Honey Badger Knives

Honey Badger Knives

Honey Badger knives initially came in only 8Cr13Mov stainless steel, in line with founder Marc Ager’s vision of making an affordable knife for everyone. Due to user demand though, the company also makes D2 versions now as well. All the Honey Badgers follow the basic design with a flipper operating on a ball-bearing pivot and a liner lock engagement system.

They use nylon and glass fiber handles available in an array of colors and a honeycomb pattern that is attractive and provides a good grip on the knife. You can pick from Drop Point, Wharncleaver, Hook (guthook), Claw, Leaf, or Tanto, which just recently became available. Each model comes in three sizes—
small with a 2.81-inch blade, medium with a 3.19-inch blade,
or large with a 3.63-inch blade.

Honey Badger Flipper

Specs:

Honey Badger Flipper
Drop Point Medium
(top)

  • Blade Material: D2
  • Handle Material: Nylon and glass fiber
  • Blade Length: 3.19 inches
  • Overall Length: 7.28 inches
  • Closed Length: 4.1 inches
  • Blade Thickness: 0.12 inch
  • Weight: 2.96 ounces

MSRP: $58

Specs:

Honey Badger Flipper
Wharncleaver Medium
(bottom)

  • Blade Material: 8Cr13Mov
  • Handle Material: Nylon and glass fiber
  • Blade Length: 3.19 inches
  • Overall Length: 7.28 inches
  • Closed Length: 4.09 inches
  • Blade Thickness: 0.12 inch
  • Weight: 2.9 ounces

MSRP: $37

HoneyBadgerKnives.com

I was honestly surprised how affordable these are. The 8Cr13Mov models run from $35 to $39 depending on size, and D2 versions go for $56 to $60 depending on size. Plus, if you sign up on the company’s website, you can get an extra 10% off your first order, and it offers a very generous service discount available for active and retired military and first responders as well.

Benchmade 539GY Anonimus

Benchmade 539GY Anonimus Benchmade 539GY Anonimus

Specs:

Benchmade 539GY Anonimus

  • Blade Length: 5 inches
  • Blade Thickness: 0.114 inch
  • Open Length: 9.83 inches
  • Handle Thickness: 0.68 inch
  • Weight: 5.94 ounces
  • Blade Steel: CPM-CruWear (63-65)
  • Handle Material: G10
  • Sheath Type: Boltaron

MSRP: $290

Benchmade.com

The 539GY Anonimus is a fixed-blade knife that Benchmade markets as a bushcraft and survival knife. It has a 5-inch CPM-CruWear drop-point with a high Rockwell for excellent edge retention. At less than 6 ounces, the Anonimus rides easy on your belt or on your pack in a black Boltaron sheath. Benchmade lists the sheath as having a ferro rod loop, but I’m not seeing it on the press release photos.

The blade has a tungsten gray Cerekote finish and OD Green G10.  There’s a ferro-rod striking coil just in front of the guard. It’s a practical looking design made from top materials, and it should have a lot of flexibility to excel in either a camp or combat role.

CAS Iberia Double Mukk

CAS Iberia Double Mukk

The Double Mukk is part of CAS Iberia’s APOC Survival line. It’s a modern take on the double-bit hatchet favored by George Washington Sears who wrote under the name of Nessmuk in Forest and Stream magazine in the 1880s. Sears was a proponent of carrying a trio of tools in outback, with a folding knife and a midsized fixed-blade knife as companions to the hatchet.

This Double Mukk is a compact 12 inches in length, and the head and handle are made from a single piece of 6 mm thick 9260 spring steel. It has milled G10 handle scales with the sharp edges broken and a handle swell at the base, along with a lanyard hole. The whole hatchet has a black oxide finish for rust resistance.

The heart of the Double Mukk is its two symmetrical edges. One edge has a heavy convex grind for chopping and limbing, while the other has a fine, flat edge for fine work. The “duo-grind” makes the Mukk stand out from many other models.

Specs:

CAS Iberia Double Mukk

  • Overall: 11 ¾ inches
  • Blade Length: 2 ¾ inches
  • Handle Length: 8 inches
  • Weight: 1 pound, 8 ounces
  • Thickness at Guard: 6 mm
  • Thickness at Tip: 6 mm

MSRP: $109

CASIberia.com

Hidden Woodsmen Deep Woods Ruck

Hidden Woodsmen Deep Woods Ruck

The Hidden Woodsmen is a small New England shop that handcrafts packs and bags from U.S.-made components. The designs are great, and quality is top notch. My next purchase is going to be the Deep Woods Ruck, a larger 35-liter pack suitable for overnights and multi-day trips.

The Deep Woods Ruck comes in a variety of colors including Ranger Green, M81 Woodland Camo, Pencott Greenzone camo, and my absolute favorite item: Endor Camo. As a Star Wars nerd, having the camo used by the Rebellion troops on the moon of Endor gives you uber geek street cred. It’s a good looking, subtle pattern that’s great in the woods.

The pack has a main compartment, two side pockets, and a “possibles” pocket under the flap. A nice touch that the Hidden Woodsmen packs have is that
the interior is lined with bright colored fabric—orange or yellow—which makes it easy to find things when rummaging around in your pack.

Specs:

Hidden Woodsmen Deep Woods Ruck

  • 5 Padded shoulder straps
  • Air mesh back with lumber support
  • Side pockets on both sides
  • Built in possibles pouch under lid
  • 500D construction using rot-proof thread
  • Axe sleeve on back
  • Webbed waist belt
  • Spot to lash bedroll on bottom
  • 17 x 12 x 6 inches, main compartment
  • 11 x 6 x 4 inches, side pouches
  • 35-liter expanded volume

MSRP: $285

TheHiddenWoodsmen.com

Streamlight Bear Trap Work Light

Streamlight Bear Trap Work Light

A stand-up light can be crucial piece of gear at home, in your vehicle kit, or around camp. Streamlight’s new Bear Trap work light has a lot of great features that would make it great for those roles.

The Bear Trap has both spot and flood beams, and the light can rotate 270 degrees in its frame. It has three brightness settings in both spot and flood settings with a max 2,000 lumens in flood mode down to a low of 325 lumens in spot mode. Battery life is a hefty 12.5 hours on the lowest setting and 2.5 hours on the highest setting. The lithium ion battery is rechargeable, and it will recharge while in use if plugged in.

The Bear Trap can be mounted in a wide variety of ways with its combination of clamps, magnetic base, and wire hanger. Stick it to your vehicle, hang it from a branch, or leave it free-standing on the ground. The base is rubberized so it won’t scratch your vehicle.

Specs: >

Streamlight Bear Trap Work Light

Flood:

High: 2,000 lumens;
69 m beam; runs 2.5 hours
Medium: 1,000 lumens;
52 m beam; runs 5 hours
Low: 575 lumens; 38 m beam; runs 8.75 hours

Spot:

High: 1,000 lumens; 174 m beam; runs 4.5 hours
Medium: 450 lumens; 120 m beam; runs 8.75 hours
Low: 325 lumens; 100 m beam; runs 12.5 hours
Beam Distance: 174 meters
Battery Type: Lithium ion
Length: 7.62 inches
Weight: 2 pounds, 3 ounces
MSRP: $240
Streamlight.com

 

Editor’s Note:

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