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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
https://theknifejunkie.com

Transcript

[0:00] Coming up, Vosteed has a new knife called the Chipmunk. I'm sure to hate that one.
I get a whole bunch of Victorinox knives and go very deep into that.
And a bevy of badass blades. I'm Bob DeMarco. This is the Knife Junkie Podcast.

[0:17] 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.

[0:30] Welcome back to the show. I had a couple of favorite comments over the past few weeks since we've had a few weeks off here.
First one from Craig Vincent, a familiar name. He says, thanks, Bob.
I enjoyed that. Now, he was talking about my part seven of my full knife collection.
That is slip joints that are below the high end. So we're talking case, rough rider, etc.
He says, thanks, Bob. I enjoyed that. The only knives I have in common with this installment is the 110 and the Culpepper. But I must say that now I am inspired to dabble in traditionals. Great job.
You know, that makes me feel great. That warms the cockles of my heart because, you know, we all like to share our obsession, but it's very rare that we can ever change anyone's mind or get people to think a different way.
So though this might not be the most important way to change how someone thinks, Craig Vincent, I'm so thrilled to hear that you're going to start dabbling.
If you want advice on what to dabble in, let me know.
I'm all over the place all right uh Jason Scott had my second uh favorite comment Jason Scott 6906 on my hogtooth Matt Chase interview he says hey Bob I've been watching your channel for a few years now and somehow missed this interview and since you've been showing your collection with hogtooth I've been eyeing uh I've been keeping an eye on his website I really like his EDC tanto which I personally cannot recommend any higher uh and I can't wait to see your second collaboration collaboration with Matt.
Matt makes amazing looking knives. All right.

[1:58] So this is sort of a continuation of that first comment.
Yes, it's so nice to expose people to makers that I've discovered.
This guy, for instance, Matt Chase, who's become a friend of mine and just an incredible maker.
He was introduced to me through my old buddy, Drew, who served with him in the Marine Corps and discovered him years after serving with him on Instagram. Bob, check this guy out.
So that's how this happens. It's word of mouth. mouth speaking of word of mouth uh you might want to tell people about this podcast that's a great way to help the show is just to get this in the ears of other people and they can download it you can download it to your favorite podcast app listed right here on the screen all your favorites and listen whilst on the go all right all that being said i think it's now time for a pocket check.

[2:48] What's in his pocket let's find out here's the knife junkie with his pocket check of knives Today, in my front right pocket, I had the gorgeous and right-knife-produced Microtech SOCOM Bravo.
The SOCOM series is an old-time favorite for Microtech.
Everyone loves them, SOCOM, and they were making these Bravos in-house.
The Bravo is a sort of special version, sort of customized, limited-edition version, not so good with the left hand on this one, version of the SOCOM Bravo.
I mean, of the SOCOM, and they took this very specialized production and brought it overseas to Reich Knife.
Now, Reich Knife is known for their very, very precise engineering.
They're very sculptural knife builds, and those things going together were the sort of perfect combination for this knife because the SOCOM Bravo has always had a very sculptural element to it. But look at that blade. Look at the handle.
Always a bolster and different surfaces and terraces, et cetera.
Look at all that jimping on the back.

[4:03] Uh, this knife, I don't carry as much as I should. I lusted after it took me a long time to get it.
It's one of those things, you know, you, you go for it. You can't wait till you get it. Then you get it and don't carry it that much.
Uh, I, I've never actually gone in and stretched out that very robust pocket clip, which is also extremely tight. I think that has something to do with it.
Oh, Bob, uh, the edge on this is extremely sharp and very, um, kind of wedge like in a sense, But like many microtechs, it's not the geometry behind the edges and what we would expect to be slicey, but they're just wickedly sharp.
So anyway, had that on me, a great little piece of modern industrial art knife stuff.
All right, next up, I had the beautiful green Doody's Dagger slip in my pocket.
Check out Doody's Daggers online on Instagram and YouTube. He does a lot of great reviews, but also makes these beautiful slips.
And he made that one for this Ohio River Jack.
A beautiful C. Reisner cutlery knife. That's why I put CRC in the lower third.
C. Reisner cutlery. It's a little long, especially with Ohio River Jack.
So, beautiful wharncliffe blade, straight edge, super sharp, M390 blade steel on a very robust frame.

[5:24] Great walk and talk. You've got the sort of new style slip joint with the stop pin down there.
Instead of using the kick height against the back spring to determine where the blade stops, a lot of modern slip joints use that stop pin.
This knife comes in a sheep's foot, which has a less pointy tip, and also a spear point.
And then it comes in two different double-bladed models, which are very cool.
Extremely thick, but very cool.

[5:57] Definitely go-to sort of hard-use knife if you're willing to carry something on the pouch is that double-bladed knife.
And I say that because that M390 blade steel takes a long time to dull.
And if you've got two blades, it's going to take a lot of time for those to dull.
Throw that in the pouch, on the pocket, go to the work site.
You might be the fanciest guy there, but you'll have a double-bladed M390 knife that'll just take you to the finish line.
All right, next up, speaking of hogtooth knives, I had my most, well, it's not my most beloved hogtooth, but they're all beloved.
I love this thing, if you didn't guess.
This is the Hogtooth Ruffian. I got this for my 51st birthday, I believe, on my visit to Hogtooth Knives, to Matt's shop.
There were a couple of these in process I picked out my liners Picked out my G10 Waited a little while and got it Not G10, Micarta This is...

[6:59] One of my all-time favorite everyday carry fixed blades and definitely one of my biggest at nearly five inches on the blade.
But you have a nice rounded off, rounded in sort of all aspects handle that makes it very comfortable to carry.
And then you have those alternating divots that make it great in hand.
And then here you have a harpoon, swedge, and jimping. Just locks in the hand.
It's a deep hollow grind, so it's very slicey. it's not too deep actually but it's a hollow grind very slicey high relief edge here just a nasty uh very very useful cutter and um since i have moved to appendix carry most everything i carry i carry appendix i still don't carry this one appendix it's still a little chunky and a little long for that kind of carry for me you know like if you want to bend over it starts poking into to places but an outstanding knife i love this knife um i want another one but why should i.

[8:00] I why do why do you want another one bob i just want a different handle i'd love to see this with a stag handle you know it would cost a pretty penny but i love it and and i would love to have an everyday carry knife uh with a stag handle so very nice knife that's the ruffian by hog I'll get two knives.
And then lastly, for emotional support, it's been really hard kicking this out of the pocket, the back left pocket, as a matter of fact, next to the bandana.
This is the Jack Wolf Knives After Hour Jack, the frame lock front flipping version of the Midnight Jack.
The Midnight Jack with its coffin handle and it's beautiful.

[8:43] It looks like a a locomotive to me, an Art Deco locomotive coming into the future.
But anyway, that really deeply hollow ground sheep foot blade and coffin handle made this a very popular slip joint.
And so he made it a little bit larger and turned it into a fantastic titanium flipper.
Now, I keep failing it, middle finger flipping it that way with my left hand, but you get the idea.
I have not found on this, if I had one ding, I would say I'd need it a little bit more up front on that front flipper because I'm an old man and my front flipping skills are not the same as these young bucks coming up.
I can do it. It doesn't come as readily as the Gunslayer, his last front flipper.
Alright, look at this incredible lineup. I'm a very fortunate person here. Two of these.

[9:42] Well, no, one of them I got for free. The others, one of them is made by a friend.
I'm getting to know this guy.
He's awesome, and I just love my check. I'm a very fortunate person. I recognize that.
This is my pocket check for today, my very spoiled Western pocket check.
I don't mean spoiled like I feel guilty.
I just mean, geez, I'm feeling a little humble right now.
I'm lucky to have these knives, especially for a guy who doesn't really use them so much.
He just sort of obsesses over there. quality and their build.
Okay, so this coming up January, January 18th, we're going to be giving away speaking of knives, are we speaking of knives?
We'll be giving away our Gentleman Junkie knife giveaway knife for the month of January.
I haven't figured out what it'll be. I have a feeling it will be a, it'll either be a petrified fish package, meaning a couple of petrified fishes.

[10:34] Or maybe a sabivi, or we will see.
But that is coming up. If you're interested in helping support the show, you can do that on Patreon.
Go to theknifejunkie.com slash patreon you can see all of our our three different tiers of support helps the show um gives you bragging rights i'm a patron of the arts yes oh and who do you patronize oh uh the knife junk you may have heard of them uh that kind of conversation could happen at a cocktail party and you would feel well you know high levels of self-esteem so really it's a it's It's a, it's a, it's an esteemed thing.
So, thenifejunkie.com slash Patreon and check it out. That's thenifejunkie.com slash Patreon.

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[12:11] And now here's the Knife Junkie with the Knife Life news.
First, they came out with a very oddly named Raccoon. Now Vosteed has the Chipmunk.
The Chipmunk is the first Vosteed drop of the year. And I have to say, joking aside about the name, I think it's beautiful.
It's got a clip point blade. No one's calling it that. They're calling it a drop point. But if you look at it, you see the swedge and the clip.
It's got a clip point blade of 14C28N and a G10 handle. That blade is only 2.64 inches long.
So this would be the kind you'd get because you love small knives.
It opens in three ways. You got a thumb stud. You've got an inline flipper.
That's one of those tiny little regular front flipper or regular four finger flippers.

[12:57] That's kind of in line with the rest of the thing. And then you've got a front flipper. So three ways to open it, which is part of their unique selling proposition, which is not so unique anymore, especially with Voskid.
Everything they have opens up in multiple ways. But what I think is cool about this knife is the design. I think the blade is beautiful.
And I think the very classic, it reminds me of, actually reminds me of the CRKT Drifter a little bit, a knife I always thought was pretty handsome.
And also reminds me of the Combative Edge M1 with that blade shape and that tip.
And I just like it. I hope this is a success.
I also hope that it is a precursor to an XL because this would be one I would get.
I have one Vosteed left in the collection.

[13:49] I've had a few come through. They're great knives. They also are great gift knives because they're super high quality, don't necessarily break the bank, and you're getting someone a very high quality knife when you get it for them. Love the clean design.
This thing is available now, and it's called the Vasti Chipmunk.
Up front, I said I will hate it because I hate chipmunks.
Used to think they were cute. Now, I just think they're tiny little furry devils.
Next up, K-Bar has their new Eck folder.
We all know John Eck. Maybe we know the Eck line of knives.
Very famous line of fixed blade knives that were made popular in World War II.
They kind of helped solidify that combat classic look, the sort of buoy look, buoy utility knife.
Full tang. They were always full tang knives, the Eck knives.
So here uh kbar well who now owns the ek brand and puts out those knives is now creating a folder here the john ek custom folder or ek folder uh so this is a four inch it's a pretty large one four inch bladed s35bn knife the gotta say that handle for such an american company i mean the blade itself looks kind of like a quake and it's a little japanese looking i don't know about that Might want to throw a swedge on it people But anyway it is a Sort of a quaking style blade On a flipper has an oddly protruding Upward tang.

[15:18] To me that's just.

[15:21] Signs of someone who doesn't design folders very much uh i don't think it's a deal breaker in any way could could act as a thumb rest but just looks awkward from an engineering standpoint has a handle that is very very reminiscent of the ek combat knives uh very straight neutral it's got the terracing uh in lieu of um contouring and then it's got those big three big um, Phillips head sort of things, pins, if you will.
So really looks like an Eck all day long.

[15:58] I don't know. I got to say, I'm not impressed. I love the Eck knives, the battle knives. I think they're so cool.
I think this is an opportunity that is missed.
I like the handle fine enough. I don't like the blade.
I do not like the blade. If you're going to make it a non-buoy style, non-clip point blade for this very american flipper um i would go with a drop point make it look like a bayonet like a bayonet ground uh something good for piercing doesn't have to be a quaking doesn't have to be a japanese uh blade here um but anyway i don't know uh 3.2 ounces, so it'll be nice and light this thing is available now um and i'm looking forward to some newer newer blades, some different blades on the same handle.
All right, last up in Knife Life news is Hinderer XM Auto.
I love this XM18 Auto, especially now that they're going to be offering it in an aluminum handle, and you can save about $250 by getting it in aluminum.

[17:00] So, let's see, in 20... That shows how old I am.
In 2020, Ohio knife laws changed, and they were now allowed, allowed, thanks to knife rights, to have automatic knives made, manufactured, sold, owned, etc. in Ohio.
So Rick Hinderer jumped on the opportunity to turn his Stalwart XM18 design into a titanium-framed automatic, push-button automatic.
It was gorgeous. Kind of came and went very quickly.
It was more of a proof of concept or sort of a thumbing the nose at the the government of Ohio kind of thing.
But now they're coming out with a more serious attempt at production of the automatic XM18 with an aluminum handle, which makes it lighter, cheaper, and...
Have you ever had an aluminum handled knife and said, this is a great knife, I just kind of wish it were titanium?
No, you haven't. And if you have, that's only because you're a material snob.
Let's face it, aluminum knives are awesome, especially with automatics.
There's a reason why there isn't a huge slew of titanium automatics.
I'm not sure what that reason is, probably expense, because automatics are already expensive to manufacture. manufacturer.
But I love this. Look at this here. On screen, we see a green anodized.
They're going to offer a black anodized as well.
But this green, I would have to go for it. It's beautiful.

[18:28] That hella green, it's like you need to be out on the links in Scotland with that knife. Very, very nice looking knife.
$350, like I said. Ordinarily, if you were to get one, a titanium one, you'd be putting out $600, probably a lot more because you'd be getting it now on the secondary market.
But this looks like a good harbinger of things to come.

[18:53] I want to see some more affordable. I mean, am I calling $350 affordable?
That's ridiculous. But from Hinderer Knives, it's less expensive and that's always nice to see.
All right, we're going to conclude this now and hit up the state of the collection in a moment. Check out some of my my latest knife obsessions.
But before we do, make sure you like, comment, subscribe, and send this show to a friend. It's always greatly appreciated.
That said, coming up in a second, let's get to the state of the collection.
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And that's it. you've just got cash back visit the knife junkie.com forward slash save on gas to get the app and start saving again that's the knife junkie.com slash save on gas and now that we're caught up with knife life news let's hear more of the knife junkie podcast so you know i've been in a slip joint phase lately and i've been following a bunch of guys slip joint sawyer is one of them he's a cool dude from great britain thrifty kniffy also uh he's an american also obsessed with slip slip joints and collecting.
And, uh, I've seen the slip joint guys lace lately, even, even scab of choir boys, cutlery, uh, veering into Victorinox. And, um.

[20:22] I did too. I think it's a natural extension of being into slip joints, you know, obviously.
But there is so much utility packed into the iconic frame of the Victorinox Swiss Army Knives.
And this is me. I don't know if we're all like this.
I think we are if we're watching this, but my mind locks onto something like, oh man, I haven't paid enough attention to Victorinox.
They're so cool. Look at all the utility.
There's never a quality control problem.
You know, you can identify one from a thousand miles away. Like, this is a great knife. Why do I not? And then I realize, I have a bunch of them.
So I dig them all out. This is what's been happening.
But I got some new ones.
Obsessing over, collecting and such. And it's the Victorinox Swiss Army 1.

[21:14] And it is a single-bladed Swiss Army knife.
But it's in the 93 millimeter size category so bigger than your standard 91.

[21:27] Red celadon handled victorinox these alox models are either smaller at 84 or larger at 93 so i got this i i love this because i have the pioneer x which has the same same nicely shaped big blade and the same 93 millimeter frame and I really like it but I rarely carry it because it's a three layer tool and it's a little bit thicker and this is a single layer tool very thin and extremely useful no stop no half stop great action great snap and then you have the logo pressed in there so just this is this is awesome so if you're if you're kind of of on the fence about slip joints and you don't want to go too deep into it but you want an excellent version of a slip joint uh get this get the swiss army uh swiss army number one from, victorinox because it's only going to cost you about 21 bucks on amazon and you're going to have a lifelong i mean this knife will last you forever the alox is super strong and you feel it It's textured in your hand. It stays there.
And before I move from this one, listen to this walking.
Listen to that snap.

[22:52] Really, really excellent action. And I have found, through unearthing all of my Victorinox and buying a couple others, for slip joints, they are excellent.
They have amazing action. It's only old ones that I've dug up that have sloppy or slow action.
Next up is the Victorinox Compact. This one I like a lot.
This has been a darling of some of the Victorinox collectors and slip joint collectors because of the amount of utility it packs in a small package.
It's called the Compact, but this is a standard 91-millimeter model.
I think they call it Compact because it's only a two-layer model, but it's got so many different functions.
They list it as 15. I see a lot more, actually.
But let me just go through this real quick. You got a blade.
You got this five-feature opener. You can do a cap lifter, wire stripper, actual can opener.
You can see a little crimp in that. It curves a bit, so you can cut open a can.
You've got a flat head, and you can start a Phillips with that if you're interested in going with that angle.
On a half stop, and then, of course, one of the most cherished tools here, the large Victorinox scissors.
You've got a pen, a pressurized pen barrel here.

[24:19] You've got the toothpick, which I won't bother showing you. You know what that looks like.
And then here on the corkscrew, you also have a mini screwdriver.
And then you've got the parcel hook. Okay.

[24:35] Back here that has a million uses this parcel hook is not just a throwaway tool and then on the back of it it has a knurled surface for filing your nails and then it also actually has a pin right in here a lot of the new victorinox knives have a little hole for putting a straight pin and i guess that comes in handy it hasn't come in handy for me yet but um so that's It's the Victorinox Compact, and for $50, you get about 17 tools.
They list 15. I've counted 17 or 18 different ways you can use that.
And then if you go online and you look at some of these Victorinox nerds who are awesome, they have all different ways you can use these knives that you've never considered.
So do check that out. Okay.

[25:28] Oh, Victorinox Cadet. This is sort of a footnote here.
You've seen a cadet on this channel before it's been a few years because i lost my old one so i got my new one um i wanted to get this because it's a um 80 84 millimeter a lots super useful i mean i've always loved the knife anyway uh but this is the one swiss army knife even even this single bladed model i can't do this with that i can drop this in the pocket and I don't care if it rides horizontally or whatever.
It's so thin and so light and just the right length that it doesn't bother me in the pocket.
Always have a little fob on it, though. That stops it from moving around too much in the pocket. Okay, last up.
This one I've been waiting for.
I mean, not that long, but I've waited about a year for this.

[26:23] That's right. Your eyes are not deceiving you. This is the Rosecraft Lusahatchee Jack.
Not too much to say about this gorgeous clip point slip joint knife here but um it is not a barlow you can tell from the from the um bolster barlow bolster would come down lower um but it is kind of like a boy's knife in a way like a large robust boy's knife you have a deeply descending belly on that on that straight backed clip point i love that that puts the point very low uh even even below the level of the handle, so you can use that tip in utility cuts very easily without changing the angle of your wrist too much.
But you still get a belly, and you still get this nice straight.

[27:09] Awesome walk and talk. Again, this one is a modern slip joint, so you have that stop pin in there.
Really, really great tip.

[27:21] Fit and finish. The hafting is great.
You don't feel the transitions except for the change in materials or texture, but you don't actually feel where they meet.
Same thing with the pins and that shield, that beautiful rosebud shield, which funny enough, I wonder if anyone else experiences this, but oftentimes I will glance at the rosebud shields from these Rosecraft knives knives in certain light and I'll catch my thumbprint or fingerprint on it and the ridges from the fingerprint begin to look like petals of the rose.
So beautiful. Life, life is beautiful. All right, so these are my newest knives here. All slip joints, if you notice.
The Rosecraft Lusahatchee Jack. I got the Compact from Victorinox right here.
The Cadet from Victorinox and the swiss army one um so i'm going to just reiterate if you're kind of like oh this kind of non-locking knife thing is sort of interesting what's up with that victorinox is your entry drug they are your gateway drug because they pack so much utility in there they're very non-threatening people look at this and they're like oh you have a swiss army are you traveling europe by url at least that's my my generation um but you can get a compact for or i mean a um a a multi-tooled.

[28:45] Um cadet here for like 40 bucks or you can get a compact for 20 bucks and you get all the utility of a slip joint but all of the super high quality of a victorinox these things are just awesome.

[28:59] All right, I've waxed poetic about Victorinox long enough.
Let us get to a bevy of badass blades. Now, ordinarily, I don't like to use the word badass.
In this family, we say bad donkey, but today I'm drinking tea, so I'm feeling extra, extra emboldened.
So okay what what what what are the qualifications here so all of these knives are available i have a lot of really bad donkey knives over here in this case that are custom that are not available unless you're gonna wait or pay maybe a little more money than you wanted to i'm not saying that these are cheap knives here but i am saying that they are readily available mostly okay first up You know, cyclically, like Emerson knives, this first one, you can't always get any Emerson you want at any given time. We all know that.
But this is the Elvia.
The Emerson Elvia. This is Ernest Emerson's collaboration with Ed Calderon on a pit call style fighter.
So that means the main way you hold this is tip down, edge in for self-defense when all you have left are those caveman motions.

[30:15] And that blade and that point here, I'm going to go to the main camera for a second so you can see what those caveman motions are.
But like if you're in this kind of defensive situation and you can't do all of your cool, intricate, collie stuff.
Oh, look at me, knife fighting. And you're just.

[30:35] This takes advantage of that arcing blade and that point kind of far out there.
Takes advantage of the arcing motion of your elbow of your shoulder and it bites in and then as you pull back it's cutting and tearing as you pull out so we all we all know how bad the call knives are emerson just took it and turned it extra bad so you can carry it in your pocket he gave you an an extra a bit of angle there on it extra reach out with the point um which which really does does maximize a sort of back fist action so if you're punching with a back fist like this you don't have to like angle your wrist out to get the point because it's right there bang so it takes very little i don't want to say it takes very little skill to use this but it does it takes very little skill to use this effectively um however uh the libra fighting guys uh or libra fighting system by Scott Babb and Calderon is a practitioner.
It takes a lot of skill. I'm not saying that kind of fighting skill does not take skill.
I'm just saying a knife like this or a knife that's coming up, the black talon or the civilian, takes a very little bit of skill to put to good use if you need it.
If you're untrained and you need to defend yourself, this is a great one.
This is an aftermarket brass wave.

[32:04] I think, well, they ended up doing a run of it with the wave.
I don't know why they ever considered making this most defensive knife without a wave.
I think that was a cynical money-making ploy. I love you, Ernest Emerson, but I think that that was, I don't like that.
But anyway, I got an aftermarket one, and it works just fine by Daniel Louvre.
I'm not sure of his name, but he's French or has a French last name, and he makes knives, too, and they're really cool.
Daniel L-O-U-V-R-I-E-R-E Daniel L-O-U-V-R-I-E-R-E Look him up on Instagram.
Alright, next up in this bevy of badass blades, folders. We're doing folders and then we're going to graduate into fixed blades.
Next folder is the MK Ultra by Knight.
Made by Fox Knives.
Designed by Jason Knight.
The very famous blacksmith or bladesmith who was a sort of substitute judge for jay nielsen on forged in fire he's known for this sort of kukri look that sort of kukri blade with the big fuller is his thing but folders are not his thing so he designed this.

[33:22] Uh initially with doug marquita with the help of doug marquita uh who got him in in the door at fox knives got him in the door at fox knives and uh and this is the second run of them and now they're on i believe their third run of these so you can now you can just sort of buy these at first they were very limited and then second release was pretty limited that was this one And now I believe they've become more available.
But this is, to me, this beats the Raja II from Cold Steel, which is a great folding kukri.
It's a little large. It's a little thick and all that.
But to me, this really encapsulates the spirit of kukri with, well, definitely with the shape of the blade, with putting the point where it is, you know, makes it a pistol grip so very easy to stab with. but people don't understand that about the Kukri.
It is not just a chopper. It is not just a slasher. It's a great thruster.
And then the curved handle here is very evocative of the Kukri with the flared pommel there and the titanium handle. Well, that's not evocative.
And so just very sharp, very good, well-made knife from Fox.
You've got the micarta on the top, the titanium on the back.
N690 blade steel is wicked sharp. I mean, this knife gets incredibly sharp. N690 is okay.

[34:51] And, you know, I'm not a hardcore user, but even I have found that sometimes N690, you know, maybe takes a little bit more care or sharpening a little quicker.
And when I have this, I use it. This blade is very usable. of course this is all about badass fighting knives I'm talking about but just as an in the pocket utility knife this is four and a quarter inches but it.

[35:19] Feels like it's a three and a half inch knife. It carries and uses like a three and a half inch knife.
So it's a big blade, but it's on a nice slender and very stout foundation here that's easy to carry. Carries like a smaller knife.
Next up is the Microtech SoCalm, I'm sorry, the Microtech Ultratech Double Edge.
And in my case, it's double-edged with the serrations, which makes it extra badass.
Extra badass. Now, this is only a 3.4-inch blade, so even sub-3.5-inch blades, and yet it is something I feel very confident carrying if I feel sketched out.
You have a really nice aluminum handle, aluminum frame here, and the jimping that you find in aluminum Microtex and Protex, two different companies, but they both use a lot of aluminum, the milling, the jimping in the milling, or the milling of the jimping of the aluminum is so sharp, it just grabs your hand.
Not sharp like painful, but it grabs your thumb.
I would easily jam this into a tree or something hard with no guard, knowing that my fingers were buried in this jumping.
It's just very confidence inspiring.

[36:44] This Ultratech in particular is a little stiff, but I'm getting stronger and it's It's getting weaker.
So altogether, it's a great combination. Why this, Bob, over, say, the arch nemesis? I should say, not the arch nemesis. Wish I owned that.
The antimatter from Arcane Design, which is a double-edged dagger flipper.
And I would say the reason I would choose this is the serrations make it extra bad, so you're going to have longer time with this knife.
Say you dull out the M390 on this side, you can flip it over and those serrations will take you a lot further.
But also, it's got this pretty gnarly, what do you call it, glass breaker that protrudes on this peaked nubbin, if you will.
And that, it makes for a great attitude adjuster.
So you could use this knife as a Coubaton as well as a double Edged fighting dagger So that sort of, Sends it over the edge Into the utterly badass Category, Bad donkey, sorry if there are any youngsters watching Yeah, this is a great one If you ever want a double edged folder I would say first place to check Is the Ultratech Next up, from Cold Steel I mean this list has.

[38:09] I had to be very careful not to put too much cold steel on this list.
So the next one is a cold steel, though.

[38:16] It is the Black Talon II. This makes a lot of lists of this sort because of that nasty, nasty blade.
Okay, so this S-curve recurve serrated blade, you can get this non-serrated, so that's not necessarily a part of it.
But this blade is based on the, inspired by, the Spyderco Civilian.
And S-curve blade of a similar shape, just a way less broad design.
The civilian is much more dainty and only wants to come in contact with soft flesh.
It does not want to do any EDC work. It does not want to do anything approximating hard use.
But the Black Talon totally could. they just beefed up the blade a little bit but kept that wicked downward pointed s curve so uh let me go back to the spider co civilian for a second that knife was uh requested by the south african government some aspect of the south african government asked spider co for a knife that anyone could use without training for self-defense this there was a huge this was 91 huge spate of rapes happening in Johannesburg and other cities around South Africa.
So this knife was requested, kind of a funny thing, but I like it.
That knife did great. It's still in production.

[39:43] But at a certain point, Cold Steel said, hang on, hold my beer.
I think I might be able to do this just a little bit better.
And in my opinion, they did.
I am not besmirching the legacy of the Spiderco civilian, but the Black Talon, in a pinch, I'd way rather have this.
You've got an opening tab here. This opening, what do you call that, slab or whatever, is like a thumb disc, so you can open it easily with the thumb, or as you pull it out of the pocket, it acts as a wave opener, so you can use that and wave it out of your pocket and bring it to bear immediately so i say this has it over the civilian in a number of ways and um that's why that that's why this knife is on this list also very thin uh this has been that my uh inside breast pocket knife for my winter coat for many years.

[40:41] Okay, next up. I say many years. Many years! It's been like five years. That's not too many.
Okay, next up. Bastinelli knives, Drag-O-Tac. This is the big Drag-O-Tac.
I am in love with this knife. 4.75 inches of, in this case, it's D2.
This is before they went M390.
This is an inch and three quarters broad, full flat ground blade in that sax shape.
It's shaped, it's It's wharncliffe, sax, whatever you want to call it.
To me, on this big knife, I call it a sax because it's more of a fighting Viking blade to me.
But you have this extremely ergonomic curved handle.
It's about five and a half inches long. It gives you a lot of different places to hold, a lot like a large cold steel. There, there.
Of course, you can come back here if you needed to and butt it in the palm and thrust.
And with the shape of the curve of the handle, it's still going to put the point right where it needs to be, so it acts sort of like a pistol grip.
This knife also has a very large opening disc, which can be used to wave the knife out of your pocket, though I think that is just a happy accident.
Made by Lion Steel Knives. You can see that in here, Lion Steel in Italy.

[42:03] It has the annoying rotoblock. That's a Lion Steel, quote-unquote, innovation. Now, it's something that you turn to make sure the lock does not close, but it turns on its own sometimes.
It's a pain in the ass because it'll close up when you're not expecting it.
And though it's rare that you need to close your knife really quickly, usually you need to open it really quickly, it can just be kind of a pain in the tuchus.
Now, if you took this and actually took the time to put some thread locker there, it would just act as an over-travel stop for the lock bar.
This is a great knife. They've come out with a newer version of this with a contoured G10 handle. It's so nice.
And an M390 blade steel. It'll cost you a pretty penny, no doubt.
Okay, next up and last in the folders. Yes, you know what's coming.
No list is complete without the Espada XL.

[43:04] The Espada XL by Cold Steel based on the modern interpretation of the Spanish Navaja, the fighting, folding, ratcheted locking knife that was adopted slash perfected after ordinary Spaniards were no longer allowed to carry swords on them to settle their scores.
So they all carried these giant folders in their cummerbunds walking around the streets of Sevilla and protecting their honor.

[43:34] Cold Steel has done the world a favor, not a favor, a service.
I don't even know how to say I'm just so happy that Cold Steel exists to create this folder because it is so big, it's so light.
They have this version, which is all dressed up in shiny G10 and aluminum and the shiny blade.
This is an older one, so it's hollow ground. and they have it in g10 and they have it in all black and they have it in a bunch of different versions now but the fact that a modern manufacturer as respected and as well good as cold steel that can make stuff that is this hardcore this stout this uh sharp and indestructible is making this classic knife it just thrills me and uh this is what i said when i had lynn thompson on my show, which was one of the shining moments of this show, is that he has done for knife junkies such as myself, people like us who love knives and love the history of knives.

[44:39] He's done us such a favor by taking some of these, a lot of these historical knives and making them modern, either through through folding versions like this or or just swords, updating classical swords with modern materials and manufacturing.
So you cannot put into words how valuable Lynn Thompson cold steel and the Espada is to knife badassery. So thank you, Lynn Thompson.

[45:06] It's big. All right. right so now we go to fixed blades and uh here's one uh now when you get it you will be able to call this a custom knife um but it's they're produced in small batches so it's kind of a production knife too um but this is from t-cal knives um and this is the mr1 now you know i carry the night stalker all the time i carry it even less than or even more than the mr1 But the Night Stalker is, I mean, the MR-1 is the Night Stalker, just ground for Pakal.
So the Night Stalker is a knife that is shaped just like this, but the bevel is where you would expect it, on this side, and the edge is on this side.

[45:49] Tim Kell of TKL Knives got a request from a Marine Army, I'm sorry, a Marine Raider unit in California, I think it's Marine Raider Unit 1, for a small fixed blade Pakal knife to use for room clearing if someone got too close, that kind of thing.
Knives still get used by some people in a defensive combative way.
And then there are people like military veteran Tim Kell who can make knives just for them, kind of knowing where they're coming from.
So why is this on the list and not the Night Stalker? Well, because it's the Picol.

[46:27] Because it takes less ability to be deadly with this knife, with the edge on this side, than it does the other. That's what I say.
But also, this is a ringed knife that actually works for me.
The ring is in a perfect position to maintain a fist grip without having to change my grip at all.
Um i just did change my grip because my hand is a little short but um it fits perfectly, on this without having to realign my knuckles which means you could punch with it uh you know and then cut with it but the cutting i just did was assuming the edge was on the other side so i just totally i'm dead now but really it's that it's the combination of the ring which makes it It's super easy to draw.
I carry it on my waistband right up front on the belt like this, and it's so easy for me to just find that ring with the finger and draw it out, and then it has you in Pakal style, so you can stab and pull.

[47:33] Of the T-Cal knives, which are all very, very, very pretty, pretty much fit in this category, I would say that the MR1 is at the top.
Maybe a close second would be the triple-edged Wharncliffe. What is that called? Why am I spacing on that?
Check it out. Go to the website. You'll find it. It is really cool. The Guardian. Okay.
Spyderco Ronin. That's right. The Spyderco Ronin.
Might not have been expecting this on this list but let me explain to you why this knife is definitely a badass knife first of all it is small thin and carryable so at its thickest it's about a half inch maybe even a little less on the handle very very thin the bd1 blade steel that comes to that perfect for thrusting, wharncliffe tip is very hollow ground, so it's very thin, very slicey, and sharp, and in the hand, it fits like a dream.
So the thing about this that I love the most is that it's so carryable.
If you're a guy who's interested, a guy or gal who's interested in a fixed blade knife for carry, for self-defense.

[48:52] This is something to consider now it might be a little longer than you were expecting but the super thinness of it really makes up for it oftentimes Thursday night knives I'll do the show here all of my knives will be out on the table because I'm talking about them but I'll take this one and put it in my waistband and it just melts there and you don't know it's there until you need it and then you just tug it out and it's great but I love it because it's got that That wharncliffe straight edge that on a swipe or on a slash keeps constant contact with the material until you pass the tip.

[49:30] But also, what a great thruster, because if you make a thrusting wound with this, it's going to wedge out and widen out very quickly, and that's kind of what you want.
It's a grim topic, but if you're stabbing someone, how you stab should have some bearing.
It has a molded plastic sheath that is about the size of Connecticut. Connecticut.
It's a little too big for me, but I still use it.
And I never have it with tight jeans or anything like that, but I don't really wear tight jeans.
So on a looser fitting garment, this works fine. If you do get the Ronin 2, you'll probably make yourself a new sheath or get a new sheath.
That sheath is a little, just a little bit too much.
Okay, next up, this is from one of my My favorite knife company is Spartan Blades out of North Kakalake.
This is the Les George Design Marine Raider Dagger.

[50:34] A couple of things here. Spartan Blades is from North Carolina, but like everyone else, they're swimming in the same waters and have some of their manufacturing overseas.
This is in Taiwan, not in China. And we know China and Taiwan both make great, great knives.
But we all have a little bit more sympathy or, I don't know. We like Taiwan.
All right. Anyway, based on the very, at the time, Marine Raider Dagger, which was replaced pretty quickly by some other knives, the K-Bar being one of them.

[51:13] The Marine Raider dagger was known for broken tips, for being very, very light, bendable, cheap materials, aluminum handle, because there was a materials crunch during that time of the war, and so they couldn't devote their best materials and engineering to their dagger.
So a lot of guys would knock the tip off and make a sharp chisel tip, knowing that the tip was going to come off anyway.
Way so less george who is obsessed with daggers uh decided to design his version he's a former marine he did uh ordinance uh disposal so one of those guys hurt locker dudes a courageous man and a great knife maker and um he decided to take his swipe at the marine raider dagger made it a little more chunky, but it's definitely not a chunky knife.
I mean, it is a light and facile knife, but made some changes to make it lighter.
That's an FRN handle, Coke bottle, jimped all the way around, super grip on this.
Just an amazing dagger. And there are a lot of amazing daggers out there, but reasonably priced and by guys we love.
Reasonably priced, I think this was, don't quote me, it was under, I think this was like $125 when I got it, but don't quote me.

[52:40] All right, next up, a new one. This is a new release from Off Grid Knives.
They have a lot of badass knives, but this definitely takes the cake.
This is the Cayman XL based on their Cayman EDC, then came in large folders that had that same clip point blade with a very low slung point and the long dramatic swedge.
A swashbuckling blade is what I call it because it just looks dramatic.
But here's another one that is inexpensive, but it's an inexpensive but very effective Bowie knife.
I say effective because it's in D2, so it's in a great steel.
I also say effective because it's very broad so that um so that a saber grind still gets very thin behind the edge like like all off-grid knives it's wickedly sharp and just glides through material like it's not there i have not tried this on cardboard but i would imagine like every other off-grid knife it's going to glide through it like it's not a great ergonomic handle that that really evokes the wonderful folder handle, and then a very, very wide blade at the peak of the swedge, which means on a thrust, this is going to...

[54:00] Going to be devastating. So this definitely fits in the badass category.
Plus, it's not going to break the bank to get about the size of a K-Bar with an awesome folded over taco kydex sheath with a drop loop that you don't have to take your belt off to use.
Or of course, you can just take this off and put a different carry method on it.
But that is the Off Grid Knives Cayman XL. It's It's so cool.
It's so dramatic looking.
Big fan of this. All right, next up, I mean, this is dramatic, of course, from Cold Steel.
I could pick so many, but I went for this. This is overtly badass.
Okay, so this is the Cold Steel Chaos Kukri.
Lynn Thompson, I'll just keep it here for a minute. Lynn Thompson of Cold Steel is a great big fan of the Kukri for its incredible shearing power chopping power it's this curve here this recurve here it's the width of the blade um and then combined with the not too thick what is this like three three sixteenths of an inch thick no uh how thick is this i'm sorry it's it's uh of five sixteenths no no three sixteenths of an inch That's right.
So not too thick and very broad.
So the saber grind gets very, very slicey. It's super sharp.
But of course, really, the kukri has all that weight forward.

[55:29] So it's just going to deliver incredible shearing blows. I mean, no doubt you could de-limb a tree with this. You could de-limb lots of things with this.
And then, of course, just to add insult to injury, you've got this very stout aluminum frame.

[55:50] Uh what do you call knuckle duster here that is just so i i like the look of it, and i like the feel of it most knuckle dusters separate all four fingers and that can get dicey where we all have different hands but putting one separation in the middle great idea great idea because everyone's fingers can fit on either side of this so uh cold steel makes a bunch of these These Chaoses, they make a dagger, they make a bowie, they make a tanto, and they make a push dagger, which is ridiculous.
But glad they make it. But of all of them, I would say this is probably the most devastating because that blade is just, it's astonishing what you can, the performance you can get out of a Kukri.
Plus, it has the attitude adjuster on the very back.
If this whole package hasn't done anything you can also just hit them with the knob on the back so here it is it's the chaos kukri and then i like this danger do not grip here i love that you will slice your hand if you grip here okay last up you probably predicted this but the puzon predator hunter bowie by work tough gear let me see if this will fit in the camera probably not but There we go So this one was probably My biggest thrill purchase Of I'm going to come over to this main camera, Biggest main thrill purchase Of 2023.

[57:18] For a number of reasons First of all it was my first And only work tough gear knife After borrowing scabs For a while and checking them out And knowing that I loved them These are small batch made in Taiwan And, by like five people or they have a very small shop and so there's some prestige in that i have to say because they're limited um the puzon uh bowie line is something i've been very interested in lots of three or four different buoys that are really beautiful from work tough uh in the puzon line but this one based on the predator knife you know the knife they all had Madden Predator. The one made famous by Billy.
Sound familiar? That's what this is based on. Just look at that blade.

[58:11] Took a lot of cues from that. So I had to have this in my collection.
And then with this handle, everything about this knife is appealing to me in terms of looks.
But the handle really has a great feel to it. You've got a Coke bottle swell.
You've got the horse of course, who Pomo here holding you in there. And, uh.

[58:32] And as long as you're eating your Wheaties and lifting your weights, it's nothing in hand.
So the Puzon Predator Hunter Boom, probably the king of the badass knives this year, though all of these have their strong points.
Thank you for joining me on this little journey through this bevy of badass blades.
Let me know what your favorite badass blades are. What do I have in my collection that you might know about that I didn't add that should be in here?
Like maybe like this. But that's not readily available I wanted things that people could With some reasonable Expectation go out and purchase If they were inspired So tell me what knives you like for self defense What knives you like for badassery What knives just inspire That aggressive spirit I'm Bob DeMarco reminding you To check us out on Thursday Night Knives Tomorrow night on the Sunday Interview show.

[59:26] We're back in 2024 is rolling Nolan, and I can't wait to see where we go.
All right. I'm Bob DeMarco.
Jim is working this magic behind the scripture saying, take care.
Bye. Thanks for listening to the Knife Junkie Podcast.
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[1:00:19] Music.