Those that know me know that I view pocket knives as an art form. People are into paintings, sculpture, and other works that man creates. A man bears his soul when he creates, pouring out his creativity, passion, emotions, and even love. I, however, see beauty in knives. To others, they are purely utilitarian, cold steel made for a purpose. But I see knives as much an art form as those made with chisels and paintbrushes. It's the angles, curves, material choices, movement, acoustics, etc. It's poetry in motion. Knife designers are artists, and today we're taking a look at a design by Paul Munko.
Paul says that ever since he was a kid, he's been fascinated by anything with a blade. His dad had a toolbox full of pocket knives, using them for a variety of things around the house daily. Paul learned at a young age the utility that a knife could bring into your life. They made things easier in a way that you don't ever think about unless you carry one daily. They were not only useful but fun as well. He got hooked on pocket knives after a road trip, seeing them on display at a rest stop. He went to researching what makes for a good pocket knife. He found out how great the knife-collecting community was. He found collectors, creators, and even started speaking with designers and manufacturers about their work and how their ideas came to be.
Kansept has many models that define the brand, and one that stands out in particular is the Main Street. Designed by Dirk Pinkerton, the Main Street exemplifies his no-nonsense, purpose-driven philosophy. His approach to knife design is simple: big enough to get the job done, but in the smallest package. It features a comfortable yet versatile grip, able to handle whatever tasks you would expect a knife to handle. That sums up the Main Street perfectly.
The company often makes variations of their models, some of which are quite striking. I decided to take a look at the lightning anodized version with 20CV steel. If I don't get to this now, I'll forget—there's a lot to talk about. The overall length of the Main Street is 7.92 inches, with a blade length of 3.36 inches.
I'm generally a fan of mid-sized knives, but it's hard to ignore the fantastic smaller folders on the market right now. Vosteed has been a leader in this area thanks to their mini models. With designs like the Chipmunk, it's a standalone product rather than a smaller version of an existing model. A newcomer to the Vosteed lineup is the Acorn. The company describes the Acorn as "Our way of expressing gratitude to our valued supporters through a high-quality, budget-friendly knife." Let's get cracking and check out the new Acorn.
When it comes to sharpening, there's a myriad of ways to get the job done. There's freehand, fixed angle, motorized, crock sticks, and even pull through. Throughout millennia, man has used many ways to get his gear sharp, and just when you think we've exhausted new ways to get the job done, someone comes up with a fresh idea. One such innovation comes from the folks at Warthog Sharpeners.
Warthog was started with the simple aim of creating a better knife sharpener. They wanted to give people the ability to sharpen their knives to a professional level without having to send them to an expert. They began operating in 1999 and have been manufacturing and exporting high-quality diamond knife sharpeners for more than 20 years. Warthog saw there was nothing on the market that sharpened blades expertly and quickly while still being easy to use. They put their heads together and, in 2000, they designed and manufactured the first V-Sharp sharpener. Warthog proudly manufactures in Garden Route in George, South Africa.
Kansept Knives, the incredible manufacturer out of Yangjiang, has been a major player in the industry for the last four years. They've created a team with more than 20 years of experience in the knife industry. At the same time, they established a strong Research & Development department to continuously design the most ergonomic, innovative, and high-quality in-house knives. Combine that with award-winning collaborations, and you've got a recipe for success.
The public loves what Kansept is doing, but their knives don't reach everyone's budget. So the team put their heads together and created a new line called Tenable. This line of knives takes those award-winning designs and manufactures them at a price point everyone can afford. The name of the company means: "able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection." Seems fitting I think. Today, we're checking out one of the two new releases from this line, the Prometheus.
I don't have much of an intro for this knife, as this is part deux of the Tenable launch lineup. Today, we're taking a look at the company's Nesstreet model. The Nesstreet is designed by Greg Wegrzycki, known in the knife community as Karambitmaker. He's a long-time martial arts practitioner, knife collector, and knife maker. His main passion is karambit and curved blade knives, but he sometimes creates more utilitarian items. You might think that this new model would be a karambit-style knife, but instead, Greg has created a well-balanced everyday carry knife.
The humble Swiss Army knife has been a staple in the multipurpose tool market since 1884. Though it's evolved over the years, it's stayed relatively the same. Victorinox has been a dominant force in the industry world wide. Others have tried to grab some of the action, yet they cannot match the quality or production. They've got over 150 years of experience, one cannot simply compete. But instead of trying to copy them, why not innovate? Create something new, and fresh, use high end materials, and give people something they'll truly want. That is what Greg Medford of Medford Knives set out to do. His answer is called ASK Knives, which is an acronym for American Service Knife.
There are many things to consider when looking to purchase a sharpening system: price, ease of use, support, and warranty, to mention a few. When doing your research, one company seems to stand out time and time again: Work Sharp. Work Sharp is well known in the industry, offering many different products to keep things sharp.
Before I get into my review, I'd like to provide a little history lesson. Work Sharp used to be owned by a parent company named Darex. The company was founded in 1973 in Beecher, Illinois. The first three initials of the DAREX name represent three generations of the Bernard family: David, Arthur, and Richard Bernard. David and his father Richard founded Darex. His grandfather Arthur Bernard, who earlier founded the Bernard Welding Company, also contributed to Darex. In 1978, Darex relocated to Ashland, Oregon. In 2012, Matthew Bernard became the fourth-generation family owner of the company. In 2020, Darex Industrial was sold, and the company rebranded to Work Sharp, now completely focused on the consumer market.
The company has been in the abrasives industry for a long time. People all over the world rely on Work Sharp to keep their knives and other gear sharp, whether at home or in the field. A popular tool in the Work Sharp lineup is the Precision Adjust. The Adjust comes in three configurations: the base model called the Adjust, the Adjust Elite, and the Professional. Today, we're checking out the company's Elite model.
Tromping around the Cretaceous period, the Talarurus thrives. Heavily armored, with a club on its tail it was built like a tank. That was 89 million years ago, but this tough thunder lizard still roams today. Enter the Talarurus, a new knife for 2024 from the folks at Vosteed. These guys normally name their products after modern animals, but seems the company is going way back, using dinos for inspiration. Oddly enough, their new Ankylo is really short for ankylosaurus which is in the same family as the Talarurus. Anyways, enough talk about dinosaurs let talk knives.
What's blue, and quicker than an egg-shaped villain? No, not Sonic but another hedgehog who's stealing the spotlight! Vosteed continues to come up with creative names for their products, and this is no exception. Hedgehogs are unique critters, having many things that make it special in the animal kingdom. This new knife from the creative mind of Yue Dong, has many cool features that make it special too.
Kansept collaborates with numerous designers, some of whom are well-known and others who are gaining recognition. One designer who has just retired from the US Coast Guard is Greg Schob, who is getting back into knife making. Greg Schob is a metal fabricator by trade, and he began making knives about 6 years ago. He enjoys making knives, leather, and anything EDC related. Greg collaborated with Kansept to make the Fenrir model.
Because multitools have been around for decades there's literally hundreds to choose from. This has caused many a thread here on the forum, Facebook, or even Reddit to be created by folks needing help finding the perfect tool for their needs. With varying degrees of sizes and implements, it's a lot to sort through. Even through all that, there's folks who aren't happy with what's already out there. There are tools that are close, but don't quite check all those boxes. To solve this problem people got into modding their tools. Thanks to the community here at multitool.org and other places around the globe, people now have the means to make the perfect tool.
However, not everyone is savvy enough to modify their tool even with help. Enter in the new era of multitools, the modular design. With a modular design customers can take a tool and build it from the ground up with the tools they want. No filler or redundant tools that waste space and go unused. Don't need a can opener because you don't go camping? Leave it out in favor of an Allen key for instance. This simple idea is going to radically change the multitool landscape. The pioneer, or shall we say the first modern iteration was by Michael O'Donnell from GOAT Tools. This tool features a set of standard tools with the ability to purchase additional tools and swap them out. The GOAT has quite a following but like every tool has its pros and cons. Though not perfect it was a proof of concept, showing that a modular design could fix issues people had with customization.
We love our gadgets, from pocketknives to fidget toys, they get the job done, and entertain all at the same time. Those cleaver folks at Pichi Design found a way to give us both a high-quality knife that's also fidget friendly. Till recently I've only used my job specific box cutter at work, I honestly didn't consider anything else. Over the last 6 months I've come across some very high-quality creations, and I had never considered adding a utility blade to my everyday carry.
There are quite a few options out there for camping, and outdoor eating utensils. I don't spend any time outside like I used to. I used to be into camping, mountain biking, hiking, etc. Since moving to the south of the United States I don't have much of a desire to do those things anymore, maybe it's the humidity. I did however get to play with a very cool combo tool made for such a outing called the CMB Made Knives Titanium 2 in 1 Folding Fork and Spoon Combo. Now I won't be taking this on any walks in the woods but thought this might be a great take along for my meals at work. I usually take leftovers because they save us money and most place, I go have a microwave handy. I've been taking the spoon-fork combo along with me, and this is my thoughts. Due to the super long name this product has I think I'll refer to it by its model number which is CMB-E01.
I've carried a pocketknife on my person for over 20 years. My knife gets used for everything from opening mail, food prep, and the random thing that needs doing. I've used my knife even at work where I open boxes and break them down. I sometimes use my dedicated box cutter which is a Pacific Handy Cutter S4 model. It does things I can't do with my knife because it's specifically designed for a task. Lately I've come across many companies that produce everyday carry box cutters and thought I would touch on a few. Why do we have EDC box cutters? Because there seems to be people who want a quick access disposable blade that can be used to do dirty work. Work that they wouldn't use their pocketknife for, then again there's the no sharpening aspect as well. Needless to say, there's a market for these items and companies are delivering. Today we're checking out the Exceed Designs TiRantV3, a very high end take on a design that's used by everyone.
There are a lot of great things that come out of Canada: ice hockey, maple syrup, and poutine for example. Evidently Canada has lots of small companies who are looking to make a change in the world. One such company that's grabbed my attention is Pichi Designs. They've been established for 10 years now, previously focusing on designing and manufacturing for the military and some commercial companies. They make several incredible products which I'm going to be covering, the first being the Kootenay.
What kind of people would write collect and review multitools? Quite simple really- we are designers and do-ers, outdoors types and indoor types, mechanics, doctors, problem solvers and problem makers. As such, we have, as a world spanning community, put every type, size and version of multitool, multifunction knife, pocket knife and all related products to every test we could manage in as many places and environments as there are.