Practical to Tactical: 10 Great Do-All Folding Knives
The Knife Junkie Podcast (Episode 363)

00:01
Welcome to the Knife Junkie podcast, the place for blade lovers to learn about knives and hear from the makers, manufacturers and reviewers that make the knife world go round.
I'm Bob DeMarco and coming up, the Boker Shamsher I forgot to show off last week.
Two new wees on the way, one from Cavco and practical to tactical.
10 dual folders.
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.
Welcome back to the show.

00:41
My favorite comment from this past week was from nomadic adventures, a great contributor to Thursday Night Knives.
Nomadic says about the bird blades iron wolf, he says if we were kids I would ask to come over and play with your toys.
As always, fire knives and walk around of blade features with honest content.
Thanks again for the great work.
Two reasons I put this up, it doesn't really have much to do with the Berg blades Iron Wolf, which is.
Outstanding.
And everyone was pretty much unanimous in the comments that it's an awesome knife and that I indeed should have bought one when I was handling it at Blade show.

01:17
But I like this because, yeah, this is what we used to do, you know.
Oh, you got the new Millennium Falcon.
That shows how old I am.
But whatever the the newer Star Wars toys were and you go over to your friends house and you mix and you mingle your your action figures and their guns and then at the end of the day you have to separate it all back out and it would be like sort of an adult version of that with knives.
And so anyway, I just like that.
Plus it's a positive comment and I I think I'm alternating between positive and negative comments these days.
So this was a good one and you're welcome.

01:51
So thanks nomadic adventures and everyone else who commented.
Um, got some great comments this past week, getting some some good engagement.
So it's nice to to talk with everyone and to and to see who's watching.
So thank you, thank you one and all.
Alright, I think it's time for a pocket check.
OK, so I've been sick the past three or four days and I've been sort of milling around.
Moaning and complaining.

02:28
You know, the way men do when they're actually, that's not true.
I have been the most.
I have been the most stolid, sick person ever.
I've been the most.
Stoic, because I don't want to hear that that old trope.
Ohh.
Men are such babies when they're sick.

02:42
This is one of the things that kept me from being a baby.
I had these in my sick pants the whole time.
This is the Manticore from heretic knives.
Now why did I choose this as my wander around blindly and moaning sick knife?
I don't know.
That's the whole thing.
I think maybe I was feeling bad for it.

03:02
I I bought it, you know, for July 1st.
That, that.
Wonderful date when uh automatics became legal in Virginia.
And and then the rattle.
There's a little rattle, which can always be expected in out the front knives but for some reason that turned me off for a short while.
But I'm back.
I'm back, baby.

03:21
I love this knife.
It's got a really great action and an amazing blade.
Hollow ground.
Just beautiful to look at.
I haven't done much cutting with it, honestly but.
I have to I have to imagine that this lmax from heretic, especially with the with how sharp it is and with the hollow grind is going to cut very well it this has jimping, which I really appreciate on the back of the blade here.
You don't see that too much on out the front knives, but you see it here and I like it.

03:55
I also like the graphic effect of the black and unfinished blade.
What did I use this for?
Absolutely nothing.
But I figured if someone, you know busted into the house uninvited while I was sick, this would be a good one to have in the pocket with that full 4 inch blade.
Just a beautiful, beautiful knife here.
So this is what I had on me today.
I also had a couple of other things.

04:19
Well this I had all week.
But today was a regular day, like an unsick day.
So I had to go out and leave the house.
Yes, and I had to put on pants like regular ones.
And so I had this in my waistband.
This is my 1558 Revere from Josh Fisher, a master.
Master Bladesmith, um, this is one of his knives that he sells.

04:46
You know that he sort of mass produces and sells like many.
Like many forging, like many bladesmiths, they have their special knives that they forge from scratch.
Each one like a snowflake, and then they have more.
Repeatable runs, you know we see this with the hog tooth Tonto I'm always carrying that's, that's Matt chases, you know, inexpensive production knife that you can get from him that he doesn't labor over as much as a forged blade.
Well that's kind of what this is here.
You've got a beautiful coke bottle handle when you look down at it from this aspect and really nicely contoured in every dimension on the handle it's very, very comfortable.
And then you have that beautiful recurve blade.

05:34
Now this is.
Sold as a hunting knife, of course.
I see it as a fighting knife.
You've got a beautiful recurve.
A deep belly, pardon me.
A deep belly that sits below the knuckles and a point that goes about center line maybe a little bit lower than center line and then a very sticking your hand sort of handle.
So this thing to me.

05:57
Yeah I better be great for hunting.
I don't know you know for skinning I guess I'm not sure but I do know it would be it would be it would work with a lot of you know sort of fighting scenarios.
But if you look at it it's about the same size as the Manticore except it doesn't need all that.
Handle to accommodate the machine, the the blades and the mechanism in the spring and such.
So nice, nice carry.
That's a four inch blade, 4 inch handle all right for emotional support.
I haven't really put this one down much since I've gotten it.

06:29
It's it's The Tempest knives pinion.
Our good buddy Casey at knives fast.
This is his knife company and this is his first production knife.
And I jumped on this one especially.
He was nice enough to send me the prototype.
I got to check it out and I was like, oh this one, you know.
So I jumped right on the pre-order and then it came not too many months later and I've been so pleased with it and everyone has been raving about theirs and that's so nice to see you in here.

07:00
So there you go.
I had that for emotional support.
Hey, what's so emotionally supportive about that, Bob?
You might ask the action.
Ohh.
The action is just butter, butter.
This is how I like it.

07:11
If it's going to be drop shutty, that's how I like it.
Give it a little, a little gentle and if it fits really nicely in the detent, when it locks, when the, when the detent, when the blade goes in it, it just has a very satisfying thunk.
All right, last up, I did have a slip joint on me as usual.
And this was my canine Jack from Jack Wolf Knives.
This is a dog leg Jack.
That's the that's what referring to the handle shape, which I always assumed was just for style and looks because I'm shallow.
But having this in hand, this being my first dog leg knife, I see how really ergonomically purpose driven that shape is.

07:55
It fits nestles in the hand perfectly, just anatomically perfect for this kind of grip.
And then another thing, I really dig about this.
Life is that blade.
I'm always kind of about spear point or pen blades on slip joints.
They're my the least interesting to me.
But the way this one is designed with that real bulbous belly up front, I I really like it.
I like the downward angle of the cutting edge that results from making such a wide belly up front and.

08:29
Well, as with all Jack Wolf knives, I love the deep, deep, hollow grind so beautifully.
Nicely done.
And I wonder who makes these.
He's not allowed to to say, but every every.
I'm sure everyone's got their theories and my theory just changed just looking at this.
But.
It doesn't matter.

08:47
All that matters is that they're beautiful designs.
Very, very well made.
So Jack Wolf knives, this is interesting.
I'm looking at this and two of four of the knives I carried today are by friends and.
Their friends that have developed since kind of falling in love with their work.
Well, actually that's not exactly true, but it's nice to be able to carry knives that have been made and designed by people.
You know, before I got into custom knives and I I can't say I'm fully into custom knives.

09:20
I do like custom fixed blades because.
To me, they're affordable and and and attainable, but.
The thing about carrying knives by people that or I'm sorry about buying custom knives is that you get to form a relationship with the maker in a way.
And you know, even if you just buy the knife and talk to the guy once like this 1558 spoke with him at Blade Show, we still made a connection there.
And I now I know who made this knife and I've seen his family.
They were all sitting at the table.
And to me that means a lot when I have this because it means more to me than.

10:00
Coming out of a factory.
Alright, I I don't wanna, I don't wanna dip into some sort of a fever dream rant here.
I might because I'm not 100%.
So I'm just going to say if you're interested in the kind of content we put out here, you want to help support the show, go check us out on Patreon.
We've gotten a couple of new patrons recently and I thank thank them all on last week's show.
But I thank you again and and the patrons who have been with me, Umm, you know, all along.
I appreciate you one and all, from the gentleman junkie to the traditional junkie.

10:33
You are all awesome.
Thank you very much.
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10:53
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You're listening to the Knife Junkie podcast.
And now here's the knife junkie with the knife life news.
Seems I have a story like this every week or every other week, but we is coming out with two new sweet knives.

11:32
I added the sweet part because I don't always feel that way, but these two look like honeys the 1st.
That we're going to talk about well actually we'll we'll talk here, let's see we'll we'll go in reverse order.
The one that you see in the main picture of the knife News article is a little EDC that's a sub three inch blade called the chareth.
Not sure what cherith means but it's got gorgeous milling in the handle.
This is a the one that we see in the picture is a spiral graphic pattern but they also have Umm.
There are also coming out with a frag pattern that you can check out.
I love this purple blue lavender anodizing.

12:14
Here's the thing, I'm not sure if I can live with it.
I used to think I liked and wanted purple knives because I love The Color Purple.
But when I had a a purple we, it was a it was a big Warren Cliff from the 600 era.
It was just too purple.
I just couldn't.
I just never went for it.
But I thought it was an interesting blend.

12:37
It was a knarley looking knife, something kind of scary looking but in this beautiful sort of teenage girl purple.
So I thought that was interesting contrast.
Anyway.
So here on this we cherith a sub three inch, but just slightly sub three inch.
You've got a titanium frame lock, you've got the spirograph or or frag pattern milling and you've got a beautifully thin and high height or or full height.
Flat Ground 20 CV blade so looks like yet another really sweet little EDC from we knives and this looks like a wee knife, does it not?
I mean at this point we can say that we can really see a design style in we and survival knives done in house.

13:23
This looks like a we savvy, no doubt the next one however.
Warms the cockles of my heart, this thing.
Look at this blade, OK. If you can't see it, it's a gafco.
It's the gafco.
Hyphen and do you do you know gafco?
Michael gafco.
He's he's been making knives for I don't know it.

13:41
It's got to be at least 12 years.
I used to watch his videos when he'd make these sweet fixed blades and he would do tutorials on YouTube, do tutorials on kydex.
That's how I learned how to make kydex sheaths.
And all along just well back in those days, he started producing folders and.
Ever since, he's just been making these absolutely gorgeous shark themed knives folders.
The hyphen, I'm not sure exactly.
I think that's referring to the maybe the harpoon on top of this Warren Cliff Blade, but it's just.

14:16
This to me is exciting from we because Gafco's designs are exciting and I I like him, I've never met him or know him but I like him and I like his design.
So it's cool to see such a high quality brand picking up his his designs.
I mean I know we has produced others of of his designs but not under the We banner so it's kind of cool to see and yeah I just like it 3 inches.
The Warren Cliff blades are the are the places.
I can go down in blade size, so this might be something I'd consider if it were three and a quarter 3 1/2.
It would be a moral imperative.
So maybe I'm glad about the size you look at it.

14:57
The ergonomics seem like they might force you into a position, but I don't think so.
I don't think so.
I think the two finger partition is nice and shallow and I think you have that thumb swell.
I think you're going to have great control over this very classy utility knife.
That's the hyphen, a new one coming from we knives I think by the end of the year.
I think that's what they said about both of these.
Not sure on the blade steel on that O2 new knives coming from weight next U CRKT.

15:30
You know how they have quite a relationship with Lucas Burnley and the squid of very very popular budget knife from them designed by Lucas Burnley?
Well it's gotten the limited edition treatment a number of times and this second limited edition squid coming out is produced by an Italian OEM.
Unnamed but.
Doesn't matter.
They're all.
They all make pretty nice knives.
Um, Italian OEM.

15:58
This one has the IT has a longer blade shape than the original squid, and, excuse me, longer blade shape than the original squid and taking it up to 2.68 inches from 2.25. And it's also giving you fat carbon scales on that sort of.
Picture framed frame there.
Is that what it's called?
It's not a picture frame.
You know what I mean?
Where you can see the liners standing proud.
And it's coming in at 4.9 oz.

16:31
I had and and this one has a flipper that's also a new aspect to this.
But I had the squid, just the standard squid in steel frame lock 8 CR 13 MOV, and it was a charming little knife.
I really did like that knife I gave it to to a friend.
I can't remember what I did with it.
I gave it to someone but a great great little knife and a cool design and I like seeing it here bigger and more fully fleshed out.
You know, luxurious way I. You know, I've I I don't wanna say.
That sounds dramatic, but I'm in a dramatic mood.

17:07
I I've, I feel like I've lost hope for CRKT in one way, which is like I'm never really expecting them to appeal to me in a from my collectors point of view.
But I like them in that they bring unique and innovative designs from from designers to to a general buying public.
And I think that that's a great service.
But once you get to a certain point, you become a steel snob for no apparent reason.
I'll tell you that I I know that.
For sure it's not like I've taken 8 CR 13 MOV to the Max and and wished I had more for the job I was doing, but.
Once you kind of get in the collector's mindset.

17:45
You know, materials do matter, and so it's cool to see this design that I liked a lot.
Kind of dressed up a bit, and I wish CRKT would do more of this.
Just as a matter of course.
Get rid of the HCR, get a dot D2 as much as possible and then move up from there.
Um, because they've got a good thing going?
With what they're doing, what they're bringing to market?
I think so anyway.

18:14
All right, I'm going to I'm going to stop that talk right there.
But I do think it's cool that they went to Italy.
They're like we gotta, we gotta have this made really classy.
Really classy.
What do we do have it made in Italy alright still to come on the Knife Junkie podcast we're going to take a look at a knife I mentioned last week but I don't even know.
I think was in the 5th pocket of my jeans up in my closet and then we're going to take a look at practical to tactical.
These are 10 great do all except hunting folders coming up right on the Knife Junkie podcast the Get Upside app is.

18:44
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And now that we're caught up with knife life news, let's hear more of the Knife Junkie podcast.
OK, so this is a knife that was sent to me by by Boker.
When I requested the.
The Texas toothpick.

19:32
I also by a Chaz Fisher.
Chaz, after he was on the show, asked if he could send me a boker.
I said please send me the Texas toothpick.
And he sent this along too.
And it's a cool little switchblade.
It's called the Shamsher and uh, I'm not sure if that's just a different spelling of sham shear.
I can't imagine it is, because.

19:52
This looks nothing like a sham share, which is a a a long very very curved Saber from the Middle East, speaking vaguely the Shamsher.
So I think Shamshur is something else.
Anyway, this is designed by Darriel Caston.
You can see his logo there and also another fella.
I can't read that.
But very very cool little 5th pocket knife.
This thing closed is 2 1/2 inches maybe.

20:25
Let's see.
Yeah, 2 3/4 inches long and then that blade coming out, it's it is a little one, but it's a sweet little blade.
I do like it.
This came with a Burr on the on the edge and.
You know, I gotta say that's a little disappointing to me because.
And is not exactly centered.
Neither of these knives are exactly centered.

20:48
And and I'm not, I'm not trying to bust down Boker.
I just gotta gotta say they're not.
They're not centered.
And I'm not sure why.
Boker's been making knives for since the 1800s, I mean.
But it it doesn't really affect the the usage of this or or the enjoyment or the charm or anything else but but it's just one of those details.
It's kind of like, yeah, maybe this should be centered.

21:15
Other than that in the in the Burr on the edge, I mean I can take care of that.
It's, uh, a great little 5th pocket knife.
I mean, look at how small this thing is.
So yeah, I I highly recommend.
Checking it out.
You know, maybe I shouldn't say that.
I don't highly recommend checking it out.

21:36
What what I what I do say is that if you like little knives like this, if you like little switchblades, which I do this this goes sits right next to my launch nine.
Is it the 9, the little tiny one launch nine in my collection.
I I like it.
This might not be for everyone.
And then of course, I just mentioned that.
The centering issue, and I also mentioned that I got it for free so you know all of that.
Taken into account, I think it's a cool knife.

22:02
I do like the trigger action on top, and I do like most things about it.
It does have a small lanyard post here, which is something I might take advantage of.
I do like lanyards on small small knives.
So, mixed emotions on the Boker Shamsher.
Uh, but since I have it and it's mine, I I like it.
You get what I mean.
But but you know, all of those things I mentioned.

22:29
If if all of those things that I mentioned don't bother you, then check it out.
All right.
That wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement, but it shouldn't.
It shouldn't have to be.
OK, now I want to talk about something near and dear to my heart and and these are practical to tactical folders.
These are knives that I get because um.
Well, I get them because they are great at just doing everyday tasks, whatever those things happen to be.

23:01
For me, I could really probably get away with the Boker Shamsher for my everyday tasks, except for cutting sandwiches.
It's nicer to have something bigger, but my point is these are knives that are great for everyday carry tasks, but can flex into tactical very well if need be and pretty much do everything in between.
And then I'm going to say except hunting because I'm.
Very unfamiliar with hunting because I've never done it.
Never skinned an animal.
A and B I'm pretty sure I have a good idea of what you want out of out of a skinning knife, and maybe two or three in this list might be good for that one in particular, and I'll mention it when we come up on it.
But for those of you out there who are hunters, let me know if if if I'm right in the one that I think in this list would be good for this, for hunting, skinning an animal.

23:49
All right, putting the hunting and skinning aside, let's take a look at great.
Practical to tactical knives.
Given that we just had Dirk Pinkerton on the show, I'll start with his design first.
Now, I could have put three others here that I really liked that fit this category, but this one.
This one I think does it with the most a plum.
Excuse me this this is the contact from asymmetrical, and asymmetrical is the middle tier.
Middle tier line of knives from beyond DC they have Terra.

24:27
Terra they have the.
Oh, my God.
They have the beyond DC sort of budget and then midline.
They have the asymmetrical and then they have the Terra Nova, Terra 20 something, I can't remember what they're high-end OEM brand is.
It's the the same line that made the the John Demco River Wolf.
Tera Munda, Tara Mundy, that's what it's called.
OK. So this is from the asymmetric line where you will see S 35 VN, you'll see titanium, you'll see all the things that we called premium three or four years ago in a in a beautifully made sort of mid tier priced knife.

25:08
So why is this a great practical to tactical?
Well, I think it's pretty obvious.
First of all, you look at the setup here, I'm going to place this down.
If you look at the setup, you can see how the flat worn Cliff blade is at an angle to the to the spine of the handle, an upward angle, kind of like a Japanese kiridashi.
Or he he was.
Dirk, when I was talking to him about this knife, said he was looking at the peshku tabs when he was making this.
So I I have to mention that.

25:39
But to me it looks a lot like a kiridashi with that upward flat angle of upward flat edge there and then you have that great tip at the perfect tactical triangular angle for a for a worn Cliff.
So worn cliffs come in a number of different flavors.
And my favorites are with the with the least steep angle up front I the the less like a cleaver the better.
Now this one is great for tactical for a couple of reasons.
Great gription all around with the milling on the chamfer.
A great overall shape for ergonomics in the hand, allowing for a number of different holds.
Um three, we we know from the Yojimbo and and Michael Janich's research that Warren Cliff blades do really really grievous damage in a slash and and and another fighting applications.

26:38
And then lastly when you take this and take advantage of those neutral ergonomics and you put it in picola grip with the tip down and the edge in it's it angles that blade perfectly.
Sort of in that reaching forward angle, just like a dedicated Pakal knife wood.
So I'm talking about this angle right here, the angle of the blade off of the fist.
So really a great knife in.
In any case, to me this is a gentlemen's knife because it's nice and light.
The action is just butter.
It's so it's so smooth and a pleasure.

27:16
It's a pleasure.
This is actually similar to the the pinion.
It doesn't drop in, chop your finger off, but it has a nice one nudge drop and I I really like that.
And then you get a little touch, a touch of color there with that nicely anodized blue titanium pocket clip.
So first is the asymmetric contact by Dirk Pinkerton.
Excuse me?
Next up, now this is the one that I I said I thought might be useful in a hunting context, but this is the volsteedt nightshade.

27:52
Just a very interesting looking knife I gave this this was on last week's list and I gave this the best broken lock look knife because it looks like that lock is not engaged or is broken and the knife and the blade hasn't swung open fully but that is open and in locked position.
And because of that, because of that.
Uh, funny downward angle of that blade to the handle.
Uh, you get a lot of utility benefit.
It's putting the tip down below your knuckles, even giving you great sort of utility.
Cutting, pull, cutting draw, cutting access to that point.
You get access to that point as if it were a Warren Cliff, but you still have all of that belly underneath.

28:42
Now look, this is what I mean.
If this were a worn Cliff, it would.
It would.
Basically come off the handle.
I mean, it's still angled down.
It would still be an angled down 1 Cliff, but look at all that belly you get to add and still make it to the tip easily without screwing your wrist up.
So that downward angle and that belly add to its well, OK, utility, you're cutting rope, pulling it towards you, cutting straps on a on a box, pull it towards you, maybe even going under a seat belt with that curved blade pulling towards you.

29:16
Get, say your you have to use it this way.
It's like a recurve.
It's like having a cookery in your hand or a barong.
But and then that is what makes it very tactical.
Also that downward angle.
Accelerates the cut.
By the time your hand and your knuckles get to the same plane of the thing that you're cutting, you've already cut it in half, or or what have you.

29:40
A lot of the knives you see behind me from the Philippines have this sort of angle on them, and that was the whole point, to accelerate the slashing and the chopping and the cutting ability, whether it's in the field or on the battlefield.
So this vasty nightshade, I think it's a real wolf in sheep's clothing.
It looks kind of bumbling.
It looks kind of cute or whatever, but it is.
I mean to me.
Oh, and also on a thrust, you don't have to change your wrist angle at all on a thrust.
So very, very cool.

30:14
Like I said, I think it's like a sheep, sheep and wolves clothing.
You might take a look at that and think.
But I wouldn't be on the.
I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of it.
Whether our a piece of cardboard or a criminal.
OK, Next up is this is an awesome one and a classic but sort of a newer version of a classic.
This is the Delica Warren Cliff.

30:37
Serrated ohh yeah this is the only serrated knife on this list.
I find that serrations are more tactical than practical.
Personally I know, but that's my own usage.
If I were working somewhere where I needed to cut a lot of fibrous stuff or cut ropes, maybe cut open sack cloth or that kind of thing, it would come in very very handy and practical.
But for my lifestyle a a straight edge, a non serrated straight edge is more practical to me.
So this.
This one.

31:12
You get the practical in the size uh, this is a great back pocket knife.
By the way these are aftermarket titanium scales and that's a from smoky Mountain knife works and this is a MXG gear clip.
The long clip on the Delica is really annoying, but the short these short clips feel fine in hand.
Like I was saying, the practical part of this is the Warren Cliff nature that that first quarter inch or half inch there that's unsaturated is is really great for pretty much any sort of pull, cut, draw cut kind of thing and kind of action.
And then those Spidey teeth are just wicked and nasty and probably my favorite.
I do like cold steel serrations, but the the small peaks on them tend to bend with heart use.
So this would be devastating if you needed to use this in a in a tactical sense.

32:11
Of course those serrations that low tip and the straight edge would.
Would be, you know, pretty.
Pretty nasty to come up against the titanium handle for that purpose.
Probably not the best.
You get more gription with the with the GRND handle skills that come with it.
But since this was a gift.
I just.

32:36
I wanted to make sure that.
I don't know.
I just wanted to dress it up a little bit and make it, make it something that I I really.
Love even more.
But yeah, this was a gift and I'm very, very, very grateful for that.
Thank you, Sir.
All right, Next up, I want to talk about.

32:57
This one, this gets a lot of action.
You see this a lot here.
And you see it's Big Brother.
A lot here.
This is the Cayman.
From off grid knives.
The Cayman gets a lot of use around the house here.

33:10
It's sort of an unsung hero.
It's not unsung because I talk about it a bit, but I don't carry it much.
I just use it, you know?
I don't.
I don't take her out and show her off.
I just.
You know what I mean?

33:22
OK, so this has a low point.
The point is below center line.
It's got almost a straight edge and yet it's it's got that incredible piercing Bowie tip.
It's got a long, long swedge and and a dramatic look.
You know, it looks like its namesake, the Cayman small crocodilian found in the in the in South America.
Handle is a very nicely contoured G10.
They make an Excel version of this which is more tactical than practical I'd say, but this one right here that low point and really allows you to do all sorts of utility cuts and and pulling drag cuts and stuff like that with this tip without having to change your wrist angle much.

34:11
But it also gives you an exquisite point and really great ergonomics with jimping that.
Was all the way up to the to the swedge, making this really great in hand.
For tactical purposes.
Let me, let me, let me stop for a second and say what kind of define.
What I mean by that with a tactical grip, I think it's got to be either totally neutral kind of like we see with the contact, it's pretty much neutral so that you can change to any grip or it's got to be contoured like this with jimping to lock you in and have a nothing fancy used to call it a
traction plan like this is has a real plan to stay in your hands.
The traction plan here is the contouring the the surface of the G10.

35:01
And then the jimping, and that's the traction plan for this.
So this has a great feel in hand.
If you needed to to wield it, heaven forbid.
But if not, and you're just going to use it for cutting up cardboard and sandwiches and stuff like that, it's it's.
Man, it'll it'll take care of you for sure.
It's got nice thin blade stock and A and a mid height Saber grind.
It's so thin behind the edge.

35:27
All these off grid knives are wickedly, wickedly thin here.
You can see that right there.
Very very nice knife and if you like it but you want something bigger, check out the Excel version of the Off Grid Knives Cayman.
Ohh yeah.
And as Jim has put up on screen, we have an affiliate link with awkward.
It's one of the few knife companies we have an affiliate link with because we believe in them wholeheartedly and love their stuff.
All right, Next up, another company I love wholeheartedly and love their stuff, Finch.

35:59
You didn't think Finch was going to be on this list, did you?
But yes, all knives can be turned to wickedness if need be.
And this one especially.
This is the holiday that's 2L's.
That's not a misspelling.
That's for Doc holiday.
This was designed by Spencer of.

36:18
Of Finch Knife Company as a tribute to his father who was a big lover of Old West tales and and figures and and just, you know loved that part of history.
So he designed this knife after Doc Holiday.
And an interesting thing about it, his knife inspiration was the doctor's knife, which is a slip joint that usually has a long pen blade and a long flat spatula and a. Rectangular elongated rectangular handle with a squared off.
But and the purpose of this knife was to when a doctor would show up to your house when you were ill back in the old days and they were going to give you a pill.
Instead of giving it to you and you swallow it, they would cut it and grind it up.
So they cut it with the with the blade and then grind it up with the flat ****.
And then put it into water, make a tincture and then you drink it down, but then they stir it up with a little spatula.

37:18
Very, very cool.
I need to get one of those in my life.
I got my dad one, he's a retired physician.
I got him a a case doctors knife and and he's always thought that was really cool this.
So it has, it has the elements of the doctor's knife.
It's called the doc holiday which is kind of well I'm sure not a coincidence.
It's a bolster lock but it has this great worn Cliff blade, perfectly straight.

37:42
Edge with the tip exactly aligned with the bottom of the handle and so you get you get great utility out of this thing.
Again these kind of cuts.
These utility cuts where you're pulling or under a strap and pulling towards you or rope or string or what have you.
But then you have this, you just reverse it and put the tip down.
And much like the uh contact over here you have a great pical style knife because the handle is totally neutral, even more neutral than the contact.
You can hold it any way you want and it's going to feel the same.
And so if you needed to turn this thing to wickedness.

38:24
Uh, you could.
Hey, if you're looking at my watching and thinking, hey did Bob get a Rolex?
No, I didn't.
That's a pagani.
It's a tribute watch for those who can't imagine spending $10,000 on a watch but like the design.
So this is a funny thing.
I'm actually, I'm going on.

38:40
I'm going on Dirk warning and Alex Tassos podcast tonight and they're both into watches and I'm going to ask them how they feel about this.
Is this like getting a a Microtech clone because you don't want to spend Microtech money or is this something different?
It doesn't say.
Rolex on it.
Anyway, we're we're gonna we'll talk all about that.
I mean, I got it for 1000% less than a real one, so there you go.
OK, Next up, this is a cool design.

39:05
This was a gift to me from Dave.
This old sword blade reviews one of many.
He's a very cool and generous dude with an amazing collection.
Anywho, this is one that he gave me and I cherish it.
It's called the keen natter.
From Savi and it's got this great natural micarta handle.
I just love this micarta for some reason, not something about this handle in particular.

39:31
It's just great, my card.
What can I say?
It's soaked up my funk really well and patinaed nicely, but the the real star of the show is the blade.
Recurve tanto to me is a very good.
Practical to tactical blade shape because you you have two different kinds of grinds.
You have a more robust flat grind up front where the tip is, and then you have the thinner hollow grind.
Back here on the quote, UN quote straight.

40:01
That's not straight, it's actually curved, but.
So the same reason it's great for practical, it's great for tactical and and what I mean by that is with the flat grind up front, it's great for thrusting.
And then with this curved edge here, it's great for slashing.
And then down here you're catching material in that recurve and in you can.
Also great for cutting rope, great for cutting other things too.
The traction plan on this is excellent.
You have a nearly neutral handle, you've got nice jumping, you can come high up you.

40:38
It also gives you this for practical purposes, a little choil if you need to come up, but it's very secure in hand with that, with that really simple neutral.
Gently curved handle and feels great, and it's nice and light and it gets nice and thin and slicey behind the edge.
Also, it's a little menacing looking and there's something to be said for menace in terms of.
You know they say in in in you know quote UN quote knife defense work.
The other guy should never see the knife.
It's just like it should be felt not seen and and that is the ideal but but if it were to be seen this is a so it would be a scary thing to see.
What can I say?

41:21
I guess all of these would but that recurve Tonto to me is is especially intimidating.
Next up is it does design made by concept designed by K Max ROM of France.
This is the excuse me, this is the concept PRETA 2. Preta 2 in French means do everything.
Yeah.
And this is I I broke it down.
Oh, yeah, that's right.
I don't speak French, but I I do know that he told me that.

41:58
Anyway, that's what it means.
But Prett is ready, right?
And then two.
Two, is everything all right anyway?
This feels great in hand it it's different though, and the key matter had this straight neutral handle.
This has a very curved.
Handle that sort of puts your hand in the position it wants your hand to be in, whether you're in Sabre grip like this using the the thumb ramp and kind of choked back, or up here in Filipino grip and using the pressure from the thumb to bear down with a push cut.

42:36
Either way, this knife is super, super comfortable and sure and locked in hand.
So I I won't really go into why this is good practical because you can just look at it.
It's just a. It's just kind of looks like a clip point blade.
You've got, actually, I will from that curved handle.
You do have good access to that point, even though there's a nice big belly here and the point is still about centerline with the with the pivot and this tail screw.
Um, so having the curve curves it in your hand makes it a little more readily available, but it's nothing like having a worn Cliff in terms of those, those sort of pull cuts.
But it's a thin, mostly flat ground blade here, so it it really does slice very nicely, adding to its practical.

43:31
Value but.
To me, this feels more like a. More like a it's set up for tactical use.
Uh, you've got that, like I said, the curved handle.
But also the the fluting really does grab the handles.
It it really does grab the fingers.
It is canvas micarta, so it gets more grippy the wetter it gets.
And this right here, this thumb swell just is begging for a pressure cut, push, cut sort of thing.

44:03
But of course not through cardboard.
You can't really do that sort of cut through cardboard.
Is your thumb is there.
So this to me is like a slashing thrusting sort of self-defense knife that would have practical uses.
So we're starting to turn and to me this is a. To me, this is a good blend, a good balance of both.
Next up?
The Kaiser Excel Begleiter.

44:33
Or Begleiter, or however people pronounce it.
But this is great because it's a full 4 inch blade and the blade itself is man.
It's very kind of.
How how am I going to say this?
Plain or neutral?
But I mean it in a very good way.
You know, there's not much.

44:54
There's not much to it.
It's got that beautiful swedge.
It's it is a drop point, not a dagger, a style.
But it's got a nice thin slicy blade.
What is this blade?
Steel.
I can never remember.

45:10
154 CM.
I do love 154CM.
But it just reminds me of a bayonet.
That blade reminds me of a bayonet blade and the fact that it's 4 inches and and the overall length of this thing is pretty big.
It's about 9 inches it.
Feels like a substantial.
This is one of the few um kaisers or or knives in in this category that I will carry.

45:37
Front, front, right pocket because it feels like it's a do all knife in terms of its size too, you know?
My wheelhouse is 3.5 to 4 inches, so the larger size I am I'm preferential to.
But with that linen, micarta handle feels so grippy, so good, and gives you a nice distance off from the tip of that blade.
This thing is sweet.
Also, you've seen you've seen me just doing this.
It's also very fun.
I mean, if part of your practical use of a knife is emotional support, this is a great one for it.

46:15
You know, if you just need to.
Flick your knife open and closed and drive people around you crazy.
But work through some things, you know I'm working things out.
Uh, just doing this, that's all.
Alright, let me put this down.
All right, second to last in this esteemed list is a cold steel and now I could have put a lot of cold steels in here.
But.

46:42
I wanted to go for the one that seemed the most readily available and the most economical.
And to me it's the Voyager series and the large because they come in Excel and they used to come in small or in medium, but now now it's just the large and the and the Excel.
So this is the Voyager clip point also comes in the drop point, the vaquero and the Tonto.
I think this or the drop point are the most practical.
You have a good decent bit of straight.
Cutting edge there, nice belly, a strong tip with a swedge.
That tip with the curve of this handle is at center line.

47:22
And then you have this great fat handle.
I mean these things are very, very, very sure in hand.
They have this contour, the contour from top to bottom, and then they have the.
Iron Cross pattern, milled or not milled, but sort of cast in there so the grip is really great and then you get different places you can grip, you can choke up.
You can be normal.
And be normal and you can come up here like this.
Uh, the larger versions of this even give you grips down here, but.

47:59
So very very sure in hand.
This is a great outdoor like a camp knife or a great for me in the backyard.
Just need a knife in my pocket that cut stuff.
This is a great knife for that but also would make for an excellent fighting knife.
This is a four inch blade and at in the normal normal Saber grip like this you have an inch and 1/4 here between your finger and that cutting edge.
So you have a lot of standoff range with this with this knife for a four inch blade.
And you get that a lot in cold steel knives because they have in the demco designed cold steel knives from the classic era because they have this area here, even the.

48:39
The Recon ones kind of have this area here, so your fingers are kept away from the blade at considerable distance, which puts the point even further out, which makes your standoff range even larger.
But they also offer this flat area where if you need to be up here to really be precise with what you're cutting, you can do so.
O The Voyager series, I just think it's hard to beat the Voyager series now.
You could you could go for the.
Better materials and the thinner design with the Recon one series.
But you don't have the same selection of blade shapes.
You don't get the tanto, or you don't get the drop .0. Yeah, you do.

49:24
What you don't get is the vaquero.
So there you go.
Alright, last up in this list is was designed tactical but is extremely practical and that is the Yojimbo by cold steel it.
It is essentially a large utility knife.
You've got that again.
You've got that great tip angle just like you have on the contact for a Warren Cliff.
And also if you look at the Rick Hinderer Knives Warren Cliff, it also has the same angle at the tip.

49:56
So that is a great angle for both draw cuts and the kind of utility cuts you might be using with any sort of Matt knife or or.
You know utility blade like this?
But.
You also get the straight edge and.
The ergonomic package.
So here this thing fits in your hand like a dream, just just really fits nicely.
Of course I have this 5 by 5 pickpocket thing here, that's just.

50:30
Helps you wave, you know you wave open the blade with this thing, but also puts your thumb in a nice position too.
I always like the Swale down there, but right here is nice.
So practical as the day is long.
And then obviously we know this was designed as a tactical knife by Michael Janich who has done a lot of research into the Warren Cliff style blade, that straight edge with the point with the triangular point and just how effective it is in slashing.
Because.
As you slash with a worn Cliff, that tip is always engaging, whereas with a with an upswept blade, the cutting diminishes as as your arm arcs through the cut.
Because everything's with an arcing motion on the human body, the straighter the edge and the lower the point, the more it's going to be damaging during that cut.

51:27
So this is the list.
Now I could go through my entire knife collection and call put every one of them on this list because.
Every knife can be used as a weapon and every knife can be used to do practical things, but these are the ones that jumped out to me due to their sizes and due to the their their.
They're varied uses, I mean varied applications for blade shape.
So that's the asymmetrical contact, the Volstead nightshade, the Delica worn Cliff love, the Warren Cliff on the Delica, and then the serrations cherry on top off grid Cayman, we got the holiday from Finch Knife Co. We have the Keene natter from Sevi and the concept pretty 2, the XL Begleiter from
Kaiser, the Voyager series will say from cold Steel.
And the Spyderco Yojimbo practical to tactical now?

52:22
Let me know in the comments below if you agree or if you disagree or what else should be added to this list.
But also I mentioned hunting up front.
Which one of these would be good for hunting and which one of these would be disastrous, please let me know that too.
Alright, so November 17th we're going to be doing a the gentleman junkie knife giveaway.
That's Thursday the 3rd Thursday of November.
I have yet to decide which one of the many knives that have been sent in Will will be a giveaway knife.
Thank you Dave.

52:55
This old sword blade reviews.
He just sent me a batch and we'll get we'll get that.
We'll get those out to you post haste that information that is all right.
So working his magic behind the Switcher is Jim for whom I am quite.
Grateful, and I'd like to say until I see you next time, please don't take dull for an answer.
Thanks for listening to the Knife Junkie podcast.
If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review it.

53:20
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