Knives

After creating knives from fish, foil, and chocolate, pasta, Kiwami Japan shows us how to make a surprisingly sharp knife using ordinary plastic kitchen wrap. The main trick is to melt it down and flatten into a hardened sheet before sculpting it into a blade.

Blacksmith and blademaker Jake’s Custom Knives shows us how he takes old coil springs from cars and turns them into shiny new weapons. In this case, he transformed a section of the suspension coil into an awesome little samurai sword.

This tiny keychain pocket knife measures just 2 inches long when closed, and weighs less than an ounce. But it packs a durable dual-edged blade with a razor-sharp tip for precision and a serrated section for rough cuts. Made from heat-treated stainless steel.

The last thing you want to happen when using a knife is for its hinge to fold under pressure. Our pals at Everyday Carry picked 10 of their favorite folders which hold in place with a frame lock, so you can focus on the task at hand, and not worry about your blade giving out.

This ancient butcher’s knife looks pretty much beyond repair, with thick, pitted rust covering every inch of it. But YouTuber Andre Will Do It lives up to his name, proving that with enough time and elbow grease, even something this worn can be made to look shiny and new.

After showing us how to make surprisingly effective kitchen knives from chocolate, dried fish, and pasta. Kiwami Japan is back with a razor sharp blade handcrafted by hammering, heating, shaping, and sharpening an ordinary roll of aluminum foil.

This elegant and well-made Japanese knife features a razor-sharp 3.9″ VG-10 steel blade, set into a handle made from titanium with carbon fiber details. The frame lock design ensures the blade stays open, but closes easily with one hand. Measures 9″ open, 5″ closed.

CS Tactical Knives‘ compact cleaver features a karambit style design, and a 4-inch curved blade fabricated from either 1/4in CPM 3v or 3/16th AEB-l stainless steel. Its scales can be crafted from either sculpted G10 or stabilized wood, custom selected for your style.

Metalsmith Dmitry Shevchenko (aka “Shurap“) continues to crank out knives using unconventional materials. After showing us how to make damascus steel from screws, washers, and cable, he’s back to craft the patterned metal from a car’s timing chain.

While most knives are made from steel, they can certainly be made from other materials. Here, blademaker Kiwami Japan shows us how to transform a sheet of super-hard lignum vitae wood into a razor-sharp kitchen utensil, capable of slicing veggies just like a metal blade.

A no-nonsense modern pocket knife featuring a clean, industrial look. It features a canvas-textured Micarta handle, a 3.5″ D2 steel drop-point blade, a reversible pocket clip, a stainless liner lock, a smooth ball bearing mechanism, and a hole for attaching to a lanyard.

A beautifully-designed compact everyday folder knife that’s small enough to pack in your pocket, and super easy to open, thanks to its spring-loaded assist mechanism – which also secures it when closed. Features a satin metal finish and a built-in bottle opener too.

This elegant Japanese knife features a 3.5″ VG-10 core blade forged with 33-layer nickel damascus steel. Plus, its sculpted handle is also made from the beautifully-patterned metal. Comes with a decorative woven nishijin pouch.

Bomber & Company’s compact pocket knife offers a fully-locking blade with smooth and serrated edges, and is small enough to carry on a keychain. Both its blade and body are made from heat-treated 440C stainless steel, anodized in jet black.

SOG’s compact liner-lock folding knife doubles as a money clip. It features a sturdy, stainless steel handle with perforations to reduce weight, and a 2.75″ straight blade that’s great for everyday cutting tasks.

Inspired by classic WWII army folders, this Ken Onion-designed knife features “Field Strip” technology, which allows for easy disassembly and cleaning without tools, while still maintaining rigidity. Has a 3.5″ steel drop-point blade, and a 6061 aluminum handle.

You can’t go wrong with this elegant Japanese Higonokami knife. It’s got a sweet damascus-patterned steel blade, and an elegant wood handle carved from a single block of ebony wood. Measures 3.9″ closed and 6.7″ open, and comes with a genuine leather sheath.

This money clip is designed to hold cash and up to five cards, and packs a secret – a 1.75″ fine-edge stainless steel blade for everyday cutting or emergency needs. Its body is made from rust-proof titanium-coated steel with a G-10 front plate. Measures 3.6″ long when closed.

Not every knife has to have a single continuous edge, does it? Watch as blademaker Miller Knives cuts out and sculpts a truly unusual knife with a crazy staggered edge. It looks like something out of a video game or a comic book, and also like it would be really deadly.

A limited-edition of Leatherman’s versatile 7-in-1 multitool, featuring a beautiful, durable, and razor-sharp 2.6″ blade made with a damascus pattern. In addition, it packs needlenose and regular pliers, hard-wire cutters, wire cutters, a bottle opener, bit driver, and a carabiner clip.

Another year is behind us, and it’s time to reflect back on the best gear the year had to offer. Our friends at Everyday Carry picked 10 great items that belong in every backpack, from knives to multitools to watches. We love that Trayvax Element wallet.

This compact tool combines a utility blade, bottle opener, 1/4″ hex bit driver, flathead screwdriver, and pry tip in one. Its body is made of grade 5 titanium, and comes with scales made from carbon fiber, copper, or camo green G10. They also make larger pry area version.

An elegant hand-hammered white steel knife with traditional Japanese styling, embellished with Best Made’s minimal logo and the word “COURAGE” on the opposite side. Produced by Japan’s Miyamoto Manufacturing Co., who has been making Higo knives for nearly a century.

Be prepared for everything with one of these folding pocket knives suggested by readers at Everyday Carry. We love the ergonomics of the service-specialized Gerber 06 Auto Tanto, but we have a thing for carbon fiber, so the Zero Tolerance 0804CF wins out for us.

We’ve seen knives being made using classic blacksmithing techniques, but Gough Custom, shows off how they make their Resolute MkIII knives using modern materials and CNC technology. Machines or not, there’s still a ton of labor and craftsmanship in each knife.