According to this recent press release put out by Benchmade, the Oregon company has decided to open a retail space at their current headquarters in Oregon City, OR. Sweet - too bad we’re 1,400 miles away!
They plan to sell knives at full retail while offering discontinued items you will have a difficult time finding anywhere else. Wouldn’t it be great if Benchmade took the approach Krispy Kreme took and offered free knives hot off the line just for visiting? I know… I’m comparing donuts to knives… but you know you smiled.
If you are fortunate enough to visit opening day (January 15th) or shortly thereafter, send us your comments; photos and videos - even better!.
Though we can no longer refer to the E.T. from Kershaw as “new” - we can refer to its unique design as new to the industry. It won Blade Magazine’s “Most innovative American Design” in 2005. Why are we writing about it now? Kershaw has supplied us with a nice little animation of the E.T. opening - we’ve included it below. If you haven’t seen it, here is your chance at the next best thing to seeing the Kershaw E.T. knife in person.
Special Offer - Locate a good youtube video (or similar) of the E.T. in action - post it below - and receive 10% off your next order at TheKnifeWarehouse.com. Expires Feb 1st, 2008. Rules: submission must be in good taste (we’ll be the judge) and duplicate videos will not earn the discount. Post the link as a comment and we’ll send your coupon via email.
Hello all, thank you for keeping the TKW Blog going. We’d like to make a few committments to you for the new year. It became apparent to me over the holiday, that the TKW Blog is not controversial enough (thanks Paul - for enlightening me). We have engaged in a little too much people pleasing and much too little opinionated commentary. For example, when we have written about a knife that we don’t like, this fact was not revealed in the commentary in the interest of not offending those who may genuinely like the knife. 2008 Resolution? Not any longer! If you are entitled to your own opinion - shouldn’t that work both ways?
So, without further ado, let me begin by saying, the tye die swiss army knives are lame (article), Camillus - though you may have handled your liquidation amicably, there are a good many who are dissappointed that they can no longer purchase your knives - why didn’t you hold a web auction that would allow your patrons to get one last chance at a Camillus knife? (article) - Spyderco - why did you try to pioneer a “new” rustproof blade when all of us would have been happy with a titanium one (which everyone knows is the best metal for dive knives)? If the “new” rustproof metal is so wonderful - give us some proof like Mission Knives does in their seawater corrosion test, where the Titanium MPK is pitted against the Ontario MK3, USMC Combat Knife & Air Foirce Survival Knife - our eyes are wide-open (article).
We look forward to another eventful year - please feel free to share your article ideas and thoughts on TKW posts - don’t be shy, tell us how you really feel!
Two short videos by Martin Clifton that provide solid advice on choosing a sharpening steel & then using that steel to hone your kitchen cutlery effectively. They are not the most exciting videos you will come across, but then again, sharpening a knife is not the most exiciting activity I can think of in five minutes. Sharpening equipment and technique is very dependent upon the preference of the user. But if you are looking for a place to begin - start with the following two videos - then share your thoughts / experiences / preferences below:
You got it! Victorinox (now owners of Wenger) finally acknowledges that they have been discriminating against knife-loving, tool toting hippies for years. Their response? To design a knife especially for the hippie… or at least the hippie resident in many of us. That’s right… the same Swiss Army knife you’ve come to know and love - with tie dyed handles.
Available in four colors - Green, Purple, Pink and Orange. These knives show promise in bringing the older generation together with the younger one in an interesting way. Maybe that’s going a little far - but we’re excited for the improved model rumored to debut soon with the roach clip in place of the scissors and a screen repository instead of a nail file.
In police work, your knife is an important second line of defense. The M16s® in black and blue dress are designed for performance and professional appearance with Special Response Teams in mind. They offer all the features of Kit Carson’s very popular aluminum-handled M16 series.
These M16 SRT models are identical in construction to the popular CRKT aluminum M16, offering the same sure-grip contoured handles of 6061 T6 aluminum, hard anodized in Law Enforcement Blue. The stainless steel locking liners with friction grooves are also black Teflon® plated, and give positive locking with limited access, for superior safety.
The blades are imprinted with Gary Paul Johnston’s 1* (one-ass-to-risk) reminder logo. All three models feature AUS 8 stainless steel blades, chosen for edge retention and durability. Black titanium nitride coating gives exceptional corrosion resistance. Combined Razor-Sharp and Triple-Point™ Serrated edges for rugged cutting tasks that break down standard cutting edges.
The SRT models also feature the Carson Flipper extension to the blade, which aids opening and acts as an additional blade guard.
Specs:
3.13 in. Tanto, combined razor sharp & triple point serrated cutting edge blade made of AUS8 black teflon plated stainless steel. 4.25 in handle is made out of a blue hard anodized 6061 T6 aluminum. Has a weight of 2.9 ozs. Black teflon plated clip.
Everyone knows the parts to a knife right? “The blade, the handle, the sheath thing… is there more?” Take our little ten point quiz to boost your ego (if your smart) or sharpen your mind (if your not).
Let us know how you fare by posting your score in comments below. 11 out of 11 is perfect! (Scroll down for the answers.)
Answers: (sourced wikipedia.org)
Modern knives consist of a blade (1) and handle (2). The blade can be fine or serrated. The handle, used to grip and manipulate the blade safely, may include the tang, a portion of the blade that extends into the handle. The blade consists of the point (3), the end of the knife used for piercing, the edge (4), the cutting surface of the knife extending from the point to the heel, the grind (5), the cross-section shape of the blade, the spine, (6), the top, thicker portion of the blade, the fuller (7), the groove added to lighten the blade, and the bolster (8), the thick portion of the blade joining the blade and the handle. The guard (9) is a barrier between the blade and the handle which protects the hand from an opponent, or the blade of the knife itself. A choil, where the blade is unsharpened and possibly indented as it meets the handle, may be used to prevent scratches to the handle when sharpening or as a forward-finger grip. The end of the handle, or butt (10), may allow a lanyard (11), used to secure the knife to the wrist.
For more in depth detail along with a glossary/definitions - visit this site.
If you read the article on the Benchmade Axis Lock you might appreciate this you tube video (included below) showing the Benchmade Axis Locking mechanism in action - on a number of different knives.
Truly an innovative design on Benchmade’s part. It allows for left or right hand opening, superb open blade lock with little to no play. Benchmade has employed this lcok design on a number of its knives for many years now. With a small amount of practice for some, first time for others, the blades can be opened simply by depressing the lock and flipping the wrist in what would look like an candy cane motion - or shepherds staff.
What follows is the Axis Lock description taken taken directly from www.benchmade.com:
AXIS® A patented Benchmade exclusive, AXIS has been turning heads and winning fans ever since its introduction. A 100-percent ambidextrous design, AXIS gets its function from a small, hardened steel bar which rides forward and back in a slot machined into both steel liners. The bar extends to both sides of the knife, spanning the liners and positioned over the rear of the blade. It engages a ramped, tang portion of the knife blade when it is opened. Two omega style springs, one on each liner, give the locking bar it’s inertia to engage the knife tang, and as a result the tang is wedged solidly between a sizable stop pin and the AXIS bar itself.
Here are few models that use the Axis Lock System:
click here to read more about Benchmade’s Axis locking mechanism. click here to view some of the Benchmade knives featuring the Axis Locking mechanism
Ever wonder how kydex sheaths for knives and firearms are made? So have we! After watching this video, you will instantly become a kydex sheath making guru. And since each of you probably has all the equipment in this video lying around the garage and or kitchen, we may have just introduced you to your newest hobby. If so, send some of your newly made sheaths our way at TheKnifeWarehouse.com, we’ll put them to good use.
In all seriousness, watch and enjoy while custom knifemaker Peter Atwood gives away some of the secrets to quick kydex sheath making. Thanks Peter!
