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The Knife Junkie Podcast — Episode 676: 10 Great "Do Everything" Pocket Knives
Bob: Coming up, I show off an absolute haul from my friend Craig Fishbag. We talk about the Gerber Mark II in The First Tool, and then ten great "do everything" pocket knives—and it's probably not knives you're thinking of. I'm Bob DeMarco. This is The Knife Junkie Podcast.

Announcer: 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.

Bob: Welcome back to the show. One of my favorite comments from this past week was from AnAmericanFather, a frequent contributor to Thursday Night Knives. He said, "My son and I decided to drive down to Blade Show yesterday, that was Saturday, as it was his 24th birthday. It was the last Blade Show I will ever go to, and I really, really wish I hadn't gone. I know I'm going to sound like somebody's old grandpa now, but I really miss the days when Blade Show was hunters and outdoorsmen, working guys and girls. Now it's nothing but young kids looking to buy the most trendy knives to put in a drawer at home. It reminded me of wealthy women shopping for purses and shoes. I was embarrassed to be there. It really sucked."

Now, AnAmericanFather, tell us how you really feel. [laughter] I'm just kidding. But this is definitely an alternate opinion or outlook on it. I'm sorry you had a bad experience. I, for one, look forward to it every year going. I get this—if I were there this year, I would have had a chance to meet you, which is the reason why I like to go. But I'm sorry you had a crappy experience. I hope you bought a nice knife, though, from some working guy or gal who's got a table there and they're selling their wares. Those are my favorite people to buy from—from the tables, the acres and acres of awesome custom knives.

All right, next, Jacob Green, a good buddy, also says, "I can't believe I'm the first commenter. I'm glad you like the knife." That was the Spyderco Salt series Native Chief he sent me. "I know I'm not alone when I say we are rooting for you and wish you the best." Thank you so much, Jacob. I appreciate that greatly, as I do the other gift you sent me. He sent me a beautiful Bible, so I really, really appreciate that. All right, thanks one and all for watching and commenting. That said, let's get to a pocket check.

Announcer: What's in his pocket? Let's find out. Here's the Knife Junkie with his pocket check of knives.

Bob: In my front right pocket today was the beautiful, and hard for me to kick out of my pocket, Military 2. I've waited so long to get this Military 2. They waited so long to make the Military 2, and I was crying for it for a long time. Why did I wait so long? I don't know, but I'll tell you what. The first knife that got me into my recent Spyderco phase was that Native Chief that Shane sent me, and I love CruWear and I love natural Micarta. So it was just a match that I was going to get this knife—that the Military 2 was going to show up in this configuration for me, the CruCarta. I really love it. It's great. I've used it for only cardboard and tape, basically, so far, but I'll tell you it handles that beautifully.

I did actually, on my first outing, hit a staple. But I stopped just in time that it only took a moment on coarse ceramic to knock off the little slight little ding I put in the edge. But I'm really, really, really liking the Military 2, and it was worth the wait, even though I didn't have to wait as long as I actually did.

Next one was sent to me by Jack Wolf Knives and Benjamin Belkin, and it's their awesome first fixed EDC knife for—in their Gateway series. The Gateway, of course, Gateway series being the way you get into a Jack Wolf knife if their premium line is a little rich for your blood—and no one would blame you for saying it is. So they have this awesome Gateway series where you're still getting the same amazing Benjamin Belkin design and incredible fit and finish. It's just the materials are a different gauge. This is the Bison, and this is, like I said, the first fixed EDC from their Gateway series. The Bison has a beautiful shield, and this one has that gorgeous jute Micarta. I'm a sucker for jute, I'm a sucker for Micarta. You put them together and, oh goodness gracious, I'm a pig in mud.

Really nice, full flat-ground clip point blade. You're finding flat-ground blades in the Gateway series, and they cut really, really well. Everything else from Jack Wolf Knives is a full-height hollow grind, and those things are just insanely keen on the edge. These are really, really sharp, and I dare say a tad more robust behind the edge. I've been loving this. I have not once used this really cool clip that it came with. I am going to take it off and use it on a different knife, but that's only after I do the close-up video of this. I've been just dropping this straight in my pocket and finding it really, really useful. This is also a little cardboard monster, great for quick little cuts you need to do. Just retrieve it from your pocket like that, and then I recommend you pull the sheath out when you actually have to put it back. Pull it out of your pocket and re-sheath it that way. Don't be a cowboy and try and re-sheath it inside your pocket. You may not regret it, but if you do regret it, you're going to regret it a whole lot.

Okay, next up, I neglected to carry a fixed blade today. I don't say wear, that's like fashion, and this is a tool. I neglected to carry a fixed blade today, so I do always carry this in my EDC bag that I bring with me. So I had this for a little while, and then I was like, maybe I don't need a fixed blade today. Maybe I can get away with it considering my ESK, which you'll see in a second. But this is such an awesome knife. I love the SOG SEAL Pup. This has been my daily companion in my EDC bag for years and years now, and it's just a great knife. I have actually used it, and it's very, very sharp, hollow-ground with the serrations. It's no wonder this is a knife that has actually seen a lot of service by the SEALs—or so the internet says, you know? [laughter] But I can see why. It's got a very good, positive grip, big enough for gloved hands. If you had to fight with it, it's not too much extra handle that's going to help in disarming you, heaven forbid you're in a hand-to-hand struggle with a knife like this. So a really, really excellent knife. You, of course, can see the MACV-SOG knife DNA in that double-peak clip point blade, with that extremely long swedge going from the tip to this second hump. Just a beautiful blade. I love the MACV-SOG, and this is—these are the knives from the brand SOG that I like, the combat knives.

All right, last up, my emotional support knife today was the Natchez Bowie. I've been spooked a little bit by the news lately, both in the United States, from my very own county, and also from the world at large, just with all the insanity that's going on, a lot of it knife-oriented. For some reason today, I felt it would give me peace of mind, or emotional support, to have this very capable, large Musso-style fighting Bowie not on my person—let's put it that way. Not on my person. This was not—I was not carrying this knife today, but it was definitely there and present. That's what an emotional support knife can be. It can be that, or it can be something like the Military that you fidget with all day. This does give some emotional support, but I try not to drive the people around me nuts. So I try and keep my emotional support large and quiet these days.

So that's what I had on me today. Let me know what you were carrying. I had the CruCarta Military 2 by Spyderco. I had the Gateway fixed EDC Bison in jute Micarta from Jack Wolf Knives. I had the storied and legendary SOG SEAL Pup, as always, as I do every day. And then I had the Natchez Bowie, definitely overkill, but gave me that emotional support I was looking for today. So that's what I had. Let me know what you guys were carrying, always, always interested.

Before we get to knife notes, which I want to show off, I want to show these off, and there's a reason. First, one of the best fixed blade EDCs out there, not only for actual EDC tasks with that gorgeous Wharncliffe blade, but also self-defense. This would be an absolute monster. This is the Adversary, aptly named, from T.Kell Knives. This is the Agent 007, part of the storied and legendary again Agent line. This is the number seven, 007. This is the Tomas Alaz collaboration, that incredible stabby tanto. And then one of my favorites, of course, the collaboration with Imrey Morganstern, this is also the T.Kell Knives Outrider. These three knives and all others can be found at theknifejunkie.com/tkell for 10% off if you use the purchase code "knifejunkie". They are—well, you know, if you're watching this show, you've probably watched before, you know how highly I think of T.Kell Knives, how highly the knife community does. If you're interested in carrying fixed blade knives, don't know where to start because it's kind of strange carrying a fixed blade knife on a daily basis if you haven't done it yet, T.Kell Knives is a great place to start due to their super low-profile sheaths, their small-handled options that don't print when you have them under your shirt, and also just incredible designs, machining, and edges. So check out T.Kell Knives, a brand I am proud to have an affiliate link for. 10% off gets you a brand new T.Kell knife. All right, let me put these away. And as I do, they are very sharp, I need to keep my eyes on them as I do because we've all made that stupid mistake thinking we don't need to look.

All right, I want to tell you about Patreon real quick. And before you hit the fast forward, let me just show you Knife Notes real quick, then you can do so. Knife Notes, this is a really cool one on pocket knife collector culture. This is another article that Jim has produced, and he just illustrates them and raises interesting arguments and—not arguments, that sounds too adversarial—but interesting concepts and theories, like why the hobby keeps growing, final thoughts, etc. Etc., that is. And really great stuff, so check that out. Why pocket knives still matter. As if, you know, this is preaching to the choir, of course, but go check it out. Go to theknifejunkie.com/patreon if you want to help support the show. It's theknifejunkie.com/patreon. You can check out what we have to offer you, including interview extras and other great stuff, to include the monthly Gentleman Junkie giveaway, which is always a special knife—more specialer, if you will, than the Thursday Night Knives ordinary giveaway. Go to theknifejunkie.com/patreon or scan the QR code on your screen. If you buy for one year at a time, you get 12% off. All right, check it out, theknifejunkie.com/patreon.

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Bob: First up in Knife Life News, a GiantMouse Kickstarter. They fund and start a lot of their new projects this way. This one is a folder called the Pontius, and if you recognize that name, that's Chris Pontius of Jackass, a.k.a. Party Boy. Now, I've never watched a Jackass movie, not exactly my thing. Always loved Ridiculousness, though, I like physical humor. But anyway, I have come to know Chris Pontius through his knife-loving on Instagram over the past year, and he just seems like a super nice guy. He's got great taste in knives and a really good collection. So this is his design that's going to be produced by GiantMouse once this Kickstarter is fully funded. But man, it's a beauty. I really love it, and it definitely has that Anso DNA in the handle, and in a lot in the blade, I would say as well, too.

This is a knife that is to be ready for anything. That was the thing Chris Pontius wanted this to accomplish. So a really, you know, robust everyday carry blade. 3.2 inches of Elmax, and it's got a nice blade hole there for opening. Comes in contoured G10, Micarta, or titanium with a liner lock and a reversible wire clip. I keep saying it in present tense, I should say "will". Will have all these things because it's not fully funded yet. 4.7 ounces for the titanium version, all the way down to 3.7 ounces—that's a full ounce difference between that and the titanium and the Micarta. Available in September. Go check out Kickstarter, get yourself on it. It looks beautiful, and if you're a GiantMouse person—which I have avoided the entire time GiantMouse has been around, I've been lucky their knives have been just a little bit smaller than what I like to collect, and it's a good thing because every one that comes out looks absolutely stunning and beautiful to me.

Next up, this one is really cool too, I have to say. The first Work Sharp that has really turned my head. It's their latest modular EDC, it's called the Madrone. The Madrone. This is a manual or automatic action knife. That's what makes it modular. You can remove the housing that has the pivot and change it from a manual bearing pivot to an automatic spring-coiled, spring pivot. Work Sharp is known for their sharpening equipment, but burst onto the scene last year with their award-winning knives, and the one that won the award was also this kind of modular design. This one, though, has a really compelling clip point blade, which I must say in this photograph doesn't do it justice. I've seen others when you go to the Work Sharp website that show off the shape of that blade, but it's nice to see a clip point. 3.25 inches of M390 blade steel, and as you can see from this picture right here if you're watching the show, it is an integral aluminum handle. It's a little bit wider at the pivot and a little bit more tapered down by the pommel, which reminds me a lot of the dorsal aspect of a SOCOM Elite from Microtech—which is to say it tapers a little bit at the pommel. I really like that, plus all milled from one solid block of aluminum is going to make it super rigid, and it's going to feel solid in hand. But that aluminum is nice and light, so it won't be too onerous. Reversible deep carry pocket clip, 3.3 ounces, and available now for 180 bucks, which I believe is substantially less than some of the Work Sharp models when they first came out, I think.

All right, last up here today, we're going to talk about Kestrel Knives. It's what was, not so long ago, a fledgling Pennsylvania knife company. Not so fledgling no more, they're expanding their catalog. But first, they became known for their ultra-light Mountain Scalpel. It's a scalpel that has a, you know, a small, light hunting knife that you take into the woods with you, barely weighs a thing because it's really just a titanium handle for a scalpel blade. They got famous for that and started digging in from there. That, by the way, that scalpel blade is really useful. That's the one on top, because once you use it or damage the blade, it takes 30 seconds, you pop a new blade on and you're good to go. Now, the blade in the middle that you see there—oh, that one, by the way, is 125 bucks. The one in the middle there is the brand new Mountain Caper 2.0. It's a little, one-piece caper-style blade with that jimping way up at the tip, and then back for the thumb, and then for the forefinger, and the little finger, and the palm, and it's jimped nicely all over at decent spacing. That is MagnaCut blade steel. 2.75 is the blade length, and that's 145 bucks MSRP. And lastly, a very handsome knife in the Ovis Hunter 2.0. That's a 4.25-inch MagnaCut caping-style blade or sort of slightly up-swept blade, almost kind of looks like a patch knife or a roach belly, something like that. This has 3D-contoured G10 handle scales on that full-tang blade. 3.3 ounces, and that's a $310 MSRP for a Pennsylvania-made, beautiful hunting knife. So check that out, Kestrel Knives, not up-and-coming, they're here, but showing off new capabilities and with new models. So very happy to see that.

All right, still to come on The Knife Junkie Podcast, we're going to check out some really amazing knives sent to me from my buddy Craig Vincent, goes by Fishbag. He sent me a box of seven incredible knives, can't wait to show those off. We're going to get to some ten incredible "do everything" knives. But first, let's go back in time and check out The First Tool.

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Announcer: You're listening to The Knife Junkie Podcast. Here's some cool knife history with The Knife Junkie's The First Tool.

Bob: Some knives become famous because they were officially used by an army; others earn their reputation one soldier at a time. The Gerber Mark II belongs to that second group, kind of like Randall knives—a dagger born in the Vietnam War that became one of the most recognizable combat knives of the 20th century.

Its story began in Portland, Oregon, in 1966. Retired Army Captain Clarence A. "Bud" Holzman, a World War II veteran of the 101st Airborne Division, approached Gerber with a design for American troops serving in Vietnam. Holzman reportedly drew inspiration from the ancient Roman Mainz Gladius, that wasp-waisted Gladius pattern. Although the knife was carried for the unmistakable use and purpose, it was also influenced by the Fairbairn-Sykes dagger used by the British Commandos. Gerber placed the Mark II into commercial production later that year. Isn't that amazing? He shows up with a design for a dagger, and later that year, it's in production. Pretty cool.

Anyway, the finished knife looked mean, fast, and purposeful. Its double-edged blade measured roughly six and a half inches, while the lightweight aluminum handle kept the entire knife around eight ounces. Early blades featured a distinctive wasp-waisted narrowing, slightly before widening toward the point. That shape gave the Mark II a silhouette that collectors can recognize from across the room—myself included. But the strangest feature was almost invisible. The earliest Mark IIs had their blades deliberately angled about five degrees from the handle, similar to early Fairbairn-Sykes models. This slight cant helped the knife ride closer to the body in its sheath and compensated for the natural angle of the wrist. Unfortunately, some owners thought their brand new knives had arrived bent and sent them back. So Gerber soon straightened the design, making the original canted-blade examples highly desirable and collectible today.

American service members purchased and carried the Mark II in Vietnam, where the knife developed a reputation far larger than its production numbers. Its long dagger blade and unmistakable martial appearance made it popular, but that appearance also created trouble. During the early 1970s, opposition to the Vietnam War made the Mark II's combat knife image increasingly controversial. To preserve its place in military exchanges, Gerber began marketing it as a survival knife. Legend Al Mar helped introduce serrations near the guard, right in that wasp-waisted part, giving the blade a practical explanation. Cutting rope, webbing, and other tough materials would make it more of a survival knife. But the knife hadn't really changed what it was, only the sales pitch had changed. After Vietnam, the Mark II found a second life on movie screens, appearing with Max in The Road Warrior and in the famous mess hall knife scene from Alien. "Do the knife thing, man!" The Gerber Mark II remains a modern classic, a blade shaped by ancient Rome, World War II commandos, Vietnam, and Hollywood.

Does anyone out there own a Gerber Mark II? I have one that my mom got me from The Sharper Image during the '80s, and I have never been able to keep the rust away. Something about that blade was just funky. But if you like this kind of talk, you want to talk about knives, you want to go specific, go down the rabbit hole, join us every Thursday night at 10:00 PM Eastern Standard Time for Thursday Night Knives. We talk knives, you guys comment, you keep the conversation going. You can even actually come onto the show if you want, just by logging on to theknifejunkie.com/join. Join us Thursday nights, every Thursday 10:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. Thursday Night Knives, join us.

My good buddy, Craig, he goes by Fishbag during Thursday Night Knives, reached out to me, asked if he could have my address to send me a couple of little treats from his giant pile of knives. And oh my gosh, did the man A, spoil me, but B, listen to me. I feel seen and heard, Craig. Every one of these knives I've mentioned as either really wanting or being interested in checking out.

And I'll start with the Green River 4215. I had never heard of this knife, though had seen it, but I'd never heard of this until people like Craig and AnAmericanFather and many others talked about this on the show. It's an absolute beautiful and simple outdoors, you know, fishing and hunting knife. Nice and thin, it's got the model number there, Russell Green River Works. Really nice, I think that's oak handle—I don't know, I have to look it up, but it looks like oak to me, red oak—with a nice checkering carved into the handle. So nice. What a great knife. I want to carry this all the time and go hunting and fishing. And it came in this beautiful sheath, a really nice, beautiful green leather sheath, just gorgeous. So thank you for this Green River 4215, Craig. And I will say thank you for all of these.

Let's see, this next one, oh, this is another beauty. And I talked about this and then lamented that it was discontinued. And it's the Ontario Knife Company Old Hickory 7026 Hunting Knife. Now, that's the five-and-a-half-inch kitchen knife or butcher knife, but it comes with this beautiful leather sheath. It's the perfect knife for carrying out in the woods, too. Nice and thin is that high carbon blade steel. It says "True Edge" here, old school. Look at that scimitar there. It's like a beheading scimitar, it doesn't have a tip. The True Edge Ontario Knife Co., made in the USA. I love this thing. And yes, Blue Ridge Knives has carried on with some of the Ontario models like the RAT models, I believe. I'm not sure what the fate of Old Hickory is, but I know currently these are very hard to get. So Craig, thank you so much for this. I really, really love it. I love this knife, and it means a lot to me that you sent it. Nice leather sheath, by the way, look at that. Beautiful honey-colored leather sheath, just gorgeous.

Okay, next up, let's see, Cold Steel Leatherneck. Wanted one of these, so he sent it to me. Again, thank you, Craig. I did put this tape on just moments ago. This is so grippy that it kind of harshes my hand, so I left the grippy right here at the pinch point there and at the pommel. This is Cold Steel's answer to the KA-BAR, as is evidenced by the name Leatherneck, of course nickname for the US Marine Corps or for the US Marines. This one very sensibly has the quillions facing forward in the guard. I never quite understood why the KA-BAR, USMC KA-BAR, which I love, love, love, but I never understood why the quillions faced backward. But these quillions on this guard are nice and thick, they are canted forward ever so slightly. This has a straight clip, unlike a traditional KA-BAR, the kind that I have that are very traditional. So this is a straight, longer clip, shallower swedge, super robust at the tip there, but also a good piercer and hollow-ground, so I would imagine an excellent slicer. It did not have the finest edge on it. Sometimes these sheaths dull Cold Steel knives, but I touched up the edge and will continue to do so. This will get stationed somewhere in my house, placed within arm's reach just in case some sucker happens to—okay, we're just going to put this away. I love it, it's going to be stationed in the house.

Next, this is an Ontario, actually, this is also an Ontario, but I didn't know it when I was writing up my plan. But this is an Ontario early Alpha something. If you have super youthful eyes, you can see Ontario Knife and then Alpha something. But a really compelling blade, again, this one looks a lot like a KA-BAR in the blade. The handle, of course, is much different. Injection-molded, kind of rubberized over, I would imagine a three-quarter tang. And feels very solid, feels pretty budget in that handle, but nice and solid. This will get a little tape because, again, it's a little too rubbery-grippy for my taste. But I really like it, want to start using it. This, I'm not so sure about the sheath, it's a little generic, I might get a sheath kit for this or something like that, not sure. But this is a cool one, I'm just calling it black clip point.

All right, one more, no, no, two more, I'm sorry, to show off here before we get to our do everything folder list. This is the pilot knife from, again from Ontario. You know, Ontario Knife did so much contract knife making for the US government. This is a super famous knife, I'm sure half of the people at least listening or watching this have this knife. But I bet you don't have as nice an edge as I do on this. Every one of these I've ever seen has been about as dull as a pry bar. Craig put a great edge on the main cutting edge and on the swedge, which I appreciate greatly. It's got an awesome notching saw for making traps and stuff, and I just love it. Classic stacked leather handle, all utility, not trying to be pretty. The guard is on crooked and the—but this is just for putting in a Huey or whatever and sitting there until it's needed, till you have to cut your way out of a canopy. So a knife I've always wanted, always, always ever since my good friend Mike had one when we were in middle school, always wanted one of these. His didn't have this metal piece on the back and here, so it doesn't cut through when you crash your aircraft. Really, really great blade.

All right, and last up in this list, another one, another one. This is the Case version of the USMC fighting utility knife. This is one I've been wanting to check out for a long time because it comes with a sharpened swedge, like the very original one I have. The one that I got in 1991 that my brother gave me was KA-BAR's version of the exact knife that the US military was asking for when they first asked for the KA-BAR for the Marine Corps. So it meant a curved clip that was sharpened, and my early KA-BARs have that, and then this one has that. So really cool to have this Case KA-BAR in the collection. I do wish the handle, if I'm picking nits, I do wish the handle wasn't perfectly round on this knife. I wish it were oval because it could really turn in hand and you'd have no idea if you weren't looking, or if you weren't feeling for the guard, how that edge was oriented. But that said, it's a tiny little criticism. I'm thrilled to have this knife, and I love the sharpened swedge on the Case KA-BAR.

Thank you, Craig. Thank you, Craig, thank you. Those are so awesome, and every one of those knives is a type of knife that we're about to talk about, except these are all fixed blades, and they could be in a list of the sort we're going to get to in a second. But first, check out this new t-shirt design Jim has: "First Brew, Then Blade." And, of course, this is for the summer camper. Look at those mountains, look at those hemlocks, and look at that old school camp percolator. Makes me want to drink coffee, all I have is water on the table. And then, of course, you got your pocket knife. You can get this design on t-shirts, on mugs, on all manner of what-have-you and what-not. Just go to theknifejunkie.com/shop. We have over 30 pages of cool designs that you can get emblazoned on a t-shirt, wear it in public, meet like-minded individuals. So check that out at theknifejunkie.com/shop.

All right, first up now, the first two in this list are the knives that inspired this list, and they are new. New to me. And the first one is the Spyderco Stretch 2 XL. Now, this knife is in a special configuration. This has PD1 Micro-Melt steel. Don't ask me, I don't exactly know. I got to tell you, I was interested that it had a super steel, but I was really interested in this color scheme. It's really, really nice to look at. So I wanted to get the Stretch 2 XL, I'm sorry, because of the blade length and the blade shape. Ever since they changed the shape of the Stretch, I've been very happy. They went from that sort of Nesmuk—kind of a weird drop point Nesmuk-y shape—to this very military or para-military style blade. Instead of the rounded thumb, thumb guard peak, it comes to a more of a point, which I like, more of a summit there, and then you have a straight back all the way down to a low tip. Substantial belly and a downward straight, straight edge. This, this could really actually replace your PM2 or your Military. It's in the same neighborhood, kind of in between both in terms of length, slightly shorter than the Military at the even four-inch length. Super capable, lightweight, and it comes in a bunch of super steels. It was recommended to me to get the K390, which I also want to try out. But it's for all the most shallow reasons: A, I want to see it patina, and—but the reason I picked this, another super steel I've heard of so many times, like I said, is the way it looks. It looks so good. But besides the look, it is so great. It's so thin, it's definitely a thinner blade stock than the Military, but it's still got that same high full flat grind. Super, super slicey, it's got a very acute point.

And this knife could definitely double as a self-defense option, and that's at the heart of this "do everything" category. Something that is great for EDC that you can just grab, that doesn't look insane in your pocket when you pull it out and use it, but is not only optimized for EDC but could be definitely used with great effectiveness in a self-defense situation. Now, all of that said, I would also as realistically include a survival situation. You find yourself out, you went hiking for what you thought was going to be a 45-minute lunch break, you got lost, you have a knife on you. These kind of knives, not survival long-term like Rambo, but a knife, thank God I have this with me. So the Stretch 2 XL I really, really like, and if you want a lower-cost option to the Para Military 2 or the Military that has a lot of great steel options, check out the Stretch 2 XL—or the Stretch 2, which is smaller.

Next up, this is the last knife from Craig, a.k.a. Fishbag, that I haven't shown you, and this also inspired this list. This is the Cold Steel Karve. Now, this is a knife that caught my eye, but just did not compel me to buy it. I'm so glad that Craig sent it because I've fallen in love with it. It is so great, and it really could be that alternative, you know, people think Cold Steel and a "do everything" Cold Steel, you're thinking probably of one of the Voyager, 4-inch Voyagers, or a 4-inch Recon 1. You're probably not thinking of the Karve, but I say the Karve works great. First of all, it's got the Atlas lock, which is super strong. It's also fun, not for nothing. I mean, I can have fun with the Tri-Ad lock like the rest of us, but there's nothing like something that flips open like that. Ergonomically great, it's got an excellent guard here, finger guard. When I say it has to be good for self-defense, I'm talking about, yes, of course the blade has to be good for thrusting and slashing, but also it has to have a good traction plan on the handle or outstanding ergonomics with a finger guard that won't allow slipping on or off the blade—and the Karve has that in spades. Now, this is the one knife in this list that approaches Wharncliffe. It does have a very gentle belly. And that's why I have this. I feel like an absolutely straight edge with a bottom point cannot, by definition, be a "do everything" knife, because you can't gently rock the blade on a flat surface. This you can. Of course, you have to be on the end of that surface because your knuckles and that guard won't clear, but I wanted for this list, it has to have a slight sweep to the edge. So this, this is great for all of those things. This, in a pinch, would do wonderfully in a survival situation if it's the only thing you have, you get lost in the woods. Yes. For an encounter in the back alley, hell yes. And for EDC, it's got a great, great utility blade. It is the most obliquely ground of all the knives in this list, but it is still absolutely razor-sharp and glides through material like it's not there, so it kind of doesn't matter. That's the Cold Steel Karve.

Next up, Microtech, the SOCOM Elite Ram-Lok. You know me, I love the SOCOM Elite. I've been carrying the 2013 Tanto for many years now, and I love that thing, especially on road trips. It is so capable, but I wouldn't do it in a "do everything" category only because the one that I have from 2013, the Tanto, is again kind of a chunky grind. It's very sharp, but it is not that slicey, and I feel like that should be part—a very, very good cutter or a more slicey knife should be part of that "do everything" profile. And this, the new Ram-Lok SOCOM, has such a nice thin blade with a super thin grind, beautiful blade also, with an excellent point and that full-length swedge, an incredible piercer. And cutting, it's just so slicey and thin and really, really nice. It does have that egregiously huge choil to clear the Ram-Lok. I know a lot of people don't like that. The Ram-Lok is a pretty big mechanism, and this part of the blade has to be dull to land against it. But it definitely does everything. It is tough, it is robust, M390 blade steel with aluminum handle, very grippy. You have excellent traction, and in a thrusting situation like that, especially with the thinness of that blade, going into whatever you're thrusting into and you've got all of this nice jimping, almost sharp I dare say, well, I'll just say aggressive, aluminum-milled jimping. I love aluminum-milled jimping. And then, of course, you have the fidgetiness for if you're just waiting in the dentist's office and you need something to do, you can click this open and shut with that Ram-Lok. Really, really nice.

All right, next up, this one was kind of designed with this exactly in mind. This is the RSK Mk1 from Doug Ritter and Hogue. So Doug Ritter, the man behind Knife Rights, the man who has, with help of a few people in his organization, changed the knife laws in about 40 states, myself, my state included. I can legally own and carry this, and carry this concealed now, thanks to him, ever since July 1st, 2022. But Doug Ritter was, before he was doing Knife Rights, he was a survival expert and is a survival expert, an aviator, and he wrote the book on surviving a helicopter crash, basically, and designed the Ritter Griptilian, which later became the Ritter Hogue, for that very purpose. A very capable folding knife with an inexpensive handle but super steel blade, that was the whole concept behind the RSK Mk1. When it was made by Benchmade and called loosely the Ritter Griptilian because it had the Griptilian handle, but the Doug Ritter design blade that looked like this with the super steel—at the time that was S30V—Benchmade stopped OEMing for anyone, including Doug Ritter, and Doug was left hanging. So he landed on Hogue, and they totally reinvented this knife and made it even better, and I'd say great. They extended the handle ever so slightly, changed the shape of the handle and contouring, put in that Starburst pattern for excellent grip. This knife has such outstanding ergonomics. It's got a little bit of a guard there for the finger, but the ergonomics are so great that you're not slipping on with a thrust like that. You've got a great, great blade for both cutting, slashing, thrusting, but also point work if you're in a survival situation and you're making a divot. It's perfectly center point, and that's on purpose. He did design this knife for survival. So, if you like this knife and you want to help support Knife Rights, actually, this is a great way to do it, to buy one of these knives. They're so good. And if you don't want an automatic, you can get it non-automatic. This is a special one, but most of them are not automatic. They also come small. You got to go to KnifeWorks, though, it's a KnifeWorks exclusive, this Ritter Hogue, such an awesome thing, the RSK, that stands for Ritter Survival Knife, Mk1.

Next up, from Sharif Manganas and Manganas Steel, you guys have officially heard me talking about this knife now for a full year. I got this at Blade Show 2025, and this was the knife I was hoping to get. I rushed over, and Sharif gave this knife to me, which was such an honor and, man, I'm still touched by it because this knife is so—I wanted it so badly, and I was so concerned that it was going to be sold out because I got there a day late last year, and he had one and gave it to me. And I absolutely love it. Made by Reate, designed by Sharif Manganas, this Manganas Steel Aurelia is a perfect folder. A really, really nicely contoured titanium, pocketed out for weight reduction. You have this awesome lock access here, really nice design overall, just beautiful. Excellent action with the front flipper, also with the thumb stud. You can slow-roll it, you can front-flip it, you can open it all ways to Tuesday. I love the design, the shape of that long clip point blade. Sharif is inspired by makers like Ernest Emerson and others. His designs are—like this, this you could wear with a tuxedo but still you could definitely fight with it if you had to. It would be an excellent blade for that, but all-around utility here is the name of the game. It's got a center-line point or slightly lower than center point, which I like for utility, and it's so robustly built, you wouldn't be disappointed if this was your pocket knife when you got lost in the woods. Excellent jimping, too. That's the Manganas Steel Aurelia.

Next up, from one of my favorite designers and people in general, is the Kami from Artisan Cutlery. This is a Dirk Pinkerton design, and you look at it, and I initially see this as a very aggressive-looking self-defense style knife. You've got that deep re-curve, looks a bit like a kukri. You've got that mid-line point with the—with that huge belly, and Kami, of course, K-A-M-I, is the Nepalese kukri maker. Kukri makers in Nepal are called kamis, and hence the name, because that blade evokes the kukri. But what I love about this, why this is a "do everything" knife to me, is the combination of the ergonomics and the blade. First, the blade, almost full-height flat grind but with that deep, deep belly and the deep re-curve, it's an incredible cutter, very thin behind the edge. And then the point, you know, though you have that crazy re-curve and that serious belly, the point is still center-line. So it makes it easy to tell in a self-defense situation where the point is, but also this—in our equally fictitious survival situation, with a center-line point, it's easier to drill and make holes and stuff. Now, you will maybe have a little more trouble turning it and drilling with it with that shaped handle, but maybe not. Maybe this pommel becomes a thumb—I mean, a palm brace for drilling. So I dare say that this is not only very, very slicey and a great cutting knife for all manner of utility, and an excellent fighting knife and designed with that definitely in mind—that handle and that blade—I would also say that this would be not a bad option as a pocket knife when you get lost in the woods unexpectedly. And this one is S35VN and Micarta. You can get one that's full titanium with 20CV steel, I think. I think.

All right, next up, this one's a beauty. This is definitely one from my Civivi collection that is staying, I have culled some out. This is staying, and I love this knife. This is the Sentinel Strike 2. So it's got an aluminum handle with this integral backstrap made of some sort of FRN. Oh, and by the way, it looks cool. I'll get that out of the way. All these knives to me look cool, and I think this is particularly handsome with the gray and the green. But getting over that, it's a very solid button lock. I know some of you people just groaned when I picked this up because you're like, "Oh, button locks, you know." But I've spine-whacked this—this because now I'm totally nervous about button locks because I think one failed a while ago at some point when someone spine-whacked it. So now to me, I'm like, oh, they're less—they're less reliable. But realistically, this, I would have to hit it really, really hard because I've whacked, spine-whacked this thing pretty hard. A very thin blade, super hollow-ground in this straight portion, so I mean it's ridiculously slicey and useful in a cutting fashion here. And then from about this break to up here, you can see that curve in the grind, it turns into a flat grind up here. Nice long swedge, this is an incredible piercing knife, but also great for slashing. You have that sort of secondary point here, kind of a drop point, kind of a tanto, and then really outstanding, somewhat neutral ergonomics keep it in the hand in a very positive manner. Plus, you have the flipper tab, which acts as a guard in a thrusting situation. And then for the dentist waiting room, you have the button lock that you can fidget, and awesome bearings in there. This is a great, great knife, I highly recommend it. This is 14C28N.

Next up, from Kansept, and a Jeff Blauvelt design, this is the Deadite. Jeff Blauvelt is Tough Knives. He started off as Tough Thumbs, a knife pimper, many years back, and now, and for years since, he's been an incredible custom knife maker whose work is out of reach for me. But luckily, he's been licensing designs to great makers, one of them being Kansept, and I love this Deadite. This was sent to me by Kansept, and I've mentioned this many times. If I were just buying this knife myself, I wouldn't have chosen this colorway and these materials, but I'm glad they sent this to me because it's really, really beautiful. This is called rose carbon fiber, so you got this—they look like rosebud patterns—and a really big titanium bolster that has that nice swoop. And really outstanding ergonomics, it just, oh, fits the hand so nicely. And then you have that guard to stop—to stop from sliding onto the blade in a thrust if you hit something hard. Now, that blade is so acute with that swedge, nice long swedge, and again, a near tanto. I don't know, you see like a secondary point right there, almost. This is a great cutting knife, too. It's nice and thin behind the edge and a thin blade stock. So just an exceptional knife all around, and really nice action. So if you're looking for fidget factor, this has that as well. But this is classy looking, too. So a couple of these knives, like the Aurelia and definitely this knife, you could dress up and put in a suit and look right at home pulling this out to cut your steak at the black-tie affair. S35VN on this. Check them out, I think they still make that, seen stones on it recently.

Second to last, now this comes in a large and a small. I have the large one here because my small, testament to how awesome these knives are, is in a survival kit right now. But this is the Off-Grid Knives Stinger, and this is the XL version. And I have to say, pretty much any Off-Grid knife will fit this category—maybe not the tuxedo part of it, but every other part of it. They are super robust, they feel great in hand, they are outstanding slicers. They're my favorite cardboard knives, they slice as the day is long, slice as much as—whatever, you get what I mean. They keep going and going. This is a four-inch blade, this is the full-height flat ground version of this, you can also get it in a bayonet grind, which optimizes the thrusting. That is not rust, is it? Nah, it's some sort of crap I left on there from the last time I used it. But really, really solid build. These were made by Bestech, I believe. A lot of the knives from Off-Grid Knives are made either by Bestech or by one of Carrie's trusted Taiwanese manufacturers. Yes, with the reach and with the grind, this would make an outstanding self-defense option, if you can bring it to bear—that's, I will say that about all folding knives. This is assuming you can get it out and get it open without fumbling and dropping it in an actual situation. But this would make a great knife to get lost in the woods with. It is tough, and again, like I said, it's a robust but comfortable, go-all-day kind of knife. And the blade steel, 154CM.

Last up, you might find funny, but it's not funny, it's serious. [laughter] This is the North Mountain Blade BBMN. And this knife is in here because I really wanted a knife with an absolute straight edge, but I wanted it to have more of an option than a sheep's foot or a Wharncliffe. And this is the perfect solution. You've got that perfectly straight edge there, and then you have that perfectly straight edge there. You can transition between them, you can use one or the other, but you have a lot of versatility in that—more versatility in those two straight edges than you do in the single straight edge of the Wharncliffe or the sheep's foot, two blade shapes I very much love, but I don't think quite fit this category. For self-defense, it's kind of obvious, you've got—well, for self-defense you have this grip which very nicely butts into the palm and locks into the structure of your forearm, and you have great jimping for traction. You have this guard here and then a secondary in that choil up here if you were to slide up on a thrust. Very robustly built. Guess robust is the word of the hour, huh? Two slabs of titanium with no weight reduction, a solid feel, and you get that really solid and rigid lockup feel with the—they're not thumb studs, they are external pins, stop pins, and they really lock this thing up, make it feel ultra-solid.

So yeah, I think this thing would be good self-defense, I think it would be a decent survival, you know, and definitely it's a great EDC knife. I've used this many, many times to cut out shipping labels when sending knives around, that point is great. It is strong as the day is long, but it will still get the job done with that super fine point. And while I have it in this aspect, you can see it is a San Mai steel, it's a jacketed steel. You can see that center steel and the two on the side called SLD Magic, SLD Magic, sorry.

All right, that's it. Those are my ten great "do everything" pocket knives, not what you think. There was no Griptilian on here, there was no Bugout, there was no PM2, there was no Military, there was no Buck 110. So these are some knives that fit that category great, but maybe don't get as much of the limelight for it. So thanks for watching, thanks for listening, for Tim working his magic behind the switcher. I'm Bob DeMarco saying, until next time, don't take dull for an edge.

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