2023: A Knife Odyssey

1/7
Spyderco Caly 3 Damascus Carbon Fiber Sprint Run with contoured CF scales, stainless bolsters, and a VG-10 san mai blade. Spyderco was where I cut my teeth in the knife game many moons ago, and the Caly 3 is my all-time favorite model of theirs. Produced by Moki, this specimen is essentially flawless. It is a shame the Caly 3 was discontinued, but stay tuned, and you’ll see a couple more as this thread unfolds.

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1/8
Night Watch Knives (Alex Harrison) Patrol Scalpel with a satin hollow ground AEBL blade with vintage linen micarta over black liners with brass mosaic pin and lanyard tube. With a 5.75” overall length and a ~2” sharpened length, this little guy affords you a full 4-finger grip while being small and slim enough for comfy pocket carry. Also, the handle scales taper off as they approach the blade in a way that makes for a super usable pinch grip. If you are into scalpels, this is the best I have found, but YMMV. Alex is a wonderful human being, and if you are into cool designs with excellent fit & finish, I highly recommend you look him up.

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d.2.the.p said:
1/5
Bark River Essential in 20CV with dyed maple burl scales, carbon fiber bolsters, and mosaic pins. IMO, this is the best run of Essentials that BRK has done due to the relative thinness of the blade stock and grind compared to subsequent much chunkier runs. Also, other runs used metal bolsters, so combined with thicker blade stock, they could get quite heavy for such a small knife. This version alleviates all of that nonsense. Also, who doesn’t love a good fuller?

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That is my favorite knife of yours so far. Thanks for sharing.
 
Cool idea, and beautiful knives! I’ve slowed down too, mostly due to financial reasons as a new grad student, but also because I’m really happy with my current collection.
 
1/9
GEC 62 Easy Pocket Congress DLT SFO in snakewood. This run of 62s is what opened my eyes to the benefit of a 2-blade knife, especially when riding on a single spring. The “easy pocket” moniker stems from the rounded bolsters (vs squared), sunken joints, manageable size at 3 3/4” closed, and slimness afforded by the single spring. And just look at that oak leaf shield. These things are amazing. If you know you know.

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1/10
CRK small Sebenza 21 in Devin Thomas Basketweave damascus and spalted beech inlays. I find the color gradient of these inlays to be highly visually pleasing. If I were forced to decide, DT Basketweave is likely my favorite damascus that CRK has used. The pattern is particularly uniform here. This particular Sebenza is what helped me fall in love with CRK’s damascus blades.

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1/11
Happy Wood Wednesday, party people! Today we have a Tom Krein Pocket Bowie with a hollow ground D2 blade with a satin finish, cocobolo handle scales over black liners, and brass mosaic pin and hardware. This is the one that started my love affair with the Pocket Bowie. In terms of design, those of you with large hands or thick fingers may find the handle a bit cramped, but for those of us whose hands it fits, it is truly spectacular. I have not found another small fixed blade that locks into my hand like the Pocket Bowie. And for those of you that may roll your eyes at D2, please keep in mind that Tom Krein is a sorcerer when it comes to extracting every bit of performance possible from this lowly steel, and this PB is no exception.

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1/12
Ricardo Romano Mini Dino with a hand-rubbed satin CPM-154 blade in red linen micarta over white G10 liners and a blue G10 shield. A scaled down version of the Dino pattern, it is a very pocketable 3 11/16” closed. Mr. Romano is one of the best slipjoint makers alive on this planet today. His work is truly impeccable, and this Mini Dino has some of the finest fit & finish of any knife I have handled in all my years of collecting. Also, it doesn’t hurt that Ricardo is a genuinely kind human and will give you the shirt off his back to ensure your satisfaction.

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1/13
Happy Fixed Blade Friday the 13th! Today we have an Arno Bernard Marmoset with green kudu bone scales riding on an N690 blade with a polished stonewash finish. Between its 6.3” OAL and its ~2oz weight, it is extremely well suited for comfy pocket carry. AB knives are known for their impeccable fit & finish and cool natural handle materials, and this one does not disappoint.

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1/14
Happy weekend, party people! Today we have a CRK small Sebenza 21 Insingo Knifeart exclusive with a full carbon fiber show side scale. As much as I love the visual interest of a damascus blade paired with a nice wood inlay, the pure functional utility of this CF model cannot be denied. Not only does it reduce the weight of the knife, it also shifts the balance point forward a bit to the index finger, making for a more ideal experience in hand. When you pair this handle with the utilitarian Insingo blade, pure EDC bliss is achieved.

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1/15
Well, one good turn deserves another. Here is the cousin to yesterday’s carry - a CRK small Sebenza 21 Insingo Blade HQ exclusive with carbon fiber inlays in a polished titanium handle. Worth noting, this version was the only 21 Insingo to feature a polished frame and an inlay other than micarta.

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d.2.the.p said:
1/14
Happy weekend, party people! Today we have a CRK small Sebenza 21 Insingo Knifeart exclusive with a full carbon fiber show side scale. As much as I love the visual interest of a damascus blade paired with a nice wood inlay, the pure functional utility of this CF model cannot be denied. Not only does it reduce the weight of the knife, it also shifts the balance point forward a bit to the index finger, making for a more ideal experience in hand. When you pair this handle with the utilitarian Insingo blade, pure EDC bliss is achieved.

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This is one of my all time favorite carries! Mine has gotten a ton of use and carry
 
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