Current or recent but obscure

[Hickory n steel]

Let's talk about some traditional knives that are current production or at least recent that seem to have very little presence online.
maybe knives you found little to no discussion of when looking for reviews before buying, or whatever the case may be.
Are they hidden gems, or is there a reason they seem to fly under the radar ?

I have a knife coming that seems to have only been the subject of forum discussion once 15 years ago, that knife will definitely appear here when it arrives.

 

[Hickory n steel]

The 1st knife that comes to mind for me would be the Tops MTP.
Maybe it's because people expect a lower price due to it's size, I don't really know but there's very little talk if it anywhere online.

I'll admit that I don't carry mine as often as I do other fixed blades, but I do quite like it and I figured it would be more popular because there's not much else like it out there.

 

[Hickory n steel]

The Case 310L mini executive also seems to have little online presence, and I'm not sure I've even seen another posted on the porch.


I really like this little knife because it's kind of unique, it's a little wide but very thin and about 3/8" shorter than Bucks smallest lockback.
I'd bet it's technically the smallest lockback any American company has offered.
I wouldn't trade my 505 knight or 525 gent for this knife, but It's not going anywhere any time soon.

 

[Hickory n steel]

The Ichiro Hattori 109 is another knife with a lot less of an online presence than I think it deserves.

This is a vintage example that was rebranded, but Hattori still offers the 109 and it's such a great knife.

In general it seems the Japanese fixed blades have quite a minority presence here on the porch but maybe my perception is wrong, they're certainly not as widely available here in the US.


If I had more than 2 Japanese made fixed blades I'd be tempted to start a thread for them, because I really love how the manufacturers offer styles of knives that you typically only see from the custom knife industry here in the US.