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The Knife Junkie Podcast is the place for knife newbies and knife junkies to learn about knives and knife collecting. Twice per week Bob DeMarco talks knives. Call the Listener Line at 724-466-4487; Visit https://theknifejunkie.com.
©2023, Bob DeMarco
The Knife Junkie Podcast
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Automated Transcript

[0:00] The Buck 110 is a classic but heavy, so we take a look at some lightweight versions.
I get the Kizer Mystic and a large folder update.
I'm Bob DeMarco. This is the Knife Junkie Podcast. Welcome to the Knife Junkie Podcast, your weekly dose of knife news and information about knives and knife collecting.
Here's your host, Bob the Knife Junkie DeMarco. I had a couple of comments I liked this week.
Well, I had a lot of comments, but two of my favorites were the first one. I thought I was watching Randy, You guys sound the same. This is from Sergeb 1717 on the Pioneer Jack review and, He mistook me for Randy Johnson a longtime Youtuber who went fallow for a little while and then came back of a year or so ago, I've always loved his videos, especially on on slip joints. He's got an amazing collection and a great insight I think it's funny that I sound like him, but to me, that's a compliment.
So thanks very much, SirGeb.
Next up, on my Collins machete close-up video, Collins machete hangs up behind me on the wall here.
It's this one my brother gave me. It's a World War II engineer's machete.
It's as heavy as the day is long.
A stronger breed of men carried those, that's for sure.

[1:23] Case number 00 says, I found this in my grandfather's stuff 13 years ago.
Is barely holding in there, and the handle scales each half gone, been meaning to at at least restore the scales on the handles.
Well, case number zero zero, I think that's really cool for a couple of reasons. First of all, the.

[1:44] Idea of finding something that was so intimately linked to your grandfather's wartime experience, as a tool that he probably used on a daily is pretty amazing. And then the thought of restoring, I like restoring old knives and swords like the ones I've done on the wall behind me. And the, And the idea of taking something that has a real sentimental meaning to it and fixing it is great.
I would caution you, though, as someone who has botched many a job, if this is something that's really important, be very honest about your abilities.
And if you're not up to it, send it to someone who can do it for you and get that Collins machete, at least something that you can hold again by the handle.
Thank you very much case number zero zero for that comment. I thought it was really compelling.
And thanks to everyone who watches and comments. It's greatly appreciated.
That said, time to get to a pocket check.

[2:46] What's in his pocket? Let's find out.
Here's the knife junkie with his pocket check of knives. Front right pocket today was the beautiful and venerable Model 2 from American Blade Works. This is a titanium liner lock.
I'm sorry, I kept wanting to say frame lock. Titanium liner lock that just works so beautifully.
And something you notice, a subtle touch that you notice right away upon closing this knife, is the detent ramp that Michael Martin put on the tang of the blade so that there's no, as Metal Complex calls it, double clutch, where you're closing it and then the blade stops because it hits the detent ball and then you have to get over that detent ball, to make it close.
He has a full-on ramp in there and it just glides shut.
Beautifully done. This was my very first MagnaCut steel blade.
This was a gift from Michael and Michael Martin of American Blade Works and so greatly appreciated.
He let me walk from blade show with this. Oh, check it out, take it with you.
And it wasn't long until I was asking him much I owed him because I didn't want to send it back.

[4:03] This knife, I've commented many times on how beautiful it is closed, and that it also gives off an Art Deco vibe to me.
But anyway, I was talking about that MagnaCut blade, super sharp, so fine behind the edge, so just incredibly keen, and when I got this, I couldn't help but think, like, wow, MagnaCut cuts really well.
And I had to bring myself back from the brink and say, wait a second, Michael Martin makes MagnaCut cut really well. So he's got a heat treat up to 64, I think, 63, 64, which is its prime spot.
And he's got the build process down. This thing is a dream.
And it's all made by a one-man band in North Carolina. So it's an impressive knife, and it's really nice to have in pocket because you know that it's an American-made tool, It's got style, it's beautiful.
All right, next up, we was talking about this before, during the comment section.
Today I was carrying my Jack Wolf Knives Pioneer Jack. Of course, there it is in its beautiful slip.
I love these leather slips they send.

[5:16] Man, if they didn't, I would be all over the website getting the other cool stuff that they sell there.
They have a lot of aftermarket slips you can buy.
And this one is the Ultem Covered Pioneer Jack.
The Pioneer Jack is based on the classic single-bladed farmer's jack, or Case calls it the Sodbuster, GEC calls it the Bullnose or the Bullbuster.
I think that blade style is known, sorry, as the Bullnose-style straight-back farmer's jack knife.

[5:52] And then the different companies take on their proprietary names.
This, to me, like Kleenex, is a sod-buster.
I think at this point it's become sort of a ubiquitous name for this style of knife.
This is different than the other jack-wolf knives. It's got a slightly thicker grind, and to me it feels like it.
Is very thin here and then gets thicker towards the front. I'm not sure if that's the case in terms of, caliper measurements but anecdotally my fingers feel it.
And then you can see how stout that tip is all the way down the spine of the blade right to the tip.
Unlike all the other jackwolf knives that taper in very very extremely towards the tip. You know they have very fine tips.
So this is a robust work style knife, very apropos to the design style, you know?
Like farmers would have this in their pocket, busting sod all day long.
So I don't know what that means.
I think maybe that means cutting grass. So I did not use it to bust any sod today.
I used this to cut, I'm into baguettes these days. You know, for a long time I talked about how they cut bagels, but now I'm getting baguettes. There's a grocery store in this part of the world called Wegmans, that has just the best bakery. And they make really good baguettes.
I'll get one, it'll last me two days at work.

[7:20] This is what I'm using this for primarily. What can I say, I'm not a sod buster myself.
I'm more of a bread buster. And this thing does a great job.
I love the ultim, the color of the ultim next to the blasted gray titanium.
I think that's really, really fetching.
The totally clear ultim here, The totally transparent Ultim looks good on a totally filled in titanium frame backing as far as I'm concerned.
As soon as you start adding in weight relief and all the inner workings of a knife, unless it's an automatic out the front, I don't want to see my Ultim totally transparent.
But here, it works.
Okay, on my belt, my fixed blade today was the beautiful 302 from Aaron Bieber Knives.
I like showing it in the sheet because it just looks cool, the whole package looks cool.
One of the few knives I carry, fixed blade these days, still using that in the waistband strap, however I don't wear it in the waistband.
It's riding scout style on the front. And this knife is just, um...

[8:28] Man, it really, it's firing on all cylinders for me because it's giving you the utility of a wharncliffe, with the way that edge is oriented to the handle.
But it's actually a clip point.
And you've got a very deep hollow ground swedge on the top and you've got a slight belly on the blade, but you get the benefits of a straight edge, you get the benefits of that curve, slight curve on the edge, and a point down where a wharncliffe would have the point.
So this design is just, I love this design. It's really light and unobtrusive to carry.
It just like, it just hangs out on the belt until you need it.
The Sukamaki wrap I think makes it a little bit lighter. He also, Aaron Beaver also offers this knife in bone, jig bone, which is beautiful.
And then also in a G10, burl G10. Those all look great, but to me it's all about this wrap.
He does a gorgeous job on the wrap. That's white ray skin under there and then this epoxied lace done in the traditional style.

[9:34] The way it terminates up here at the, the way it's knotted up here at the pommel is just beautiful.
And the result of all this beauty is that it feels great in hand.
You get incredible grip with the Sukamaki grip because you have those alternating peaks and valleys where your hands and your fingers and your fat of your palm just nestle in there.
So great, great, great knife.
I carry this so that if I'm gonna draw it With my right hand, it's drawn in the reverse grip.
And then last on me for emotional support, a strange choice, one that you don't see me carry often, or talk about often.
This one didn't even close this time.
This is the Boker XL Kalashnikov AK-74, automatic Kalashnikov 74.
The AK-74 was a different caliber than the AK-47, right? And it has a slightly more modernized look.
I don't know too much about the difference between those two rifles, but I know a lot of times you see an AK-74 and you just think AK-47.
So I guess it got the update in mid-70s and still kicking butt to this day.
But this knife is very much like the Kalashnikov rifle, is just a stalwart.

[10:57] This is one that's been going forever and ever for Boker. They've made it in a million different versions and they've made like a billion different individual pieces that they've sent out.
So like the AK, this knife is out there changing the world just through sheer volume.
But this is the XL version, a five inch blade. This was sent to me by Lavender Pants, a guy who used to hang out on this channel on Thursday Night Knives.
Very nice dude, and yeah, he just sent this to me. I think his wife found it inappropriate to have around the young children they had at the time, So he said, oh, I bet I know someone who will take it.

[11:37] And he found a home for it. And I don't know what inspired me to carry this today.
I was just perusing the collection. I saw it, picked it up, flipped it, and I was like, I never, ever carry this or use this.
So why not take it today?
And I did have to tighten the pivot up. There's a bit of play in there.
And when you tighten the pivot, it's kind of got a slow slapping motion or action to it.
But no matter, still a cool knife. and it's got that great clip point.

[12:06] So I had a variety of blade styles on me today. I had that sheep's foot. I had that flat back.
I had whatever that is, a wharncliffe clip point and a straight up clip point automatic.
What were you carrying in your pockets today? Let me know. Drop it in the comments below.
Always find it interesting to see what my classy, classy customers are carrying.
And let me get these out of the way. And all of these modern folding, locking knives had me thinking about the Buck 110.
I love the Buck 110, never carry the Buck 110. I keep a 112 right here on the desk, and I keep a 110 up in my dresser.
And I just want to talk about this because my good buddy Kep McNeshart sent me two different versions of the 110, more modern versions of the 110 that I wanted to contrast with the classic here.
And I'm going to start this, I never do this.
Oh, I never do this. But I'm gonna show you with a scale here, some of the differences here.
So we got our scale, let's see, can you see? Yeah, zero ounces.
Okay, so this is the classic Buck 110, that's got the 420HC steel.
Does not say Boss Heat Treat on this, so I don't think, I think this is just your run of the mill Walmart Buck 110.
You've got the brass liners and bolsters and the Dura wood or whatever, diamond wood there, It's like composite wood.

[13:35] Let's see how much this sucker weighs. So that is seven and a quarter ounces.
Now, seven and a quarter ounces on, say, a Hinderer XM-24 with a clip and a giant body, it feels lighter than seven and a quarter inches in something that doesn't have a clip, that you definitely have to wear on the belt.
This, I've tried dropping this in the pocket. It's a disaster.
I did make a leather slip for it that keeps it oriented north to south, but still it's a heavy customer to have banging around at the bottom of your pocket.

[14:12] So, I think Buck realized this. I mean, there was a long period of time where I was saying, if they just figured out a way to put a clip on this, I would wear it, I would carry it.
Because it is so classic and beautiful, and it does have that incredible clip point.
It's just got a beautiful, iconic clip point shape. So, anyway, Buck heard the call, and they've been making lightweight versions for a long time, actually.
They've made the plastic injection molded one for 20 bucks for a long time, and that thing is so cheap.
It is so cheap, but it works. But these are a much nicer way of getting a 110.
Now this first one is the Hunter Sport, a handsome, handsome version of the 110.
Look at this, you're keeping the bolsters, and you're keeping all of the same layout, including the blade shape, by the way. We'll get to that in a second.
But it is, those bolsters and liners are aluminum, and that's micarta, and so it's a much lighter package.
This one is four and a half ounces.
So the regular Buck 110 is seven and a quarter. This one is four and a half.
So substantial, substantial diet on this knife. Of course, you can see that it's got.

[15:31] A deep carry pocket clip, very nice with the flush screws, and a very well-placed thumb, stud. Well-placed meaning that's exactly where I keep it on my 112 with those add-on pocket clips or thumb studs. So this has S30V blade steel. It still has that same perfectly beautiful clip point with the swooping front and the deep hollow grind, but it is S30V with the Paul Boss Heat Treat.
And so this is a fully modernized version of this. And I really, really like this knife.
I think I would carry this knife.
I like how it's, I like the way the action feels with the, with the thumb stud.

[16:20] It's like it gives you resistance to here and then it breaks and it just snaps open with authority.
Great in hand, and we all know that S30V is a great steel, and we all know that Paul Boss knows how to heat treat. So this thing is the jam. Now, the third version here is the lightest. This one is called the Slim Pro, the Buck 110 Slim Pro. And here we see some changes that I don't like. I don't know why they changed the blade. The handle, I'm totally fine with no bolsters, totally fine with linerless micarta handle scales, but the blade shape changed.
Look at the blade is now sort of a straight back clip and you're not really getting a change in performance I would imagine.
I haven't used either of these because they're not mine, but you are getting a change in the aesthetic and it's changing that classic buck 110 making it a longer clip and making at a straight clip and I don't understand.
But let's see how light this one is.

[17:26] Two and seven eighths inches so you go from seven and a quarter to two and seven eighths that's unreal I mean that is such a radical weight savings all they needed to do to win my heart with this one is not put on that goofy anvil clip and just put on this clip so I think this model came out first but I, I like this more plain clip.
And then keep the blade shape the same in my book.

[17:58] They're both good looking, and they're both gonna work great.
But just to hold on to that classic 110, because it is the outer contours of the handle and the outer contours of the blade that make it so iconic when you look at it.
And I'm not one like MTV who throws around the word iconic.
Like everything's iconic and everything's epic, but let's face it, the Buck 110, you might want to get it in your life, but you might not want to carry a boat anchor in your pocket.
So do check out some of these, if you're interested, check out some of these other Buck 110 options.

[18:35] Ketmuk Nessart, thank you so much, sir, for exposing me to these.
I really, really like them, and they do make it a doable option for the 110.
The 110. All right, that being said, let's get to some Knife Life news, but before we get there, I just want to plug Patreon, because Patreon has really, the money we get from Patreon and the support has really helped, especially recently in outfitting this room a little bit better and getting some resources available to make the show better. I greatly appreciate it. Thank you, one and all, for joining us and um...
Please scan the QR code on screen or go to theknifejunkie.com to check us out.
Again, that's theknifejunkie.com.

[19:29] Among this week's specials at Knives Ship Free, the new Benchmade Limited Edition Titanium Bailout is available now while supplies last. The handle is solid titanium and houses a blade of CPM-M4 Super Steel in Cobalt Black Cerakote, and the knife is accented by Crater blue thumb studs and backspacer. The Fox River II LT extends Bark River's elegant hunting knife with a 5.25-inch blade of CPM3V. Plus, newly available handle selections are up for grabs, and the RMJ Tactical Kukri features the aggressive angle of the Kukri with the build quality of RMJ.
This chopping blade is made from .270-inch thick 80CRV2 tool steel and has a handle profile and texture that offer plenty of grip. Get these deals and other great specials from our friends at Knives Ship Free. Just use our affiliate link, theknifejunkie.com slash knives ship free. That's the knife junkie.com slash knives ship free. Support the show and get a great new knife at the same time. The knife junkie.com slash knives ship free. You're listening to the Knife Junkie podcast. And now here's the Knife Junkie with the knife life news, man Knives ship free, that's always my favorite down time part of this show is watching that Knives ship free.

[20:43] You gotta go to theknifetrucker.com slash Knives ship free and check out, they always have the newest, coolest stuff and you wanna get that RMJ kukri?
Oh my gosh, that is beautiful.
Anyway, okay, I'm gonna stop right there because every time Jim runs that liner, I come back and I'm like, did you see that?

[21:05] All right, so RMJ Kukri looks very cool. But let's talk about something else that looks really cool, and this is coming from Demko Knives.
Demko Knives, you know that they put out their Free Reign line of sort of affordable fixed blade knives that look very Demko last year.
This year, they're coming out with a new line that has me so excited, and I had a chance to preview them at Blade Show, and it's called the Armager series.
Now the Armiger series comes in Armiger 4 and Armiger 2, and those designations point to the blade size.
The first line, the one that's got me super excited is this one, the Armiger 4 series.
They have this style handle, full tang. I like it with the double quillions.
Three blade styles in 80CRV2, which is a great steal. You get clip point, like the one you see there.
You get Tonto and you get Spearpoint.

[22:02] And the one that I will be getting is the Spearpoint because it's bayonet ground and it's sharpened, on the first third of the top side too. So just...
Very nice, that's not something we see often, especially standard, so it's got a semi-double edge on that one.
They all come in serrated and un-serrated versions, and yes, that semi-double edged spear point is serrated on the full, full edge, and then that secondary edge.
And then there's the tanto and the clip, and those are serrated as well, so basically six knives in the four inch line, and then they do a two inch line, And the two-inch line is not in ADCRV, it's in a more budget steel, but a proven budget steel, 4034, that's a steel we've seen Cold Steel use a lot.
My big Laredo Bowie is out of 4034 steel.
And yeah, it's nothing to write home about, but it's no slouch either, it's a modern steel.
So this two-inch line, look at that little guy, that's a shark's foot, the ugly but charming Heatfoot design from Demko Knives.

[23:12] And I say it's ugly, I love to hate it, it's sort of like E.T.
But anyway, you can get this or a clip point, little two inch, $20 two inch knife.
These are made in Taiwan, you know that the Demko brothers have some heavy connections over there in Taiwan and know how to get an amazing knife produced over there.
I do like their sheaths on all of their fixed blades, By the way, they're kind of anonymously squared off and they put the signature on there, that Demco signature, and I think it looks cool.
These are available now at the Demco website. Go check those out.

[23:49] Really exciting addition to their lineup. I love seeing what they're doing post-Cold Steel.
Benchmade, you saw in the Knives Ship Freeliner there.
Benchmade now has their bailout, a sort of tactical, slight up, not upgrade, but an upsized tactical version of the Bugout.
So you get that traditional bailout, but now in titanium.
So it used to be, not used to be, but the original bailout is the contoured, checkered, anodized aluminum.
Beautiful, but this is flat slab blasted titanium, which is also beautiful.
I do not have this knife, but I've always admired it from afar because I do know how awesome the Bugout is, and this just seems, for me, like this is benchmade at its best.
Not necessarily this titanium version, but...

[24:49] When they do things a little bit differently, it seems to me like their entire product line is the same except for some exceptions.
And I don't know, this is one of them, PIMI.
The tie replaces the aluminum, but the M4 blade remains. We all love M4 and Benchmade does M4 really well.
My experience with it was with my Contigo, which I unfortunately no longer have.
Being Cerakoted in a color they're calling Cobalt Black, which I love, we all know cobalt blue and how rich and beautiful cobalt blue is.
So I guess imagine that with some black.
And then the hardware is in something they're calling crater blue, which is kind of a proprietary Benchmade color.
They made a thousand of these and they're available now. If you're a Benchmade fan, I would jump on these.
I don't think they will last long.

[25:41] If you miss out, I'm pretty sure you can get original goat scales and other aftermarket scales, but it's kind of cool to get the real deal right from the company.
All right, next up, something else that's pretty cool from a company that I absolutely love, Artisan.
They have won my heart over the past couple of years, but Artisan has a new contest called Your Design, Our Creation.
And yes, it's exactly what you might imagine. Over the month of September, they were accepting designs for production, and the winning design wins a design contract with ArtisanCutlery, which is pretty damn cool.

[26:22] They are now, they just switched into the review phase, and ArtisanCutlery will be reviewing, and then they will be posting design, they'll be calling through them, I guess you could say, and then they will be posting some of the top designs for feedback from the knife community.
So that's pretty exciting.
You know, Artisan is one of those companies that's pretty much on the cutting edge of modern folders, especially in terms of production and design.
So, to me, it's a double benefit. You get them poring over your design, and then if they choose it, then they get knife junkies like you and me to look at them with all of our proclivities and preferences, and with that combined feedback, they will be choosing the winner.
The cool thing is, is even if you don't win, say, your second place, you still get your design made as a second-place winner here, because, and they'll do it in sort of lesser materials in sort of a lighter production.

[27:22] But it's just a great way to kind of give back to the community and to involve the community.
And I gotta say, a pretty savvy way for artists in cutlery to keep their eye on what their fandom and what their customers want, you know, by seeing what they're drawing out.
Like, this dude can't draw, but I can tell he wants finger choils, you know, that kind of thing.
So, very exciting. I can't wait to see what they come out with.
You know that Topps Knives has done stuff like this with their employees, but I don't remember ever hearing of a customer design contest.
So, very exciting.

[27:58] Okay, last up in Knife Life News, I wanna talk about a new WE knife that's coming out from Kellen Bogardas.
Kellen Bogardas is a newcomer pretty much, but not so new. In 2019, his very first design, which was produced by WE, the large and beautiful 037. I really like that knife.
That won best, most innovative design at Blade Show that year, I think it was 2019. Yes, 2019.
And so he's got a follow-up called The Zonda. He posts a lot of his designs on his Instagram, and this one definitely got some traction.
This is a big knife. This is what makes me excited. That blade there is 20CV, 20CV, and it's a clip point harpoon of 4.05 inches, so a big boy there.
And a beautiful handle, contoured with finger choils, and that back strap looks so comfortable.
But it's got the limited edition finishings that we've been seeing a lot from WE Knives, from like the Zephias and some of their limited edition drops, but this is not limited edition.

[29:15] This is a regular production knife, So, what I'm talking about is, if you can, you're looking at this handle right now, you can see the contoured handle slab, and then there is a, some sort of exotic carbon fiber, they're putting different carbon fibers and inlay materials there.
And then there's a piece of titanium framing it over top. So it's a more complex build, it's gonna have more of a tactile feedback with that middle strap there.
And it's a complex kind of build for them to be doing for a non-limited release.
So this is kind of a cool way for Joe Q Public to get that sort of exclusive Wii feeling, but not have to be sitting at the keyboard hitting refresh the moment it drops.
Only 4.17 ounces, which is pretty damn good for a 4.05 inch bladed knife, with a hand-rubbed finish, by the way.
And these things are available now, So if you're a Wii fan or a budding Bogardus fan, want to jump on this as it happens.
All right people, well that's all that's happening in Knives this week. We will get to the state of the collection coming up where we're going to take a look at a new Civivi and a new Kiezr.

[30:32] That I gotta say I'm really over the moon for. All right, let's take a look at the Knife Junkie podcast. StreamYard simplifies the process of live streaming and recording videos.
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And now that we're caught up with Knife Life news, let's hear more of the Knife Junkie podcast.

[31:23] So this first knife in the state of the collection, the Civivi Synergy 4, was a knife that when we first made this design, I went bonkers because I remember this Jim O Young design from the early 2000s. It was in aluminum and it had a sort of an Eddie Van Halen guitar look on the anodization, but that that overall profile was there. And I always thought it was really cool. But it went away for a long time. And then we and got together with Jim O'Young and rehashed the design. The we synergy was a smaller and you know, premium production and then they came out with this synergy three from Civivi, which was a small version of this night and now.

[32:09] They have the synergy for and I could not hold myself back. So that's a four-inch blade.
It comes in a tanto here or an upswept drop point or trailing point, trailing point, upswept drop point. Yeah, modified. And you've got this incredible ergonomic handle. So you can see from looking at it that it's going to be comfortable. But in hand, it just melts.
It melts in there because in cross-section it's contoured and then it's got this radiating pattern of concentric circles coming from the pivot. So the grip and the feel, just the texture feels good on the skin or at least on my hands and you get a real positive grip there. But what, do I love about this knife? Man, I love that tanto blade. It reminds me a little bit of, of, well, it's that, it's a blend of the Japanese and the American tanto with the heavy facet up front but the gentle sweep on the top.
You've got a belly there and then you've got a point that is pretty much in line with the top of the pivot.
So it's not such an inaccessible tip when using it in draw cuts and that kind of thing.

[33:29] But to me, this is a, you know, this is tactical knife all day long.
It's just black as the day is long, sharp, long, thin. That blade is ridiculously thin and sharp.
And with that tanto, it's just.

[33:44] I don't know. I don't know. It's just a tactical monster. I want to get the um, that sounded goofy I know but but to me, it's like a it really, Even if you're not living a tactical lifestyle, even if you're living a suburban dad lifestyle, but that is your aesthetic, Man, it nails it uh tomas alas has uh one on his channel with the upswept and it was a real hard decision for me, but, I you know, I just kept coming back to the tanto, But in his video, he makes the upswept blade look very appetizing, so I might have to do that, too.
So really, really psyched to get this design in particular in my collection after years of admiring it in its various forms.
And then next up, this one, Monage. I love this. This is the Kizer Mystic.
When this came out, this is a Paul Munco design, design, and when this came out, I was smitten immediately.

[34:46] I saw that double peaked bowie harpoon style blade, and how it marries up with that handle, and the pommel, and the whole, the bolster lock, everything about it, I was immediately drawn to it aesthetically, and then I found out the story behind it, called the Mystic Palmonko, hails from Connecticut, Mystic, Connecticut, a maritime town, a whaling town, back in the day when the entire nation, the entire world ran on whale oil for a long time, people, everything we did included whale oil. So it wasn't just us being mean to our fellow mammals. It was an industry, serious, serious industry and And this knife pays homage to that.
And I love that. I.

[35:31] I read Moby Dick a few years ago, and I say read, and I'm throwing it in air quotes because I listened to it online.
I listened to the book on tape, so to speak, and had it read to me while I drove.
And it was an amazing book that I knew I would never get through if I were to read it because I can't read for more than five minutes without falling asleep these days.
It's just how it is. My only reading time is at night, and then that's it.

[35:57] But this knife really captures that spirit. A, the harpoon blade, yes, that whole curve looks sort of whale-like.
And the materials, the combination of the materials, that green linen micarta next to the sort of blasted titanium, and then with a REX 45 blade, that's the part I should have of lead with. The blade is Rex 45, which is, has low chromium carbides in it, which makes it patina-able. And you're like, yeah, but that's not the main thing about this blade, about that blade steel, Bob. Rex 45 is incredibly hard. You can get this thing up to 67 Rockwell, But it's not brittle. It maintains a astounding toughness for that hardness. And that's done by eliminating the chromium carbides. Now I'm no chemist, but I know that chromium is something that helps things, helps with corrosion resistance. So you reduce that to increase the toughness and it results in a blade steel that can patina. So I don't know if you can see this so far but I've been cutting everything. I can see a little patina work in there if I move it in the light.

[37:22] But I'll just keep cutting my meat with this for the next couple of weeks, get that nice patina on there, and then what I'm trying to say is then it will really, really embody that whaling spirit because it will have an old weathered looking blade, on the rest of this knife that already fits that theme.
So I think the choice for Rex 45, never would have thought of it myself, I don't know, I don't really know Rex 45 from a hole in the wall, but now that I've read about it, what a cool choice.
And kind of a daring choice, I think, but very, very cool choice on this knife.
So I really look forward to seeing how this knife patinas and how it grows.
Paul Monko is a really interesting young talent.
He first came out with the Kizer Comet and then the Clairvoyant, which is also a large knife, more of a sheep's foot, and both of those were very tempting to me, but when this came out, I had no choice.
It wasn't a matter of temptation. It was just, I had no choice, I had to get it.
So, just beautiful design, so excited to have this and carry it.
Oh, and by the way, yeah, it's just a ridiculous drop shot knife.
I mean, it's got the action of like a Tower K.

[38:37] Outrageously cool. All right, all that being said, this one kind of fits into the realm of where we're going here. Maybe it's slightly south of it, but I'm talking about large folders. Every once in a while I'll do a large folder update.
A couple of the knives in this were in the last update, well, one of them anyway.

[38:55] But it needs to be in this grouping here. Okay, first I'm going to start off with a Civivi, and this is the Civivi Sinesis. This is a knife that I don't hear much about but it's a really nice looking clip point with that clip point that's 14 c28 n and if you have bionic eyes you can actually see the designation there it's unreal how small they make the they make that so I, appreciate that because I like the blank blade but it is surprising that you don't hear much about this and it could be because it's a steel frame lock but, But it's so thin, it's not extra heavy or anything like that.
You've got incredible action. You've got a 3.75 inch clip point blade of 14C28.
And it is blasted. I know a lot of people don't like that.
I didn't like it on my Aus-8 Cold Steels because they would rust, but I've had no problem with this.
It seems like the medium with which it's blasted is smaller, so maybe those little pockets, those micro pockets are smaller, so it's harder to get moisture in there, who knows.

[40:03] But I love the shape of this clip point blade, it reminds me a lot of the Waxahashi fixed blade knife by Sencut, the budget brand of Sabivi, and it just works great.
And you've got that forward finger choil, so you can come up and this large blade can and become a much more manageable blade up in this position.

[40:29] Again, steel, and you get a great, great action out of this.
Inexpensive, this was 50 bucks on Amazon, and this is a very nice burlap micarta.

[40:43] Burlap micarta is very, very catch-as-catch. You know, sometimes it's real crap, and you can see the fibers waving and all that.
The micarta there is very nice. Okay, next up, this one has been one that I've been carrying basically non-stop since I got it in one way or another as an ESK or as a main pocket. That's the large Pyrite from CJRB. Also a 3, well this is like a 3.8 inch blade, so getting very close to 4 inches, AR RPM 9 blade steel. A cool thing about this blade is that it's It's the same thickness as the smaller Hi-Rite, but it has a much more broad blade because it's scaled up.
So it's like, you know, very, very, very thin behind the edge and very, very sharp.
I love this knife. It's got incredible action.
If you like button locks, this is the one. This is my favorite button lock.

[41:45] The Mad Tonto is a close second and the Civivi Sentinel Strike is a very nice one, but this one is the best in my opinion.
I like how they pocket out the lock pocket here, using instead of a cone shape, it's a slotted 90 degree angle shape.
You get great cutting action, it's nice and thin. If you squeeze really hard, wait is this the one?
Yeah, if you squeeze really hard, you can kind of get these to flex, which when I first got it was a turn off, but it hasn't really come up in everyday use.
I never squeeze it that hard that I feel that. It was more like, let's see if I can squeeze this.
So this I highly recommend. You know, if you get one knife out of this list, well, that's kind of hard to say, but if you get one knife out of this list and you got that one, you'd be happy.
Because it is nice and light, nice and thin, but big. I like that, a large blade that carries like a small blade.

[42:53] Next up, another, this is one of two artisans in this list. I'm really loving artisan these days.
This one was a gift from my friend Dave, this old sword, blade reviews for my birthday.
This is the Hyperion.
The Artisan Hyperion designed by Dariel Castillon of D-Rocket Designs.
You've got this beautiful clip point blade that's 4 inches of S35VN flat ground, really nice and thin. This knife is a wicked, wicked cutter.
I've used the point a lot on this knife.

[43:33] It's sharp, you know sometimes, I don't know, sometimes blades, when they thicken up at the tip, the tip is not as usable for fine tasks.
I'm not talking about draw cuts where you're putting pressure down and carving or cutting like that.
I'm talking about, you can stick the tip of this into a very loose and gauzy saran wrap, which will bind up any lesser knife and this will just glide right through it.
So you get a real, real wicked sharpness with the geometry here.
You've got a fuller, which is nicely polished. An interesting touch, it's like the highest polish on the blade is in that fuller.
And yes, it is usable.
And yeah, you can flip it out using the middle finger flick.

[44:22] It's got an overall with that diving edge and the wider belly than Ricasso here.
It's got a Western feel to it. and then you look at the sort of gun stock shape of the handle, and that sort of completes it.
This always, to me, looks like a vibrato bar on a guitar, like an older guitar, which is kind of cool.
Bolster lock here, very nice carbon fiber. This is a premium, for sure, this is a premium artisan.
They do a wide range from the very premium to the very budget.
And I think they're starting to do a bit of OEM work. I'm not sure, but Rosecraft uses AR RPM9.

[45:07] So I'm wondering if they're doing some of that, some of their OEMing.
But this thing is just exquisite, titanium, S35VN carbon fiber, and four inches of really nice action.

[45:22] All right, next up is the other artisan in this group, and ordinarily I would have spread them out, I'm doing these by size today.
And that is the Artisan Accelerator. Now this one is a Mike Snody design.
Mike Snody, a legend of the early tactical knife scene in the late 90s and early 2000s.

[45:44] He went quiet for a while as he was designing belts and finding Jesus and making changes and then he's come back to knife making at least on a larger scale.
I don't know if he ever went away from it.
But I do must say I was surprised to see when this collaboration came out, because I reached out to him to come on the show for an interview, and he was, a couple of years ago now, and he was like, eh, I'm kinda out of that game now.
I'm doing belts and other things. I was like, okay.
So, very cool to see him back. I've always thought his designs had panache, and practicality, but with a huge tactical bent to them.
Bent to them. This harpoon shape is...
I find very appealing. I ordinarily am not too huge into the harpoon uh on the back of the blade but to me this one just does a beautiful job at it and the design the handle is very ergonomic um it is a big it does take up a bit of a footprint in the pocket, probably uh the second biggest footprint in this list but uh it's on bearings and I love a non-flipper on bearings just a regular thumb stud or opening hole knife on bearings, just makes it a very pleasing experience.
Again, AR RPM 9, coated nicely, and wickedly sharp.

[47:03] Again, these are all very, very sharp. I called this wickedly sharp, and I called the Hyperion wickedly sharp, so I have to amend that.
The Hyperion is wickedly sharp. This is just badass sharp.
You know, I need to make sure that these words mean something here, because for sure that Hyperion is way thinner and way sharper.
Just through geometry. Okay, next up is the Synergy, which I talked about before. I will just show it off briefly. Again, you've got that four-inch blade, and the difference between four inches and three and a quarter can be profound. I mean, look at the difference here.
It's not much on paper, but when you're only dealing in a range of eight inches or so, or nine inches, every inch in there makes a difference, every quarter inch, and in all dimensions.

[48:00] So, yeah, if you like big knives, I'm not gonna talk about this one, since I just did, but if you like big knives, I would go for this one.
It's got such, so when I got it first, I was not impressed with the action.
Sure, it flipped out great, but it didn't close very well.
And then I remembered, just like with the Sentinel Strike, all of these coated blades, they just need a little time, wear a race in that coating around the pivot and this is this is getting there This is getting there.
Gripe about this, I'm not crazy about the lock bar.
I wouldn't mind a little more access there, but other than that, and that's not a huge hangup for me.
Awesome knife. All right, next up, this one was an impulse buy, but one that I've wanted for a long time, and it's the SR1 Lite.
It was an impulse buy because it's a mere 36 bucks, but it's a big four-inch tanto blade, and we were talking geometry before and how thin this cuts.
Well, this is a wedge, and it also cuts incredibly. I mean, you know, if you put a nice enough relief edge on there, you're gonna, you can get anything to cut. And this is really sharp, but really robust.
That blade steel is why this knife is 36 bucks. That's 8Cr13MoV, but we know cold steel and their heat treatments, and they really maximize the steel and get the most out of it.

[49:24] I have several kind of light models with 8Cr13MoV, and like the Luzon has 8Cr.

[49:35] And I've used that more than most of my cold steels because it's a kitchen, it's in the kitchen and it gets used to break down boxes a lot of times. So it gets a lot of use, and that 8Cr is awesome.
They do an awesome job with it. So don't look down your nose at that steel necessarily.
Look at who's heat treating it, who's making it.
You've got the full thickness of that blade coming through the lock, you've got the very large stop pin here that makes the axis lock the axis lock and not just the back lock.
So I mean not axis, I'm sorry guys, triad. You can see that.
Back lock, spring there, and the blade, pinch, a giant stop bar there that transfers all of the energy, into the rest of the frame of the handle instead of into the lock if it's receiving stress.
That's what makes the triad lock so strong. Plus the pocket cut into the back of the tang.

[50:39] Allows for ever deeper nestling with wear.
So a great knife, an awesome knife to keep in your car, to keep in your bag, it's not going to break your heart or break the bank if you lose it, but you can use it. So I would definitely recommend the SR-1 Lite. And then if you like the knife and you want to spend the extra money, you can get it in S35VN in green G10.
But for my usage, it's not necessary. Next up, oh my goodness, this seems like highway robbery that you can get this knife for 30 bucks on Smoky Mountain Knife Works.
This is a Smoky Mountain Knife Works exclusive with Beyond EDC.
This is the Dirk Pinkerton designed modern Navaja called the Night Horse.
This is the great and powerful Dirk Pinkerton's take on the great and powerful Navaja, one.

[51:37] One of the most incredible and memorable folding knives from history.
This is the knife that was used when Spaniards, the common Spaniard, was no longer allowed, to walk around with a sword on his hip.
To settle differences, they started carrying navajas, these big, giant locking folders.
Bigger than this, they would tuck in their cummerbunds and pull out, open up, and then You're holding it way back here. You got something, you know, approximating a short sword. If you've got a big one, like the, uh.

[52:11] Like the Espada XL. But this to me is just a really graceful modern interpretation of the lines.
You've got that Spanish clip point with a long flat clip, almost a flat back here but with a dip, and then the downward plunging edge till it reaches that belly and heads straight up towards, the point. I love Spanish clip point blades. If you're a fan of them you can check out Miguel Barbuto on Instagram. He does some incredible, he's a Spaniard who makes Spanish knives and you will see shapes like this pop up in his work. Dirk Pinkerton to me is one of the best modern designers who interprets classic.

[53:00] Classic blade designs in modern folders. I'd say him and Demko and Lynn Thompson are the kings of taking classics and modernizing them. And I just love this knife so much. It's 14C28 and you can see how it just drops shut. You've got three different flavors, three different colors of G10. You can get green, this tan or black. Really nice pocket clip. Carries really well. Incredible action. No blade play. $30 damn dollars on Smoking Mountain Knife Works, it's amazing to me.
I don't know how they manage that.
I'm sure we all have our theories.
But you can also get this in a titanium, an S35 version, S35 EN version, for 185 bucks.
So if this is not your thing, but you like that design and you wanna go all out, you can get that.

[53:55] But I'm here to tell you, if you like big knives and you just need a big knife fix, if something absolutely beautiful and wicked sharp, by the way, I mean, it's a great knife, check out the Night Horse on Smoky Mountain Knife Works from Pinkerton and Beyond EDC.
Next up, one that you've seen here before, but they just released a new version of this, so I thought I'd put it on this list.
This is the Max Ace Sandstorm, in this case, K.
The Sandstorm is a titanium bladed knife with this, not bladed, I'm sorry, a titanium frame lock knife from the premium line of Maxace.
And as they are wont to do, they put out a G10 and K110 version, K110 is analogous to D2, with a four and a half inch blade.
So man alive, is that a nice big blade.
Oh, and then you've got it on this...
On this large handle with astounding action. That big, heavy blade does help with the action.

[55:00] Of course, you get some centrifugal force there. These, I thought, originally were gonna be blade stops when I was looking at it online. They're not blade stops.
They're just giant, cool thumb studs. There's your stop bar.

[55:12] Open construction, really heavy. Not heavy, but heavily built, sturdily built.
So you gotta check out their new version of the Sandstorm. It's got a sculpted handle, it's got a different kind of a recurve before the recurve in the blade.
It's got a big pocket in the blade and it looks amazing.
But of course, it's not the K110 version, it's the higher end version.
So it'll run you a pretty penny. But if you like big knives, you must go check it out.
Maxis, they have a lot of big knives and they're all so cool and really well-made.
And many of them are just like, say, five to seven years out of my interest range.
In other words, five to seven years ago, some of these really big, heavily sculpted Max Ace knives I'd be saving and scrimping to get, but my tastes have simplified a little bit.
So that's the Max Ace K110.

[56:16] Penultimate knife here, I'm gonna use my right hand. Oh, I did it, under the camera, is the Lucha from Kershaw and their Lucha line.
They have this in black wash now. They have it with a spear point blade.
They have a couple of variations of this, but really nice skeletonized handles with the ball bearings and the pivots.
This is my first video.
And only like really, here I'm gonna do this over here. This is my first and really only nice ballet song.
You.

[56:53] I have A Baron's Sons, that's nice, and I have a bunch of, a couple of old martial arts store specials that are just really cheap.
But this is the only one I have that doesn't have blade play and that has bearings in the pivot.
And I see why the ballet boys would like that.
Would like that. Now I'm just doing, I know three ways to open a bally song.
And none of them are for glory. They're for opening and using.

[57:22] You know, to having it open quickly as possible, or having the other side of the handle be used as a percussive tool too, on the way to fighting or whatever.
At least that's the daydream. I am not interested in the aerobatics that you see the guys at Blade Show do.
It's cool, it's accomplished.
I'd rather see kids playing with knives than hacky sacks, even though I used to do that.
I think it's cooler that they're playing with these, but it's very emo.
I was surprised, and I'm not, this is the different subculture of knife there.
But whether you do that, whether you flip a knife for fun and aerobatics and try and figure out new tricks, or you carry it to use it, and carry it as a self-defense thing, I would say that the Kershaw Lucha series is a great way to do it because they have the traditional dimensions with the four and a half inch blade and so it's nice and big and that's probably a good thing when you're flipping.
But also, it's not going to break the bank.

[58:30] All right, last up, this is a cool one. This is the Dagger Vendetta.
And Dagger, with two R's, has been producing really cool stuff out of Russia for, I would say, the last eight years that I've been aware of them.
And this shape, this Vendetta, this Vendetta blade is sort of the signature shape, the first shape I saw from them in all different sizes, this Vendetta.
And it's really cool, it plays a little bit on the traditional switchblade, but it also, it's more of a dagger.
I guess the reason I say traditional switchblade is vendetta is an Italian word for getting vengeance.

[59:18] Or a vengeance pact you have, and of course we think of doing vengeance when we say vendetta with an Italian stiletto switchblade, so that's why this makes me think of that, But when you look at it, it doesn't look a thing like an Italian stiletto, after all.
A goofy skull blade, skull clip, that is a non-starter for me, I hate the clip.
You've got a glass breaker here, a steel frame lock with a very short lock bar, which makes, it not as easy to open, in my opinion, or to close.
Secondary lock there, good flipping action, I won't say awesome, but good flipping action, and a really nice D2 blade.
This blade is very sharp, and of course you can see it's got that dagger vibe.
So it's gonna be a great thruster with that big top swedge, and it'll be a good slasher.
But just overall, a pretty nice, large knife with, what is the, yeah, five inches.
That's a five inch blade.
So you will notice a dearth of XL Cold Steel's. That's not what this lineup is about.
This is about your more, your more pedestrian, less weapony, large orange blades here.

[1:00:41] So, do you like 4-inch blades? Do you like large folders? Let me know. Drop a comment down below and let me know what your favorite large folders are.
And yes, I know you like the Cold Steel XLs. I do too. I've got a huge, huge collection of them.
But let me know what knives you like besides those. You can even include something like the SR-1, a Cold Steel that is not one of those XLs. But I'd be interested in your take.

[1:01:06] All right. Well, thanks for joining me on this supplemental edition of the Knife Junkie podcast.
Join us again on Sunday for a great interview show on Thursday for Thursday Night Knives, and where we do it live right here, 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch.
For Jim, working his magic behind the switcher, I'm Bob DeMarco saying until next time, don't take dull for an answer.
Thanks for listening to the Knife Junkie podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review review the podcast.com. For show notes for today's episode, additional resources and to listen to past episodes, visit our website, the knife junkie.com. You can also watch our latest videos on YouTube at the knife junkie.com slash, YouTube. Check out some great knife photos on the knife junkie.com slash Instagram and join our Facebook group at the knife junkie.com slash Facebook. And if you have a question or comment, email them to Bob at the knife junkie.com or call our 24-7 listener line at 724-466-4487 and you may hear your comment or question answered, on an upcoming episode of the Knife Junkie Podcast.

[1:02:13] Music.