Notes from the bench.
News, care tips and the story behind the knives.
1095 Carbon Steel vs Stainless: Which Should You Actually Carry?
Carbon steel takes a better edge and asks you to look after it. Stainless forgives neglect and gives up a little bite. Here is how to decide which one fits the way you actually use a knife.
A Short History of Issue Knives
From trench knives to the pattern knives of the 1940s to the modern general purpose blade. What each generation was solving for, and what it left behind.
Bushcraft and Shelter Building: What the Blade Has to Do
Batoning, notching, feather sticks and fire prep. Woodwork asks different things of a knife than cutting does.
Choosing a Hunting Knife for Big Game
Belly matters more than length, and a four inch blade handles an elk. What actually makes a knife good at breaking down an animal.
Fixed Blade vs Folding: An Honest Comparison
A folder carries easier and a fixed blade works harder. Everything else people argue about is downstream of those two facts.
How Issue Knife Design Shaped the Knives You Buy Today
Five ideas came out of knives built for people who could not choose their conditions. All five are now on knives built for people who can.
How to Choose an Everyday Carry Knife
The best everyday carry knife is the one still on your belt in week three. Size, carry position and honest use matter more than steel.
How to Read Knife Specs Before You Buy
Overall length, blade length, stock thickness, hardness, grind. Five numbers decide how a knife behaves. Here is what each one actually tells you.
How to Tell a Well-Made Knife from a Cheap One
Price tells you less than people assume. Here is what to look at, in order, and which corners get cut when a knife is built down to a number.
Buying a Knife as a Gift Without Getting It Wrong
A knife is a good gift and an easy one to get wrong. Size it for how they live, not for how impressive it looks in the box.
Looking After Carbon Steel: Patina, Rust and Oil
Carbon steel rusts if you let it and goes a handsome grey if you use it. The difference is about thirty seconds of attention.
Sharpening by Hand: Getting a Working Edge Back
Most dull knives are not dull, they are rolled. Learn the difference and you will sharpen half as often and cut twice as well.
Tactical vs Field Knives: What the Differences Actually Are
Strip away the styling and there are four real design differences. Each one is a tradeoff, and most buyers want the trade going the other way.
The Fishing Knife Guide: Fillet, Bait and Everything Else
Fishing is the hardest environment a knife lives in. Salt, water and a long day of repetitive cuts. Here is what survives it.
What 'Tactical Knife' Actually Means
The word has been applied to so many knives that it has almost stopped meaning anything. Here is where it came from and what it originally described.
Your First Fixed Blade: A Beginner's Guide
Buy smaller than you want, spend the difference on the sheath, and use it. Most first knife mistakes come from buying for a life you do not lead.