Since the other writers are putting together their wish lists and gift ideas for guns and gear, I’ve been charged with the task of highlighting several blades that I either want to buy, am intrigued by, or would wholeheartedly endorse. I kept the list to just five, although it could have certainly been longer as there are a bunch of great knife makers out there.
I should also note that this is not a one-way street. I encourage you all to chime in with your suggestions and recommendations as well. Together we can build a list of great blades, each of which would make the perfect present this holiday season.
1. Medford Knife and Tool: Folder
Some Medford folders we saw at Blade Show 2015.
Gosh, I really want a folder from Medford Knife and Tool. I ran across them at Blade 2015 and was really impressed by their stuff.
What appeals to me about Medford is their unique aesthetic, it’s like they make knives for a dystopian future. A knife Madmax would carry, one ostensibly made from parts collected in an industrial wasteland.
Their knives are chunky and tough and tactical and heavy and really, really badass. Are they the most practical, utilitarian knives on the market? Probably not. Are they the cheapest? Hell no! But I think it’s a knife that any serious collector or devotee should look at.
Note: I’m not picking a specific model because, well, I’d be happy with just about any hand-made folder Mr. Medford would send my way. I say that because, at around $700 a pop, beggars can’t be choosers.
2. White River Knives: Sendero Classic
Just a really, really nice knife. Stay tuned for the full review. This is the one I’ll be giving away too.
White River Knives was kind enough to send me a “Sendero Classic,” a model that was designed in conjunction with legendary knife maker Jerry Fisk.
I really like this medium-sized (blade: 4.5”; overall length: 9.15”), hunting and camping knife. The quality workmanship is totally on display in this model that features a stonewashed blade (CPM S30V) and a two-piece full hidden tang handle and a stainless guard.
I have a full review in the works, and sadly, after I complete the write-up, I will be giving it away. That’s correct! One of you lucky readers will have a chance to win this awesome knife. Stay tuned for details.
It retails for around $250, and it’s a newer model that I don’t believe is available yet on the website (on a side note, it’s one of the sharpest blades I’ve ever received from a manufacturer). Needless to say, I need to get my own!
3. Busse Combat: Battle Saw
The Battle Saw. A totally ridiculous knife! (Photo: Busse)
The Busse Battle Saw is an exercise in gratuitousness. Everything about it is excessive. The size (blade: 11”; overall length: 16.5”), the weight and, of course, those serrations! My god, those serrations would make John Rambo jealous.
Yes, I know, serrations are largely impractical and mostly for show, but they’re damn tough to resist, particularly if you grew up watching 80s action films. What’s also intriguing about the battle saw is the “patented corrugated bevel technology,” which is theoretically supposed to reduce weight while improving blade rigidity.
A few months back, I reviewed a Busse Game Warden, an every day carry fixed blade. I’ve had that knife for close to a decade and it’s held up extremely well. And as I said in the review, I’m a big fan of Busse Combat.
However, like the knife itself, the price tag on the battle saw is excessive. I think it retailed for around: $480. Yikes!
4. ProTech: Pro-Strider SnG Auto
I really love my ProTech Godson. But it’s not an ideal EDC knife because it’s spear point tip is so sharp and pointy that if I were to use it for any demanding task it might break right off. That makes me nervous. So, it’s time to get another ProTech, but one with a sturdier tip.
When I recently noticed that Strider and ProTech had teamed up to create an automatic version of the SnG, a perfect EDC blade (blade: 3.5”; overall length: 8.25”), I knew that I had to eventually get my hands on one. But it won’t be cheap. I saw em available on Blade HQ for around $425.
You can learn more about the SnG in the video below:
5. Ruger Knives
Not a bad looking folder. Priced affordable too!
Speaking of collaborations, Ruger Firearms has teamed up with Columbia River Knife & Tool to come up with some pretty cool knife designs. Now, I haven’t seen any of them in person, but I’m intrigued by their offerings.
Plus, they’re priced in that “affordable” range! From what I can see on the website, almost all the models are priced under $100. That’s awesome!
A few that caught my eye were the “Go-N-Heavy Compact,” a folding knife designed by Bill Harsey that features a 3.5” drop-point blade, priced at $79.95 and the “2-Stage,” a folding tactical knife designed by Robert Carter that features a 4” tanto blade, also priced at $79.95.
There are some wonderful blades that come in at way under $200, in fact, many of them cost less than $20. You won’t find them at Mall Wart, and they are not made in China. They are known variously as peasant knives, blue collar knives, working knives and Hipster knives (yes, hipsters seem to have discovered some of them).
At the top of the list are Opinel, the brilliant classic French friction folder, and Mora, the $15 Scandi blade that all the bushcrafters rely on so as not to scuff up their $400 Wunderblade. Others in this class include MAM (Portugal), Higo No kami (Japan), Marttiini (the Finnish alternative to Mora), Mercator (German edc knife carried every day by thousands before the term EDC was coined), douk-douk, Condor, Svord peasant knives, and many others, mostly with a european ethnic tradition behind them.
A guy who can only afford one or two, or at most , a very few knives at >$100.00 can buy scores of these. What’s more, he can use them, give them as gifts, or lose one without losing sleep over it.
I have both WR Sendaro knives and feel they are not overpriced (Looked at any Randall-Made lately?)
They are very well made and STAY excessively sharp which is not what I have found with other name brands…Kerhaw starts sharp but it won’t be that way for long. Benchmade are a good compromise but they have gotten pricy– these were my first pick when I ditched Buck knives which dull when you open them…
And, yes: an adult losing a knife? Lame excuse for using a poor blade.
I have at least one WR Sendaro Bush in the gift giving this year– an orange handle so that when people make fun, the recipient will have a good excuse to show them how good it really is.
P
How much do you get paid for touting the expensive or do they donate knife to your cause ?? Seems the expensive is the norm for a lot of the writers for this column. O’well, guess we all cannot be pawns and drones.
It’s just stuff he wants dumbass. Are people required to only like expensive things? How about this. Next year we’ll do an article on knives you can buy at walmart with licensed names like gerber and buck and are made in china?