PocketKNIFE

You remember that Rainbow Ninja Warrior knife we looked at two weeks ago? Well, here's a knife that's arrived at the same general concept but from the complete opposite direction.

This, my sharks and flounders, is the Böker Mermaid.

Yes, that Böker. The one in Solingen in Germany. This knife has the one feature in particular you need from a piece of humorless Germanic cutlery.

Booba.

The Mermaid is an incredibly weighty 187.4 g / 6.61 oz all metal liner locking folder, and is exactly the type of thing your graddad didn't mean when he said to fetch his fishing knife. It's quite large as well, 8-3/4" from stem to stern (that was another nautical pun; I don't know if you noticed). It's about 2" wide when closed due to the mermaid's tail sticking out the back which acts as the... er, flipper. That said, this is not a spring assisted knife and the pivot rides on regular nylon washers. The action is rather heavy and it takes a good flick of your wrist along with a press on the flipper to get it to snap open. The blade is a good 3-3/4" long, and its thickness measurement is complicated quite thoroughly by the lass depicted on it.

That's because she's not an engraving or an etching, but rather for lack of a better description a bass relief formed right into the spine of the blade, sitting proud of it in all directions including out its thickness -- on both sides.

Holes are drilled all up the knife from the base of the handle up through the blade, evoking bubbles. The scales have a literal herringbone pattern. And the whole thing is of course rainbow finished, and eye-searingly shiny. This also makes it singularly annoying to photograph. But you will be the most stylin' swabbie on the entire poop deck when you bust this thing out.

The knife is deceptively thick, as well. It's about 11/16" but doesn't look like it, because its profile is actually rather rounded. A pocket clip is provided which is removable, but not reversible. But if you were expecting any practical EDC features on this particular knife I think you're in the wrong lake.

The spine of the handle has this notched pattern, which is carried up through the flare on the heel. I'm sure it's meant to evoke yet another aspect of fishiness, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is. The entire ensemble when taken together is definitely A Statement.

Here is the most incongruous comparison of two knives you will see all week, I promise you:

To the right, a very practical and reasonably sized Kershaw/Emerson CQC-6K. In D2. To the left... not that.

For your money you get this nondescript cardboard sleeve, which contains...

...an honest to goodness metal tin.

Inside is the knife, nestled in dense custom cut foam.

You also get the customary pair of leaflets from Boker, one in English and one in German. The leaflets are each a double centerfold, but not that kind of centerfold. If you were hoping for a depiction of a mermaid with her fins spread, well, prepare to walk away disappointed.

Inside is the expected mission statement and chest-beating by the manufacturer.

And inside that is this care guide. Which I'm mentioning because it includes the gems, "A knife is a cutting tool, not a screwdriver, lever tool, chisel, hammer or crowbar," and, "This clip is not intended to be attached to the belt." These are details that, in my experience, some motherfuckers need to hear. If you happen to identify one of said motherfuckers, do yourself a favor and never lend them one of your knives.

Also, the leaflet admits at the bottom of the first column that the Magnum line from Böker is made in "Asia." China, actually. That kind of gives the game away a bit, vis-a-vis the design elements and willingness to engage in the overt silliness on display here. If Böker tried to have this made in Germany there would probably be a riot at the factory.

The Inevitable Conclusion

This is a knife for looking at, not for using. You'll know already if you're the type of connoisseur who wants one. Otherwise, normal people probably need not apply.

While we're talking about crossbar locks. Or DuraLocks, or toggle locks, or Axis Locks, or whatever whoever is calling them.

I'm going to use "Axis Lock," because that was Benchmade's name for it and that'll be important in a moment for reasons we'll soon discover.

Here's the Ganzo G704. The G704-G, to be precise, with the -G specifying green scales. The superior color, obviously.

"Gan-who?"

Ganzo is a Chinese knife maker, and one of the few I can think of off the top of my head who actually have something of a name for themselves, and also manage to market their knives consistently under that name. Stupid as it sounds, that's kind of a breath of fresh air because trying to describe most imports from the Mainland via any particular name, brand, or description is usually like trying to nail jelly to the wall. They have this to say about themselves.

Ganzo is also one of the few natively Chinese brands (as opposed to "actual" brands who happen to just subcontract some/most/all of their manufacturing to China) that I actually recommend to people from time to time.

Alright. Let's not beat around the bush, here. The G704 is a complete clone of the Benchmade/H&K licensed Model 14205. You can check that out in this catalog from 2008, among other H&K branded models from the Big B.

I nicked this picture of the original from an internet search:

So as you can see Ganzo is not exactly subtle about it.

When I say "complete" clone, I do mean complete, down to sub-millimetric precision. But there are two important differences: The genuine Benchmade has a 154CM blade, and the Ganzo (like seemingly every single knife they make) is 440C. Oh, and the Benchmade (now discontinued) retailed for $180. The Ganzo is $33.

The G704, just like the Benchmade it mirrors, is large-ish EDC sized but seems to come with some "fighting knife" pretensions, probably owing to its original H&K sub branding. It's 149.4g / 5.27oz, and is 7-7/8" long open with a 3-3/8" blade. The blade is quite hefty, 0.155" thick at the spine. The whole knife is pretty thick, too, about 9/16" not including the clip.

Beneath the woven textured G10 scales, it's got steel liners all the way down its length, unlike some other Axis lock folders we could mention that manage to cost a lot more.

The blade is a "modified spear point," and probably due to the original design intent of pretending to be a fighting knife, it comes with a rather steep edge angle that should make the edge durable, but only a fair cutter at best.

I fixed this very positively by regrinding the edge to 30 degrees. Which also makes it look pretty mean. Would you do this to a $180 Benchmade? I'll bet you wouldn't.

And yes, it is an honest to goodness Axis lock. It's about as firmly sprung as the other Axis Benchmades I've handled over the years. And the action is actually very good, which is surprising for such a cheap knife.

And the "action" we're alluding to is the unique ability for (most...) Axis/crossbar/DuraLock/whatever folders to be swung open and closed freely when the crossbar is held back, since the bar serves double duty as both the lock and also the detent which the blade must overcome to open. But since you can hold it open, when you do that there's nothing to overcome. So the blade can drop free of the handle for one handed opening, theoretically with just a little flick of the wrist, in a manner that is yet again Very Definitely Legally Not A Switchblade.

Like so.

The mechanism is exposed and visible between the liners on the spine of the knife, so it's easy enough to clean and lubricate as necessary, even without taking the knife apart.

The knife is fully ambidextrous, with a thumb stud and lock controls on both sides, plus the clip is reversible -- for tip up carry only. There's some very sharp and square jimping on the back of the blade where your thumb might rest.

Overall I have to say the fit and finish of the G704 is spectacular, especially once you consider the price. There's very little wiggle in the blade -- an almost unnoticeable amount, in fact -- even while it's able to drop freely from the handle when you hold the lock back. The blade rides on plain nylon washers. Nothing fancy, but they'll do. Everything is machined super nicely and the blade geometry wasn't too out of whack when I took mine out of the box all those years ago. (That's a moot point now, obviously.)

Here's the Comparison That Can Never Be Escaped. Curiously, the G704 has a more rounded, less sharp and grabby texture to its G10 scales compared to most other similarly adorned knives I own or have handled. I have no idea if that's a carryover from the original, or something that's unique to the Ganzo version.

The Inevitable Conclusion

Don't buy an Ozark Trail Axis folder. Buy one of these instead.

(dear gods... what have I done? )

Some of you may remember my Weird Knife Wednesday post from a few months ago about the 2022 Walmart crossbar lock (hilariously called "shaft lock") knife. It was a first for Ozark Trail. Here's a link: https://lemmy.world/post/5850196

That knife came out of nowhere and many of the budget-oriented knife communities took notice. If your local Walmart had them, it wasn't for long because they were selling out. I bought 2 (and gave one away as a part of a white elephant gift).

Skip to 2023 and Walmart has released not one, not two, but three different crossbar locking knives for this holiday season. (more on that later).

For those who don't know, Ozark Trail is the Walmart in-house brand (the Amazon Essentials of the brick and mortar world) for many, many things. Including knives.

For $5-6 US, these are knives built to a very specific price point and it shows.

Enough talk, time for some photos:

As mentioned these are 2 of the 3 released this year for the holidays. You'll find these two, along with a few liner lock, frame lock, and fixed blades, in an end-cap or center-aisle display if your Walmart has them in.

The textured G10 (?) one at the top looks suspiciously like the Sencut Scepter (which, is par for the course for Ozark Trail "designers"). The second one, with the blue pivot ring does not look familiar but I'm assuming eagle-eyed readers know its inspiration.

It's hard to see in these photos both knives have deep-carry clips that extend past the back of the scales. These are very deep carry indeed.

The action on these knives is really bad. As if straight out of the factory they decided to take them to the beach and bury them all in sand before shipping them off. The crossbar on both grinds against the back of the knife. The spring tension on the bar is not as strong as last years model but could still use some work. I'm sure that they will break in, even if it takes a year. You can't really flip them open (without also throwing your wrist around wildly and looking like a lunatic) and you're mostly going to have to 2-hand shut them.

On the other hand: these were $5 each. So if you have to slow-roll them open, maybe that's not so bad?

I had mentioned a 3rd "shaft lock" knife that seems to be mostly available online, though I did find a few stores listing them as in stock (but I'm not driving further than I already have for these). It comes as a part of a 3-pack of knives and some other tools.

I'm blatantly lifting this image off the Walmart website:

I don't think I'm going to buy the pack though because, while only $5 each, buying a couple of these gets me into "real" knife territory (the aforementioned Sencut Scepter being a great knife for the money) and I'd rather buy more of those than more of these.

Should you buy these Ozark Trail knives? I would hope not. I made this sacrifice for you. Don't repeat my mistakes, learn from them.

NKD (well, week): The Kershaw Heist

This knife is a steal. There I said it. It's done. We can move on. No more puns from here on out. 😆

Earlier this year, Kershaw released their first crossbar locking knives. It would appear that the runaway winner of the 4 was the Iridium. It showed up in many reviews winning a lot of praise, and likely for good reasons. Kershaw knows how to build knives well and they appear to have knocked it out of the park with their version of the crossbar, which they call the "Duralock."

The Iridum is not really a knife for me though. With only a few exceptions, I'm not really into knives with scales made of metal. Too cold in the winter and too slippery in the summer.

When I saw the Heist, however...

IMHO, the Heist is what you get when you take a Benchmade Bugout and a Benchmade Freek and make a functional baby at 1/3 the cost. Hashtag KnifeBaby

I don't have a full-sized Freek, just the old-school Mini Freek but the comparison works, I think.

First off, the Heist is thin. As thin as the Bugout. Lightweight handles, but full-length liners so slightly heavier than the Bugout. The blade itself is far thinner than the Freek and thinner than even the Bugout thanks to the deeper swedge. So this is a very slicey knife indeed.

This is not a knife I would expect to be using for hours on end. Much like the Bugout, it's function is all about having a knife in the moment for quick needs without weighting you down. This is a knife I would not have a problem camping/hiking with at all.

Out of the box the knife did need a little breaking in. The action was a little slow but after a week of just handling it, it's just fine. The blade steel is D2 which helps keep the costs down. Kershaw is not a super budget brand though so at $50 it's on the higher end of D2 knives these days.

Pocket clip is great with the right amount of deep-carry for me. Scales are grippy but not aggressively so, and I don't feel like it's going to tear up the pocket.

Based on a week's worth of use, I would highly recommend this. The Duralock is well tuned, the knife sits in the hand comfortably for what it is, it's light, and best of all: it's not super expensive.

Recent discussions around purchasing knives got me thinking maybe a thread of online stores would be good. I'm going to assume that a lot of new-to-knives people are starting on Amazon which is often not the best place.

I'll list a few that I use or have experience with (and maybe some background). I have no affiliation with these places other than being a happy customer. None of the links or codes are going to make me money or give me free stuff. Just thought I would throw together some options for people who are new to knives.

My list is going to be US-centric. If you are not in the US and have recommendations, please add them here!

http://www.whitemountainknives.com One of my favorite retailers. Great prices, free shipping, and offers a variety of coupon codes for 10% off. Most of these are tied to individuals who get rewards for people using them. I use one that is, as far as I know, generic: WMK The site has a ton of stuff on sale (especially now).

http://www.indianaknives.com Small retailer in southern Indiana. Great, great customer service, excellent prices and free shipping. A more limited selection but often has 1 or 2 things that larger retailers sell out of quickly because this store flies under the radar.

http://www.knivesshipfree.com As the URL says: knives ship free! Lot of fixed blades, especially Bark River knives. Not a super limited selection of manufacturers but it feels like a very well curated list.

http://www.knifeworks.com Mentioned in a recent thread here. A ton of options and the exclusive home to Doug Ritter-designed knives (manufactured by Hogue). Used to have Benchmade under MSRP but I don't know if they still do that. $100 purchase requirement for free shipping.

https://www.knifecenter.com One of the OG stores. Huge selection, and fantastic YouTube presence. Their website allows you to filter searched by a ton of different options not found in many other stores. Tons of really cool Exclusives as well. $95 min purchase for free shipping.

http://www.bladehq.com For a long time a more commanding presence than KnifeCenter in social media but I think they've fallen back as maybe has their customer service. Always a ton of Exclusives especially all the "Dessert Warrior" options. Free shipping at $100.

Others I have limited experience with but are good:

http://www.smkw.com Smokey Mountain Knife Works

https://www.cutleryshoppe.com/ Another shop with a ton of exclusives. I got a exclusive ALOX SAX from them.

https://www.knivesplus.com If you want a customized Spyderco or Benchmade without going with a random person off Etsy or Ebay, these guys are great.

I know I left stores off the list (mostly for time) so fill in the gaps. Who have you purchased from that's been great?

After weeks of stalking these posts I’ve finally decided to jump in and purchase my first pocket knife (x2).

Usually I see a post in here which leads me down a rabbit hole of looking at knives for an hour or more and then being overwhelmed and eventually just closing the tabs.

Today I did the same routine, but ended up purchasing instead. Treat yo self.

I picked up a Kershaw Emerson CQC-6K D2 (6034D2) and a SENCUT Fritch Green Canvas Micarta (S22014-1).

Not sure how to upload images on Mlem but I’ll see what I can do.

Did I make a good choice?

Benchmade Griptilian mini, 154CM steel, good for resharpening, I stop before insanely sharp because work knife, not shaving blade, but it's possible, only had to change the screws on the clip for a tiny bit longer ones (actually laptop screws + loctite), the threads are quite short in the metal casing below the polymer. Very comfy to carry, length over all 17cm (~7 inch), blade 7cm(2.75 inch), it's no survival knife, more a city slicker and package opener. My fav to carry, by far.

Hello, und welcome to zhe Slingshot Channel.

Today, we are going to talk about the "NedFoss Pocket Knife, 8'' Tanto Hunting Folding Knife with Glass Breaker, Slingshot, Pocket Clip, Survival Knife for Emergency Rescue Situations, Home Improvements, Cool Knives for Men." Or the model JL-17A, if you'd like something a bit shorter.

Let me show you its features.

Yes, here is some made-in-China tat sold by our good friends at NedFOSS. Just like the last product from them we looked at, you'll know this one when you see it.

This is an all steel, rather large (8-1/8" long open on its lonesome, 4-1/2" closed), rather dense (140.1 grams, 4.94 ounces) tanto pointed liner locking flip opener. The blade is 3-1/2" long with a 3-1/4" usable edge and a curiously square choil at the base, and is alleged to be made of 7Cr17Mov steel. The profile is very square and straight, and about 3/8" thick not including the clip. It's got a rear flipper heel, a righties-only thumb stud, and a non-reversible tip down clip on it.

Oh yeah. And it's also a fucking slingshot.

The thing comes with a steel slingshot fork pre tied with 3/16" rubber tubing and a leatherette pouch on it. It's got a draw weight of about 16 pounds when fully pulled back. I know this because I measured it. That's precisely the kind of committed, hard-hitting reporting you get around here, I tell you what.

The pouch is about large enough to fire a 1/2" ball, nothing much bigger. I don't know what kind of velocity it achieves but it'll send a piece of 3/8" round steel slingshot ammo rocketing downrange way harder than I can throw it myself. So I consider that mission accomplished.

The product blurb bills this as a "survival" tool, and I find that notion highly suspect. If you were very skilled I think this might have enough power to brain a squirrel. I wouldn't count on it taking out anything much larger than that.

But the blurb also calls this a "lightweight frame," And spells "confiden" with no T. So, take it however you like.

The JL-17A slinger is actually modular. The slingshot fork is, thankfully, removable. And if you like you can put the included glass breaker in its place instead:

You can also just leave everything off. Adding the glass breaker adds to the already not inconsiderable length of the knife.

The button on the heel there has nothing to do with the knife itself, but rather unlocks whichever accessory you've got plugged in. It's a simple plunger lock mechanism, identical to that of a button lock knife. Press it and you can yank out whatever's attached. (I suspect any suitably motivated individual could also fashion their own accessories to put here; The shape of the prong on the end of each attachment is not complicated. I am just rapt with anticipation at the possibilities, the most obvious which leaps to mind is a double-ended prong which would allow you to attach two of these knives together.)

You can eschew the preattached pocket clip while simultaneously signaling to all the ladies of the world that you are a handsome and virile outdoorsman by way of this leatherette (it's textured polyurethane fabric) belt pouch. It not only neatly stores the knife itself, but also has a spot to put the slingshot fork with a button snap over it, and a little tiny pocket in which to store the glass breaker tip as well. You can actually fit the knife in it with the fork attached if you want to, and the flap will fold over it even so. Either way you'll probably want to wrap the slingshot rubber around it lest you become unexpectedly bungied to something.

Near the pivot is this inscription, which is the logo of Jin Jun Lang, and with that the jig is up. Jun Lang appears elsewhere on the Internet selling other knives, some of which are clones of existing designs by other knifemakers. I did a brief search for the original designer of this knife and came up empty; Other Chinese "brands" and sellers appear to carry an identical knife, though, so this may just be a design bespoke to the mainland. That's almost unimaginable. Maybe I'm wrong.

As a knife, the NedFOSS/Jin Lang is actually not bad. I was kind of blown away by this, to be honest. With having a big headline novelty feature on it I expected the actual knife part of it to be crap.

Okay, so the blade geometry and steel is not like great or anything. But for what you pay (about $20) the mechanism is outstanding. There's next to zero play in the blade when it's deployed. And the action is deceptively smooth. Just the merest push against the flipper to get over the detent, and maybe a little flick of your wrist, and the blade just flies open.

That's because -- are you sitting down? This little bastard has ball bearing pivots. No, for real. It does.

In fact, if you're paying attention you might spot this thrust bearing logo etched on the blade. And the product description says nothing about this. What a detail to leave off!

On the reverse of the blade is this curious inscription. The format more or less matches that of a Chinese patent number, but plugging either of those into Google comes up with bupkis other than this knife's product page on Amazon. (And no, the notion of a Chinese patent is not an oxymoron. Apparently.)

It comes in a box.

This would not generally be worth mention. Lots of things come in boxes.

But most things don't come in boxes that boldly declare, "THOUGHTFUL DESIGN" and, "EXCELLENT QUALITY." These are possibly dangerously ironic statements to make about an object manufactured by "Shenzen Love Sports Technology Co., LTD."

It's kind of hard to photograph because the writing on the box is all embossed gold foil stuff. Even the fine print bumf on the back. Again: This thing is $20. What the hell?

The Inevitable Conclusion

I have to admit, I kind of like the NedFoss/Jun Lang JL-17A. I bought it with low expectations, as usual, just on a complete whim because on the surface it's just such a ridiculous idea. But what I got was actually a pretty competent if a bit large and heavy, and a surprisingly nice flipper folder. Which just so happens to also have an accessory port that accepts a goddamn slingshot. Go figure.

Unlike the other dinkum bullshit I usually showcase on this feature, the JL-17A is a knife I sometimes actually carry around. Just... without the slingshot attached to it.

I had posted on a FFF (Front Flipper Friday) that one of my go-to office carry knives was the CJRB Malieah. A great 5th pocket carry that is not worrisome to non-knife people and fits within the 2.5" blade length limit of the city where the company office resides.

I think the CJRB has been replace by the Civivi Baby Banter. At least, it seems to have been for the past 6 ot 7 visits.

The Baby Banter is even less worrisome to non-knife folks (some have said it is "cute" which I'm sure it bristles at).

The knife is my go-to for food slicing at work and (once cleaned) boxes, tape, or as in today: velcro cable straps so I could jerry-rigg a second wireless lavaliere mic receiver to a small video camera.

It's small and unassuming but has performed really well. If you're looking for a knife with those properties on the budget side, I highly recommend it.

As requested by @[email protected] :

Buck 110: Was purchased as part of a set gifted to my groomsmen. Beautiful knife, feels great, but way more knife than I can plausibly fit in my pocket, and I don't really want a leather holster hanging off my hip all the time. More of a ceremonial and sentimental piece for me than anything else.

Spyderco Byrd Crossbill: First knife that was ever my proper every day carry. Feels great in the hand, and the hawkbill was great for cutting up cardboard boxes, but the tip proved to be a bit more stabby than I was comfortable with, and the back lock put my fingers in contact with the closing blade a few times.

Gerber Asada: Very solid knife. Cleaver shape is less threatening than the hawkbill. Smooth action, loved the big choil for extra control. I couldn't close it one-handed, though, so I went to the...

CIVIVI Chevalier: I love this knife. Flips open and shut one handed like a dream. Doesn't give scary vibes. Micarta is grippy and pleasant. Honestly, it would have been my forever knife, but I couldn't suppress my curiosity about an even smaller knife, hence...

CRKT Squid Compact: It's so wee! I ordered this and the Kansept Korvid M (after watching videos of people handle them I couldn't quite bring myself to get the Korvid Mini) at the same time to see which I liked better, and the Squid won handily. The assisted open is snappy as all get out, and it's so small that I can easily operate the liner lock with one hand, and honestly it's so fun to operate that I scarcely put it down for the first couple of days I had it. It fits in the little change pocket in my jeans, and disappears into my hand when I make a fist. It is so small that it could nearly be difficult to handle, but a pinky lanyard makes it feel surprisingly stable in the hand. There's something impressively ergonomic about a blade that is almost exactly the length of your thumb. I'm sure there must be use cases in which I'd wish for more knife than this, and for those I've still got the old Chevalier, but I'm pretty sure the Squid is going to cover about 90% of everything I could ever ask of a knife. And it's so wee!

Regular denizens of this community are doubtlessly aware of my beloved Kershaw/Emerson CQC-6K, which gets brought up in basically every single one of my posts as my ISO standard comparison EDC knife. I just can't shut up about the thing. In fact, it's so beloved that I have two of them.

Well, guess what?

It's got a little brother. This is the Kershaw/Emerson CQC-5K. The one I have is model 6074OLBLK, which specifies olive scales and a black nitride coated blade.

Said blade is 8Cr14MoV steel with a nice useful clip point and, like I prefer, no serrations. This knife is 7-1/16" open, a very pocketable 3-15/16" closed, and has a blade precisely 3" long with a 2-7/8" usable edge. It's 108 grams (3.8 ounces), so unlikely to pull your pants down around your ankles unexpectedly, either.

Having a 3" or less blade puts it right at the legal-to-carry pocketknife category in a wide variety of states and locales, which is probably no accident. This may help it appeal to people who can't carry a 6K instead because it's a hair too big.

The 5K has G10 scales on both sides, with a reversible clip -- tip up only. You wouldn't want to carry it the other way anyway, because just like its bigger brother this knife has the Emerson "wave shaped feature" (rendered with scare quotes around it just like that, consistently, every time they write it) which is the little hook you see at the rear of the spine there. This snags your pocket hem when you draw the knife and snaps it open for you -- no button, spring, or other tomfoolery required.

The 5K is a plain liner locking folder with a regular pivot. It's just as fast to deploy in most circumstances as any automatic knife, but is Very Definitely Legally Not A Switchblade. This is also beneficial to those wishing to carry it in myriad locales with insane laws.

Note also the patch of grip tape on the clip, which is not from the factory. I added that myself to assist in fishing this thing out of my pocket.

I actually bought this knife before I got my pair of 6K's. It has the headline feature I like -- the "wave shaped feature," of course -- but you'll note it has grip scales on both sides whereas...

It's 6K brethren doesn't. This makes it a bit snaggy on the ol' pants fabric (hence my grip tape) and can turn it into a bit more of a fiddle than I think it should be to draw. I think this could be fixed a little more authoritatively by anyone sufficiently brave by sanding off the texture beneath where the pocket clip touches the scale. I haven't been that bold, but then why should I? I've got two 6K's to play with instead.

Barkeep, pour me another.

I wasn't actually sure until I busted out the calipers if the 5K is actually thicker than the 6K due to the extra scale. It is: 0.570" vs. 0.480".

The 5K is otherwise pretty much just what you get from someone sticking a 6K in a photocopier and then pressing "80%." It has the same ambidextrous thumb disk thingy on the spine of the blade for use when you don't feel like using its trick deployment mechanism, the same handle scale texture, and even the same shape of pocket clip. Actually, the clips are even interchangeable. The only difference is their color. And the same overall shape, same lanyard hole, even the same screw pattern.

It also has the same quirk in that if you prefer to sharpen your knives to a shallower angle, you have to remove the thumb disk so it doesn't hit your sharpening stone. It's just held in with a regular Philips head screw.

The Inevitable Conclusion

I like this knife. But is really needs something done about the pocket clip gripping onto your pants like a piranha.

But the fact is, I like its larger sibling more. Which might go some way towards explaining why I have two of the damn things. But this was my EDC companion for a while, not just a drawer decoration, and it did its job really well. It's a pretty good spend of $40, especially if you want a slightly smaller (but not too small) knife.

It's exactly what I need and nothing more. Can't remember the last time I needed more than my thumb's length of blade. And it's so fidgety and clicky! Pinky lanyard makes it perfect.

A day late and a dollar short as they say. So much for "Thursday." I tried to get this post up yesterday but the fates were against me.

I admit this is a bit of a stretch for Throw Back Thursday because I'm old and 2011 was, near as I can tell, last week.

At least I think 2011 is the right year because my Google-fu is weak today.

The CRKT Drifter has come in 2 major varients: G10 scales with a liner lock and stainless steel scales with a frame lock. I think this was introduced in 2011 but that could also be the liner lock version. If someone wants to correct me, operators are standing by.

This is one of only 2 frame locks I own and also one of only 2 combo blades I own. I own a lot of knives, so this might give you some indication as to what I think of frame locks and half-serrations... Edit: I just remembered that I have 3 other frame locks. So, I'm a complete idiot.

This knife was purchased in 2019 which was yesterday near as I can tell. It was a very early knife purchase and I had not yet figured out what I did and did not like. Another huge factor was the fact that BladeHQ was basically giving this away in the discontinued section for $15.

Aesthetically this is a good looking knife (IMHO). The matte grey and smooth lines go well with the polished blade. However, the reason the lines are smooth is because the pocket clip is single position, tip-down. The horror...the horror.

But, there's actually a clever trick here: the pocket clip also serves as the overtravel stop for the frame lock! Now, me not being a frame lock guy, maybe I'm just ignorant here, but that's not something I remember seeing on other knives. This photo is not of great quality due to the lighting I had to work with but you get the idea I think. So while it takes 3 screws to hold the clip down and while it's sort of obnoxious looking, it's also functional and I can respect that.

The combo blade, I figured out fairly quickly, is not for me. Give me a knife with full serrations or give me a plain edge blade but not both. It will fail to meet my needs for most things. But thankfully it only took $15 to sort that out.

If it's not for you, why keep it you ask? Well because it does remind me of the journey this silly hobby has taken me on but also because I don't get rid of anything and in all likelihood the authorities will find my body buried under a mountain of knife boxes years from now. So what's one more?

Konnichiwa, rainbow warriors!

It's Wednesday in Japan already, so get a load of this thing.

This is the Masters Collection MC-A030RB. But from here on out I'm going to call it the Rainbow Ninja Knife, and you can guess why. This knife is all about the ninjas, and wants to make triple damn sure you know it's all about the ninjas, too. It's ninjas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Ninjas in your face. Ninjas all the way.

Ostensibly this is a regular spring assisted folder. Its construction is completely metal through and through -- I assume the handle scales are cast zinc or something -- and thus weighs a whopping 194 grams (6.84 ounces). It's 8-1/8" long open with a 3-1/2" blade and a roughly 2-7/8" usable edge. It's 5/8" thick but feels even bigger in the hand, probably due to a girthy 1-3/16" width and high profile pocket clip, and aided by its very, very greebly design.

The blade is a pseudo-dagger shape, but owing to the side folding layout that leaves about 1/8" of the spine exposed, only one side is actually sharpened. It's not sharpened very well, mind you, and the edge geometry is precisely as whacked as expected. But the blade has got a giant finger hole in it, which should more than make up for it.

The Rainbow Ninja's styling is just full bore bedlam. All over the walls, floor, and ceiling. The more you look at it the better it gets, because you keep finding more and more details. Like this shogun styled pocket clip, picked out in gold.

Then, of course, there's this bloke. He's depicted on both sides, and to make sure you know he's a ninja he's wearing the full set of pajamas, he's holding a kunai, and he's got a sword. With two more kunai strapped to his leg. On a background of shuriken. In case you didn't get it, he's even labled in a cartouche: The top glyph is the kanji for "ninja" ("shinobi," actually) while the bottom one is either gobbledygook so overstylized I can't identify it.

The pivot pin head is styled. Of course, it also says "shinobi."

The heel contains an obligatory glass breaker. The corners of the relief are more kunai.

The blade is deeply embossed on one side with this. "Shinobi" again.

The reverse is more lightly etched with the Masters Collection logo, and the inscription "Shogun Rei." or "Ret?" "Rex?" Again, it's stylized and hard to tell. Beneath this is written, near as I can figure, "將軍今." Which translates semi-literally to "shogun now." Which might be a decent name for a band, but I have no idea why it's written here.

It comes in a box.

Surprisingly, the reverse contains some legible and actually coherent text for a change and isn't just chock-a-block full of ridiculous Engrish. It instructs you to ask your local or other online retailer for other Master Collection knives, or Master Collection ballistic knives. Really? Sign me the fuck up!

Well, I went and found Master Cutlery on the internet, and while they do have a comprehensive web site ("The Largest Variety In The Wholesale Knife Industry!") I couldn't find squat on there about ballistic knives. Which is a bummer. But I did find the product listing for this very knife, which includes a couple of details. For instance, the blade is alleged to be made of 3Cr13, which may or may not be accurate. But they also specify the blade profile as "sheepsfoot," so maybe we should take all of the published specs with a grain of salt. It lists the theme as "Everyday Carry" and specifies a "SCULPTED NINJA ART HANDLE."

Yes. Yes it is.

Curiously, they also consistently render "Masters Collection" with no apostrophe, I guess indicating the presence of multiple masters doing the collecting, and not the collection of any one singular particular master. Now we know.

The Inevitable Conclusion

I would normally suggest that a knife like this might be suitable for cosplay or something, but I don't think that quite describes the level of object we're dealing with, here. The Rainbow Ninja isn't part of a costume -- it could be an entire raucous costume all on its own. It says right on it everything that needs to be said about itself, and then some. It's stupid, it's ostentatious, and it's probably not actually made very well. But damn it, I love it.

Now: ninja vanish!

Giveaway Update

I promised to give away three knives on December 15th. Well, it's the night of December 15th as I'm writing this right now, and only three non-abstaining users have posted, obviously excluding myself. Well, that's all neat and tidy, isn't it? Everyone wins, nobody loses.

I'll be picking among the three of you at random, one at a time until all three knives are claimed. Watch out for a private message.

Original Post Follows:

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you've all seen this.

Do you want one for yourself? I assume you do, because you clicked on this. Well, here's the deal: In order to spread some Ninja Cheer (and to do what I think the cool kiddos are calling "drive engagement") I'm going to give away one each of these three colorways of my Harrier Utili-Song:

Here's all you have to do: Post yer durn knives to this community, and talk about them. That's it.

High effort, low effort, what you post and how much you post does not matter. Any user who makes an actual on-topic contribution to this community between right now at this very minute and December 15th will be put on the list, and I will pick three winners from that list at complete random.

I'll pick one at a time and whoever wins first can pick their choice of design, the second winner can choose from the two that are left, and the last poor bastard gets what's left over. If nobody posts, I'll keep all three of them for myself. See if I care.

Or who knows, maybe someone this will decide this is against the rules and we'll all get banned. But I read the entire ToS and I don't see anything prohibiting this, so let's roll them dice!

The Fine Print

I'm opening this to US residents only because I'm not made out of friggin' money and shipping stuff all overseas and everywhere will probably bankrupt me. Plus, it's likely that anywhere outside of here in Freedom Land, you'll find it's illegal to import a balisong or balisong-like-object anyway. Winners must attest that they are at least 18 years of age, and it is your responsibility to determine whether or not a balisong is a legal object to possess where you live; that's not my problem. Also, I will ship these without blades included. You'll have to provide your own.

Winners must agree that I take responsibility for nothing. Offer has no cash value and you can't sue me for anything. What you get is what you get, and if your Harrier lasts you a thousand years or breaks instantly makes no difference to me because I'm not going to do anything about it either way. Winners further agree to hold me harmless for any event or condition which may transpire in any manner subsequent to receiving the aforementioned item. If you don't agree, you can sod off and I'll pick someone else in your place.

'Sup, all my ninjas and ninjettes.

December 5th is International Ninja Day! Thus I contribute to you today's ninja item, the Kershaw Ion throwing knife.

The Ion is a very stout, full size throwing knife from our good friends at Kershaw. Knives plural, actually. They come in a set of three, but you'll only see two of mine today because I was spreading ninja cheer earlier and I gave my third one away to a friend.

These are not quite like the little toy throwers you'd find in the BudK catalog or at your local flea market; Each is solidly 8-15/16" long, and weighs in at 116.8 grams (4.12 ounces). They're quite decently thick as well, at 0.150" on the spines. Each is finished in a mottled stonewashed finish with a mildly textured surface.

If you like to ninja-fidget, these also make good playthings because the ring on the end is actually large enough to get a finger through, and everyone but the beefiest of boys can even get a thumb through as well. Here it is with Mr. Jefferson helping us out for a sense of scale; the ring is nearly precisely 7/8" across.

The blade length is sort of debatable because there's no fixed transition between the blade and the tang. These are all one piece, but the handle is wrapped with black and red paracord (current incarnations appear to be black and white now instead), and the wrapping has a slightly inconsistent length. Measuring from the base of the flare on the blade end to the point, though, is 4-1/2". About 4-1/8" of that is usable edge, although "edge" is a bit of a stretch because as usual for factory throwers, these things are not actually sharp and just have a butter knife profile. They are quite pointy, though, and their heft means that they'll sink quite authoritatively into any wooden object you throw them at -- provided you're skilled enough to land point first.

The point of balance is pretty much exactly at the base of the blade, very near to the geometric middle of the knife. These are not self-correcting in any way during flight, though. There's no type of aerodynamics built in, no tassels, no streamers, no fins. So you definitely do have you get your throw and your spin right if you want them to work.

The set comes in this triple pocketed nylon belt sheath, which holds them all in a stack. The Velcro retainer strap is kind of chintzy and the sheath holds the knives with the handle wrappings all pressed together, so it's more for storage than actual carrying usability.

Instead I made this single holder Kydex sheath for one of mine, and added a Nite Ize Eclipse clip to it so I can attach it to stuff. That's because...

...I probably brought some kind of dishonor to my clan by actually going through the trouble to put an edge on one of my Ions.

These are made from 3Cr13 steel, which is not exactly top shelf but is incredibly tough and springy, which is exactly what you want for a thrower. It will take and hold an edge to a reasonable degree provided you are not asking it to tolerate any significant amount of abrasion.

I thusly use this as a camp knife sometimes because it's very silly, and we can always engage in much merriment and giggling by chucking knives and axes and stuff at stumps around the camp site. (Don't throw cutlery at live trees, though. That's not cool. A true ninja protects the forest he hides in.)

Here's an Ion compared to another piece of ninja paraphernalia we looked at earlier, plus the obligatory EDC benchmark: the Kershaw/Emerson CQC-6K. Hey, at least today we've got a Kershaw sibling in the mix!

The Inevitable Conclusion

The Kershaw Ions are actually quite competent throwing knives with good balance and construction quality, and would be perfectly adequate for any hobbyist who's sufficiently skilled at knife throwing. But outdoor knife throwing, mind you. These are beefy enough that I really can't throw them at my dartboard because they pass clean through and poke into the wall behind it. For indoor use you'd probably want something a bit lighter.

The kunai ninja styling is just the icing on the cake that made these silly enough that I couldn't pass them up. I have other equally hefty throwing knives for actual mumblypeg practice, and about which I care about the appearance and finish a lot less. None of those look as cool, though. Hence why I converted one of these into a plain old dagger just for yuks, which not gives it some utility but also allows for showing it off from time to time.

Now go forth, and ninja in the night.

Hey, wait a minute. What's that Spyderco doing with a Benchmade logo on it?

This is actually the Benchmade Vex, a "budget" liner lock folder of yesteryear from the Big B with an admittedly very Spyderco-esque thumb opening hole in it. Although, insofar as I'm able to determine there was no collaboration between the two on this.

The marketing blurb for this knife did bang on a bit, but what it talked about were the "innovative firsts" of a finger-notched pocket clip, and a titanium nitride coating on the blade. And verily, those it has got. But they didn't mention the hole.

You may have already had that other Benchmade folder with the thumb hole in it come to your mind, the Griptillian. I think they were going for sort of a similar angle with this, but with a much cheaper bill of materials. The Griptillian, still available, sells for about $160. But back when the Vex was available, it had an MSRP of only $42.

That's quite a gulf, and for your money (or lack thereof) you lose the Axis lock, instead replacing it with a normal liner lock mechanism, and the Griptillian's S30V blade. The Vex has a ho-hum 8Cr14MoV blade, which Benchmade went to great pains to point out at the time is "comparable to many other manufacturers' top steel." That's... certainly a statement. One which I suspect quite a few will disagree. But the 8cr blade will at least take a very good edge (albeit maybe not hold it forever) and should be quite a bit more corrosion resistant than the likes of, say, D2.

It was of course one of Benchmade's "red box" knives: the made in China ones. Red card, actually -- mine was in a blister pack when I bought it and didn't even come in a box.

The blade is a serviceable drop point, and does have one unusual detail in that the spine is very rounded, with a slick smooth feel over all of it, even the part with the jimping notches in it. The edge does have a slight but plainly visible belly.

The Vex otherwise has checkered G10 scales similar to many other knives over steel liners. It's right in that full size EDC sort of class, weighing in at 132.6 grams (4.68 oz) and it's 7-9/16" long open with a roughly 3-1/4" blade, roundabout 3-1/8" of which is usable. It's just a hair under 4-3/8 long when closed, and precisely 1/2" thick not including the clip.

The clip has those two finger notches in it which are certainly there, and your fingers will settle into them whether you want to or not but if you ask me they're spaced apart just a little too much. The clip is reversible, but tip down carry is the only option. It's not deep carry, either -- a good 5/8" or so of the knife will stick up above the hem of your pocket when it's clipped.

As is tradition, here is the ever present, ever lurking comparison to the Kershaw/Emerson CQC-6K, my normal EDC. I haven't used my Vex much, which brings about the interesting detail in how faded the G10 scales are on my CQC.

The Inevitable Conclusion

For some reason, people really hated the Vex when it came out. You couldn't mention it anywhere online without a dozen people jumping down your throat saying "just get a Griptillian instead!!!!!" From what I could tell, nobody liked the thumb hole, nobody liked the liner lock, and nobody liked the pocket clip. I strongly suspect, however, that what actually happened was that nobody liked knowing they'd paid $150+ for their Griptillian when this close-run contender was suddenly available for less than a quarter of the price. But the Vex was a veritable flash in the pan and is now discontinued, whereas the Griptillian isn't. Make of that what you will.

I don't hate the Vex, despite its silly pocket clip. Although there isn't much about it that makes me love it, either. I guess the main reason I don't carry it more often is because it doesn't really do much of anything special. It's just A Knife and doesn't pack in any gimmick, it hasn't got a trick deployment mechanism, and while the build quality is perfectly solid it doesn't really present any uniquely outstanding look or feel, either. It's inoffensive, not innovative. It's just a safe play with no risks; a sponge cake with no flavor. But sometimes that's okay.

Previous post about this here.

Here it is, squawks and waddlers: The Dork Designs Harrier Utili-Song.

(No, not named after that kind of harrier. The other kind. )

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Updated! 2023-12-04: Now includes minor improvements to the latch, and three additional handle scale styles.

Link To .STL Files: Here.

The above is provided completely as-is, with no guarantees whatsoever. If printed and assembled correctly, the included files will physically produce a friggin' knife, which is an inherently dangerous instrument and may or may not also be a type that is illegal to own, carry, or possess in your local country/state/province/city/principality/prefecture. Whatever you do with it is on you, unless what you do with it is redistribute it or attempt to sell it, or share it without crediting me, in which case I will come down on you like a coal scuttle full of tiny anvils.

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Additional information, and some more harping on:

Did I mention that the handle scales on this are modular? That's so I can make a bunch of silly designs for them. There are ~~six~~ now nine included in the above release if you also count the boring plain scales. They are, in order presented in the headline image above: Plain, Herringbone, Hive, Helios, Hydrogen, Hyperego (which is the one I have on in all the pictures), Hazard, Hustle, and Hellfire.

More to come, probably. Or make your own to show off and amaze, baffle, or irritate your friends and/or strangers on the internet.

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Printing instructions and tips:

As you will see if you download and crack open that .zip file, this thing consists of a whole shitload of parts which are all separate files. You could arrange them all on your print bed and do them in one whack, if your printer is big enough, but I wouldn't if I were you. My recommendation is to print one or two of the interference fit parts first and ensure your printer is dialed in sufficiently to pull this off. My preferred print order is to do the liners in one job; then the blade holder, latch, and scales in another; then all the screws in a third.

100% infill is absolutely required for the screws. It's probably a good idea for the liners, and optional for the blade holder or trainer blade.

This is a precision assembly with several parts that are either very close or interference fits. These models are designed around printing with 0.2mm line height, with a 0.4mm nozzle. Your results will vary with other heights and widths. Printing with a larger nozzle is NOT recommended; this may result in an inability to assemble due to clearance critical features not producing the correct size or spacing.

All of my examples were printed in fairly ordinary PLA+ (I'm using Inland at the moment; other brands are available). Or you could try your luck with your choice of higher temperature/high impact/fiber reinforced material instead, but it's probably not necessary.

All parts are designed to be printed without supports. You should print everything in the orientation you see in the files except the upper handle liners, which will work best with the flat side down against the bed (i.e. upside down). The pocket clip should be printed standing on its edge just like it comes in the file. You can attempt to print it laying flat, but if you do your printer had better be heckin' good at doing bridges.

The complete bill of materials to complete the assembly is as follows:

• 1x Blade Holder or 1x Trainer Blade
• 1x Liner, Safe Side, Upper
• 1x Liner, Bite Side, Upper
• 1x Liner, Safe Side, Lower
• 1x Liner, Bite Side, Lower
• 2x Scales of your choice, Safe Side
• 2x Scales of your choice, Bite Side
• 1x Latch Shank
• 1x Latch Head
• 7x Screws, Male
• 7x Screws, Female
• If you are going to affix the pocket clip, you will need to print 1x Pocket Clip (no kidding) and replace 2x of the female screws with the "Screw, Female, Long for Pocket Clip."

You'll have to provide your own blade. This will take a typical "Stanley" style trapezoid utility knife blade.

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Assembly instructions:

If you're not going to build one of these, normal people can probably stop reading now. Unless you're morbidly curious about how I solved various fabrication challenges inherent in making such a thing with an FDM printer, in excruciating detail.

You're going to need all of these parts.

First, what's all this malarkey about safe side, bite side?

A balisong knife has two handles [citation needed]. The sharp edge of the blade slots into one of them, and that handle is called the "bite handle." I'll bet you've already figured out why: Getting your fingers in between the bite handle and the blade usually results in you getting... bit. The other handle is the "safe handle," and that's typically the one you should hold when manipulating your knife. On a traditionally and correctly set up bailsong, the bite handle can be identified as the one that the latch is attached to, and usually also the pocket clip if it has one.

In your pile of parts, you can identify the handle liners by the number of holes in the tail ends. The safe handle parts have one hole, and the bite handle parts have two. The additional hole is for the latch.

You will also note that there is a groove in the lower liner, and a dovetail in the upper liner. This is how I solved the arbitrary and probably silly self-imposed challenge of not using any supports, because a typical 3D printer cannot print a 90º overhang over thin air. (Yes, I am aware of arc overhangs. That would leave an unsatisfactory surface on the underside of the handle liner, which would cause us additional problems.)

Anyhoo, you will want to slide upper and lower liner halves together like so.

This is where the rubber meets the road vis-a-vis learning if your printer is overextruding, is producing dimensionally accurate parts, and/or is leaving zits or blobs in the corners.

Do both sides and you'll wind up with two liner assemblies. The groove in the lower liner is exactly the right length to ensure that the screw holes line up. Visually verify that they do so; having all the screw holes aligned will be vitally important to your knife pivoting nicely.

Now, it's the part that you can get backwards. Fun! As mentioned above, you will want to arrange your knife so that the edge, when closed, slots into the bite handle side. Lay out your handle liners as pictured below, with the open sides facing out, and the edge side of the blade holder towards the bite handle assembly. If you need a guide for which side is the edge side, the beak on the penguin embossed in the blade holder faces the blunt side, and should go towards the safe handle. (Yes, it's a penguin. Hush.)

You should be able to lay everything together like so. The holes in the blade holder should align with the frontmost holes in the handles.

Now, drop on your chosen handle scales. Place the ones on the opposite side as well.

Install screws in all four holes on the business end of the handles.

This is another fairly precise fit, and if your printer produces any pronounced elephant's foot you may have to overcome this at first by hole-fucking the cutouts a bit with the shanks of the screws. You could also ream the holes slightly with a drill bit, but that's cheating. The clearances on the holes on the blade holder are actually a touch wider than the scales and handle liners, to ensure easy pivoting action.

Don't forget that you can ask for Abe's help in turning the screws. You don't have to crank these down super hard. Especially the pivot screws, on the very end -- torque those too much and you'll lock the blade solid, which you don't want.

I feel I should point out at this juncture that there are two screw lengths included. The longer ones are meant for attachment of the pocket clip if you're going to use it. You should be using the shorter ones for everything else.

Now it's time to assemble the latch. It consists of two pieces, a shank and a head, and this is once again because of my questionable design decision to not require supports. These parts are an interference fit, and while they're quite tight they will go together. Again, if your printer produces any elephant's foot you can make your life easier by identifying which faces of the two parts have it and then start by pressing together the faces that don't.

It helps to have a solid surface, perhaps a Rock Or Something, to press down against. If the edges hurt your delicate fingers you can always use your penny as a press tool, also.

The latch goes in the lone hole at the very tail end of the bite handle.

If you're going to install the pocket clip, now is the time. Use the longer screws (above) to go through the clip and the entire rest of the sandwich, including through the hole in the latch. If you aren't going to use the clip, just omit it and use the normal shorter screws here instead.

The last lonely hole also gets a normal short screw.

The blade slots into a track in the blade holder. You will have to press down the locking tab such that the two pegs clear the bottom face of the blade.

It should click into place satisfactorily. If you ever need to remove it for replacement or what have you, poke one of the locking pegs down with the tip of a pen or similar and you should be able to slide the blade out. Press the forward one and slide the blade until it's on top of the rearward one, then you can release. The surface of the blade will then keep both pegs pressed down until it's slid clear.

Le fin. You should find that if you press the handles together there is just a slight amount of spring from the flexibility of the plastic. This is what will enable the latch head to clear, and the tension will keep the knife latched either open or closed.

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Chapter 12, Subsection 57B:

If you made it this far you must really like listening to me type. Look, back in my day everything on the internet was long form text content like this -- it wasn't all stupid overproduced videos. And since I am such an expertificious languagist, this is what you got.

If you make one of these, show it off here!

And you'll never guess what kind of knife it is. Go on.

...

Yes, of course it's a balisong box cutter. Because it just is.

Update: And the .STL files are released! Get them here, along with assembly instructions, and other sundry bumf.

Okay, so it's not exactly an exciting custom collaboration with a big name manufacturer made out of a supersteel with rich exotic handle materials in a fancy matte box. That would require being considerably more involved with the industry than I am. Which is not at all.

Rather, this is a 3D printable utility/fiddle toy that's ~~ripped off from~~ just a smidge inspired by the Gerber EAB we were talking about the other day. Why doesn't anyone make a flipper like that?

So as our resident balisong expert, I just had to ask myself the other day just how hard developing a working balisong knife could be.

The answer is more than you'd think at first blush. I'm not at all ashamed to report that the production and assembly of one of these takes no less than 26 individual components if you include...

...The optional but fully functional pocket clip.

And yes, it even has a fancy kickerless design with "zen" pins like your big dollar brand name balisong model.

"But does it actually work?" I hear you cry.

You're damn skippy it does.

My design goals were: 1) Make a functional balisong knife that 2) is completely 3D printable without reliance on outside hardware -- other than the blade, obviously -- that 3) plays to the strengths and avoids as much as possible the weaknesses of filament deposition printing and 4) does not require using any supports.

(And yes, you could print the blade, too. If you wanted it to be laughably ineffective.)

Even the assembly hardware is 3D printed, and you can install it using nothing but a penny.

I know you all have been holding your breath until I posted this picture. There you go. You can breathe out now.

Oh, and also: Would you like to use this as a fidget toy that won't get you in too much trouble in polite company, or at the office, or in some backwater hellhole where balisong knives are illegal?

You're in luck. Because there's a blunt trainer blade for it, too.

The Burning Questions I Know You're Going To Ask:

Q: What are the sizes and weights?

42.1 grams. 1.48 ounces. This thing is the second lightest balisong knife I currently own. I designed it in metric, but in keeping with tradition around here it is almost exactly 5" long when closed, 7-1/2" long open (with a typical Stanley style blade installed), 1-1/8" of usable blade edge, and 5/8" of an inch thick (not including the pocket clip, which you can leave off).

Q: That's very funny, but the tolerances on this plastic piece of shit are terrible, right? What does the wiggle test look like, smart guy?

Bam. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

Q: But, it's made out of plastic. Isn't it going to break or erode into nothing, like, instantly?

I've been messing around with the above pictured example for about a week now and I've probably flipped it somewhere between six thousand and a zillion times by now. I've been using it to cut up boxes at work all week, too. It's as perfect as the day I minted it.

Q: Isn't cold creep in the PLA going to turn it into a banana eventually?

Maybe! Probably! We're sure as hell going to find out.

Q: Are you going to sell these or something?

I'm not ruling it out, but that wasn't my goal here. I might give a couple away at some point, though.

Q: Then can you shut up and give us the fucking STL files already?

Yes. In order to prevent this post from being longer than it already is, I've released the files and assembly instructions separately. There was a short delay while I verified to my satisfaction that the design is well tuned enough to inflict upon the unwashed masses.

You can get all that stuff here.

"Why don't you talk about a normal knife for a change?"

Fine.

(Paging user @GraniteM...)

The Gerber EAB is a unique take on the EDC, a liner locking utility knife folder with a low MSRP.

Sorry.

As you can see, the play here is that it takes standard trapezoidal utility knife blades and thus neatly sidesteps two hurdles inherent in designing a cheap but competent knife. The first is eliminating the need for fancy performance knife steels and precision machining of the same by outsourcing the blade entirely. And the second is helping it appeal to non-knife people, who might be dreading the effort and/or expense of having to keep their own knife sharp.

The result is pretty much the perfect little every day carry knife for the everyman -- the sort of person who might need to open some boxes or mail, cut the occasional rope, sharpen the odd pencil. But probably not have to slay any zombies or cut down a tree.

Actually, even if your workflow involves a lot of boxes the EAB should be perfect. The best tool in the world for box cutting is, well, a box cutter blade. The thin profile of one of these utility knife blades makes it just glide through cardboard, in a way that's tough to achieve with a fancier, but thicker, knife.

The mechanism is a simple liner lock. No thumb stud is provided so the package stays sleek and snag free, but you can open it with one hand with just a modicum of dexterity. A little ricasso is provided for your index finger so you have a little more to grab without cutting yourself.

The EAB is scarely any bigger than it needs to be to contain its blade. It's just about 2-3/4" long closed, and 5-1/8" long open. 1-9/16" of the installed utility blade's edge is exposed and usable and yes -- you can take it out and flip it around to use both ends of the blade if the half you have out gets dull. It's all stainless steel except the blade, and weighs in at 63.7 grams (2.25 ounces).

The reverse has a pocket clip which Gerber say can double as a money clip, if you're into that sort of thing. As you can see, mine is a working knife and it's accumulated its share of scuffs and scratches over the years. I also could have chucked a fresh blade in it for photography purposes... But I didn't, because I can't be bothered. This isn't a knife that's designed to be pretty.

Gerber ship this with a thicker than usual utility blade preinstalled, which I've long since worn to nothing and replaced. Exchanging the blade is pretty easy, but does require undoing the pictured screw. The screw head is designed such that you can remove it with the edge of a coin, and the penny I used is pictured here.

Usually in my little reviews I disassemble the knife in question a bit further and we have a gawk at the spacers and pivots and screws and all. But the EAB has a pair of these spanner screw heads on either side and believe it or not, I don't have a bit that fits it very well. It's clear they don't want you messing around in there, so just this once I'll behave.

Hey now it's you-know-who, I've got the you-know-what, I place it you-know-where, you-know-why: we compare.

The EAB is quite a bit smaller than my usual EDC knife, the Kershaw CQC-6K. Its slim and minimalist exterior doesn't look very knifelike at all, and the pocket clip is just shy of what you could charitably consider a deep carry design. The EAB is thus unlikely to attract much comment or notice if you have it about your person in polite company.

The Inevitable Conclusion

The EAB is a knife for everyone, despite not being a knife for everyone. There are an awful lot of things it hasn't got: A slick tactical opening mechanism, much in the way of length or girth, any kind of collectability, a corkscrew... But what it has got is utility, in spades.

Just wondering. I've carried a couple of pocket knives for the past several years that are probably 40% serrated edge and have found it extremely helpful.

I'm in the market for a very small knife. I mostly just want something to keep in my pocket for box cutting and sharpening pencils. Budget under $100.

I'm looking at the CRKT Squid Compact and the Kansept Mini Corvid, but I'm also open to suggestions. Does anyone have any thoughts on those two, or other teensy knives?

'Sup, ninjas?

Here's another silly thing from a knife maker that's not actually a knife. These are the Cold Steel Sure Strike throwing stars. Or, I guess shuriken, if we want to please the weeaboos. And hira shuriken if we're really reaching for the gold, er, star. But don't look at me; I'm not a Japanologist.

I say "these" because by international law you are not allowed to have just one shuriken:

Three is the traditional number, although I hear five are also acceptable. But four is right out.

Cold Steel bill these in their marketing blurb as "not like the cheap, shoddy throwing stars you see at flea markets, guns shows, and in martial arts magazines." This is certainly so, mostly because the Sure Strikes are a quite hefty 77.2 grams each (2.72 ounces), and 5-5/8" across from point to point. They're thusly significantly heavier and larger than most of the tackers you might find at your local flea market; around double the size. They also come minus the usual pseudo-mystic quasi-Oriental bullshit you typically find engraved on this type of thing. The bumf further goes on to say "as used for centuries in China and Japan" which I think is probably a much more dubious claim. Our perception of the ninja throwing star probably has a lot more to do with modern fiction and samurai movies than it does with historicity or, you know, reality.

It seems that our legislators have trouble separating fiction from reality, too, because you'll find that throwing stars like these are on the Naughty List in several states. This is despite them actually being incredibly ineffective as weapons. But as Mark Twain said, the only way to ensure any man or boy will covet a thing is to make that thing difficult to obtain...

Here's one with the usual scale comparison objects. Of course, there's the obligatory Kershaw CQC-6K. And also a US quarter. Tails, this time, just for variety.

The Sure Strikes are acceptably pointy but they don't have much of an edge. What's here is a chisel grind that's really no sharper than a butter knife. But the points are sufficient to get them to stick into your chosen board, log, or stump. The blunt edges mean you're unlikely to do yourself a mischief just by handling these.

Here's looking down the length. The points are not super sharp, either, but they're pretty stout which is exactly what you want if you don't want them getting bent up all the time. They're made of 1055 carbon steel, and Cold Steel say they've been "spring tempered" which ought to help durability but won't do much for holding an edge.

There is a hole in the middle of these matching the depiction you'll usually see in media, although it's not very big. It's just about 1/4" so you can't spin one of these stars around on your finger. Each is finished in a tough matte epoxy finish that makes them look a bit like they've been parkerized. The finish is pretty durable and has held up well to my ham-fisted throws against various objects over the years. I did manage to chip off one small portion, but that's all.

If you suck at mumblypeg, trading out your usual throwing knives for something like this ensures that you always look like you know what you're doing. These land with at least one point in the target every time. Their heft and point profile means that they stick pretty firmly, too. They're a hoot to chuck at your dartboard, but don't miss because they'll bury themselves up to the hilt in drywall easily.

No provision for carrying these is provided. That's probably just as well, because I'll bet you a jū-en kōka it's illegal to carry throwing stars about your person where you live anyway.

The Inevitable Conclusion

If for some unfathomable reason you find yourself absolutely in need of a set of quite durable and very functional throwing stars, out of all the ones I've handled in my life these are certainly the cream of the crop. But as usual in our little endeavors here, we rarely look at things with much of an eye towards practicality. If you and your friends can stay sober enough to actually hit the dartboard at least eight times in ten, the Sure Strikes are a fun toy for throwing around -- and despite the danger inherent in fooling around with them, a toy is exactly what they are. Think of them like the lawn darts of the East.

What's in the box?

It's almost, but not quite, a knife!

This is the Spyderco C28 "Dragonfly" knife kit. It's an assemble-it-yourself replica of the Spyderco Dragonfly, as you would expect. But just like your Jakobs rifle, it's made made out of freakin' wood. Spyderco seem to think this is aimed at youngsters who are maybe too little to be entrusted with ownership of their own real pocketknife.

And also any suitably ridiculous adults. We know who we are.

This kit will set you back about $20, and if you care to look at it that way I think it's the cheapest way to get your hands on a Spyderco "knife" since the Dragonfly model it's based off of is the thick end of $105.

It also comes in a swank little tin. The back tells you most of what you need to know. It claims you'll need sandpaper, which is not actually required to put the kit together, but the instructions inside suggest you could sand and finish the wooden parts after assembly if you wanted to.

Here are the instructions, by the way:

Both the instructions and the front of the tin imply that this would be a suitable project for a kid (ages 7 and up, it says) but as we'll see in a little bit that may actually be a tall order. If you're planning on giving this to a child, I'd say that adult assistance is definitely going to be required for one of the steps at the very least, and maybe borrowing dad's Leatherman tool for a minute would be helpful as well.

Neither the kit nor instructions actually say what kind of wood the parts are made out of. It's definitely not balsa wood. If I had to guess, I'd say it's probably birch. All the parts are quite clearly laser cut and there is some evidence of this with some varied light char marks around the edges. The Spyderco logo and brand name are also laser etched into it, as well as a little line that's meant to represent the ricasso that you'd find on the real deal. The parts are only engraved on one side, though.

So normally in these endeavors I'd spend a lot of words talking about the knife in question, maybe torture a few metaphors, and we'd all take a drink after I compare it to my EDC knife (you know which one it is). And then we'd take it apart. But since this already comes disassembled, today we get to do it the other way 'round.

~~First you draw a circle, then you dot the eyes~~ First you pick which sides of the two handle scales you want to be facing outwards. One of mine had a visible pock mark on it as you can see in the picture above, so I made sure that this wound up on the inside. Then you stick the four provided tiny metal pins in the pre-drilled holes.

It definitely helps to have the handle scale against a sturdy flat surface when you do this. There's nothing preventing the pins from being pushed straight through, which you don't want. They should be flush with the outside of the scale. There's some variance in the diameters of the holes, too, and it was much tougher to push a pin into one of them than the other three. I used a penny to assist in pressing it through, but you also want to make sure they go in straight and you don't waller out the holes while fighting with it. Younger kids, or those with less patience, may have trouble here.

Next is to drop the lock bar and "spring," as the instructions call it, onto these pins here. There is no metal spring in this knife and it just uses the natural flexiness of the wood to provide the spring action for the lock. Take note, if any part of this knife breaks in the future it'll probably be the wooden "spring."

Then you have to press the lock to put the mechanism in the unlocked position and slide the "blade" piece onto the last remaining pin.

The final step is the toughest by far, and that's to put the other handle scale on. This is not a precision instrument, and little dinky slices of wood are far from the most rigid parts in the world. All four pins have to go into their matching holes on the handle scale, but what you'll find is that inevitably none of them will be quite straight relative to the others, and the one going through the lock bar is under tension so it'll want to point off in just slightly the wrong direction. The instructions actually flat out recommend that this step will require adult intervention. I ultimately wound up having to gently persuade one of the pins into position with the pliers on my Leatherman to get it all to line up.

And then you have the finished product.

It does lock, unlock, and fold just like the real thing. But since the pivot is a huge contact area of wood-on-wood, the pivot action is very draggy and mine actually chirps like a bird when you open it. Yes, I could wax the inside faces to make it quieter, but it's also ridiculous so I love it. I'm leaving it alone.

The instructions warn that attempting to force the "blade" closed without pressing the lock will break the locking mechanism, and I believe it.

There is no edge on this thing whatsoever. Not even a hint of a taper; all the vertices of the "blade" are equally squared off. It's got a point on it, though. Probably not enough to cause any significant injury, but definitely enough to, say, annoy an older sister via repeated poking. Methods and efficacy of sharpening it are left as an exercise for the reader. But you can rest assured, any boy between 8 and 16 you give this to is guaranteed to try it, eventually, one way or another.

The Inevitable Conclusion

I would have been over the moon if my parents gave me this when I was about 9. I think you'll know if there's a kid in your family who would be into this sort of thing. The asking price is a little high, if you want my opinion on it. A nontrivial fraction of that has to be the tin it comes in. Assembling it is indeed a bit of a faff, but it'll teach your little grasshopper patience. Or at least when to ask for help.

The construction is also dead simple, so if this sort of thing appeals to you and you're sufficiently handy, just to see this it is to understand how it's made. You could knock out your own version on a scroll saw in about ten minutes, if you wanted to.

Glad I found this community. I hope it's ok to ask for some gift recommendations on here - wanna make my kid smile this Christmas :)

My son is 17, and he really likes knives. So far, he just has a few, and none of them are too nice. I would love to get him one within my budget, which is $150.

What are some quality and cool-looking knives in that range? He loves DnD and fantasy, as well as the color black and red.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and recommend!