The Buzzard is a compact fixed blade produced by Spanish knife maker Hydra Knives. This EDC knife can do more than cut. It has a number of other multitool-like features including a firesteel scraper, a hex wrench, and the ability to accept interchangable screwdriver bits.
The Buzzard is made from 5mm thick, 1.4116 steel (similar to 420HC in the US, which is a solid working steel). The overall length is 6.7″ and the blade length is 3.35″. The included kydex sheath can be mounted in variety of ways and has a clever hole that allows the screwdriver function to work while the blade is covered.
Hydra Knives is launching this knife on Kickstarter where it was fully funded within 48 hours. Check out the Buzzard on Kickstarter.
The new Rapid Strike, from TOPS Knives, is a slim fixed blade knife designed with concealment in mind…
Everything about the Rapid Strike makes it an excellent combatives blade. The cutting edge is long enough for good slashing cuts and thrusts. It can be single or double-edged to meet legal requirements or be even more dangerous. The G10 handle is strong and grippy and combined with the recessed jimping that goes all the way around the handle, it’s easy to keep it in your hand when you need it the most. The sheath was designed to allow for a combat grip straight out of the sheath (meaning the hand doesn’t have to be readjusted to grip the handle properly after it’s removed from the sheath). The thin blade material and narrow profile take up little space on a belt, on a vest, in a boot, or wherever else you choose to carry it. 154CM stainless steel was chosen to provide a strong blade with little maintenance needed to keep it clean and sharp.
So whether you’re deployed to one of the current hot spots around the world, serving and protecting in your neighborhood, or just a prepared citizen who wants something to help get you home safe, the Rapid Strike is perfect for you. Plus it makes a great steak knife too.
TOPS Knives just released their newest knife – The Quickie. Here’s what they had to say about it:
In an increasingly uncertain world, tools like the Quickie become ever more valuable. It’s a “3-finger” karambit, meaning that the 3rd finger away from the blade should be placed in the hole. The design allows the user to still have some use of his/her hand while the blade is being held. This is especially useful for first responders that may have to draw the knife before they can access their primary weapon because it removes the need to drop or re-sheath the knife (both bad options) to get to that primary weapon once it becomes available.
You likely know Heavy Cover Inc as the makers of a titanium mess kit based on the size and shape of a USGI canteen. It is a thoroughly modern homage to a classic design. Is it any wonder that, when developing a a knife to serve as a companion to that same mess kit, they took inspiration from another classic USGI mess kit item?
Heavy Cover Inc. has been working with Dauntless MFG to develop a modernized version of the USGI 1945 WW2 Mess Kit Knife. The Heavy Cover version of this knife will boast a D2 steel blade with a black nitride finish. The scales are machined from aluminum and will be hard anodized on the production knife.
This knife is still in the prototyping phase. Stay tuned for additional details.
I recently wrote an article about the Mora Robust and Companion Heavy Duty (click here to read), two knives that I see as some of the best values in the extensive Mora line and some of the best values on the knife market, period. I tout these two knives as a great option for those who have been hesitant to try Mora knives due to preconceived notions about the lightweight, inexpensive knives being fragile.
I received two emails after the article went live. One was from a long time reader who bought a Robust on my recommendation. The second email was less than approving. To put it nicely, reader Allen K. expressed his concern that I was going to “get someone killed” by recommending Moras and accused me of being “cheap”. He was genuinely upset.
My initial reaction was to treat this like any other of the weird emails or comments that come along with being on the internet. As I thought more about it, it seemed like a great opportunity to articulate some thoughts that I have had for a long time – thoughts about why even with all the expensive knives I own, even knives of my own design, you will probably find a Mora in my pack.
Weight – This is pretty straight forward. I am not talking about some kind of subjective balance or feel. I am talking about the measurable weight of the knife. A Mora Robust weighs 5.07 ounces and it is one of the heavier Moras thanks to it’s thicker blade stock. That is a full 2-3 ounces lighter (and in some cases a lot more) than a typical full tang knife of similar size. I am interested in saving weight for anything that have to carry on my back or belt. If you are worried about breaking one, you could carry two Moras and still weigh yourself down less than some full tang knives.
Function – I need to do two things with a knife in the outdoors – cut random things and process wood for fires. I can do both with a Mora and do them well. The Scandi grind used on Mora knives is well known for how it cuts wood. They are thin enough to cut well and they work really well for their intended purpose. In fact, they outperform many popular knives on the market in this regard. Many makers seem to have lost sight of the fact that knives should cut. Morakniv hasn’t.
Ergonomics – Mora Knives typically have excellent ergonomics. The handles tend to be comfortable and hand filling. They offer positive grip that works well with wet or gloved hands. Moras also typically have unobtrusive guards and they tend to bring the cutting edge all the way to the handle which increases leverage and efficiency (and thus safety) in power cuts. These are knives designed by people who use knives.
Quality – These are actually well made knives. They typically come with a good edge that can be easily refined further by the end user. Morakniv uses 12C27 hardened to HRC 56-58 or UHB-20C hardened to HRC 58-60 (basically 1095 carbon steel) and that is just in the lower end knives. These are high quality steels taken to hardness levels that provides very good performance.
Basically, you choose a Mora for ALL THE SAME REASONS YOU WOULD CHOOSE ANY ANOTHER KNIFE! Moras tend to be good quality, high performing knives, that also happen to be extremely inexpensive.
I understand that there is something of a mental hurdle here that takes a little bit of effort to get over. We live in a world where good things are rarely cheap. We also have a lot of romantic ideas about survival with a knife or how we think we will use a knife in the outdoors.
Mora knives are usually more than enough knife for me
