MORE NEW PRODUCTS TO ADD TO YOUR WISH LIST

A good friend of mine, who is a knifemaker, once told me that there are no new knives, just new combinations of blade and handle styles that have been around forever.

With that said, makers and designers tend to take those basic styles and infuse them with refinements and design touches that make them their own. And every once in a while, something that really stands out does come along.

That’s what makes the new releases every year exciting. Are we going to see older loved designs reimagined with new or improved materials, some new combination of features, or something that breaks that rule and is truly innovative?

In last issue, we took a look at offerings from Gerber, Benchmade, Buck, SOG, and Spyderco. In Part 2 of our roundup, we’re going to take a look at a few more companies to see what they have to offer this year.

Check out these new products to boost your EDC list:

CAS IBERIA

The Double mukk is in case Iberia's APOC line and is a very well-thought-out woods tool true to its Nessmuk heritage.

The Double mukk is in case Iberia’s APOC line and is a very well-thought-out woods tool true to its Nessmuk heritage.

CAS Iberia has long been an importer of swords and other materials of medieval mayhem, but the company also has a strong line of outdoor and everyday carry and use products as well.

In the past year or so, it’s been working with Swedish survival and bushcraft expert Lars Fält and brought in a great series of survival/outdoors books from him as well as a fixed blade bushcraft knife and a lock-back folder, both made by Swedish knife maker Casström.

Now CAS Iberia has added a slip-joint folder that is basically a non-locking version of its lock-back folder—with the idea being to have a convenient everyday carry knife that can be carried even in places that restrict locking blades, with the UK bushcraft crowd being a particular target audience.

The Slip Joint uses a 3-inch drop-point blade of Böhler N690 stainless steel with a Scandi ground edge. The blade is mated to a 4 ¼-inch handle with beautiful curly birch scales. Weight is a very manageable 3.5 ounces and the MSRP is $180.

The Lars Fält Slip Joint

The Lars Fält Slip Joint is a non-locking version of his bushcraft lock-blade folder made by Casström and distributed by CAS Iberia.

If you need something a little choppier than a slip-joint, you may want to check out the Double Mukk Hatchet from CAS Iberia’s APOC line. It’s the perfect tool if you want that Nessmuk-inspired double-bit woods tool but might have to hack through zombies to get back to the car.

The Double Mukk is made from one piece of tough 9260 spring steel and its dual bits have 2 ¾-inch cutting edges. Overall length is 11 ¾ inches and weight is 1 pound, 6 ounces.

The handle portion of the hatchet is 8 inches long and fitted with solid milled and contoured G10 that have a swell at the end to keep your hand in place while chopping.

The Double Mukk blades feature two different grinds, just like Nessmuk’s original hatchet. One side is flat ground to a keen edge for chopping green wood, carving or notching, making feather sticks, or debarking wood.

The other side has a tougher convex grind for chopping hardwoods, splitting wood, attacking knots, and limbing branches. The axe blades are bearded in the Viking style and undercut to allow you to choke up on the head for detail work.

As there’s no hammer poll, CAS Iberia extended the handle so that you can use the flat of that to drive tent stakes. The Mukk comes with a MOLLE-compatible sheath and has an MSRP of $99.

If you like your blades a little more traditional, take a look at the Bamboo Tanto, created by master designer Frenchie Jin at Dragon King Forge.

The Bamboo Tanto has a 5-inch blade of T10 carbon tool steel differentially heat treated with a 60 Rockwell edge and 40 Rockwell spine. The blade pattern is classic Japanese Tanto style, rather than the more angular American Tanto, and it features a gorgeous Choji hamon pattern.

The 4 1/8-inch handle is made from bamboo that perfectly mates up with the bamboo scabbard. Weight is only 5 ounces. The MSRP is $275.

COLD STEEL

Cold Steel always has a robust line of offerings every year and there are always a few that stand out to me. The first thing that caught my eye this year was the Mini Leatherneck series.

This trio of knives uses a reduced, 3 ¼-inch Kray-Ex handle based upon Cold Steel’s Leatherneck fighting knives with a double quillon stainless steel guard, and 3 ½-inch blades of 8Cr13MoV stainless steel.

Cold Steel’s Mini Leatherneck series

Cold Steel’s Mini Leatherneck series is pint-sized but potent and available in clippoint, tanto, and spearpoint configurations.

 

Cold Steel offers the Mini Japanese Tanto

Continuing their mini knives, Cold Steel offers the Mini Japanese Tanto in both a traditional reinforced point and an American tanto point.

The Minis come in three styles: a double-edged Spear Point, an American Tanto, and a Clip Point model. They come with a sturdy Secure-Ex sheath that will accept a bead lanyard for neck carry or a Cold Steel C-Clip for belt carry.

Aside from being compact EDC knives, they’re also very affordable with an MSRP of only $25.99 to $29.99, depending on the model.

Oyaban is Cold Steel’s folding version of their classic fixed blade Master Tanto.

Developed by Andrew Demko, the Oyaban is Cold Steel’s folding version of their classic fixed blade Master Tanto.

Continuing with the Mini theme are the two Mini Japanese Tantos. These too feature Kray-Ex handles, but this time, they’re 3 3/8-inch versions with a Japanese handle wrap pattern like what you’d see on a katana. There’s a shorter stainless-steel guard on the tantos reminiscent of a katana’s tsuba.

The blades are also 3 3/8 inches long of 8Cr13MoV stainless steel. Two blade patterns are offered: a reinforced traditional Japanese point or an American tanto point. MSRP on the Japanese models is again $29.99.

If you have a few more bucks to spare, you may want to take a look at the Oyabun tanto folder. This is a folding version of Cold Steel’s iconic Master Tanto designed by Andrew Demko with input from Lynn Thompson.

The Oyabun maintains the lines of its fixed blade sibling and uses a 3 ½-inch blade of 4034SS steel sub-zero quenched to a 57 Rockwell. The handle is injection molded with a Griv-Ex foundation and stainless-steel liners with a soft, checkered Kray-Ex over-mold for comfort.

The blade opens via a flipper and locks in place with a leaf spring lock and safety that was first used on Cold Steel’s Crawford 1 folder. It has a pocket clip set up for tip-up, right-hand carry. It’s 4 ¾ inches closed and weighs 4.1 ounces.

If you ever wanted to EDC a Master Tanto, here’s your chance to easily tote around its younger brother at an MSRP of $69.99.

CONDOR TOOL & KNIFE

Condor Tool & Knife

Condor Tool & Knife has a new line of knives designed by Jason Breeden, including the unique Mountain Pass Surveyor Knife.

Another company that always has a prodigious amount of new offerings is Condor Tool & Knife. Condor always has a strong focus on outdoor knives and 2021 is no different.

Jason Breeden joins the Condor crew of designers with his Mountain PASS series of knives and tools. PASS stands for Plain and Simple Survival and basically translates to no-nonsense blades that will serve you out in the field.

One of the models that stood out to me was the Surveyor Knife. This broad, blunt sheepsfoot fixed blade should be ultra-rugged and suitable for chopping, digging, and even some prying.

It has a 6.26-inch blade of 440C stainless steel with Condor’s subdued Classic finish and a high flat grind with a secondary bevel. Overall length is 10.57 inches and weight is 10.94 ounces.

Joe Flowers channels his inner Viking with the seax-inspired Sigrun from Condor Tool & Knife.

A portion of the spine is sharpened as well, and the symmetrical handle should allow the user to comfortably use either the primary edge or back edge equally well.

The Surveyor Knife is a stout 3.5 mm thick, full tang design, and uses tan Micarta scales attached by three pins and topped off with a lanyard hole. It comes with a nicely made brown leather dangler sheath and carries an MSRP of $109.98.

“…Double Mukk Hatchet from CAS Iberia…the perfect tool if you want that Nessmuk-inspired double-bit woods tool but might have to hack through zombies to get back to the car.”

If you ever wanted to bring a little Viking into the modern world, then the Joe Flowers-designed Sigrun Knife may be just the one for you. The Sigrun takes the Viking seax, a knife design that was used for everything from everyday chores to battle, and brings it into the 21st century world of outdoors and bushcraft.

The 5.63-inch blade is classic seax in shape and has a high flat grind with a secondary bevel.

The Tony Lennartz designed Credo is a great all purpose camp and field knife being offered by Condor for 2021.

The Sigrun uses tough 5 mm thick, 1075 high carbon steel with a black powdercoating on the flats. It’s also a full tang design with gray Micarta handle scales and a solid steel pommel. Overall length is 10.31 inches and weight is 13.41 ounces. It comes with a hybrid Kydex sheath with a leather belt loop. MSRP on the Sigrun is $94.98.

The Tony Lennartz-designed Credo should make a great all-purpose outdoors, or even EDC knife. Its 3.53-inch clip-point blade has a high flat grind and secondary bevel, but this one is in 420HC stainless steel and has a satin finish.

The handle has a set of finger grooves and features black G10 handle slabs with a six-pin design over its full tang design. The Credo is a fairly compact 8.12 inches overall and weighs 7.41 ounces. It should be an easy knife to carry, especially in its nicely made black leather pouch sheath. MSRP on the Credo is $84.98.

CRKT

CRKT is looking at another hit from Ken Onion with his new Bona Fide folder, complete with Field Strip technology.

The hits from Ken Onion just keep coming, and this year’s is the Bona Fide from Columbia River Knife & Tool. The Bona Fide’s shape is influenced by the shape of a traditional Hawaiian canoe, called a wa’a.

It has a 3.59-inch satin finished, drop-point blade of D2 steel held open by a liner lock. It opens via a flipper on CRKT’s famous IKBS ball bearing pivot. The handles are aluminum for a balance of strength and weight savings giving a weight of only 4.3 ounces.

“The BK40 carries the lines of the Becker fixed blade line but transforms it into a handy EDC folder.”

The Bona Fide also has the Onion’s Field Strip system, allowing fast, easy takedown of the knife for cleaning and maintenance. The Bona Fide is available in silver with a satin finish blade or OD green with a black PVD coated blade. It carries an MSRP of $99.

Matthew Lerch is back with the assisted opening LCK+ from Columbia River Knife & Tool. This fast-opening EDC blade is light in the pocket but heavy on features.

Another new EDC blade is the LCK+ designed by Matthew Lerch. The LCK+ is an assisted opener with a flipper that also uses the IKBS ball bearing pivot for ultra-fast and smooth opening.

The sharply tapered 3.31-inch blade is of 8Cr13MoV stainless steel and has a satin finish. The handle on the LCK+ is made from glass-reinforced nylon and, like the Bona Fide, it uses a liner lock.

Overall length open is 7.47 inches and it’s a feathery 2.8 ounces in weight. That weight combined with a low profile carry clip will make this a knife you forget you’re carrying until you need it. MSRP on the LCK+ is only $49.99.

There is also a tanto-bladed version with a blacked-out blade, and a larger LCK+ Large with a 3.62-inch blade that goes for $5 more.

KA-BAR

KA-BAR has added a folder to its Becker knife & tool line with the BK40 Liner Lock.

KA-BAR adds to the Becker Knife & Tool line with the Becker BK40 Folder. The BK40 carries the lines of the Becker fixed blade line but transforms it into a handy EDC folder.

It uses a 3.55-inch clip-point blade of AUS 8A stainless steel with a flat grind, treated to a 55-58 Rockwell. The handle is of GFN-PA66, a glass-filled nylon polymer, with stainless steel liners and a liner lock.

A good friend of mine, who is a knifemaker, once told me that there are no new knives, just new combinations of blade and handle styles that have been around forever.

Opening is by ambidextrous thumb studs. It’s fitted with a wire clip, which is my favorite style pocket clip, and it can be configured four ways for either right- or left-hand, tip-up or tip-down carry.

Overall length is 8.5 inches and weight is only 4.8 ounces. It’s an import, which explains the very reasonable $53.81 MSRP. But if Ethan Becker gives it the seal of approval, I’ll be putting this one on my short list for 2021.

KA-BAR adds to the Becker Knife & Tool line with the Becker BK40 Folder

Added to the Tactical Defense Institute line is the TDI Ladyfinger. The Ladyfinger uses a 1.875-inch arrowhead-shaped blade of AUS 8A with a hollow grind and low profile black powder-coated finish.

It has a simple arc-shaped handle with black Zytel scales that should be easy to grab and hold on to quickly under stress, which is the whole point of the TDI line. They’re knives for last-ditch defense when the adrenaline is running and fine motor skills have devolved.

At only 2.8 ounces, this is another knife you’ll forget you’re carrying when you clip it to your belt in its hard plastic sheath. MSRP on the Ladyfinger is $46.78.

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Kershaw

Following up on its 7010 Highball, Kershaw is releasing the 7020 Highball XL. The 7020 has similar lines as the 7010 but is more than just a larger version of that knife. The 7020 has a 3.3-inch clip-point blade of D2 tool steel with a matte bead-blasted finish.

Rather than a flipper or a thumb stud, the 7020 uses a long nail nick that looks almost like a fuller and KVT ball bearings. It makes for a very clean, streamlined design, and you should still be able catch your thumb in the nick and flip the blade open.

The handle uses a frame lock and is made from stainless steel with a matte finish that matches the blade.

Matching blue anodized pivot, pivot screw, and over-travel stops make a nice contrast to the matte stainless finish of the rest of the knife. The 7020 is 7.5 inches open and 4.30 inches closed. It weighs 3.8 ounces. It has a deep carry pocket clip that’s reversible for tip-up right- or left-hand carry. It’s a pretty elegant looking EDC knife and has an MSRP of $84.99.

Another new EDC folder in the Kershaw lineup is the 2095 Endgame. This one is a flipper and also rolls open on KVT ball bearings. It too has a D2 blade with a stonewashed finish.

This one is a drop-point design that’s 3.25 inches long. The handle on the Endgame is a stainless-steel frame lock design with black glass-filled nylon and bronze PVD inserts. MSRP on the Endgame is $99.99.

The Kershaw 7020 Highball XL is a classy EDC with subtle blue accents against a matte stainless blade and frame.

Zero Tolerance

In Kershaw’s more upscale Zero Tolerance line is the new 0990. The 0990 is based on the award-winning 0999. And while much more affordable than its predecessor, it’s still made from top quality materials.

The drop-point 3.25-inch CPM-20CV stainless steel blade features a stonewashed finish and a flipper opener that smoothly glides open on the KVT ball bearing system. The frame is a steel skeletonized structure with carbon fiber scales, and window cutouts similar to the 0999.

Rather than the traditional ZT marking on the blade, the 0990 is engraved with Zero Tolerance on the back spacer. The 0990 is 4.4 inches closed and weighs in at 2.9 ounces. Carry is by means of a reversible pocket clip set up for tip up carry. MSRP on the 0990 is $275, which should put it in range for many more users than the 0999.

The Kershaw Highball XL uses a sturdy frame lock and tip-up deep carry pocket clip.

The Kershaw Highball XL uses a sturdy frame lock and tip-up deep carry pocket clip.

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Kershaw adds to its line of assisted opening fl ippers with the 2095 Endgame, an elegant EDC piece with a rugged D2 tool steel blade.

Kershaw adds to its line of assisted opening fl ippers with the 2095 Endgame, an elegant EDC piece with a rugged D2 tool steel blade.

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SOURCES

CAS Iberia
CASIberia.com 

Cold Steel
ColdSteel.com

Condor Tool and Knife
CondorTK.com 

CRKT
CRKT.com 

KA-BAR Knives
www.KABAR.com 

Kershaw
www.Kershaw.KAIUSA.com 

Zero Tolerance
ZT.KAIUSA.com 

 

You can also read about the 6 super new products to boost your EDC list by Tim Stetzer.

 

Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared in the July – August 2021 print issue of Knives Illustrated.