State of the Industry

Knife companies are doing pretty well. We still have a deluge of products from overseas folks and we have a lot of me too updates from production companies, but things are humming along nicely so long as you don’t get sucked in by the churn. The state of the knife business is good.

Of course we had the debut of the Ozark Grail since the last time this post was written, but that seems to be something of a one-off. If it was more than that, I would be writing about the end of production companies. The reality is that there just isn’t enough money on the table for Wal Mart to go whole hog in the knife business. They do more business in a day or two than the entire industry makes in a year. At least for now, the Great Beast remains focused elsewhere.

I am concerned about government-imposed taxes on imports, that is, tariffs. While the administration pretends like they are a negotiation point, their on-again, off-again application, coupled with TACO, means that while the government is playing mean footsie with trade partners, businesses and consumers have to pay more, at least in the short term. The US announced a framework was in place for tariffs between the US and China on June 27, but on July 8, China threatened to blow up the truce-like framework because of US tariffs on various partners in the supply chain. If past behavior is any indication, we will have to weather chaos and then at some point the administration will claim that things worked out well for the US, only for the problems to persist and something else in the chaos storm will distract us and the news cycle will shift again. Perhaps there is an overarching plan that will bring this all to a big beautiful end, but the likelihood of that happening seems equal to the immediate end of the Russia/Ukraine conflict or peace in Israel, something else we were promised that never happened. I will say it one more time—like with all taxes, tariffs are bad for America and Americans, whether they are businesses or consumers. Since a large percentage of the tariffs deal with steel and imports from China the impact on the knife business could be large. We don’t know the extent of the impact yet, but it could be crippling if things go (more) poorly.

In terms of trends, the EDC fixed blade seems here to stay. I am still not convinced this is a good move, as it seems to be related to the equally dumb trend of huge overbuilt folders. The reality is most people do not need the extra strength a fixed blade has to offer. If we were splitting elk hips everyday, then maybe it make sense, but most people use their knives to open packages. In that universe, the EDC fixed blade seems more like a push from marketing to fill an unexplored niche than something most people really need. There are a few good knives here, but their status as an EDC fixed blade is incidental to their design. I like the Bradford Guardian 3.

Buttons have become the cause celebre in locks. The trend of button locks has been here for a few years now, with companies all over the price spectrum making very good button locks. But new button activated locks are emerging. Spyderco has released a Sage model with Kevin Smock’s button activated Compression lock. Meanwhile Vosteed has a top liner lock, that is, a button activated liner lock. It might seem funny that buttons are everywhere, but lend one of these knives to a knife muggle and you will see why—they are super intuitive to use. Everyone gets a button, even if they might not get a liner lock or a lock back. And while we enthusiasts like sliding bar locks, most non knife people don’t. With increased precision and strong materials why not go for a button activated lock? There is almost no design penalty.

I also think that the MIM tech used in the Magpul knife seems to be the precipice of breaking through. There are two reasons for this. First, it can do much more intricate shapes than other technology. Second, it produces much, much less waste. While the Magpul knife looks okay, I can’t want to see what a company like Spyderco or WE can do with the technology. Imagine something as complex to grind as the TM M18 produced at scale for $250. MIM makes that more likely.

I think we are on the verge of seeing a bunch of new stuff being done in production knives that was, until now, the purveiw of customs. A few years ago WE started making knives with handrubbed blades. That struck me as nuts given the time and effor that takes, but they did it. This year, my North Moutain Blade Ninja blew me away with the full convex ground blade. How you pull that off at production scale for $300 or less is beyond me, but I think this is a sign of things to come—we are going to get great stuff for very little money.

Lastly, I would put the chance of a FSA repeal as high as it has ever been right now. Legislation is winding its way through Congress, as it has for the last few decades, but the current make up of Congress and their decidedly anti-regulation bent may help knife owners out. Once the FSA has been repealed, I can envision a huge boom in automatic knives which would, in turn, help out knife companies across the board. I, for one, wouldn’t hate an auto Dragonfly. Its short blade length and great ergos would help it in the market as well as with various state auto laws (yes, a repeal of the federal law would not impact existing state laws, though, very few states still have auto knife bans on the books thanks to concerted efforts by AKTI and other groups).

Top Ten Knives

Best Knife for Most People: TRM N2/Spyderco Sage 6 in S90V

The once and future king, the best knife for most people, and something that is now more widely available. TRM has been doing more drops and there are now retailers like PVK that have then in stock. If you have not had a chance to use one, go get one now and enjoy the splendiferous beauty of thin blade stock and impeccable design. Honestly, even with a bunch of knives to review I will, on occassion, just drop the N2 in my pocket and then forget to take it out for a week or two.

You won’t find a better knife in the history of Spyderco than the Sage 6 in S90V. It ranks right up there with the Caly3 in ZDP-189 as a flawless, brilliant design. It is not quite as thin as the N2, but I like the lock better. And it is not like the Sage 6 is a porker by any means. I actually held off on this article going up so that I could get the S6 in my hands and try it out. I am glad I waited. This knife is a revelation. And if you don’t care about steel (which, if that is the case, why are you even here?) the not sprint run is cheaper and runs okay S30V.

Best High End Knife: Anso of Denmark Aros

There are a bunch of competitors—the Koenig Arius, the Lamia SPK, the Oz Roosevelt, the Holt knives, and the various Grimsmo offerings. But critically, all of them are hundreds more. This knife feels like a knife design from the future with its beautiful asymmetry and classic touches. You won’t find something nicer in the pocket either. A good value and high end design, great job.

Best Value: Ozark Grail

It is $10. You could get one of these and a 6” sub and still escape a big box for under $20. Its not a particularly great knife, not a Civivi either in design or build quality, but it is probably Sencut quality, and still $20 less. Its hard to imagine a better value knife and it is almost impossible to conceive of something being cheaper.

Best Fixed Blade: ESEE 4HM/Ka Bar Becker BK16

After years of using fixed blades I have come to this point: don’t buy goldplated mudflaps. Sure you can get a Bark River and it will be wonderful. You can drop two paychecks on a Busse and it will blast through wood like a human-powered jackhammer. But, at the end of the day, the fixies I come back to over and over again, I want a midsized knife with easy to sharpen steel, a good sheath, and a comfy handle. Two knives really fit that description: the ESEE 4HM and the Kabar Becker BK-16. They are a step up from the sharp-for-fifteen minutes Mora, but aren’t going to break your heart if they break in two (which they definitely won’t). You can get both of these knives, which sport 1095 high carbon steel, for around $100 and they will last a lifetime with proper care. I will note that the BK16 makes a great project knife if you want to strip the finish and make a sheath or make your own handles. Its a great open source blade. I kinda wish that KaBar would lean into this a bit. There is a market out there and they wouldn’t have to change anything about the knife to capture it.

Best Waterproof Knife: Terrain 365 Otter AT…maybe?

If you need a truly drop-it-in-the-lake-and-don’t-worry-about-it-for-a-day knife, this is it. But I am not sure this category makes much sense anymore. Both Benchmade and Spyderco use Magnacut on their water-friendly knife lines, so really couldn’t just about any Magnacut knife work here? I know there are pivots and screws and the like that also need to be rustproff, but so much of that hardware is already pretty corrosion resistant steel. Maybe this category goes away soon as all our knives are good enough to drop in the drink and not worry about rust.

Secret Handshake of the IKC Intelligensia: SPK Lamia

This is always the “It” knife of the moment and there are very few knives that are more clearly the “It” knife right now than the Lamia. People release videos showing huge innovations like new machining patterns on the handle or new ano colors. But seriously, this is a good, simple design with good materials. I am not sure where we are in the “custom” versus “production” debate but I AM sure that it doesn’t really matter anymore. This is not my Thys Meade Dino, nor are any of these “high end production/small batch custom” knives. They are basically low volume Sebenzas—made by machinists on industrial machines to very high specifications. And frankly I think that is an awesome space to be in, I am personally craving an NCC Custom right now, as they are made about 15 minutes from my office. Its an interesting space, for sure, and this is one of the more interesting knives in that space.

Best Knife You Missed that Is Still Being Made: Spartan Blades Talos

For roughly $75 stree price you get a really stellar design with decent execution and great steel. This is a Civivi-priced knife with better design and better steel and it weighs 2 ounces. There is a new version out there and it is okay (worse steel, more expensive, framelock), but the older model was just a great basic knife. And if you are obsessed B:H ratios this is a real winner.

Best Knife for your Inner 13 Year Old: CRKT Provoke x Axe

There is an abundance of silly bullshit out there right now. Some of it is just movie prop garbage or high end stuff dressed up for movies. Some of it is legit cool, even if it is not terribly practical. There have been pocket axes for a while, where the guard extended out of the handle (see here), but nothing is quite like the Caswell designed Provoke x Axe. It is Batman x Paul Bunyan. And it is undoubtedly cool.

Why Isn’t This Being Made Anymore?: Spyderco Caly3 ZDP-189

Oh wait, it is—its call the Sage 6 in S90V. No seriously, even as much as I like the Sage line of knives, the Caly3’s in hand feel is still the best ever (with the S6 edging it out in terms of deployment and lock). I could go a long time with just the Caly3 and never complain about my knife. I know it was a special edition, not quite sprint run, but I would love to see another version of this knife in a different steel. Its so wonderful and it was the knife that made me fall deeply in love with Spyderco blades all those years ago. Be warned—if you have one never get rid of it. I did and I regretted it for years. I have one again, but it was a huge hassle to get it.

Best Knife Out of Left Field: North Mountain Blades Ninja

High quality TFFs are a dime a dozen now, even if you require them to have superb action, bladeplay free lock up, and high end materials. At $280, that is harder to find, but not impossible. But having all this on a folder with a convex grind? Yowza. Convex grinds are so gorgeous. They are almost literally intoxicating for knife knuts. So to find one on a folder for under $300, that’s crazy. If this is how North Mountain Blades intends to operate in the market everyone should be afraid. Very afraid.

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