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I've carried a knife on my person for over 25 years, before that I didn't see the need for one. I started with traditional knives, and migrated to the one-handed variety, preferably with a pocket clip. I have never carried a fixed blade, I've wanted to, but it was the form factor for me. Fixed blades were usually larger than pocketknives, and they were carried on the belt via a sheath. Over the years I've noticed that fixed blades are just as varied as pocketknives and can EDC friendly.
One fixed blade that caught my attention was the BeltWay by BloodOath Instruments. The BeltWay fits right in with the rest of their lineup and follows a similar design motif. The knife comes with a premium steel blade and a composite handle. It's the perfect size for an everyday carry knife, not too large that carry options are limited, and not too small that it limits functionality. I'm usually handle first when it comes to reviews, so much can be determined of a knife by how it feels in your hand. A good or bad handle can make or break a good knife, but today I'm deviating, and we're checking out the blade first.
Team Multi-Moe has pledged to raise $1000 CDN in November to support research into men's health issues like prostate and testicular cancers, as well as suicide prevention. I didn't think we would actually make it, but here we are with just over a week left in the month and a mere $175 CDN remaining to raise!
I've become quite the fan of Vosteed knives, whether it be the designs, price point, or customer service, they don't disappoint. The last few months things have seemed to really ramp up and, I'm finding it hard to keep track of all they have going on. The number of new knives and prototypes being shown are crazy. On top of those fresh designs, Vosteed does exclusive releases for White Mountain Knives.
White Mountain has been selling since 2005, their focus is to bring you low prices and excellent customer service. Vosteed worked with the retailer to create an exclusive version of their popular model the Racoon. The Racoon is an everyday carry knife that features a drop point style blade, with a button lock. What's changed, or improved with this exclusive model? Let's take a look.
The Thunderbird is a legendary creature in American Indian history and culture. It's considered a supernatural being of power and strength. It's said to create thunder by flapping its wings, and lightning by flashing its eyes. Vosteed does a great job of naming their products, and the Thunderbird is no exception. The company has done a great job of creating a knife worth of such a namesake. The knife has awesome specs to boot; g-mascus handles, M390 blade with a tanto grind, and their Trek Lock. Let's take a walk around this bird and see what she's got.
VICTORINOX INTRODUCES LIMITED EDITION SWISS ARMY KNIVES IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
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BloodOath Instruments is a fairly new company run by two friends who are GWOT (Global War on Terror) veterans with a strong interest in knives, and experience in high-stress situations. This experience is the foundation on which their knives are designed.
Knives had been a thing since man fashioned them out of flint, but the history of tactical knife can be traced back to the 20th century when military forces began issuing specialized knives to their soldiers. The term "tactical knife" was coined in the mid-1990s. These invaluable knives were as useful at home as they were in the field, and as time marched so did popularity.
One of BloodOath's contribution to the category is the PocketFiend, a lightweight and compact pocketknife that's their answer to the EDC tactical knife. Coming in with an overall length of 7.25", and a 3.25" blade, the Fiend hits that sweet spot for an everyday carry knife. The textured aluminum handle is something unique in a market full of micarta, G10, and titanium. The aluminum has this texture on it that reminds me of the dimples on a golf ball. That unique texture gives the knife plenty of tactile grip on what would otherwise be another run of the mill handle. The choice in material also helps keep the weight down, as the Fiend comes in at only 3.81oz.
The EDC landscape has changed alot in the last decade, and among those changes are the sheer number of newcomers to the industry. I absolutely love finding these companies, what they offer, what their ethos is, and how are they going to complete in what feels like an oversaturated market. It takes a lot to stand out above the rest, let alone be heard in all this noise, one company that has grabbed my attention is Tekto Knives.
The company was born out of an outdoor excursion in the backwoods of Maine in 2016. Some of the companies early partners were disappointed with the way their knives performed in the northeastern environment. The conditions left the teams knives chipped, dull, and unreliable. This experience spawned a development project that became what is now Tekto. They wanted to created products that would handle harsh environments, and be reliable for those who depend on their equipment.
Damned Designs is the brainchild of Adrian Dsouza, he started with fidget spinners, and went on to release over 50 spinner designs. He stepped into EDC in 2019 and subsequently released his first knife, and then maybe another 10-15 shortly after. Adrian feels great products shouldn't only be for those with fat wallets. Everyone has a right to a good design and craftsmanship.
The Oni XL model is a hard use folder with premium materials and looks that can kill. I was curious where the name Oni comes from, and it comes from Japanese folklore. Oni are a type of evil spirit known as youkai. They are often depicted as large, ugly, monstrous creatures with horns, fangs, and sharp claws. Thankfully this knife is none of that, but I can see where Damned Designs goes with their product names.
Leatherman has announced via social media about the Arc, which is Oct 17th. There's been a lot of leaks and goofs since we have heard about this new tool, from what we hear the hype is valid. The new Leatherman Arc has a tool set that many have been asking for and Leatherman has delivered.
Last week the retail outlet REI accidently made the Leatherman Arc page live before the official release date. All this transpired via the r/Leatherman Reddit group and the 50 units they had available were gone in no time. One of our members Gadgetman7 (Dale Carr), was so gracious to show off his new acquisition. There is no official launch date for the Leatherman Arc, but at or around October 17 has been floating around. I feel if REI had stock already, then release is imminent. In the meantime, enjoy the pics of the new Leatherman Arc, compliments of Gadgetman7.
The folks at CRKT have teamed up with a seasoned green beret, Jeremy Valdez to bring a dream of his to life. Jeremy is highly decorated, he’s been recognized with two purple hearts, six bronze stars, one for valor, and the Special Forces Philip Neri award. Well known knife designer Bill Harsey stepped in to help Jeremy fulfill his dream of designing his own knife, and the result is the Septimo multi tool.
The Septimo is a strange beast, it features an adjustable wrench, screwdriver, bottle opener, glass breaker, and a knife. I've handled a lot of strange and interesting tools over the years, some good, some bad. The Septimo kind of rides somewhere between those two categories. Let's do a breakdown of this agglomerate of tools.
Kansept does some in house designs, but like many other companies out there, collaborations are their bread and butter. I love in house just as much as anyone else, but when a company taps into the huge wealth of talent in the industry, and brings those designs to life, that benefits everyone.
Morgan Koens is a custom fixed blade maker. He has a lot of experience in designing and making fixed blades, Morgan has teamed up with Kansept to release a design of his in a folder. His designs are the mixtures of utility and aesthetic. Morgan's designs are both works of art and work horses at the same time.
Kansept Knives was started by Kim Ning, a former production manager and designer at Kizer Cutlery. Kim has more than 20 years of experience in the industry, and his small team has similar expertise. Kansept's goal is to offer high-quality knives at affordable prices. Their lineup is certainly impressive, and I've had the opportunity to check out their new Model 6.
The Model 6 was designed by a retired law enforcement officer, Nick Swan. He needed a knife that he could trust his life on, not only as a last line of defense but as an everyday tool. The Model 6 was designed to be a working knife that could be used for various task daily but could instantly be deployed as a self-defense tool. To me the Model 6 doesn't scream self-defense, but maybe that's the point.
Back in 2020 Gerber launched a new series of tool that was meant to be an in-between in their product lineup, somewhere between a pocketknife and a full-fledged multitool. Gerber want to create something like your Swiss Army knife, and it would help prevent users from abusing their pocketknives.
Gerber launched with the Armbar Drive and the Cork, they seemed like a pretty good launch for the company and were followed up by the Armbar Slim Drive and Armbar Slim Cut in 2021. For 2023 Gerber adds two new models to the successful Armbar lineup, the Scout and Trade.
What kind of people would write collect and review multitools? Quite simple really- we are designers and do-ers, outdoors types and indoor types, mechanics, doctors, problem solvers and problem makers. As such, we have, as a world spanning community, put every type, size and version of multitool, multifunction knife, pocket knife and all related products to every test we could manage in as many places and environments as there are.