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The 10 Coolest Large Folders – The Knife Junkie Podcast (Episode 309)

On the mid-week supplemental episode of The Knife Junkie podcast (episode 309), Bob “The Knife Junkie” DeMarco looks at 10 of the coolest large folders in his collection, including the Boker Squail, Microtech SOCOM Bravo and the ZT 0452CF.

Bob starts the show with his “pocket check” of knives — a Lightfoot Element, the Jack Wolf Sharpshooter and a Station IX No.4 — while In Knife Life News, Bob reports on a Sencut Fixed Blade that has him excited and two very cool blade shapes on the way from Civivi.

Meanwhile in his “State of the Collection,” Bob shows off his Microtech SOCOM Bravo and the Vosteed Morgan Chef Knife.

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10 of my coolest large folers! That's what I'm diving into this week on episode 309 of #theknifejunkie podcast. Love my large knives and I hope you'll like this look at some of the large folers in my collection. Click To Tweet
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The Knife Junkie Podcast (309) Automated Transcript

00:06 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 DeMarco
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, we're going to take a look at a new send cut fixed blade that I'm very excited about.
A new exciting thing in the state of the collection took me long enough and then 10. Of the coolest large folders and I'll give you a little hint.

00:45
The state of the collection contains one of those ten coolest large folders.
Let me tell you right up front and then I'll tell you when we get there at.
This does not include anything.
Excel from cold steel.
No repeats, so only one knife representing 1 brand at a time, and then we're gonna go from there.
So I'm looking forward to that.
4 inches plus ladies and gentlemen.

01:10
4 inches plus all right, but first up a pocket.
Check now today I was carrying something I haven't carried in a long time and.
Sort of like having a fine high performance car.
You got to take it out.
You gotta, you gotta make it do what it was born to do and so today I was carrying my Greg Lightfoot element and unfortunately I was not wearing suspenders today.
This thing is a beast.
It is so big and so heavy it's about it's it's shy of 1/2 inch.

01:41
Let's see what are we dealing with.
It's just it's about 3/4 of an inch thick beautiful my card a canvassed my card a here.
And very very thick titanium liners.
On bearings, smooth as silk and a big just a big recurve tanto here, excuse me.
Just a big recurve tanto here now.
I have learned from good friend of the show Dave that it is Tonto.
So from now on I'm changing how I pronounce.

02:12
I've pronounced it tanto for over 20 years from now on.
I'm calling it Tonto because that's how the Japanese pronounce it and I got.
I got a sort of a real definitive answer on that so I'm going to go with that so this recurve tanto here is quite sharp hollow ground and has that really cool swedge on the one side.
On this side it it does not have the swedge very very sharp, very impractical.
A beautiful clip here, not much clearance under the pocket, but that's a. What do you call it?
Who's the guy who's the guy who makes the Damascus?
It's his.

02:52
It'll come to me in a minute.
All right, Next up is the Jack Wolf Knives.
Sharpshooter now this is the knife I used today.
I used this to cut an apple at work and that is it, but it was a pleasure to cut with this.
It's so thin and hollow ground, high, high, high all the way up to the spine.
Hollow grind that's M390 blade steel on a integral titanium frame and by that when we're talking slipjoints we're not saying it's not the same thing as an integral with a modern locking folder.
This just means that the bolsters and the liners are one solid piece of titanium out of which a pocket was milled that the covers rest in.

03:39
As opposed to the bolsters being soldered onto the liners, which is kind of the more traditional way of manufacturing a slip joint.
Jacquel knives.
Ben Belkin.
Is on the has been on the show just recently and he is the man here, episode 308. We've kind of been with him this whole journey and you know, I don't use that word lightly.
As a matter of fact, I pretty much hate the the modern use of journey, but his has actually been a journey both in time, space and energy.
So this thing is the result of that and it has amazing walk and talk and amazing blade.
Four different handle covers.

04:22
I have the.
Fat carbon alright.
And last up.
I had this in my pocket rattling around.
Very light.
Kind of forgot about it.
This is the station 9 #4 based on the SOE lapel dagger from World War Two, or a resistance weapon to to be clandestine, you know hidden zone to the clothing sewn under the lapel of the jacket or to the inside of a pocket.

04:52
It's so thin and light it won't print.
Double edged very, very sharp, both as a as a cutter and as a piercer and then it has this incredibly aggressive jimping.
These long rows like a like a field of jumping there and it's it stays in your in your hand very very well and then with the addition of a fob here you can do a lot of different hand holds with this for using it as a punch dagger using it as a slicer.
It's a. It's a really cool little.
Implement now Station 9 is a. Is a company I discovered on Instagram through a French knife maker that I follow Tony Lopez who does some really cool tactical stuff and then some stuff based on some more historic designs.
And that's what this company is based on.
Station 9 historic knives from the Resistance knives and weapons like knuckle dusters and other kind of menacing things from the World War Two occupied Europe resistance.

05:55
So very cool stuff and I'm excited to get more of their.
Their stuff, but this, uh, this little #4 is a very, very handy little thing to have in your pocket.
You could use this to open boxes and such and it's so light no one will know you have it in your pocket and.
Well, it might not be 100% legal everywhere because it's a double edge, but still a great knife.
Alright?
Well, what were you carrying?
Let me know.

06:20
Leave it in the comment below as usual.
Or you can call the listener line 724-466-4487 and let us know those little messages give me inspiration.
Remind me about knives that I want to get or open my eyes to knives that I didn't know about.
So please do that.
That's it's not only selfish but we can let everyone else know about these great knives that we're all carrying.
OK, uh, coming up is tomorrow night is the gentleman junkie giveaway on the knife junkie.
I'm sorry on Thursday night knives.

06:52
Very excited for this one.
I'm excited for each one.
I love these giveaways because we always end up getting really cool knives in to give away.
This one came in from Dave.
This old sword blade reviews.
It is the harns Falcon.
This thing is a beautiful knife.

07:09
Herns makes an incredible knife.
Very very high value.
Meaning you're not paying much money and you're getting an incredibly manufactured knife and not for nothing.
The design, which is always a matter of taste, but the design.
Really awesome, especially on this one.
Look at that blade.
That's a three and almost 3/4 inch blade.

07:31
I don't know what you want to call this.
What is that?
A modified Warren Cliff?
A bellied wharncliffe, perhaps or?
I'm not sure it's it's almost like a spear point with a Swale and a single bevel.
I don't know.
I don't know what you want to call it, but I call it beautiful.

07:47
It's also extremely sharp and it's extremely pointy and this handle is really nicely contoured.
This is a Thunder head blue.
And it is contoured.
In Cross section you can see it's rounded, very comfortable in the hand, like really comfortable in the hand and you've got this nice jumping down there on the Swale deep carry pocket clip.
You have a G10 gear style backspacer there and for you lanyard and fob people it's got a nice little groove here to accommodate the the with some of the width of the 5:50 cord so it's not popping out too far.
You know to make that that 90 degree turn.
So a lot of design considerations in this one.

08:34
One interesting thing is that I of course this looks like a Raptor.
It's called the Falcon.
It looks like a bird of prey the the eye part right here is not an opener or I have not been able to.
I guess you can.
You can slow roll it out if you pinch grip it, but I cannot Spidey flick it.
To save my life so it is not a spicy flicker but you know, does everything have to be a spider flicker?
Spidey flicker so I'm gonna that's going out on the wheel of destiny and then also eight dice.

09:06
Pick a DeMarco knives knife and tool dice pick.
We'll just call it the DeMarco dice pick.
Pretty cool little handy implement you can keep in your pocket for.
Various tasks, of course.
It comes with a little kydex sheath.
I don't expect you to drop that in your pocket and just kind of walk around casually, but so how do you get these things?
You get them from being a gentleman junkie and what is gentleman junkie?

09:30
It is our high tier of support on Patreon, so if you're interested if you think we do, here is valuable, go over to the knife junkie.com/patreon and sign up.
See what you get.
You get a lot of things actually.
Interview extras are my favorite, so each time we record.
An interview with one of these great people.
They agree to come back on for another 15 minutes or so when we talk about things that I don't.
We don't bring up on the podcast and it's always a revealing and fun, so check it out.

10:00
Just go to the knife junkie.com/patreon and sign up again.
That's the knife junkie.com/patreon looking for a new knife.
How about one from Benchmade Spyderco we or Bark River?
Get that new knife and support the knife junkie channel and save money on a new knife all at the same time.
Visit our knives for sale page at www.theknifejunkie.com/knives for this week.
Specials through our affiliate relationships.
We bring you weekly knife specials on great knives.

10:29
You save some money on your knife purchase and the knife junkie channel makes a small Commission.
It's a win win.
Check out the new knife specials each and every week at www.theknifejunkie.com/knives.
That's the knife junkie.com/knives.
You're listening to the Knife Junkie podcast.
And now.
Here's the knife junkie with the knife life news.

10:56
So you don't have to be paying too close attention to know that.
I've been sort of obsessing about this knife for the past few weeks.
This is the send cut Bronte, just a really, nicely done and beautifully designed wardcliff with a belly and a nice fuller.
In my case, the my car to handles excellent, excellent My Carta now son send cut is the budget line under Sevy so it goes we sevi they moved up to the mid tier and now send cut is there budget line and they're all excellent.
They're all all excellent.
Of course we gives you the most premium designs and executions and materials to me.
Sevi is my favorite of the group and now send cut is bringing up the rear.

11:45
I'm really excited about it.
Because this knife has been just a hit for me, Super Slicer 9 CR is pretty damn darn good steel.
Here they have something new coming out and it's a fixed blade and it has me really excited because it looks it's got sort of the blade shape of the.
The new button lock from Sevi the cogent.
It's not the new button lock, it's the old button lock from Seva the cogent.
It's got that blade and I love that blade.
It's a clip point with a center line point and this one is a 3.75 inch fixed blade and you can get it in my card and G10 but just a perfect little size for if you're a fixed blade lover and you like to carry knives.

12:30
Fixed blade knives every day, this is a great little option also.
Like it's Sevi brother, the turzilli knife it's got.
A real elaborate and probably expensive ish fob on it which AIDS in and drawing the knife and looking cool.
I of course would take that off immediately.
I'd probably put it on something else, probably a little folder, but this is the version of it I want that black blade with the green micarta.
I think this thing is awesome.
It is 9 CR.

13:07
Steel, which has been proven to be pretty good and and much better than eight CR.
It's little brother I guess.
Redheaded stepchild.
Sorry all you redheads.
So yeah, excited.
You know it'll have very thin cutting geometry.
It comes in a caidic sheath which kind of like the Spider Co fix blades has sort of a wide sort of a broad footprint, maybe broader than I would prefer, but it also comes with a tech lock style tie clip that call it looks just like a tech lock so you're getting a lot for your under $100 here.

13:43
I think it's about 80 bucks and I just saw that you can now get them on Amazon.
I looked elsewhere, I didn't see it elsewhere, so check that out.
That's the send.
Cut the new send cut fixed blade and wait.
I'm not telling you what it's called because I don't know what it's called.
What is this thing?
Oh yeah, the waxahachi.

14:04
Interesting name waxahachi.
I don't know if it is, but it evokes a Native American something so waxahachi.
Check it out from sandcut.
Also from the we umbrella.
Knife companies we have from Seva 2 really cool.
My voice just cracked there.
Something going on with my voice today might be coming down with something but two really cool blades coming from sevi.

14:30
Both folders.
One is an Eric Oakes and it's a very different blade shape from what I know of Eric Oakes who's a custom knife maker who's been doing a number of collaborations with production companies.
Actually he has over the past.
I don't know five years or so, I've noticed it and noticed his his stuff in the production world, but his knives tend to be from my recollection more leaf shaped and more drop pointy.
Well, this one the the mini sandbar just announced by Stevie is a recurve tanto tanto it's a recurve tanto in a very sort of neutral handle but a really exquisite blade and very different.
From what I know of Eric Oakes's design work, so it's pretty exciting.
I love the look of it.

15:22
This this is one I'll probably have to get, even though it's 2.95 inches.
I'd love that to be 3.95 inches, but hey, we can't always get what we want and it's got Nitro V Steel which I know to be a very good budget steel.
And GT10IN micarta.
So the usual the usual recipe.
And I like that usual recipe.
You know, it's like, give me the same but different.
And then that's what we want and the next one from them is a nice sheepsfoot blade using the button lock.

15:52
This being the year of the button lock for the we companies this one is called the shevalier.
I like the name Chevalier, and when you look at it, it looks sort of.
Santoku esh esque so it looks sort of like a kitchen knife.
And then I think Chevalier.
That sounds like a French kitchen, I don't know.
So I like what it evokes.
I don't know what it means.

16:17
14 C 28 and steel.
We all love that instead of the Nitro V. And that's a 3.46 inch blade.
I'd love to see.
I can't wait to see what the sandbar looks like if the mini sandbar this this Eric Oakes is at 2.95, maybe the sandbar will be.
You know, bigger.
Like this Chevalier at just shy of 3 1/2 inches.
This picture here from knife news with that beautiful wood handle.

16:44
Loving that I think I need to get a savvy with a wood handle.
However I think I will also be selling off some zombies because I went a little Stevie happy not too long ago.
So great stuff coming from the we companies.
That's what I'm going to call them and I'm looking forward to especially that send cut fixed blade the walks a Waxahachie still to come on.
The Knife Junkie podcast we're going to take a look at it.
Had a knife that man it was like a tribulation to get.
I finally got it.

17:10
I'm very excited and then that rolls over into the 10 coolest large folders right here on the Knife Junky podcast.
And now that we're caught up with knife life news, let's hear more of the Knife Junkie podcast.
My road trip knife.
This is the micro tech SOCOM elite.
This is a 2012 version with that perfect tanto tanto.
Gosh, I'm sorry I'll get this with that perfect tanto shape.
I love it so I was extremely excited to find out.

17:45
Unlike many that micro tech was going to be making an affordable version of the Bravo and the SOCOM.
Bravo is the one that they put their English on and customize and.
You know that's a Murphy own custom knife, so I always wanted one of those.
Those of course are very expensive, so I was thrilled to find out that they were doing that production model with Reich Knife.
Another company that I have a little bit of experience with and know them to be really excellent, excellently built and designed knives.
So the story is micro tech takes the SOCOM bravo into production with a Chinese company.
A lot of people don't like that, but I think most people were one over because this is the knife and I finally got it.

18:29
Thank you to my patrons.
This was made possible by them and this is the SOCOM.
Bravo.
It is a bolster lock with titanium and.
Carbon fiber, a really nice carbon fiber.
Sort of regular weave but but with the way it's milled it gives it a an appearance that's very pleasing to me.
This backstrap is incredible with jumping in all directions.

18:59
Basically I love micro tech jimping.
I love what they do with aluminum in there.
In the handles of their knives.
This is my first non aluminum micro tech knife and the way they've milled the jumping in the back of the thumb.
Camp on this aluminum on this titanium just is incredible.
It's milled in lines going horizontally, and then also in two lines going vertically so.
You're getting little plateaus.

19:28
You're getting little beautes for your, for your thumb to Nestle into you get an amazingly sure grip on the back of this knife without being obnoxious.
And then up front you have some jimping right here in the usual spot where you see it on other socompa and then up here.
This might.
This might be a little sharp right here.
I don't know if you're thrusting really hard and your finger came up onto this.
This might be a little thin and sharp.
Haven't haven't felt that yet, but I could see with real hard use that might be something, but I'm not trying to pick nits because.

20:03
There's not much to pick here.
This jumping on the back of the molded.
Tighten up, molded sculpted titanium pocket clip here really helps in drawing the knife and then here we go.
Look at this the SOCOM elite up top was the one of two knives that I always excused for being tipped down only.
Even though this knife could easily be tip up or tip down.
It always made me bristle, but I was like, but it's the SOCOM elite and it's so amazing that it's fine.
So on this one they opted to do it.

20:38
Tip down and it makes a huge difference.
I really, really prefer tip down, as do most and on this knife it it just works great.
I I don't mind it.
I don't mind the tip down on this or the yeah the tip down on this but on this one I'm just so thrilled to have it.
You've got a nice this in this case.
Clip Point M390 blade.
Really nicely shaped blade there that the profile is the classic micro tech SOCOM clip point, but the the face of the blade there has that fuller.

21:13
And by the way you cannot Spidey flick it with that fuller unless you have elfin fingers.
Very sharp, very thin behind the edge but also very steep grind.
I don't know how they do that, but that's kind of what they do, at least on the knives that I have.
And then you have a very reinforced tip.
Look at the that triangle if you can't.
If you're not looking here when you when you look at the tip of this knife, it really comes at quite a a triangular tip and then it tapers off pretty quickly to go into that fuller.
Just a beautiful beautiful blade.

21:51
The big giant Thumb Studs act as the blade stops and you have this jimping just above the ricasso just above the.
Thumb studs that I love.
I love it on the other knife and I love it on this.
It's a great place for your thumb to be gives you great control because you can pull back on the blade and push forward with your forefingers you know in a in a in a cut it's just very secure.
You can hold it in with that sort of grip.
The action is exquisite on bearings and just falls shut.
A pretty light detent.

22:29
You can shake this open easily.
I'm going to do this here on the wide.
That you can just whip it and it opens up for me.
I don't mind that on a tactical knife, that's that's all.
That's a feature, not a bug for me.
You just never know if it's if you're using it as a tactical knife now I'm not doing it because I'm pressing down on the lock bar, but it is a nice light detent.
You can roll it out and you can flick it out easily, but you can.

22:57
Also, you know, shake it out and if that bothers you, you might not like that.
That aspect of it, but when it's secured in your pocket, it's not an issue and secure.
It is.
The clip is.
That's my one thing.
It's too tight, it's too tight and I'm way too nervous right now in this honeymoon phase to to mess with it.
So I'm going to leave it as is, but very, very excited about this knife.

23:24
This is a knife that makes me.
Excuse me, this is a knife that makes me want to sell other knives.
Do you ever you ever feel that way?
It's just like it's it's almost like baby you're the one you know and I'm going to get rid of everybody else and just focus on you baby but you know of course I'm not going to do that with my night collection, but it does make me want to lighten the load.
It's like well if I if this is here.
Shouldn't I don't know, shouldn't I not be so greedy?
I don't know.

23:52
Maybe I should alright Next up is from vasteel and vast deed has been they've been hitting it hard, sending a lot of knife channels.
Some of their folding knives that have really cool looking, folding locking knives.
I requested a kitchen knife because I have.
I know someone who has one of these and I thought it was pretty cool.
Now a different line but from the same company.
This is the Morgan chef's knife from Bastid.
It is.

24:23
It's got a three layer high carbon steel.
Now I think what was it?
What was it?
We had a big long conversation about this on Thursday night Knives.
I have yet to do.
My video or my research on this.
The only research I've done on this knife so far has been practical in the kitchen and man alive.

24:42
Is it a cutter?
It is a very very sharp knife and so far it has maintained its edge pretty well.
That was that has been my main concern.
It's kind of like you can.
You can put a really sharp edge on any thin piece of metal, but how long is it going to keep up?
And so far this is kept up very well and I just use a a booze board, a a wooden cutting board and never glass.
I never quite understood the glass thing, but this knife is a has a really great tip which I think comes in very handy in the kitchen, at least for opening packages and.

25:24
And and I'm sure it has other kitchen applications like hollowing out of a red pepper or a bell pepper or something like that.
That's why I like that this is, you know, it's got that classic sort of santoku shape, except it's got a more of a clipped point, but.
That point allows you you know to do a little bit more than the more sheepsfoot santoku, so I'm not sure how you would classify this.
I think this is sort of a clip point santoku you got a nice rocking edge that and and by rocking.
I'm not saying that it's like really awesome and rocking, which it is, but I mean it's great for rocking.
It's got a a subtle belly to it.
Perfect to to, you know, control that.

26:13
That sort of space when you're when you got your tip down and you're.
Handle going up and down here and then you've got the angle of the blade off of the handle, so the whole thing works really great.
You'll see that here you can look that when I put the.
When I put the spine across a straight edge, you can see this.
How the tip is almost at the very top and then you have all of that rocking edge there.
Some things I'm, you know this this tail end I'm not crazy about design wise I don't need the blade finish I think I think the the way the blade is, the way the blade looks is nice but I also think it's decorative.
I don't necessarily so I don't know.

26:58
Like I said I have to do my research on this and there's someone I'm going to talk with at the company before I release my video on this.
Because I want to get a couple things straight.
The handle seems to be like a G10 type material and it's faceted in such a way that initially I thought might be uncomfortable.
And we were discussing the ergonomics of it, and though it's not my favorite knife in terms of comfort, I have an old an old faithful, you know, my bustoff Trident.
I love that, but I'm starting to really like this grip.
You know, sometimes you choke up on a on a chef's knife like that and I like it in this grip because of the tapering at the front of the scales.
So vast Steed Morgan doing my research.

27:44
Right now I'm gonna make the video probably.
Hopefully by the week or during the weekend, and it'll have a little bit of cutting footage in there and pretty happy with this knife.
And thank you fasted for sending it to me as as Nick Shabazz would say, we have to.
We have to assume that it's the best quality control blasted out there.
But anyway, all right Next up 10 coolest.
Large folders now in the open.
I told you what I mean and I'm going to reiterate, this does not include Excel cold steel folders because.

28:20
They obviously dominate the field, and that's not what I'm talking about.
I'm talking about very pocketable but large modern locking folders, and I have a lot of them actually getting I. I wanted it to only be 10 because I have at least double that and I wanted it to be a the most unique designs or most appealing to me in terms of blade and in terms of handle and no
repeats.
I had a number of knives from Boker.
I had a number of knives.
Of cold steel and I was like Nope, just want and a number of knives from.
A Emerson I said no, just one from each, and so that's what I did and and the whole thing was kicked off with the arrival of the SOCOM Bravo, which I'm just going to bring out and show off again.

29:09
Briefly, I told you all about it.
Just a minute ago.
This is a very compelling knife to me and it is a an actual 4 inches.
I took the ruler, you know, I always have trouble with this green pad, so I took the rule.
This ruler and measured each blade here to make sure some knives that I actually thought were four inches like.
For instance, my riak 2 are just shy of it.
So nothing shy of four inches appears in this list and most or a number of things exceed 4 inches.

29:42
This is right at 4 inches.
The micro tech SOCOM Bravo it is available.
That is the other thing.
Each and every one of these ten knives are available currently.
I'm not saying that they're easily available, this one you kind of have to wait for drops, or at least that's how I I did.
And and it's not inexpensive, but it can be gotten, so this is this.
The bravo.

30:06
It also comes in Tonto and in serrated, fully serrated, tanto, which.
That one's kind of appealing to me too.
I gotta say.
But full serrated on a on an expensive knife like.
I don't know.
OK, Next up Mike Richter, Booker.
Squirrel this is the production version of my Grail knife.

30:34
Charles Marlowe the knife maker.
He is out of California and we have chit chatted on Instagram and one day he will be coming on the podcast and anything he touches knife wise to me is stunning.
I I love his knives and there's no accounting for taste so I can't explain why but it has to do with.
Their beauty, they're there, their lines just resonate with me.
This is my favorite of his designs and I'm very, very lucky that Boker knives does this production collaboration and puts this design within reach, because even if I had the dough to buy a Charles Marlow custom knife, I don't necessarily have the time.
This is a a gentleman who who's a you know he's a true Craftsman and he he's in demand, and so it would be a real real real investment.
In time and money to get a Charles Marlowe.

31:35
And at this stage in my life it just not tenable.
But Boker makes it available.
And here's the kicker.
It's also available in Green micarta and when it first came out it was only tipped down in green, my card or black G10.
They had both tip up or tip down and that was a terrible choice because of course I want tip up.
But I also wanted the green micarta and I just.
Didn't.

32:04
Couldn't abide by the tip down and on this knife.
I don't think it would.
I think it would have bothered me on this knife.
I think like the SOCOM Elite and the Spyderco military which have thin **** ends.
That's the only way I I like it tip down so there you go.
Next up is the 0 tolerance.
0452, CF.

32:32
I was surprised to see that this knife is still available for some reason.
I thought it was discontinued.
This thing is awesome.
It's a 4.125 inch blade.
This is S 35 VN.
This knife was my first.
I feel like it was one of my first real fancy, like when I got this.

32:51
This was, you know, held up as my best folder as my finest folder and it still could easily be and in anyone's collection.
Right now it just so happens I have things that I prize more than this, but what do I love about this?
Everything sinkovich designs to me are just exquisite, especially the long and more sinuous ones.
Sometimes he gets bulbous.
Sometimes you get stretched out.
I like his stretched out and more sinuous designs.
Maybe sinuous doesn't describe this one very well because it's pretty linear, but that 460 had a nice S curve to it.

33:30
Overall its profile.
This is ZT starting to go light, you know, ZT, light.
But this thing is built like a tank it's just not the tank profile of some of the other ZT.
So I think this hits just all the right.
All the right notes for me, the only thing that did not have, uh, which left a sour taste in my mouth, was the clip that it shipped with.
It was a very sort of off the shelf Kershaw clip on this expensive and really nice production knife.
So I I bought an aftermarket clip.

34:04
I don't remember who made it or where I got it, but you know, it's it's easily gotten.
So the 0 tolerance 0452 CF.
This is the kind of carbon fiber I don't really like.
Just a regular weave and now who knows with this SOCOM Bravo?
I think that is a nicer carbon fiber, but I think it's a somewhat regular weave.
It's just the milling and the different different angles and chamfers on there reveal different patterns in the carbon fiber that make it more appealing to me visually, and we know how much visual appeal means to me.
Also, Speaking of visual, I love that pivot always have that 5 spoke pivot.

34:48
Reminds me of like a Ferrari.
Deal or something?
All right, Next up is a very unique one.
This is this is my cold steel entry.
Now as you know, I have plenty of cold steels that fit this between 4 inch and five inch.
Category, But this one takes the cake in terms of originality and just purpose driven design.
This is the Black Talon too.

35:18
Uh, the black towel in one was a premium edition.
Earlier on they did some premium knives with aluminum bolsters and polished G10 and charged a lot of money for them.
Years later, they refine the design into this, and I say refined because it's nice and thin.
Pocketable, 4 1/4 inches long and that and yeah, light, easy to carry, but a big knife.
And just nasty gnarly horrifying frankly, especially with the with the serrations.
It's an S curve knife with a big belly and a really deep recurve that terminates at that at the downward pointing extreme downward pointing hawkbill tip.
This thing takes the civilian from Spyderco and beefs it up puts it on steroids, puts a lot more meat behind that final curve here right at the tip.

36:15
Take a look at the civilian and you'll see that that this S curve blade was adopted from that design, but you will also see that this is a knife.
You would feel very comfortable using for EDC if you were comfortable pulling it out in your warehouse job, opening up boxes or whatever, or or getting under zip ties.
And I mean this thing would be awesome in a I used to work in a. Paint warehouse this would have been awesome there for opening zip ties or those big giant straps around around giant boxes and pallets and.
Yeah, this thing would be awesome, but people look at you sideways.
The thing about the civilian is that it doesn't.
It's got a very, very thin tip here behind this, and you could easily break it.
You could see someone easily breaking it off by dropping it on a concrete floor like I'm one to do or or just in in rigorous activity through the thick cardboard.

37:16
But this, no Sir, this will be an EDC, but this will also be an incredible self defense weapon.
You have the.
The plate the thumb plate here that allows you to open.
You know slow roll it open but it also will open up on the seam of your pocket as you remove it and autodeploy.
So when you pull it out of your pocket, boom you have it like this.
Just like an Emerson wave.
And that is an probably the most useful quality in a tactical knife if you ask me.

37:47
Besides, a sharp blade of course, and it's the ability to have it open without having to fidget with anything small, because if you need to open that up for self defense you you might not be so smooth that Spidey flicking, or you might not find that button on the automatic as quickly as you want,
but if you can just tug on the knife and have it open in your hand, that's pretty valuable in that situation.
This is XHP steel CTS XHP, which was their first upgrade steal when they went.
When they turned their back so so aptly on AUS8A, thank God they did that.
Or thank Lynn they did that and they went to XHP and then after that after supply issues they went to S 35 VN just a great knife.
Love this thing.
This used to be my winter coat knife and it no longer is or it wasn't this past season.

38:47
OK, Next up.
This is also available just in the past few weeks made available.
The Bastinelli knives big dragon attacks.
This is a much older production.
This is not what is out now but what is out now is even more premium.
This is made by Lion Steel of Italy.
You can see down there.

39:12
Titanium frame lock with the roto block lock thing that I'm not crazy about.
Deep carry pocket clip.
Other side is flat G10 without without liners.
Now the G10 is is nicely contoured and domed over with a really nicely semi frag pattern milled into it.
Very very nice looking and M390 blade on the new one.
This one I believe is D2.
Yeah I think this is D2.

39:44
If it's not, it's N 690 Co. No doubt one of those two.
Uh, But the new one is M 390, so you'll be able to cut all year long and never have to resharpen and exquisite knife in hand, it just melts into the hand.
Recently I've been into more neutral handles, more straight handles, but something about this big arching pistol grip.
Just puts the edge and the point right where you want it.
You can choke all the way back here like on an Excel cold steel.
This is at 1234 and it's about 5 inches in blade length or 4/4 and 3/4, something like.
But when you're back here, you have a lot more reach with it.

40:30
And then you can come up here and then you come.
Come up here, multiple row, 2 rolls of jimping rows of jumping and a big thumb plate.
You can use that thumb plate to sort of Cam the blade open like a wave.
I I can only really do it if I'm carrying this in my back pocket, which I never do.
It's way too big for my back pocket, but I can sort of get it to wave open.
It's nice to have a really big titanium frame lock.
Something about it is very gratifying and this thing is extremely capable.

41:01
They have a four.
And I'm sorry a 3.5 inch version of this knife that is an excellent EDC knife.
I mean really, that blade shape?
Yes, it's a good fighting.
We know that bastinelli knives are tactical first.
But this makes an excellent utility knife as well.
Yeah, the smaller version and then they also have a a friction folder version of this.

41:28
That is, the Drago tack.
OK, Next up I'm going to get fancy for a second.
Is the Lucia that that's his fancy, as I get with the with the butterfly knives.
I'm sorry.
The ballet songs.
This is the Lucia.
Just a great looking knife and I'm so happy Kershaw did this because I've always wanted a higher end of like a a nice valley song but never could justify paying nice Bally song money.

42:01
This came out at 115 bucks with with really nicely milled handles and an excellent 14 C 28 and very usable utilitarian clip point blade.
That's four and a quarter inches long like a traditional.
The ballet song is.
And.
Just knock my socks off because it's got bearings in the in the.
Sorry 1950s, just called and they want their expression back.
It's got the old bearings in the pivot and it makes the flipping really fun.

42:34
Now I'm not much of a flipper.
I have a couple things I've known since I was in 8th grade, but you you watch these guys outside of Blade show and doing their their Bally song stuff.
That's a whole couple levels different.
But this one is very usable.
You could use this as a EDC pocket knife if you like.
Carrying around big knives, but also in terms of a self defense weapon this.
You know, like the original ballet song, this would make an excellent.

43:07
Implement for that, you've got a really nice thumb ramp there.
Nice big handle to hold on to a lot of reach.
Very sharp blade.
Good point reinforced.
So if you can bring it to bear without without dropping it, who knows, maybe you'll scare people away with it because they're like, oh wow, he must be a knife fighter, but yeah, that's that's a really good one.
And it's only about 120 bucks so you don't have to pay 400 bucks to get a really nice valley song.
And they also make a trainer version of it.

43:39
And if you're a valley guy and you're bristling right now, because I said that you got to, you got to understand not all of us a prioritize that way so.
So if someone just wants to wet their whistle with one or get, you know, dip their toe in, that's a great knife to do that with.
Next up is the Emerson Super CQC 15. At a solid 4 inches of 154 CM blade steel.
You know me, Emerson is is one of my absolute absolute favorite companies, designers and people in the knife world.
And I love this excuse me, this blade design.
This was taking the benefits or the the design.
The main design points from the CQC 7 and the commander and putting them together from the commander.

44:32
You get the recurve and from the seven you get that Tonto point.
This was a gift from a good friend of the show and I'm always grateful for that bill and very nicely ergonomic perfect size.
I got to say so.
I had the 15. The regular full size 15 several years back.
I sold it and regretfully I have a new never selling Emerson policy.
But so this one the the 15 that I got rid of the full size, always felt like it was a little cramped.
I have to admit just a little cramped and I do not have huge hands.

45:11
This one has the same birds beak on the tail end and the same finger guard up front, but it gives you just a little more space to open the hand up, especially for like a Saber grip like this where your hand sort of elongates.
Very comfortable knife to carry a really nice generous wave on the back of the blade on the back of the blade here.
Really excellent.
Thumb ramp, unlike most Emersons, this one is not a front flipper.
Most Emersons have a Tang that protrudes to the point where you can front flip it.
This one is not one of those.
This is a candidate as are all my Emersons.

45:51
Admittedly this is a candidate for a vantage point handle.
Refitting one of these days.
Tom Engleson used to go by blades and such.
He's now vantage point blade works.
I believe.
Vantage point.
Look them up on Instagram.

46:06
He does great.
Great aftermarket handle scales for Emerson knives and and a few others.
Next up comes to us again from Italy.
Land of the classy knives.
This one is designed by a gentleman that you know, Jason Knight, Jason Knight, a one time judge on forged and fire.
He was a substitute judge and wouldn't.
It was just great on that show, but he that's the show or that show exposed me to him.

46:39
Started following him and watching him.
He has a lot of videos of him forging his knives.
His signature.
Knives are these really robust and.
Refined kukris, kukris and then sort of an Americanized.
Sometimes they remind me of Bowie cookies, but on the whole they're just these amazing kukris with deep recurves and this signature.
Fuller you'll see them in his large knives and they they brought it down into this fox production knife.

47:15
This is titanium.
This frame lock I really like this very subtle little spoon clip.
It reminds me of an early ZT clip.
Uh, you got the lock bar insert as usual.
Very nice micarta.
I love how it's patina thing on mine.
This was the first run and I had to get it from tactical elements.

47:36
And then they have branched out.
This one is.
Yeah in 690 Co because it's a fox knife and they're sitting on several thousand billion tons of N 690 Co. You know, even though the same company makes M. 390, it's not like that's unavailable to them.
OK, Next up is the.
Max says.
Sandstorm Cay the Max a sandstorm K is a beast beastly knife.
I'm still in a honeymoon phase with this very, very ergonomically very comfortable thick this this sucker is about as thick if not more so than the.

48:22
Yeah, it's more so I'm just holding it and that this is purely anecdotal because I don't have it in front of me, but this this is thicker than a an XM 24 it's got.
8 four and a quarter inch blade.
This blade steel is K 110 which is sort of the European version of D2 Steel.
Has a lot of the same properties.
Very height, very high flat grind.
Really really thin behind the edge you can barely see that that cutting edge it's so thin.
And you've got that double peaked sort of clip point.

48:56
Look that I love so much, you've got some jimping north of the you've got some jimping West of the thumb stud here and then some on that thumb ramp.
I do wish that both of the gym pings were a little bit sharper just for my personal taste.
You have a nice pattern milled into this.
In my case Tan G10.
I like the concentric circles on the pivot.
You have a very heavy liner construction with four standoffs, very nicely nice and stout, but you can see they did quite a quite a job at at eliminating some steel there by pocketing out the liners.
Very robust and very sure.

49:44
Linerlock there weirdly small pocket clip.
Weirdly thin, I feel like that pocket clip could be a little wider, but it works just fine, but aesthetically I feel it could do that.
Just be a touch wider just just for the look of it.
OK, Next up is the off Grid Enforcer XL and this thing is a solid straight up 4 inches on that on that beautiful bellied worn Cliff blade.
Really textured really textured.
These are not milled in these.
These are feel like they're milled out.

50:24
Obviously that's not the case, but they removed so much that each one of these little murals is a pyramid and and it stands proud and tall and almost to the point where if I were using this a lot, this is my car knife.
If I were using this a lot, I would probably take a piece of sandpaper and knock it down a little bit, definitely.
Under the pocket clip it was, you know, just destroy your pockets.
But those that's the only, that's the only Ding on this outrageously awesome knife from Kerry's orifice.
And off off grid knives.
That's D2 blade steel.
They cryogenically treat their D2.

51:03
I'm not exactly sure.
Why they don't label them all?
Sometimes they say D2, cryo sometimes they don't, but I do know that they cryogenically treat their D2.
Here is the pocket clip.
The new off grid knives all have the recessed clip with the flat screws.
That's what's so cool about Kerry and being a sole proprietor and having a you know a small company, you can remain nimble.
You can hear the feedback and once you're through your first run of a knife, you can incorporate some changes and that's what he's done with all of all of the knives.

51:40
All of the new ones coming out.
Are appearing like this, so you're not getting the screws menacing with your with your pocket seam as it comes in and out.
Uh, there's a nice big glass breaker on this, which I've.
I vacillate back and forth about removing, but since it's my car knife, I should probably just leave it on.
If I were carrying this around, I would remove it.
Really great action that fall shut action.
These are made by best tech who has proven to be just an amazing OEM.

52:15
So much so that Kerry has moved all of his elite line of production knives.
They have two elite knives there from we to bestech and now they're making all of the knives for Oscar knives at best tech.
Even the titanium framelock ones.
And they're incredible so.
Very happy about that and I'm really, really excited about this genre of knives.
I mean to say that is is that actually goes without saying that is my whole driving force behind knife collecting.
Is this range the four inch folding knives?

52:49
So, uh, this is I'm just gonna do the quick rundown.
Got the bravo?
The SOCOM Bravo by Microtek.
The Boker Square, which is my absolute grail, the ZT 0450452 CF the Black talent 2 by cold Steel got the Bastinelli Big Dragon attack underneath.
Here the Lucia Ballet song by Kershaw, the Super CQC 15. From Emerson the Fox Elements Knight MK ultra folding kukri, and the Max a sandstorm OK and of course the off grid knives enforce our Excel.
The current awesome.
Ultimate car knife.

53:28
O do you like large folders?
Are these too big for you?
Are they too heavy?
I don't know let me know.
I I. I think that there are about 50% of us out there who like the bigger knives and actually carry them.
And then the rest of us like them.
Just don't carry them and might not even own them.

53:46
If you want an outrageously large knife folder just to have around, spend the 60 bucks on a Voyager and get that out of your system.
An XL cold steel Voyager get that out of your system or.
Let it ignite the fire for the large knives.
Alright, ladies and gentlemen, thanks for watching the show tomorrow night, of course, is Thursday night Knives where we give away the harns Falcon to 1 lucky gentleman junkie.
And then of course we will have a Sunday interview show, so please be sure to go to Patriot, go to the dive chuckie.com/patreon if you're interested in supporting the show and be sure to download us where you love to listen to podcast for Jim working.
Magic behind the Switcher.
I'm Bob DeMarco, saying until next time don't take doll for an answer.

54:37
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Knives, News and Other Stuff Mentioned in the Podcast

 

Pocket Check

  • Lightfoot Element
  • Jack Wolf Sharpshooter
  • Station IX No.4

 

State of the Collection

  • Microtech SOCOM Bravo
  • Vosteed Morgan Chef Knife

 

The 10 Coolest Large Folders

  • Boker Squail
  • Microtech SOCOM Bravo
  • ZT 0452CF
  • Cold Steel Black Talon 2
  • Bastinelli Big Dragotac
  • Kershaw Lucha
  • Emerson Super CQC-15
  • Fox/Knight Elements MKUltra
  • Maxace Standstorm-K
  • Off-Grid Enforcer XL

 

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