useful.

Let’s start with that blade. Itā€™s a full-tang designā€”the material forms the length of the tool, with Micarta handle slabs bolted to itā€”made from spring steel. Lee Althen, a Senior Industrial Designer at Buck, tells me the flexibility inherent in that material, ā€œhas some shock absorption properties to make it less fatiguing on big jobs.ā€

Itā€™s also .230-inches thick, and features a mid-grind that runs about halfway up the bladeā€™s width, to form a wedge thatā€™s much broader than that of most knives. The blade also swells toward the end to shift the balance point forwards, something Althen says, ā€œmakes for a great chopping swing.ā€

The blade is also angled downwards from the handle, forming what Althen describes as, ā€œa slight recurve shape,ā€ which, ā€œhelps keep the froe in the material [you’re splitting].ā€

The handle slabs bolted to the steel are made from Micarta, which is virtually indestructible, and provides comfortable traction for your hand even when itā€™s wet. Youā€™ll notice that handle is very long, taking up seven and 1/4 inches of the toolā€™s entire 16 3/4-inch total length, and that a swell separates that handle into two parts. Grip it forwards for fine control during small tasks, or rearwards to maximize leverage while chopping or batoning. You get a lot more power over this froeā€™s blade than you do with the shorter handle on a traditional knife.

A hole in the blade just ahead of the handle also allows you to attach a lanyard, which you can then wrap around your hand to prevent it from sliding forward onto the blade.

Bottom Line: Opt for a Froe Instead of a Hatchet

I asked Althen why heā€™d choose this froe over a hatchet for wood-processing duties. ā€œA froe is more versatile, and easier to use,ā€ he explains. ā€œThe weight balance is much closer to the handle, which means less strength is needed to use it (assuming the same weight between the froe and hatchet). The extra length makes it much easier to baton. And, you ultimately still have a knife edge that can be used for cutting or biting into wood enough to get started. From a safety standpoint, itā€™s way harder to miss on a swing with the froe.ā€

The only real downside here is weight. Just like a hatchet, you arenā€™t going to want to carry the 23.2-ounce froe on your belt over long distances. But itā€™s slim and portable enough to easily tag along in a truck, canoe, or ATV, and its nice leather sheath keeps it from cutting you or your things to pieces when itā€™s not in use.

And thatā€™s where mine is right now, riding in my truckā€™s Decked drawers alongside a first aid kit, a roll of trash bags, and a can of bug spray, ready to help make my next campfire.

The post Need to Split Wood in Camp? Consider Using a Froe. appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

Thereā€™s a lot more to knives than a sharp edge and a long blade. Our testers waded through a sea of stainless steel and gimmicky folding contraptions to find the very best tools for cutting, splitting, wilderness repairs, and more.

The Winners at a Glance

Best Folding Knife: Emerson June Bug

Best Multitool: Gerber Dual-Force

Child-friendly Knife: Morakniv Scout 39 Safe

Lightest: James Brand Redstone

How We Test

Number of Testers: 15

Number of Products Tested: 17

Miles Logged While Testing: 1,300 miles

Most Unique Uses: Carved and whittled perfect chopsticks for meal time; husked opened a coconut to drink from.

Most Remote Test Region: American Samoa

From Sweden to American Samoa, our 15 testers put 17 products to the test. Between car camping, backpacking, fishing, and hunting, the knives and tools whittled, spliced, and diced until the task was done and the blades were dull. We looked at things like durability, ergonomics, weight, sharpness, functionality, edge retention, and aesthetic in choosing this yearā€™s winners.

Meet Our Category Manager

Justin La Vigne has worked in the outdoor industry for over twenty years and as µž²¹³¦°ģ±č²¹³¦°ģ±š°łā€™s knives and tools category manager for six years. Living just outside of Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska, he prides himself on the nontraditional work schedule. When not writing, he is a professional backcountry guide, taking people hiking and backpacking all over Alaska, and has personally logged 6,000-plus trail miles, including thru hikes of the Appalachian Trail and New Zealandā€™s Te Araroa.

Meet Our Lead Tester

California-based Dan Markey has been one of the lead testers for the knives and tools category for over five years. As a former NPS backcountry law enforcement ranger in Yellowstone and Cuyahoga Valley and an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker, he knows what gear works in what conditions and why. He currently works for FEMA as an emergency management specialist traveling all over the world. He loves hunting and fishing, and is a Scoutmaster with the Boy Scouts of America.

The Reviews: The Best Knives and Multitools of 2023

Best Folding Knife: Emerson June Bug ($220)

Weight: 2.5 oz.
Pros: U.S.-made, lightweight, deep pocket clip
Cons: Steep price, low availability, no serrated blade

The Emerson June Bug performs way above its weight class in terms of blade size and sturdiness. One tester called the June Bug ā€œbattle-ready,ā€ and was blown away that a knife of this size could deliver such results. Fully extended, the June Bug measures 5.5 inches long and easily fits into the palm of a hand when folded. The Wharncliffe-style stainless steel blade is only 2.3 inches long, but very thick and incredibly sturdy. One tester praised its ability to cut through various thick cords, ropes, and tie-downs that were holding his kayak to his roof after they proved too stubborn to untie. The fiberglass laminate grip has a rough surface that makes it easy to handle, even with sweaty hands or in the rain. It has a deep pocket clip, a lanyard hole, and round thumb button for easy one-handed opening. One tester summed up the June Bug in a nutshell: ā€œSometimes you want the utility of a slightly larger knife in the body of a small pocket knife.ā€

Bottom Line: This diminutive folding knife is a dream for rope-cutting and wood-whittling when space and weight are limitations.

Best Multitool: Gerber Dual-Force ($110)

Weight: 12 oz.
Pros: 12 tools, hefty construction, top-notch pliers and screwdriver
Cons: No scissors, heavy, knife doesnā€™t hold its edge particularly well

Most multitools boast pliers and drivers, but they rarely perform like those specific tools. The Dual-Force is the exception. A hefty set of pliers has a two-position slip lock jaw and larger teeth, plus the grip is narrower than other multitools, which gave us better purchase when applying force. The 3.25-inch center-axis driver also benefits from that great grip, allowing us to crank while securing hardware. Our Virginia-based REI ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų guide praised the beefy tool after using the pliers to fix gas lines on a stove and the screwdriver on his always-loose camp kitchen table. While the generous set of twelve tools includes items like wire cutters, a saw, and a chisel, one tester found himself wishing it included a pair of scissors. Another ding? At 12 ounces, itā€™s not exactly lightweight.

Bottom Line: A multi-purpose implement with tools that are as solid as the real thing.

Best for Children: Morakniv Scout 39 Safe ($50)

Weight: 2.66 oz.
Pros: Double finger guard, full tang, leather sheath included
Cons: Not for large-handed people, rounded tip

Our California-based Scoutmaster praised the Morakniv Scout 39 Safe after using it to teach his pack of teenaged students about knife safety. His own 12-year-old daughter prepared brook trout with the knife in the Emigrant Wilderness, easily gutting and cleaning the fish. The double finger guard was key for protecting wet and slimy fingers, preventing slippage along the blade. Even though the rounded tip (an important safety feature) is less effective than a typical blade, the thick tang extends throughout the birch wood handle, which provides better strength and stability when performing tasks. The 3.4 inches of blade handled many Scout duties, from food prep to making kindling. As a plus for fashion-conscious teens, the handle comes in three hues, while a handsome tanned leather sheath easily attaches to a belt loop.

Bottom Line: A stylish and safe choice for first-time knife-owners.

Best for Weight Savings: James Brand Redstone ($99)

Weight: 1.8 oz.
Pros: Lightweight, lots of color choices, plain edge or serrated options
Cons: Minimal wire pocket clip, a bit hard to open and close one-handed

When seasoned tester Dan Markey first saw this knife, he was skeptical about the design of the grip, which comes in nine different colors and features four raised plastic ā€œislandsā€ along a die-stamped metal handle. It took time to get used to, but Markey ultimately learned to love its slip-preventing design. Despite its scant 1.8-ounce weight and 2.5-inch-long stainless steel blade, this colorful tool helped quarter and debone a cow elk when another testerā€™s go-to fixed blade was too dull. In American Samoa, Markey stabbed, jabbed, and pried open a coconut to get to the juice without breaking the tip or bending the blade. The bent wire pocket clip helps cut down on weight and doesnā€™t compromise securityā€”although testers questioned its long-term durability. The ambidextrous slide lock is incredibly secure, and helps with one-handed use, but our tester noted that the closing mechanism isnā€™t the smoothest.

Bottom Line: A featherweight option with a strong blade and secure, one-handed use.

How to Buy a Knife

Knife Type

Folding: A knife that can fold into its handle and lock into place when deployed. It is commonly referred to as a pocket knife and often comes with a clip for strapping to a belt or pack.

Fixed: This blade extends into or through the handle and typically has one sharp side and one smooth side. They are typically longer and heavier than a folding knife.

Multitool: This combines many different tools in one device, including a knife, scissors, file, pliers, bottle opener, and more.

Blade Material

Stainless Steel: Chromium is the magic element that gives this iron-carbon alloy its rust- and corrosion-resistance. Stainless tends to be a softer metal than carbon steel, which means it loses its edge faster. Itā€™s not as brittle, however, and is more resistant to chipping.

Carbon Steel: Carbon steel is made of iron and carbon, just like stainless, but doesnā€™t have the added element of chromium, and can therefore rust and chip. The plus side? It maintains an edge longer and is easier to sharpen. Itā€™s typically lighter and more expensive than stainless steel, too.

When it’s time to upgrade your gear, donā€™t let the old stuff go to wasteā€“donate it for a good cause and divert it from the landfill. our partner, Gear Fix, will repair and resell your stuff for free! Just box up your retired items, , and send them off. Weā€™ll donate 100 percent of the proceeds to .

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Chefā€™s knives excel at performing fine work on food. To achieve that, they feature thin, deep, long blades that are easy to sharpen, plus thin handles that provide good ergonomics when youā€™re working from standing height on a counter top.

With cost as a limiting factor, those kitchen knives then compromise edge retention, outright strength, and often rust prevention, too. Since hard use isnā€™t typically a design factor, blade tangs are thin and short, and retained inside a handle with the use of pins.

In contrast, outdoor blades take the opposite approach. Good ones prioritize strength, with thick blades and full tang handles. Durability is provided by steels designed both to resist damage while being pounded through logs, and to hold their edges for a long time, even through such abuse. But, bring one into the kitchen, and those fat blades will make a mess of anything you ask them to slice.

That disparity is what high-tech hunting brand and design-forward knife maker The James Brand are attempting to address with the limited-release ($499).

Constructed using , a new super steel rapidly becoming popular in the outdoors world, the Anzick is able to combine rust prevention, edge retention, and solid durability with ease of sharpening. That eight-inch blade is thin and broad like a chefā€™s knife, but fills the entire handle like one designed for splitting logs. A swept section at the rear extends the blade length rearwards, while allowing room for a forward grip, so you can slice larger pieces of food with more control. The handle slabs, which are bonded to the tang without any rivets or pins, are made from G10, a high-pressure laminate thatā€™s impervious to most contaminants or environmental conditions. That material is textured on its front chamfer, adding grip. The blade is coated in a food-safe, hydrophobic diamond like coating (DLC) finish.

All that makes the Anzick a pleasure to use, easy to clean, and should guarantee a long life span. Those attributes are further boosted with the addition of a folding hypalon sheath secured by button flaps. Closed, it retains the knife safely. Open, itā€™s easily cleaned. And itā€™ll be impervious to cuts from the blade.

Last night, the Anzick was waiting on my front stoop when I returned home from a two-week hunting trip in the Alaskan backcountry. Itā€™d been that long since my wife and I were able to enjoy a home-cooked meal together, so we whipped up a quick penne a la vodka with ingredients we had laying around. The knife diced the onion as well as anything Iā€™ve used, and even made easy work of a block of pancetta, which many knives struggle to cut cleanly due to all the fat. Unlike other hunting-kitchen collaborations like the very meat-focussed , the Anzick proved versatile enough to replace any other large knife in my kitchen.

This morning, after sitting out all night covered in dried food, the blade simply rinsed clean, with zero staining.

Iā€™ve got more experience with CPM Magnacut on outdoor blades like my all-time favorite . That particular blade just survived 12 days of saltwater spray, and skinned a 10-foot brown bear without any signs of rust or dulling.

With its eight-inch blade, the Anzick is way too long to skin out a bear. And with that thin profile, you’d probably break it in half if you tried to chop down a tree with it. But, it won’t rust, it’s easy to clean, and it’s just the right combination of size and durability to spend decades helping you prepare good food over a campfire.

Whether or not the steep price allows the Anzickā€™s place in your camp kitchen box is probably irrelevant at this point. The two companies only plan to produce a limited run of 600 units. But, this thing represents an encouraging effort by Sitka to expand its design expertise outside of hunting, and will hopefully inspire more hard-use kitchen knives that can genuinely hold their own outdoors.

The post A Kitchen Knife Designed for the Outdoors appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

A good pocketknife creates a foundation of preparedness: with one, you can respond to everything from small, everyday tasksā€”slicing open boxes, cutting a tagā€”to big emergenciesā€”rescuing yourself or someone else from a car accident. Iā€™ve researched and tested pocketknives for over 30 years, across six continents, and on tasks ranging from the mundane to the genuinely lifesaving. All of my research and testing has led me to the very best pocketknivesā€”and everything you need to know to find the perfect one for you.Ģż

Part of the fun here is using different knives, and developing your tastes and preferences over time. When I was ten, I thought Swiss Army Knives were the pinnacle of sophistication. At 41, Iā€™ve learned I prefer a high quality folder. Your journey will be different, because itā€™s your own.

Benchmade Tagged Out ($200)

The Best Pocketknife

The most important quality of any blade is its sharpness. Itā€™s the primary determining factor in a knifeā€™s performance and what makes a knife safe to use.ĢżA sharp knife requires less force, and therefore reduces the odds of your hand slipping down the handle, onto the sharp edge or accidentally pushing or pulling it through whatever substance youā€™re cutting.Ģż

Pretty much any knife that isnā€™t the result of an impulse purchase at a gas station is going to arrive in your pocket with an adequately sharp blade. But every time you use your knife, youā€™ll incrementally dull its edge. So factors to keep in mind are how long a knife is able to retain its edge and how much work itā€™s going to take to keep that knife sharp.Ģż

The absolute sharpest blade Iā€™ve ever tried, and the one that stayed sharp for the longest time, comes from . Look at the edge on most knives under a microscope and youā€™ll see a jagged line, not a straight one. Those bumps and grooves introduce weakness, which allows wear. Select Edge controls the placement of individual carbide molecules in its steel, eliminating that microscopic jaggedness. Benchmade is then able to take advantage of that added strength to offer a finer edge angle. The only folding pocketknife currently available with Select Edge is the .Ģż

My only complaint: Select Edgeā€™s unique angle and extraordinary hardness makes it difficult to sharpen the knife yourself. Youā€™ll need to ship your Select Edge knife to Benchmade to bring it back from dull.

Work Sharp Combo ($50)

The Best Knife Sharpener

The easiest way to keep a pocketknife sharp is to buy one made from steel you can sharpen yourself. And the most convenient knife sharpener Iā€™ve ever found is the . Like any powered belt sharpener, youā€™ll need to be careful not to round a bladeā€™s tip or overheat its steel, but once youā€™ve read the instructions, this thing is just downright easy to use. Give your knife a few swipes on each side regularly, and it will never go dull.Ģż

Milwaukee Fastback ($15)

Best Replaceable Blade Knife

Another way to ensure you always have a sharp blade handy is to go with a replaceable blade knife. This may be the best option for people using their knives for daily work, as pausing to sharpen a blade multiple times throughout a day is anything but efficient. The downsides are that thin, replaceable blades break easily if bent or twisted, and that carrying plenty of replacement blades can get annoying. If you go this route, fans love the for its ease of opening, well-placed pocket clip, and its ability to store up to five extra blades inside its handle.Ģż

CRKT LCK+ ($44)

Best to Carry

The second most important quality for a knife to have is to be easy to carry. Blade size, handle shape, and pocket clip arrangement are all determining factors of how well a knife carries.Ģż

The longer a knife blade, the larger objects it can cut. Blades that are thicker may be stronger, and ones that are broader may offer better slicing performance. But a lot of blade shape and size comes down to looks and feel. Some knife users simply prefer a the sturdy looks and heft provided by longer, fatter, broader blade.Ģż

The tradeoff to size is, well, size. A good compromise between utility and pocketability comes with a blade length of about three to four inches.Ģż

While the dimensions of a pocketknifeā€™s handle are largely determined by the blade that pivots into it, the shape of its edges and its thickness are also determined by its design. A handle with smooth, rounded edges, which is as slim as possible, will more easily fit into more pockets. But you also want a handle that is comfortable to hold. The size of your hand, and the amount of work you intend to perform with your knife will inform what size and shape of handle is right for you.Ģż

A clip ensures pocketknives ride securely. While this might seem like a simple feature, slight variances in clip location can actually make a huge difference. The best clips are those that conceal the entire body of the knife under the lip of your pocketā€”not for the purpose of stealthiness, but simply for security. A knife handle that protrudes above the level of your pocket may catch on things, press into your hip when you sit down, and provide less security. If your knife catches on something, and falls out of your pocket, or if you have to take your knife out of your pocket to find comfort, then that knife may not be with you when you need it.

The is around the size of a Sharpie, and it provides a perfect deep-carry pocket clip that orients the blade tip up, and to the rear of a right-hand pocket. While the handle is slim, itā€™s long enough to fill my size-11 hands, and provides ample traction.

Opinel No. 8 ($18)

Best Budget Pocketknife

Compared to a fixed bladeā€”where the blade and handle are one unitā€”folding knives add a potential point of failure. This is what makes them easy to carry, since they fit into a pocket, typically without the need for a sheath, but it also introduces an element of danger. Should a pocketknifeā€™s blade fold onto your hand or fingers during use, itā€™ll hurt. To prevent accidents, virtually all folding pocketknives include some sort of blade retention feature.Ģż

The simplest form of blade retention comes from friction. The prototypical example here is the Swiss Army Knife, which simply pinches its blade tightly inside its frame, making it hard to move in either direction. The benefit there is the low price, the downside is it doesnā€™t do much to keep your blade open.Ģż

A better choice is some sort of mechanical device that physically prevents the blade from opening. The simplest, easiest one is the rotating collar on an Opinel. By rotating over the channel the blade folds into, it prevents that knifeā€™s blade from closing on your hand. But deploying the Opinelā€™s blade requires two additional stepsā€”first twisting the collar closed when you open the blade, then doing the same in reverse before you can close it.Ģż

The best retention mechanisms deploy automatically, any time the blade is opened, and also work to keep the blade safely inside the handle as the knife rides in your pocket. Different brands achieve this in many different ways. Some are complicated, requiring buttons, springs, and other small parts that might easily fail. A stronger, simpler, but more expensive method is to separate a portion of the knifeā€™s frame, then bend that inwards so it wants to spring behind the blade as it opens. This can be done using either a metal liner that rides inside some other handle material, or with the entire, unified frame of the knife.Ģż

Sebenza 31 ($450)

Best Splurge Pocketknife

South African knife designer Chris Reeve invented the frame lock in the late-1980s. His continues to be one of the strongest, highest quality pocketknives out there. The Sebenzaā€™s handles are simply two slabs of titanium bolted together. Half of one side is separated and tensioned, so it folds to block the entire width of the blade when open.Ģż

Flaws But Not Deal Breakers

If a knife is sharp, easy to carry, and features a secure, convenient locking mechanism, itā€™ll be a good knife. But beyond those factors, there are a bunch of other variables to consider.

Blade Shape and Grind

A knife blade has a length, thickness, width, and both two and three-dimensional shapes. A lot of this is simply aesthetic in nature, which is to say: pick one you think looks cool. There are some performance variablesā€”a slim knife with a high grind will slice betterā€”but the differences are very small. When in doubt, simply look for a shape that’s not too zany, and a blade that’s not too thick, which offers a high or totally flat grind. Thatā€™ll be good at everything.

Opening Mechanisms

The nail knick on a Swiss Army Knife or old pen knife generally takes two hands to open, and a good fingernail. A thumb stud might provide more purchase and allow the use of a single hand, but it can snag on pocket linings. A spring-operated assisted opening feature can make a blade fast to deploy, but it adds complication and potential for failure. A lever built into the back of the blade might make a knife easy to flip open and form a finger guard when deployed, but it can also snag. There are pluses and minuses to everything; try out new knives to see what you like.

Steels

As you move up in price with knives, youā€™ll see the types of steel used to construct their blades listed as selling points. There are far too many varieties of steel to mention here. Understand that any claim like ā€œsurgical steelā€ is total bullshit, and instead look for brand and alphanumerical name, like CPM S35V or Bƶhler M390. Google will then direct you to descriptions of that steelā€™s merits. In addition to the type of steel, some knife makers and steel producers also apply unique heat treatments that can add additional performance to blades.

What About Multitools?

While many multitools incorporate a knife blade into their toolset, the blade is typically of bargain basement quality and can be complicated to access. While a multitool may technically be pocketable, and may even include a pocket clip, theyā€™re almost always much bulkier, which makes them less convenient to carry and less comfortable to use. If itā€™s not with you, you wonā€™t be able to use it.Ģż

But a good multitool does make a good accompaniment to a good pocketknife, if you can carry both. If not, stick with the knife, which youā€™ll use more often.Ģż

Whatā€™s in My Pocket?

When I got home from the airport late last night, the first thing I did was grab a knife out of my knife drawer and stick it in my pocket. That happened to be a with a CPM CruWear blade and brown micarta handle.Ģż

With a 3.5-inch flat-ground, drop-point blade, the Paramilitary 2 is just the right size for pocket carry in a typical pair of jeans. It features a strong liner lock design that inserts a portion of the frame between the back of the blade and one of the bolts that holds the thing together, so thereā€™s no way the blade could ever accidentally close.Ģż

This particular version is made special by both its blade steel, and the handle material. is an exceptionally hard-wearing tool steel thatā€™s capable of holding an edge for a long time, but nevertheless requires a little special attention due to its high carbon content. I donā€™t mind rubbing a little on the blade every time I clean it, but it would easily tarnish and develop surface corrosion without that care. On top of the steel frame liners, Spyderco has fitted a handle made from . That material sets fibers into a resin, producing a comfortable surface thatā€™s almost soft to the touch, and which remains tractive when wet. Both that steel and the handle will develop a unique patina over time.Ģż

I donā€™t like Spydercoā€™s pocket clips, so I will replace this one with a deeper carry option in the near future.Ģż

Accompanying the blade, I also carry a small on my keychain. Itā€™s TSA compliant, so it travels with me and provides some capabilities the knife cannot. I use it less than the knife, so choosing a multitool thatā€™s as small as possible makes sense for my needs.Ģż

On Sunday, I used the knife to field dress a deer. Two nights ago, while staying in a hotel, I used the tweezers in the multitool to remove a splinter. I was prepared for that and more, all thanks to the content of a single pants pocket. You can be too.

The post The Best Pocketknife appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

Iā€™m carrying a in my pocket right now. Thatā€™s only around one-tenth the price of the knife I normally carry, but it still gets the job done.

When it comes to pocket knives, Iā€™m guilty of having expensive taste. The blade I had been carrying for the last couple of years was a DPx Aculus Flipper, which retails for $450.Ģż

I justify that price partly because my friends and I like to give each other knives as gifts. That Aculus came from my buddy , who also happened to design it. I gave a similar one to my friend Griff a few years back. Spending that money on other people feels better than spending it on myself.Ģż

And because my friends like to give each other knives, Iā€™ve got plenty to choose from right now, even though I lost the Aculus in a COVID-induced brain fog. But rather than grabbing something else fancy out of the drawer in my nightstand, Iā€™ve instead been reaching for this $44 CRKT. Itā€™s one of those products thatā€™s just right, even though itā€™s relatively cheap.Ģż

There are a couple of things I want any pocket knife to do. The LCK + excels at all of them. Since pocket knives spend most of the day riding inside my front right pocket, I need them to carry well. This knife does that thanks to a deep carry pocket clip that positions the entire body of the knife below the level of of the pocketā€™s brim. Itā€™s incredibly slim dimensionsĢżare approximate to a large Sharpie, which makes it barely noticeable. Because Iā€™m right handed, I like a knife with the blade tip-up, facing rearwards in that front right pocket. That way when I grab it, itā€™s ready to open, without any shuffling.

And thanks to that fancy Aculus, Iā€™ve also become a fan of flippers. A flipping mechanism places a small lever at the base of the blade. When closed, the lever protrudes from the back of the knife and provides the leverage necessary to quickly flick the blade open. Once open, that lever serves as a solid finger guard, preventing your hand from sliding forward onto the sharp edge.Ģż

The LCK + backs up that lever with a spring-loaded assisted opening mechanism. Flick the lever, and after it travels a few millimeters, a spring hidden inside the handle takes over and forces the blade open. Iā€™ve never been a huge fan of assisted openers because they usually require a little play to be left in the pivotā€”so friction doesnā€™t interfereā€”but the ball bearing inside this CRKT feels rock solid.Ģż

By forcing the blade open, that action also deploys the liner lock. The strongest way to safely lock a folding knifeā€™s blade open is with a frame lock. That design sees a portion of the monolithic frame twisted so that it will move inwards when the blade pivots out of the handle, preventing the knife from closing on the userā€™s hand. But making a big chunk of metal move is expensive, as evidenced on the Aculus. A cheaper way to achieve a similar effect is to make the handle from one materialā€”in the case of the CRKT, glass-filled nylonā€”then reinforce that with a thin steel liner, complete with one torsion section. And thatā€™s whatā€™s done here. The indicator of the quality execution of a frame or liner lock isĢżcut in how far that locking bar moves across the blade. And the LCK + achieves perfection, with a locking bar that reliably connects with the blade precisely in the middle, every time.Ģż

In addition to how helpful it is to have a knife on hand for opening packages, helping with food prep and consumption, and various tasks as I work on my trucks, house, and yard, a lot of the satisfaction I derive from knives comes simply from how they look. And while the LCK +ā€™s handle is a total non-event, the satin-finished blade is seriously eye pleasing. Slim and hollow-ground, it feels more like a French steak knife than it does a brute force implement. Sure, itā€™s made from 8Cr13MoV steel, which is an elaborate acronym for cheap, but thatā€™s another big reasonĢżfor that $44 price tag.

The post Columbia River Knife and Tool LCK + Is a Great Everyday Knifeā€”and It Only Costs $44 appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

Turns out my sister-in-lawā€™s dad also happens to be one of my most loyal, longtime readers. Before meeting him for the first time this summer at his daughterā€™s wedding, I wanted to get him a little friendship present. Knives make the perfect gift for virtually anybody, but what makes the perfect knife? The answerā€™s different for everyone, which is why I decided to order something custom.Ģż

Benchmade has offered custom engraving through its website for ages. My friend gave me a custom Benchmade a few years ago. Engraved with my name on one side, and a quote from George Patton on the other, it remains one of the most thoughtful presents Iā€™ve ever received.

This year, Benchmade launched a new, that allows you to personalize blade shapes, materials, edges, handle materials, and colors. Available across a wide range of both folding and fixed blade options, I chose the compact, lightweight as the basis for my build. If youā€™re going to gift someone a knife, it may as well be one the recipient will want to carry every day.Ģż

I know what makes a knife useful, and I know how good a nice one can feel in the hand, but I didnā€™t know much about Michael beyond the fact that heā€™s a veteran. So, I reached out to his daughter for help. She explained that heā€™d served in the Armyā€™s 238th Cavalry Regiment. Some Googling took me to a write up on the unitā€™s history, and I liked the sound of their motto: Deo Favente, which translates from Latin to ā€œGod willing.ā€

That got me Michaelā€™s engraving: his hame on one side, and that motto on the other. So I started working through the rest of the knife.Ģż

Custom Bugouts start at $175, and come with a basic 440C blade steel. I wanted Michael to have something a little harder wearing, so checked the $30 box for S90V, one of the latest, most durable steels available anywhere in the knife world. I also kept the standard drop point shape for its versatility and nixed the partially serrated edge to make sure it was easy to sharpen. I chose the stonewashed finish, rather than a black oxide option, so itā€™d match the $150 titanium handle slabs I picked in the next step. The goal of any knife handle is to be as strong and as light as possible, and that material excels in both regards. I also kept the knifeā€™s liner and lock in satin, at no additional charge, for a subtle, classy look.Ģż

So far, Iā€™d specā€™d out a really beautiful, useful, personalized knife. But it was lacking something. Just a touch of color somewhere to catch the eye, and underline that this is a special gift. Changing the screws or pocket clip looked too jarring, but playing around in Benchmadeā€™s configurator, I started swapping the colors of the thumb studā€”which bolts through the blade to make it easier to flip openā€”and realized thatā€™s where I wanted the color. Adding a drop of scarlet red made the whole knife pop.Ģż

I downloaded an image of the finished product, and shared it with Michaelā€™s daughter to make sure she thought itā€™d be something heā€™d like. She gave me the thumbs up, so I purchased the final $365 product. It was assembled at Benchmadeā€™s factory in Portland, Oregon, and it showed up at my house fewer than three weeks later (current lead times are 20 days). I wrote Michael a note, dropped it in the envelope with the knife, and mailed it off to his house in Florida.Ģż

Did all this have the desired effect? Well, we had something to talk about when we finally shook hands at the rehearsal dinner. And the next night, we made plans to go on a kayak iguana hunt together sometime next year. Iā€™m a bit skeptical about Michaelā€™s idea to use blow guns, but hey, it sounds like a challenge, so Iā€™m in. Not a bad result from a few minutes of time, and a few hundred dollars.Ģż

Can you do the same? Adding a level of personalization to any gift elevates it from being something you bought to something you designed with your unique recipient in mind. And thatā€™s a gift anyone is going to appreciate.

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