Republic Of Knives

Blade Style: Wharncliffe | One Folding Knife One Blade: Your Choice? If You Could Only Have One Folding Knife With One Blade, What Would That Blade Be? Blade style: Wharncliffe blades are an overlooked style which deserves a better place in knifedom! No matter how much we like something, most of us are still looking for ways to improve it. Little things, to just make something that tiny little bit more usable, more beautiful, more practical, it is just human nature to do so. It is also human nature to seek things that will work better, faster or easier. That is one of the ways we make progress as human beings. Tool Specialization Sometimes we want a tool that will make a specific task or type of task easier. Often we invent things that will only do one job, and sometimes that is the very best thing, like human specialization. I don’t want my brain surgeon to also be a part-time plumber. There is, however, a rational for having a very “generalist” approach to many...

Case Wharncliffe Mini Trapper I purchased a Case Wharncliffe mini trapper through Shepherd Hills, Case’s largest distributor. The knife came with yellow Delrin handles and the Wharncliffe style blade was of stainless steel. In my search for the perfect all purpose blade, I have come to the conclusion that the Wharncliffe blade is as near to perfection as can be when performing all knife tasks. In truth, it does most tasks better than the blades that were designed specifically for each task! Read more about that in this post: Blade Style: Wharncliffe | One Folding Knife One Blade, Your Choice? A little background is needed: I have been a Case knife owner and fan since I was about 5 years old! I know that sounds a little crazy to the modern mind, but it is true and was not all that uncommon in rural America 5 or 6 decades ago. Hey, when I was a kid you could order guns from Sears through the mail! Times have changed! I have long been a serious fan of Case pocket knives, and have...

The Kershaw Leek may just help change my mind concerning modern knife designs! “Tactical” Knives I have never been a big fan of what people call “tactical” folding knives. In fact, I have never been a fan of calling anything tactical outside of a purely tactical situation. I am often amused at hearing someone talk of a “tactical knife” while discussing the merits of a “tactical sheath” made of “ballistic nylon”! What a gut buster! The blades on such knives are usually too short, seem to be designed solely for slashing, have big bellies and with all the emphasis on lightness, (When did everyone become so weak that 3 or 4 ounces is just too heavy for a man to carry?) the new knife breeds are so light that they don’t have the heft to be truly effective in a real world conflict! With my old Buck 110, even if I can’t sling it open in 2 milliseconds, I can still use it like a hammer or a roll of quarters to add momen...