Triple Aught Design displayed this hatchet from British custom knife maker Ben Orford. It’s called the Nordic Carver and combines Scandinavian styling with modern materials. It’s made from either 4.6mm, 5.6mm or 7mm unground 01 carbon tool steel with a 5.5″ cutting edge. The different blade thicknesses give a range of weights for the application.
TAD is considering doing a special collaboration with Ben. What do you think?
DPx Gear’s HEST/F Urban is an American made folder which was initially offered as a Kickstarter campaign but is now entering commerical production.
American bearing pivot hardware. Stainless steel caged bearing pivot hardware allows for rapid deployment and effortless closing.
American aerospace grade titanium frame. A frame and lock made of U.S. made aerospace grade 6Al4v titanium in “battleship grey” heavy bead blast finish. Upgraded options include bronze anodized titanium or a three-dimensional Mr. DP pattern milled into the frame.
The world’s finest U.S. forged blade steel. A blade forged from U.S. made S30V stainless steel. We are selecting a hollow grind for maximum slicing capability and to be shaver sharp. All finished using a soft stonewash vibration.
Patented DPx Gear blade notch doubles as bottle opener and quick open feature. Designed to allow the knife to open faster than an automatic and to deploy the blade to the rear of the holder, keeping it safe from the assailant. This feature was also designed to open bottles and function as a pot lifter. Every feature on a DPx Gear knife is expected to do double duty.
Integral Hex drive. DPx Gear believes if you are going to carry around a quality knife, it better earn its keep. Our inclusion of a ¼” standard hex driver in the knife’s frame can be easily paired with a commonly available hex tool and turn your DPx HEST/F Urban into a multi tool.
Glass breaker. Our DPx HEST/F Urban has a glass breaker made from 440c stainless steel hardened to 62 Rockwell (HRC). A potential life saving tool in the event of an auto accident or fire. Pelton designs his knives to be ergonomically held in the hand as a non-lethal deterrent.
Tri-gauge wire stripper jimping. The thumb grip (jimping) features three notches in the exact gauges to strip household, auto and timer wire for blasting or electronics. This patented DPx Gear design feature also provides an exact but comfortable grip for your thumb, with gloves or with bare hands, so there is no slipping when using your knife.
Deep carry pocket clip. A deep pocket clip means your pocket knife rides as low and unobtrusively as possible in your pocket. The angle of the clip over the frame lock adds additional support to the lock. The DPx HEST/F Urban is made from not just durable materials, but stain free materials. Even the clip, screws and hardware are designed to take harsh environments with ease.
A U.S. invented, tested and proven frame lock. The U.S. invented frame lock for bulletproof lockup. First used in Chris Reeves famous Sebenza® knives, it has become the standard locking feature for high-end custom knives. We added a stainless steel cap to reduce wear on the lock face.
www.dpxgear.com/shop/knives/dpx-hest/hest-f-urban
This is the Firecraft line by White River Knives. They are available in 4″, 5″ and 7″ blade variants.
The production knives have Green Micarta handles with a thin band of Orange G10 closest to the tang. The blade is made from S30V with a .19″ thickness. The Firecraft also uses Stainless hardware throughout.
A cool feature is the Hardened stainless bow drill divot inset to the right side of the handle. When the knife is in its Kydex sheath, the divot remains exposed for safe use as a base for a bow drill.
This is the Medford Knife & Tool Machete. Developed for an element in NSW (I found out about it from them and specifically asked Greg Medford about it at Blade Show), it’s a big chunk of sharp metal that is going to clear trails, make quick work of camp chores and could lop off a head or two. You may note a slight forward rake to the blade. That’s to give you some extra power through your stroke.
Specs:
Total length: 18.5″
Blade length: 12.5″
Blade Width: 2″
Blade Thickness:.125″
Steel Type: CPM S7
Blade Coating: Black PVD, NP or Vulcan
Handle Type: G10
Sheath Type: Kydex
Designed by Elishiwitz, this is the EX-TO1 from Hogue. What I find most interesting about it is the shape of the head which is cut to accommodate the carrying system. That skeleton design also makes it lighter than more traditional ones.
The sheath is magnetized so the tomahawk will click into place and then there’s a twist lock that keeps it on the sheath. The sheath also incorporates a paddle like you find on holsters. However, you can also mount other Tek-Lok carry options.
The EX-TO1 is just over 14″ long and weighs just under a pound (1.45 lbs with sheath). It is made from .25″ S7 steel and offers G10 scales in a variety of colors.
Classy Raptor is run by Disabled Veteran Curtis Iovito II. He’s a great guy and for the last several years he’s been a knife dealer. Recently, he started making firearms parts from Copper and Moku-Ti which has been used extensively for knives but so far ignored as an artistic element for guns.
I’m a big fan of this fusion of art and functionality so I bought a copper hexagon backplate for my Z17. The fit is perfect. While it came oiled to inhibit the onset of corrosion, I’m looking forward to the patina.
Curtis tells me there are additional parts in the way but he’s concentrating on parts that aren’t crucial to the actual function of the firearm like takedown pins for ARs.
classyraptor.com/copper-raptor-plate
I stopped by ABS Master Bladesmith Darrel Ralph’s booth and saw quite a few new items but I thought we’d initially discuss their DGT line of tactical gear.
This is the Shadrach, a small survival knife designed in conjunction with Master Proven and produced by DDR. The name stems from the Old Testament’s Book of Daniel, Chapter 3. Shadrach is one of four who survived an attempt at being burnt alive.
It includes the knife made from 154CM and ferro rod which is held in place with small rubber bands. This method is quite common. Next, the handle is wrapped with 550 Fire Cord so it includes a combustible material to get the fire going. There’s also a simple, Kydex sheath.
Thes will be available from Smokey Mountain Knife Works, Blue Ridge Knives and Going Gear.
Cngratulations to our friends at Spartan Blades along with Bill Harsey for their folding knife being selected as Blade Magazine’s American Made Knife of the Year!
Here you can see Mark Carey, Bill Harsey and Curtis Iovito recieving their award.
The knife features a stainless S35VN 4.25″ inch blade along with dual titanium thumb lugs and phosphor bronze bushing for a smooth, ambidextrous opening. The frame lock design incorprates and internal lock bar stabilizer that prevents the lock bar from over traveling and the slabs are are titanium.
spartanbladesusa.com/folding-blades
