Author: whitemountainknives

Just like knife weight, size, and steel alloy, a folding pocket knife’s blade profile will significantly impact its utility. It’s something you should consider before you get a new knife for EDC. These are some of the most popular profiles, some of which are more practical than others.

Drop Point

Drop point knives have a spine that slopes gently downward to meet the point. These are perfect for general utility as they are not too specialized. It is also one of the most common blade profiles.

Straight Back

A straight back knife is just what it sounds like. It has a straight spine that meets the point. Generally, the belly is gently swept. Like drop point knives they are great for all-purpose applications.

Clip Point

A clip point blade is like a drop point, except that towards the point, a short radius has been “clipped” out of the spine. This leaves a swept, inward curve in the spine near the point that is generally swedged or sharpened to a false edge. It also results in a very fine tip.

Swept Point/Trailing Point

A swept point blade profile has a point that trails behind the spine of the knife, hence the other name. These profiles are best for making long, sweeping cuts.

Needle Point

A knife with a needle point profile, like a stiletto, has a very fine point. They may be sharpened on one or both edges. Generally, this style is best for piercing and not much else, as it is a relatively fragile profile.

Spear Point

A spear point profile is like a needle point but more robust. Both sides of the blade – the edge and the spine, come together to meet at the point, such that you can’t tell just by looking at the profile which is the sharpened edge. This is another very popular profile and useful for general utility.

Talon/Hawkbill

In a talon or hawkbill blade, the point of the profile is swept inward toward the handle. This profile is best for making draw and pull cuts, as well as for pruning. It has its applications, but the profile is somewhat limiting and the edge is very hard to sharpen.

Sheepsfoot

In a sheepsfoot blade, the spine of the knife is downturned toward the point, sloping to meet it, like a spear point but much more aggressively. The edge is usually but not always straight. Usually sheepsfoot blades have thick blade stocks and spines and very robust points that are not ideal for piercing. Like much larger cleavers, these blade styles are best for chopping, dicing and slicing.

Spey

A spey blade is a niche profile that was once very common on traditional pocket knives. In it, the belly is swept up to a point that drops to meet it, sort of like a hybrid between a sheepsfoot and a drop point. Historically, spey blades were used for neutering and spaying livestock, hence the name.

Wharncliffe

In a wharncliff, the edge of the blade is usually straight, with a sloped spine that comes down to meet it. This results in excellent piercing efficiency, like a needle point, with more stock near the tip, like a sheepfoot. As a result, wharncliffes, or “wharnies” as they are sometimes called, are ideal for both slicing and piercing applications.

Tanto

Tanto blades usually have straight or slightly swept spines and corresponding bellies. Near the tip, there is a differential grind that creates a unique bevel and geometry, resulting in a very strong tip that is unlikely to break.

Leaf

Leaf-patterned blades are narrower at the shoulder and flare out, sort of like a leaf shape, through the belly and spine, converging again at the tip. Normally the tip is not that fine. Many Spyderco knives have leaf-shaped blades.

Pick Up a Folding Pocket Knife from One of the Top Brands

Armed with this information you can talk more authoritatively the next time you’re showing off one of your prized knives. If you’re in the market for a new one, check out what’s available online at White Mountain Knives. They carry a wide range of pocket knives in a variety of shapes and styles, and offer competitive prices, along with free shipping in the U.S.

For more information about Benchmade Pocket Knife and Good Pocket Knife Brands please visit:- White Mountain Knives, LLC

Trailing point blades, what aren’t they good for? They can make long, sweeping cuts, be rocked like an ulu to finely dice and mince food and seasonings, and so much more. It’s a practical blade shape.

And the White Mountain Knives exclusive Clairvoyant is the best Kizer knife for people that love that blade profile. Let’s unpack the details together.

About this White Mountain Knives Exclusive Kizer Clairvoyant

Cool name aside, this Clairvoyant is a highly practical knife with a lot of cool features.

This version of the Clairvoyant is a nicely sized folder, 8 inches and change overall, with a 3.74” blade.

The blade profile is slightly swept, with a downturned point, sort of like a sheepsfoot. It’s not a textbook sheepsfoot but that’s the best way to describe it.

This profile is excellent for slicing and making long cuts, so it’s great for food prep, making feather sticks and light carving work, and processing game, specifically skinning.

The downturned point is also much stronger than other similar styles. A conventional swept blade with a trailing point would be much more fragile – as would other styles, like a needle point or a clip point.

Just don’t abuse it, and you won’t ever have to deal with a broken tip.

Toughness is another matter. This version of the Kizer Clairvoyant is made with a 154CM super steel blade.

If you’re not familiar, 154CM is a Crucible Industries steel that contains, chiefly, carbon, chromium, and molybdenum.

It’s like a less expensive version of S35VN that is easier to work with. The high carbon and chromium content give it the ability to take and hold a solid edge while resisting corrosion. As for the molybdenum, that makes it tougher.

It is an excellent steel and one that won’t make you want to pull your hair out when it’s time to resharpen. Plus, it’s relatively low maintenance and unlikely to spot or rust.

Blade steel and profile and not the only two characteristics that make this an excellent knife, if not the best Kizer knife.

The handle pattern is nothing to write home about, but the handle scale material and configuration are. It’s an aluminum frag pattern.

Aluminum is as light as steel and basically as strong, and under normal conditions, less suspect to the ravages of corrosion. This makes it very low maintenance.

And then there’s the frag pattern itself, which takes some of the “slick” out of the aluminum, making the whole thing more grippy.

But now we’re going to get to the one feature of this Kizer knife that might just be the thing that makes it the best: the lock.

As popular as sheepsfoot knives and pocket cleavers have proven over the last few years, the button lock bandwagon has been even more so.

This White Mountain Knives exclusive has one, and there’s quite a bit about button locks that make them preferable to conventional alternatives like liner locks, frame locks, and lock backs.

One is the fact that the knife can be opened and closed easily, with one hand. Another is the inherent strength of a button lock.

But perhaps the biggest thing is the safety. You can close the blade of a button lock knife without putting your fingers in harm’s way. And that’s no small thing.

By now, you should be starting to get an impression of why this might be the best Kizer knife out there.

Where Can You Get One of These Kizer Knives?

Interested in learning more about this Kizer knife before you pull the proverbial trigger? Check it out at White Mountain Knives. That’s the only place you can get one, anyway.

For more information about Cold Steel Tanto Knife and Victorinox Swiss Army Knife please visit:- White Mountain Knives, LLC

Do you carry a pocket knife daily? Maybe you’re a collector or a camper or a hunter? Either way, there are lots of great options out there in brands that produce both fixed and pocket knives. So how do you pick the best one?

Here are some of the best quality pocket knife brands in the industry. There’s quality in each of their catalogs.

• Cold Steel: Best known for its outrageous marketing videos, Cold Steel still makes some high-quality pocket knives. They also make a wide range of fixed blades, axes, tomahawks, shovels, and other tools.

 

• Buck: Buck is a classic among classics, and chiefly utilizes its famous corrosion resistant 420HC blade steel. Many are made in the United States; top models include the Buck 110 Folding Hunter and 119 Special.

• Gerber: Gerber is another American icon that has produced a lot of quality models, including the Gerber Gator and Paraframe.

• Ontario Knife Company: One of the most infamous folding knife designs is that of the RAT I (or RAT II) both of which are made by OKC.

• ESEE: ESEE is only on here for the Avispa and Churp. For the most part, they make fixed blades, but the few folders they do make are excellent.

 

• Rough Ryder: Rough Ryder makes everyday carry (EDC) pocket knives from premium materials in traditional patterns like Stockman, Sowbelly, and Trapper knives. The quality rivals Case (below) but the price can’t be matched.

• Case: Case makes classic pocket knives in America from high-quality scale materials such as bone and antler, with “Tru-Sharp” stainless steel blades.
• Great Eastern Cutlery: Great Eastern Cutlery, also affectionately referred to as GEC, makes traditional pocket knives with 1095 blade steel, which, though it rusts, is tough, strong, and holds an edge.

 

• Artisan Cutlery: Made in China, Artisan Cutlery pocket knives offer incredible value across a wide price range.

• CJRB: CJRB is Artisan Cutlery’s subsidiary and primarily makes quality pocket knives at budget prices – but not at budget quality.

 

• CRKT: CRKT, or Columbia River Knife and Tool, makes many a quality knife, including the Squid, M16, Pilar, and CEO – among many others.

• Kizer Knives: Kizer is another Chinese company but makes a wide range of quality folding knives, such as the Sheepdog and Begleiter.

 

• Kubey: Kubey is a Chinese knife manufacturer that makes high-quality pocket knives to meet a wide range of budgets.

 

• Schrade: Many Schrade pocket knives are highly affordable, and their product range is very wide. They are very popular among the budget conscious.

• Opinel: This French company makes a variety of conventional, collar lock folding knives. The collar lock can be removed for compliance with local laws.

• Benchmade: Though relatively new, Benchmade pioneered the AXIS lock mechanism that revolutionized the knife industry.

• Kershaw: Makers of Composite Blade Technology and SpeedSafe Assisted Opening that make it easier to open the blade, Kershaw is a favorite in the industry.

• Spyderco: Immediately recognizable thanks to their leaf shaped blades and Spyderholes instead of thumb studs, Spyderco makes many quality knives in a variety of styles, sizes, and blade lengths.

• Zero Tolerance: Zero Tolerance knives are a bit pricey, but they use premium knife steels and scale materials and boast peerless fit and finish.

• Victorinox: Victorinox is best known for its pocket knives, especially the SD Classic, which is quite a small knife. Still, they use quality materials and are impossibly affordable – but not cheap in quality.

Shop the Best Quality Pocket Knife Brands Online at White Mountain Knives

For better or for worse, big box retailers generally carry disappointingly small catalogs of knives and tools. If you’re looking to explore these brands and countless others, visit White Mountain Knives. They offer competitive prices and free shipping in the U.S. too.

For more information about Best Gerber Knife and Victorinox Swiss Army Knife please visit:- White Mountain Knives, LLC