Blade April 2023

The American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI) is proud to celebrate 25 years of advocating for the rights of all Americans to own, use and carry knives. Founded in 1998by a handful of knife company officials who saw aneed for a national nonprofit advocacy and education organization that embraced all segments of the knife community, AKTI has grown its diverse membership to include the biggest and most visible brands in the knife industry alongside retailers, distributors, custom makers and individual knife enthusiasts. Bench made, Buck Knives, Gerber and Spyderco were founding board members of the organization that hasworked since its inception to provide valuable information, education and collaborative problem-solving to address some of the most pressing issues within theindustry. Intrue grassroots fashion, every industry segment, including publishers, individual knife makers, other organizations…

Tobin Hill’s folding-guard hunter is a reproduction of the Case Cheetah pattern first made in 1973. The 3.5-inch blade is CPM 154 stainless steel and the handle is amber red stag. The folding guard and backspring also are CPM 154. For more on Tobin’s knife, see page 12. The Kansept Fenrir is a manual flipper folder with an extra-long bolster of Timascus™. The blade is 3.48 inches of flatground damascus and the handle is black stonewashed titanium. For more on the Fenrir, see page 36. The Rough Ryder Reserve Grandaddy from Smoky Mountain Knife Works is a humpback jackknife pattern with a 3.62-inch sheepsfoot blade of D2 tool steel and a brown burlap Micarta® handle. For more on it, see page 36. Australian maker Zohar Oshinsky’s Brazilian Machete features a 15-inch blade in…

If ever a movie were to be made about someone in the knife industry, BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Walter Wells “Blackie” Collins would have to be near or at the top of the list. There are those who did more in their respective weight classes, had more winning personalities, etc., but few if any did as many notable things in as many areas—not to mention with such style—as Blackie. His list of accomplishments reads like those of several different pioneering people: a founding member of the father of knifemaker organizations, the Knifemakers’ Guild; founder of a groundbreaking magazine on knives that has become the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication you are reading now; designer of the first-ever factory/custom knives; designer of the first-ever factory produced assisted opener; designer of the…

They are seldom seen and that just adds to the enjoyment. Finding a jewel of a pocketknife pattern that may be a bit off the grid when it comes to visibility makes an interesting opportunity to appreciate and own a rare bit of custom craftsmanship. Taking a closer look reveals a touch of tradition, an aura of artistry, and the lure—maybe—of the lost and found. For the maker and the buyer, the connection to the past bridges an older perspective with an ever-present desire to make a functional knife, one that exhibits great workmanship and utility. What’s more, it embellishes the story as a beautiful tribute both to days gone by and days to come. SALTY PEANUT Australian knifemaker Bruce Barnett found the peanut pocketknife pattern to his liking and fashioned a striking…

SPEC CHART KNIFE NAME: Bush Bowie BLADE LENGTH: 11” BLADE MATERIAL: 1084 carbon and 15N20 nickel-alloy steels in a random-pattern damascus and a 410 stainless jacket BLADE GRIND: Full flat BLADE FINISH: Satin w/forge finish on the ricasso BLADE THICKNESS: .29” ahead of bolster tapering to .04” at tip HANDLE MATERIAL: Curly koa POMMEL NUT: Flush-ground stainless BOLSTER: Blued wrought iron w/coined nickel-silver spacers OVERALL LENGTH: 13.5” WEIGHT: 18.8 ozs. MAKER’S PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE: $2,000 MAKER: Noah Vachon, Stanstead, Quebec Canada, noah@vachonknives.com (Jocelyn Frasier image edit) SPEC CHART KNIFE NAME: Sunstorm Puukko BLADE LENGTH: 4.5” BLADE STEEL: AEB-L stainless BLADE GRIND: “Scandinavian hollow” HANDLE MATERIAL: Stabilized masur birch GUARD: Bronze w/silver spacer and silver pin OVERALL LENGTH: 9” KNIFE TO KNOW: Jason Krause is a journeyman smith in the American Bladesmith Society MAKER’S PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE: $1,550 MAKER: Northstar Forge, c/o Jason Krause, Dept. BL4, POB 151, Carver, MN 55315 612-597-5639…

“THE AMERICAN BLADE OPENED THE DOOR FOR HIM TO WALK INTO A SHOP OR FACTORY AND SAY, ‘LET ME DO AN ARTICLE ON YOU.’”—SUSAN COLLINS Whether designing a new knife, making a knife of his own creation, flying along on a motorcycle—or starting a magazine—BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Walter Wells “Blackie” Collins was a risk taker. Fifty years ago, Blackie spearheaded the first issue of The American Blade, the original name of today’s BLADE® Magazine. It’s unlikely he ever thought his creation would endure as it has, or that it would grow to become the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication. But back then, the time was right to give it a try. “I was in business with a friend of mine buying and selling knives, and Blackie would supply us with cutlery.…