COMPANIES SHOW US THEIR LATEST OFFERINGS

COMPANIES LARGE AND SMALL SHOW US THEIR LATEST OFFERINGS

SPYDERCO

What’s going on in the knife world? We spoke with people from several companies who told us that the past year was perhaps their best ever for knife sales. And a couple told us that they’re not bringing out new designs because they’re at full production capacity producing existing models. 

That being said, we did find quite a few recent additions to the blade lineups at several companies.

Spyderco Endela Lightweight Wharncliffe

For Spyderco, this seems to be the year of the Wharncliffe blade. The company has several of its popular models now available with that blade configuration. Lightweight versions of the Cara Cara 2, Endela, Harrier 2, Robin 2, and Meadowlark 2 will all be available with Wharncliffe blades.

Spyderco Stovepipe

The Stretch 2 XL Lightweight is another new version of a perennial favorite. First offered with hunters in mind, the knife has evolved into a top EDC choice with its straight spine.

The Stretch 2 XL Lightweight is larger than previous versions with an overall length of 8.85 inches open, 4.97 inches closed, and a 3.92-inch blade of VG-10 stainless steel. This lightweight model, with its FRN (Fiberglass-Reinforced Nylon) handle, makes this easy to carry at just 2.7 ounces. The MSRP is $160.50.

Spyderco Petty

If you love titanium, take a look at the Spyderco Stovepipe. This cleaver-shaped folder was inspired by custom maker David Rydbom’s “Bill the Butcher” design, and it is named after the top hat worn by the infamous 19th century gang leader William Poole.

The Stovepipe features a 2.78-inch blade of CPM-20CV steel with a deep hollow grind. The handle is made of two solid slabs of titanium. The back spacer and pocket clip are made of titanium too. The Stovepipe is an unusual but solidly built knife. The MSRP is $600.

Spyderco Stretch 2 XL Lightweight

If you’re ready to update your kitchen knives, be aware that Spyderco has added new knives to its Murray Carter Collection with the new Minarai Series that features a Petty, Nakiri, Gyuto, Funayuki, and Bunka Bocho models.

Spyderco titanium canteen cup and new ball caps

If you want some Spyderco accessories to go along with your knives, check out the portable Webfoot sharpener ($85) that’s made from a single piece of carbon steel coated with the abrasive Cubic Boron Nitride.

Rest the sharpener on a flat surface and it provides the perfect angle for sharpening most blades. It can be used for sharpening serrated edges and scissors too. Other Spyderco branded items now available are the Travel Ti ($80), which is a titanium cup with folding handles shaped to accept a GI-style canteen, and three different Spyderco ball caps ($25).

CONDOR TOOL & KNIFE

Condor Tool & Knife works with several excellent designers, primarily those whose expertise is in bushcraft as the company’s line seems to focus on rugged blades for heavy duty outdoor use. We chose just a few of the company’s latest models that caught our eye.

Condor Blue River Neck Knife

Condor Beetle Neck Knife

The Aqualore is a design by Joe Flowers of Bushcraft Global. This fixed-blade knife is made with Sandvik 14C28N steel with great corrosion resistance. It should be a great companion for canoers and kayakers especially.

It measures 9.32 inches overall with a 4.31-inch drop-point blade with a Scandi grind. The handle is Micarta. The knife comes with an ambidextrous Kydex sheath. The MSRP is $114.98.

Condor Cantina Axe

The Wendigo Folder ($117.91) is another Flowers design. It has a 3.45-inch blade of 1095 high carbon steel with a Scandi grind. The blade secures open with a liner lock. The handle scales are Micarta. It weighs 3.53 ounces.

Condor Enduro

The Beetle Neck Knife ($78.60) was designed by Julio Diez. This small but beefy fixed blade is 5.39 inches long overall with a 2.67-inch blade and a walnut handle. The steel is 1095 high carbon. It weighs 4.59 ounces and comes with a leather sheath.

Case Kinzua, spear point

The Enduro Knife ($151.61) was designed by Tony Lennartz. It’s a fixed-blade, 11.45 inches overall, with a 6.82-inch blade of 420 high carbon stainless steel. It has a high flat grind with secondary bevel and a paper Micarta handle. It comes with a Kydex sheath with leather belt loop.

Case Small Swell Center Jack with cayenne bone handle scales

The Blue River Neck Knife ($104.98) gets its inspiration from a tributary of the Colorado River, the Blue River, once home of the Native American Arapaho tribe.

This knife measures 5 inches overall with a 2.32-inch blade. It weighs just 2.47 ounces. It’s crafted from 1095 high carbon steel with flat grind and secondary bevel. It has a walnut handle with a reconstituted turquoise stone inserted in the middle. The leather sheath has a Native American motif as well.

Case Folding Hunter with dark red bone handle scales and carbon steel blades

Need a big chopper? Joe Flowers designed the Cantina Axe ($87.34) for Condor Tool & Knife. It’s 18.01 inches long overall with a burnt American hickory handle. Replacement handles are available too. The axe head is made of 1060 high carbon steel with a 6.9-inch cutting edge with a convex grind. The Cantina Axe weighs 35.28 ounces. It does not come with a sheath.

W.R. CASE & SONS CUTLERY

Last year, W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery opened some eyes when it introduced its Marilla and Kinzua frame-lock folders with flipper openers. Building on the success of those modern folders, Case is expanding the Kinzua lineup with a new handle color, OD green, and the choice of a spear-point blade instead of a tanto point.

The OD Green Kinzua will retail for $150 (MSRP). The original color options of red, blue, or black will still be offered.

Each year, Case takes one pattern of traditional folder out of its vault and offers it in limited quantities during the course of the year. This usually prompts collectors to immediately open their wallets.

This year, Case is reintroducing the Small Swell Center Jack. This traditional, two-bladed pocketknife pattern features a soda-bottle-shaped handle. Case first produced it some 80 years ago. This Small Swell Center Jack will be offered in at least 14 different styles with various handle and blade materials. The MSRP for these knives will range from $50 to $250.

Case Brown Maple Burl Wood Stockman

Speaking of handle materials, Case will release six new families of traditional knives, including: Smooth Brown Maple Burl Wood (eight patterns, MSRP $80-$100), Purple Curly Maple Wood (four patterns, MSRP $85-$95), Pocket Worn Mediterranean Blue Bone (six patterns, MSRP $72-$86), Crandall Jig Cayenne Bone (three patterns, MSRP $77-$81), and Green and Black Canvas Micarta (three patterns, MSRP $80-$88).

Several product families, including Red Synthetic American Workman Series (four patterns, MSRP $48-$66) and the Pocket Worn Gray Bone family (five patterns, MSRP $75-$81), will feature Case’s easy-sharpening carbon steel blades in response to increased demand for this blade material among Case consumers.

WHITE RIVER KNIVES

White River Knives is especially known for its hunting, camping, and survival blades. Be sure to check our July/August issue when we’ll be running a story on the White River Firecraft FC 3.5 Pro.

But the company also uses its production capacity to build knives for other makers. Recently, White River Knives has produced some designs from Kurt Delia and Todd Begg to bring you blades in completely different arenas.

White River Begg Recondo

White River Delia Lifespike

Kurt Delia is known especially for his breaching/rescue tools designed for law enforcement and military use. White River Knives produces Delia’s Lifespike and Rescuehawk.

The Lifespike is a take-anywhere multi-use rescue tool with an overall length of 11.5 inches and fits in a Kydex sheath. It features a 4.65-inch blade on one end and a chisel pry point on the other. It’s made from one piece of 80CRV2 steel with an integral ½-inch channel gas line wrench and 9/16-inch pommel wrench. The MSRP is $300.

White River Begg All Terrain

The Rescuehawk is a tomahawk made from one piece of 80CrV2 steel that’s designed to chop, pierce, hook and pull with its unique-shaped head with spike and integral belt/cord cutting notch. It has a chisel pry point at the tail end. It also features a ½-inch channel gas lie wrench. The Rescuehawk measures 12.5 inches overall and weighs 24 ounces. It comes with a Kydex sheath. The MSRP is $450.

White River Begg PDK

White River Begg Dagg

White River Knives is also producing Todd Begg’s War Junkie series of knives. This series includes the Recondo, All Terrain, Dagg, and PDK. The Recondo ($400) is based on the Vietnam-era MACVSOG fighting blade with 5.25-inch clip-point edge. The All Terrain ($415) is more survival oriented with a 4.88-inch recurve edge and lots of belly that would be great as a skinner. The Dagg ($550) is a double-edged dagger with 6-inch blade. PDK ($550) stands for Personal Defense Kukri and it’s just that. It draws its blade shape from the kukri machete, but it’s shorter with an overall length of 11.66 inches and a blade length of 5.87 inches.

BENCHMADE

Among Benchmade’s offerings will be an out-the-front auto called the Shootout, a new version of the stout Claymore auto, and a grippy EDC/tactical knife called the Redoubt. Also on the horizon are the fixed-blade Anonimus survival/bushcraft knife, Taggedout hunting folder, casual carry Weekender, and a new version of the Meatcrafter hunting/camp/kitchen knife.

Benchmade Meatcrafter

I’m guessing Benchmade’s new Shootout will be an instant, sought-after success. This is an out-the-front automatic opener with a highly textured carbon fiber-filled nylon handle with a glass breaker on the end. It will have a 3.51-inch tanto blade of CPM CruWear steel with a flat earth PVD finish. It will have an MSRP of $300.

First responders and EDC enthusiasts should find the Redoubt to their liking. This Benchmade Black Class folder features a 3.55-inch partially serrated drop-point blade of CPM-D2 steel with a black Cerakote finish. Measuring 4.75 inches closed, the most distinct thing about the Redoubt is its grippy handle that’s Overland Gray with a Forest Green rubbery Grivory over-molded section that should provide for a sure-handed hold on the knife in extreme conditions. The Redoubt has an MSRP of $180.

Benchmade Taggedout

It’s never been only about EDC with Benchmade. As an example, the new Anonimus is aimed at the survival/bushcraft set. This fixed blade measures 9.83 inches overall with its 5-inch blade and 4.83-inch handle. The plain-edge, drop-point blade is made of CPM CruWear steel with a Tungsten Green Cerakote finish. The choil is configured for use as a ferro rod striker. There’s an integral finger guard as well. The handle scales over the full tang are OD Green G10. The included Boltaron sheath features a loop to store a ferro rod on board. This carries an MSRP of $290.

Benchmade Shootout

If you’re a hunter or adventurer who likes to trek far from the beaten path, you have to take a look at the Taggedout. This lightweight, high visibility folder was designed with far country hunters in mind, but others will appreciate its features as well. The knife features a 3.5-inch clip blade of CPM-154 steel with a satin finish. The handle is orange Grivory with aluminum spacers. It draws inspiration from another lightweight Benchmade favorite, the Bugout. The Taggedout weighs just 2.1 ounces. The MSRP will be $190 and it’s expected to be available in July.

Most knife use isn’t for defense, for gutting a deer, or for surviving the end of the world as we know it. For casual carry and chores, the Benchmade Weekender might fit your lifestyle. This folder features two cutting blades: a 2.97-inch clip blade and a 1.97-inch drop-point blade. It also features a bottle opener. All three tools are slip joints. The steel is CPM-S30V stainless. The Weekender will be available with either a gray G10 or OD Micarta handle. The MSRP is $250.

Benchmade Redoubt

The Claymore was an instant hit when Benchmade introduced it. The latest version will have a plain-edge blade instead of a partially serrated one. The Claymore is a push-button automatic with safety switch. The blade steel is D2 and the handle, either black or Ranger Green, features Grivory inlays over stainless steel. The MSRP of the latest Claymore is $230.

The Meatcrafter is a knife that can fill several roles. With its thin, narrow 6-inch trailing point/boning knife type of blade, it can be a game knife, camp knife, or kitchen knife. Earlier versions leaned either to the camp or kitchen side. The Benchmade new model Meatcrafter for 2022 fits in the company’s Hunt Series of knives and features carbon fiber handle scales and an orange Cerakote finish over the CPM S45VN steel. The Boltaron sheath is orange and black. This Meatcrafter has an MSRP of $400.

Buck KNIVES

At Buck Knives, lots of new models come from the continuing evolution of the company’s legendary 110 Folding Hunter and 112 Ranger. This year Buck is introducing the 110 Hunter Sport ($144.99) and 112 Ranger Sport ($135.99). These feature 3 ¾-inch and 3-inch clip-point blades, respectively.

They’re made with S30V steel, aluminum handles with canvas Micarta inlays and Torx screws instead of rivets. These are much lighter than the old models. The Hunter Sport weighs 4.6 ounces, and the Ranger Sport is 3.9 ounces. Each features dual thumb studs for one-handed opening and a deep-carry pocket clip.

Buck 110 Hunter Sport, Buck 110 Slim Pro TRX, and Buck 112 Ranger 50th Anniversary Edition

The 110 Slim Pro TRX and 112 Slim Pro TRX models also feature S30V steel, clip-point blades the same length as the Sport models, and dual thumb studs. The handles are G10 and are available in black, orange or OD green. These are the lightweights of the line, coming in at 3.3 and 2.8 ounces, respectively.

The 50th Anniversary 112 Ranger ($84.99) is available too with the traditional brass bolsters, wood handle scales, and a special 50th Anniversary shield.

In the “get-em-while-you-can” category are Buck’s special releases in the company’s Legacy Collection. This year, five knives in the Legacy Collection will be available only in 2022. They are the 112 Ranger Vintage Tribute Knife ($361.99), 212 Fixed Ranger ($352.99), 250 Saunter ($159.99), 501 Squire ($259.99), and 842 Sprint Ops Pro ($304.99).

The Fixed Ranger is a fixed-blade knife with S45VN steel, 3 5/8-inch blade, ironwood handle with brass guard, and pommel. The Saunter is a slip-joint model with drop-point 2.5-inch blade of S35VN steel and marbled carbon fiber handle scales.

The Squire is a lockback design with 2.75-inch drop-point blade and black burlap Micarta scales. The Sprint Ops Pro has a flipper opener and a liner lock. Its 3 1/8-inch drop-point blade is made with S45VN steel and has a depression on the spine for the user’s thumb. It has OD green Micarta scales.

Remington

Recently, Remington announced that the iconic lineup of Remington cutlery has been reborn. Remington fans, sportsmen and women, knife enthusiasts, and collectors everywhere can once again find a variety of Remington cutlery showcasing familiar Big Green branding and quality.

Remington knives are back.

Remington is introducing four main series of knives: the Woodland, the Backwoods, the Hunter, and the Guide. Each series will include pocket, folding and fixed-blade knife variations and distinctive design work.

Additionally, the brand will offer the American-made Bullet Knife, an EDC lineup of knives, and a Sportsmen’s Series. Some knives will be offered in collectible tin gift sets featuring Remington art and wild game scenes.

Coast

Coast is known for its popular flashlights, but did you know that the company also has a line of affordable knives? Its three newest blades make up the 1919 Reserve Limited Edition collection.

Coast F401

First is the F401, a fixed-blade knife that measures 9 inches overall with a 4-inch blade of 9Cr13Mov steel. The blade has a flat grind and a titanium-nitride finish to enhance its corrosion resistance. The handle is black and brown layered G10. A molded sheath is included. The MSRP is $49.99.

Coast RX357

The Coast FDX356 is a folder that features a 3.5-inch drop-point blade of 9Cr18 steel with a titanium-nitride corrosion-resistant finish. The handle is G10. It features Coast’s double-lock system that consists of a frame lock and a locking lever. The MSRP is $39.99.

Coast FDX356

The Coast RX357 is an assisted opener folder. It features a 3.58-inch blade of 9Cr18Mov steel in a tanto configuration and a partially serrated edge. It too has a titanium nitride treatment for corrosion resistance.

This knife features Coast’s Max Lock, which not only locks the blade open, but is capable of locking the blade closed too, to prevent the assisted opening blade from opening when the knife is in your pocket. The MSRP is $39.99.

SOURCES

Spyderco
Spyderco.com

Condor Tool & Knife
CondorTK.com

W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery
CaseKnives.com

White River Knives
WhiteRiverKnives.com

Delia Tactical
DeliaTactical.com

Todd Begg Knives
ToddBeggKnives.com

Benchmade
Benchmade.com

Buck Knives
BuckKnives.com

Remington
Remington.com

Coast
CoastPortland.com

A version of this article first appeared in the May/June 2022 print issue of Knives Illustrated.