‘Knives/Tools’ Archives
Gerber 06-FAST
The Gerber 06 "FAST" serrated knife is an assisted-opening version of an automatic knife also available from Gerber. It is an a black-on-black "tactical" knife, obviously intended for self-defense, featuring an Americanized tanto blade with a titanium oxide coating. According to the statistics on Gerber's website, the knife weighs 5.7 ounces [...]
Why the Kerambit?
Why do some knives become fads? There are plenty of reasons. The Rambo movies made hollow-handle survival knives all the rage back in the 1980s. Theorizing over a lockback stiletto supposedly purchased by OJ Simpsons made that knife a best-seller during the publicity surrounding Simpson's murder trial. Any and all forms of "tactical folder" swept [...]
Correcting SOG Safety Problems
I'm a big fan of several of SOG Knives' assisted openers, including the Trident folder pictured here. There is a feature built into many SOG folders that acts as a safety mechanism to prevent the spring-assisted blade from opening unintentionally. In normal use, the safety can be used or not used as desired. If the knife is used extensively, [...]
The New York Drop Opening
I'm not sure just why this folding knife opening method has been attributed to New York as opposed to somewhere else, but we'll call it that for the sake of this article. The "New York Drop" is a means of opening a locking folding knife with only one hand. It works best -- actually, I should say it only works -- with knives whose blades protrude [...]
The Folder Wrist Snap
Any folding knife -- regardless of whether it has a thumb stud, thumb hole, or other means of one-hand opening -- can be opened with one hand by taking advantage of centripetal force. That's a fancy way to say that you can snap your wrist hard and make the blade snap open into place. It was during my college days that my friend Jay, a [...]
Basic Balisong Manipulation
Open, a balisong knife or "butterfly knife" is a knife like any other, albeit with a very strong lock (in that the knife cannot close as long as you grip the handles). Getting the balisong into the "open" position is what makes this knife so much fun, however. The first time I saw a balisong being "flashed" open was at the school bus stop [...]
Understanding Push Knives
The push knife is touted by some as the most intuitive of edged weapons. This is because, with its T-shaped handle and slim "neck," the knife puts the blade forward of the knuckles, protruding through the fingers. Any punch with the fist clenched around that knife becomes a potentially lethal thrust with the knife, making simple the transition [...]
Tiny Knives for Self-Defense
Firearms columnists have defended "mouse guns" more than once on the grounds that a pocket-pistol in your pocket is more effective than a .45 automatic locked in your safe. A diminutive, small-caliber firearm may be the only handgun you can carry concealed, these columnists argue, making these less-than-ideal, underpowered popguns far preferable [...]
