So, what'd I miss?

[Bloodstone]

I been out of the knife scene for about seven years now (give or take a year or two). In that time, I'm sure I've missed a lot of interesting and innovative designs. I'm trying to catch up with things by reading through as many threads as possible, checking out websites and buying magazines.

So, in this thread I'd like people to post things that they think I absolutely must see or read to "catch up" with current events.

What's are some of your favorite knife designs from the last few years?

Any new makers I should keep an eye out for?

Where's your favorite website to buy from?

For those of you that train in knife arts, what's all the rage these days?

It's a tall order but I'm sure y'all are up to the task

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Welcome back. Seven years? Everything's changed!

A few neat toys -- check out Kershaw's Ken Onion designs, especially the asisted openers. (Kershaw is on a roll these days with other knives as well.)

Spyderco & Benchmade continue to expand high quality line-ups.

So many good dealers out there. These are the ones I look for first, but there's at least a couple dozen others that are also reliable and competitive. Check out The Knife Exchange, too. You can get real good deals, especially on users.

www.1sks.com
www.knifeworks.com
www.newgraham.com
www.knifecenter.com
www.knifeoutlet.com
www.eknifeworks.com

 

[nick-nack]

The boker subcoms seem to make a bit of a hit as well. (as far as i know)

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Boker has perked up a bit lately. They have a number of good knives around. The Subcom models and now the Trance are designs by Daywalker. They are NICE little knives, great inexpensive utility carry.

 

[Bloodstone]

A few neat toys -- check out Kershaw's Ken Onion designs, especially the asisted openers. (Kershaw is on a roll these days with other knives as well.)

Buddy of mine has a Kershaw assisted opener as his EDC. He likes it, though he forgets to lock it on occasion

Spyderco & Benchmade continue to expand high quality line-ups.

Oddly, my EDC is an old Benchmade and I just ordered a Spyderco Karambit on Sunday

I wanted the Tarani designed Blade-Tech k-bit, but those are just a little hard to come by it seems

Might try for a CK&T Bengal.

 

[HoB]

For me the Spyderco Manix and the Spyderco salt line would be top picks.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Might try for a CK&T Bengal.

The Bengal is awesome. The Spydie is a Warren Thomas design.

You may have seen the Spyderco Waves: Endura and Delica. They work even smoother than the Emerson originals. Well, not to denigrate Emersons! You could count on them, too. He's got a few new models worth looking at.

 

[Thomason]

Slipjoints have may a huge comeback. What once was old is new again. Anyone who is anyone now has a slipjoint in their pocket.

 

[flipe8]

Slipjoints have may a huge comeback. What once was old is new again. Anyone who is anyone now has a slipjoint in their pocket.

Exactly! I've been tellin' my wife the BETA vcr I've been keeping WILL come back into fashion(good thing as she's getting bored of watching Tron over and over again )

 

[rnr]

What's new in the last 7 years or so?

I'd say Assisted Openers (AO) are probably the biggest thing. Lots of mgr's have different versions. I like 'em.

Then there's some new steels on the market. ZDP189 is the first that comes to mind.

Kershaw is doing a lot of cool things.

Benchmade Axis lock is cool and they've come out with some awesome knives. Check out the Rukus 610!

Camillus is having problems.

Buck moved from San Diego area to Idaho.

Spyderco offshoot called Byrd knives are nice too. Check them out.

All I can think of right now.

 

[Whoever Wherever]

You missed...
More Strider Sebenza "why so expensive" threads
More Strider vs Sebenza threads
More is LT from CS the antichrist threads
More should one buy chinese knives threads
More why does a BM have a spydie hole threads

Man, I love this place. Sorry I couldnt resist.

Kershaw has a line out called ZeroTolerance with Strider/Onion colabs and more, check them out on kai's site.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Camillus is having problems.

Camillus went out of business.

Schrade went out of business, too, a while ago.
The name belongs to an importer of Chinese-made copies now.

 

[FlyingMuskrat]

Some other good dealers: Grand Prairie Knives

Japanese Knife Direct (It really is direct, they ship from Japan, but shipping only costs 7-8 bucks and is really fast.)

 

[Bloodstone]

Lots of good information here :thumbup:

I checked out the Axis lock. Looks very cool and the reviews of it seem overwhelmingly positive. The 610 is a whole lota folder.

Definitely like some of the stuff Kershaw is doing. The Wife seemed fond of the Rainbow Chive.

I might actually pick up a Spyderco Endura 4 Wave.

Sad to hear about Camillus and Schrade

Also I ran into this: http://www.hideawayknife.com.

Anyone got opinions on their stuff?

 

[Lenny_Goofoff]

The 610 is a whole lota folder.

It's a monster! Handled one past week, it feels like a tank or at least a hovitzer! I thought before there's no folder too big for me

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Bloodstone, there's a couple of legal questions you should keep in mind.

An axis lock folder might be defined as a gravity knife. Hold back the lock and the blade swings out with a turn of the wrist. It makes it a fun toy, but ... I don't know of anyone who's been charged for this, I just wouldn't wrist-flick it open under some circumstances.

Assisted openers look like autos to most non-knife people. Practically speaking they are autos, but legally they have been vindicated, even in some very uncomfortable situations. Another good toy not to play with in the wrong places.

The HideAway Knife is a gem. I got one of the cheapies, because it is not something I would use professionally, but even so, it is a handy little cutting tool. You really could walk around with it on your hand but out of the way, say in a flower shop or a warehouse, going back and forth between cutting and grabbing things. Nice quality. Very flexible carry options.