WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN AN EDC KNIFE...

By Aaron Lee – Creator, Sharp, Bright & Tactical WebMagazine
http://sharptactics.blogspot.com/

Every once in awhile, a buddy asks me for advice on choosing a knife for daily carry. (Many of us collect and buy knives regularly, we’ve become “experts”, in some sense, this article is not for us, it’s for those who are new to carrying a daily knife, who need a small nudge in the right direction, as to making a choice.) This is a pretty personal decision, but here are some basic tips you may want to keep in mind when shopping for your own knife, or passing on words of advice to friends and family:

A quick word about the Internet:
The Internet can be a great tool. Obviously, as with everything, the internet can help you find just as much bad info as good (often MORE). The same goes for looking at LCD televisions, cars, and knives. Don’t get sucked into forums where opinions rule. You know what they say about opinions. Stick to retail sites, do some pricing, and if you happen to run across reviews written by impartial people on blogs (like me!), that’s fine too. Do some looking, and scan through customer reviews on retail sites. Most importantly, keep point #1 in mind.
1) What will be your intended use for your new knife? If you want something to carry discreetly on your person with which to break down cardboard and recycling at work, don’t get a 7+ inch tactical fixed blade in a jump-rated, leg-strapped sheath system. You’ll get funny looks, and your knife won’t be convenient, that’s common sense. You’ve done some looking and you want a liner locking folder with a clip? Go into a local cutlery shop and play with some options. Take your time, you can always come back later, or, even if the brick & mortar cutlery shop wouldn’t appreciate it, buy online later. Thank them and tell them you’ll do some thinking.
2) Buy the best quality you can afford. As you probably know, the range of custom and factory-made knives available is almost infinite. You can find well-made knives at nearly any price range. Remember, you often get what you pay for. I can’t stress research enough though, take your time with your purchase. You’ll appreciate and use your knife more, if it’s convenient enough to carry every single day, and diverse enough to tackle all manner of chores. That being said, there are a ton of high quality EDC knives out there under fifty American dollars. I’ve been buying, collecting and reviewing knives for a long time, and I’m still shocked at the overall selection offered worldwide.
3) Make sure the company that made your knife offers some kind of warranty. Many production knife companies and most custom knife-makers offer limited lifetime warranties, stating that the knife is covered unless it’s obvious you were prying with the knife, or chucking it against seasoned wood, or what-have-you. Leatherman, for instance, offers a 25 year warranty, which in my mind is as good as lifetime. Companies like Triple Eight Professional offer fair and generous warranties for life, excluding blatant abuse, misuse, or lack of maintenance. Be sure there’s a warranty, and that the packaging, or packaging insert contains a physical mailing address for warranty claims. There’s nothing wrong with knives made overseas by American (or Canadian, or European) companies, that’s the key though; make certain the knife is made for, or by a reputable company which has a web presence, and a mailing address.
The above points are simply my own personal rules for knife buying. You may have others, these are just general, common-sense guidelines. I love knives in general, but I always make sure the manufacturer isn’t some fly-by-night hack factory, and I always require a warranty of some sort.
My personal, ideal EDC knife, is one that’s carried easily (pocket clip), has a blade size that won’t freak out non-knife people (usually under 4 inches), and is made by a company who backs up their work; like Triple Eight Professional, Spyderco, Leatherman, etc.
Good luck and good shopping. Use your head and you’ll come away with a knife that will serve you faithfully for many years.
Feel free to email me with questions and comments:

TRIPLE EIGHT PROFESSIONAL DAMASCUS KIRKIDASHI KNIFE AVAILABLE IN LIMITED QUANTITIES

A very limited supply of damascus blade Triple Eight Professional KirkiDashi knives are available for shipping at $79.95 plus shipping and handling and sales tax for CA residents. We'll only have a few to ship out this week and it might be a while until we're able to get more on the shelves. As many of you know this item has been on back order since February.

Triple Eight Professional Rexroat-designed SOL

Courtesy: Sharp, Bright and Tactical WebMagizine

A short while back, I reviewed Triple Eight Professional's fantastic WrightKnife. I've had the opportunity to handle and carry another 888 design over the past few weeks. It's another Kirk Rexroat design, and this one's based upon the features of WWII OSS "thumb" daggers, which were commonly stitched into clothing as a last ditch hideout weapon, or secured behind collar lapels.
Below are a couple of generic examples of what the thumb daggers of the day would have looked like:

The SOL is likely the most "weaponized" out of Triple Eight Professional's offerings thus far. It sports a wickedly pointed double edged blade with aggressive double-cut serrations on half of one side, which are handy for utilitarian tasks like cutting more fibrous materials. The SOL's tip is probably one of the most needle-like points that I've ever seen, and is short and stout enough to pack some real puncturing power.

specs:
Blade Material: Heat treated AUS8 Stainless Steel
Scales: 420 Stainless Steel
Clip: 420 Stainless Steel
Action: T8P Spinner Action
Weight 1.9 oz. (53.9 grams)
Length/Closed 3” (76.2 mm)
Length/Opened 4.25” (107.95 mm)
Length of Blade 1.25” (31.75 mm)
As I stated in my previous rundown of the 888 WrightKnife, one of my favorite things about these new knives, is the compact size. Don't get me wrong, I love my big knives like the Cold Steel Spartan folder, and my Benchmade 610 full size Rukus folder model, but Triple Eight's knives are addictive to carry and use. They boast an elegant simplicity which is rare in the factory-made knife market these days. All of Triple Eight's "folding fixed blades" feature the same frame/handle style, with a perfectly sized carry clip affixed to the rear handle slab side. The T8P Spinner Action opening is unique, the blade, and both handle sides rotate around a stout steel pivot, and the blade sits in place, virtually locked by a ball bearing and detent system mounted toward the butt of each knife.
Forgive the couple of low-res cellphone pics below; it's time for a new digital camera, as my older Canon Powershot has a scratched lens, and eats AA batteries very quickly. The higher quality pics on the white backgrounds, are courtesy of Triple Eight Professional:






You can see that I'm a fan of joining Triple Eight's knives with Glow Cobra lanyards from The Lanyard Zone. Lanyard Zone products are extremely high quality, and handmade by a fellow named Scott, in Canada. Scott delivers super high quality lanyards for knives and tools at reasonable prices, with quick shipping. His Glow Cobra lanyards are an outstanding choice for almost any knife or piece of gear you could think of. They feature a *VERY* bright glowing endcap, which glows for several hours when exposed to flashlights or natural sunlight. They're very useful for locating knives, flashlights or multi-tools in a darkened tent, or backpack.


As I mentioned in my previous review, 888's folders all draw smoothly, easily and with speed from the pocket. A lanyard "slab", as I'd describe it, is affixed to the clip side of the handle, and sticks up just enough for your thumb and forefinger to gain good purchase on the knife as it's drawn. However, I find that when a lanyard is attached, Triple Eight's knives can be withdrawn from a pocket even faster, plus they simply give the knife a cool look.
The SOL knife came out of the package razor sharp, which I find impressive due to the overall stout thickness of this tool's blade. The serrated portion of the blade is extremely aggressive, and also was sharp enough right out of the package to shave hair. And again, opening with one hand or two is extremely simple. I was surprised at how smooth the SOL opened with a single hand, and the fact that just like its cousin, the WrightKnife, I wasn't poked by the mega-pointy blade when opening the knife. That being said, I would urge owners of the SOL to use a bit of extra care when deploying the blade, simply because that tip is so sharp and acute. The small serrated portion of the SOL's blade is very handy. The SOL which I received has a slightly different cut to the serrations than the way it's pictured in Triple Eight's press photos. Between the larger arcs, the "points" of each serrated section are grooved, giving the blade a very toothy look, and producing an extremely effective area on the blade for use against rope, clothing or other fibrous materials.
The icing on the cake for this great little tool, is what appears to be a black Teflon coating, similar to the original BT coating that Benchmade used for years, before modifying their black blades with their newer BK1 coating. From what I understand with Teflon blade coatings, even in the unlikely event that a blade's coating wears off visibly, the blade remains protected from corrosion or spotting due to the fact that the coating actually enters the "pores" of the blade. The SOL's black coating serves to further the tactical look of this little cutting demon, and has held up well with nary a mark, on the SOL that I've been carrying, even after fairly tough, regular use over a period of several weeks. I've used it to break down recycling, open mail & cut open UPS packages, in addition to using it for a slew of other daily, mundane tasks. I like to evaluate knives in this manner, because this is how 99% of us likely use our sharps on a daily basis. Of course, as a real-world tactical knife, packed as a backup by cops or soldiers, this little knife definitely has what it takes to be used hard under extreme circumstances. I would advise against discounting the SOL because of its sub 2 inch blade length. It's very solid, very utilitarian, and touches up easily on a fine ceramic or diamond rod. I like "dogbone" style sharpeners. Gatco makes a fine one, but my favorite is Lansky's Spyder Crock Stick sharpener, intended for use on knives with Spyderco-style serrations. I have found over the years that this sharpener is a great portable solution to touching up almost ANY blade, regardless of serration style. Lansky makes a great US Made product, and they are inexpensive, you can usually find them for $5.00 or $6.00 USD.

I actually put the SOL knife through LOTS of daily use, before even a mild touch-up on the ceramic stick was needed. AUS8 is a good old standby, not a buzzword super-steel like the CPM steels made by Crucible, but it is effective. Triple Eight's heat treatment, or specific batch of steel used in their knives must be superior, because it feels like they hold an edge longer, and sharpen up much easier than all other knives I have which use AUS8 bladesteel, including many older knives from Spyderco, among other companies.

I feel like Triple Eight Professional has brought another reasonably priced, creatively designed EDC knife to the table. The SOL's blade-style is excellent for everything from utility, to emergency self defense, plus it simply looks badass. 888's knives are a fantastic pocket size, but still pack enough punch and cutting power to take on nearly any task that you face throughout your week. Triple Eight knives also carry a limited lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, obviously, abuse & neglect will void the warranty, otherwise, they've got you covered. All blade styles should be available from better web retailers. Check out Triple Eight Professional for more info, or to get your SOL.

GREAT INDEPENDENT YOU TUBE REVIEW OF THE TRIPLE EIGHT PROFESSIONAL S.O.L.

Triple Eight Professional's WrightKnife

By Aaron Lee – Creator, Sharp, Bright & Tactical WebMagazine

http://sharptactics.blogspot.com/

We knife users, collectors and enthusiasts have so much to choose from, that when something truly innovative comes down the line, it has the ability to stop us in our tracks. I know that's the way I am, and I've seen every knife pattern, combination of ideas, gimmicks and tricks, sometimes it seems there's nothing new under the sun. On those rare chances that something is truly innovative, it's often gimmicky, and turns into an industry fad, making the company responsible for it lots of money, without truly offering the knife carrying public anything in return.

I can tell you right (Wright?) off the bat that Triple Eight Professional's WrightKnife is truly innovative, it's practical, and don't even think about using the word "gimmick" until you've handled one in person!

The WrightKnife takes its name from Wright Wyoming, home of its designer, Kirk Rexroat. If you've read a knife magazine in the past decade, you probably know who Kirk is. If you don't feel free to click that link and learn more. Kirk is a veteran respected bladesmith who works with beautiful materials like damascus and mammoth ivory. Rexroat's creations and beautiful, tough and functional all at once.

Triple Eight is a young company that's making waves in the industry. They count Rexroat and Canada's tactical master Greg Lightfoot among their design collaborators. Check out Lightfoot's customs here @ Lightfoot Knives. The people of Triple Eight Professional have tons of combined experience having worked in the knife, tool, flashlight and outdoor gear industries. We've already seen Triple Eight add on to its initial 3 knife offerings with another new wave of 3 more knives very recently.

I'll get back to the other offerings later...
All of 888 Professional's designs work the same way. They call them "folding fixed blades", which confused me at first until I thought about it. When you understand the strength of these little designs, from their oversize, donut style pivots, to the stout blades and overall construction quality, "folding fixed blade" no longer feels like much of a stretch.
Triple Eight calls their opening action T8P Spinner Action, it's patent pending and pretty basically genius in its simplicity. I don't even need to really explain much more than these photos show. Both handle sides and the blade all spin around the same oversized pivot. It clicks locked open and shut with a ball bearing and detent, and all you need to do to start the opening sequence is hold the knife tip-down in your hand and apply pressure to the front scale. This disengages the 3 pieces for rotation. It sounds tricky but it's very simple, addictive and safe. I actually tried to blunder my way through opening it several times. Emulating a clumsy handed person with no dexterity, I still could not force the knife to scrape or cut me when opening.

I put a lanyard on mine, which helps in drawing the knife from the pocket. The clip sits all 888 knives tip up in the pocket, the way most preferred by those using knives drawn quickly for emergency use. Draw is fast and easy because of the little lanyard slab, and even easier with a lanyard attached.
All of the 888 Knives have the same basic dimensions, in @ least the handle size and style, while blades vary only a bit. They just released a damascus kiridashi blade model which promises to be awesome. A perfect combination of old world and hi-tech.

The WrightKnife's specs are as follows:
Material: Heat treated 440 Stainless Steel
Scales 420 Stainless Steel
Clip: 420 Stainless Steel
Action: T8P Spinner Action
Weight: 2 oz. (56.7 grams)
Length/Closed: 3” (76.2 mm)
Length/Opened: 4.25” (107.95 mm)
Length of Blade: 1.25” (31.75 mm)

I REALLY love the size of these knives, and I look forward to obtaining the S.O.L., another Rexroat design based on the famous OSS Thumb Daggers of WWII. It's double edged, black and serrated! Badass!

888 also offers the Japanese style kiridashi blade, in Damascus stainless, the Rhino guthook knife, the Lightfoot Talon, and an awesome folding version of Roy Huntington's CopTool, called the SurvivIt Tool, which features a scraper/prybar blade, serrations and a webbing/cord cutting hook.

I have large hands, and I can still open this knife quickly. It's small, but in my mind that's advantageous, as you can use it anywhere without any big looks or freakouts from NKPs (non knife people). I've even shown a few female friends the knife who claim it's "cute". I hate to say it, but they are sorta cute, but I wouldn't hesitate to use this if the chips were down. It's primarily sized for tool use, but it's sharp as hell, with a stout, thick blade riding between two Teflon washers. A 1.25" blade of this sharpness and quality is sure to mess up somebody's day if need be. I'm experienced enough to know that this is a quality item. Don't balk at the Chinese manufacture, this is up there in quality with some of the better American factory knife companies USA made wares, including Spyderco and Benchmade. Remember, I get excited easily, but it takes quite a bit to impress me. Triple Eight Professional gets a huge pat on the back for impressing me with concept, quality, and affordability. These knives retail in the $35 USD range, and can be had just a bit cheaper from better retailers like Knifeworks and Knifecenter, though all 6 designs are available at 888professional.com