Somewhere around the middle of each month we share the Knife News column from the current issue. But the time you read this, it won’t be the freshest news, as much gets covered in our News Feed on the website, and print subscribers could read it almost a month ago.
But sharing it here gives you an idea of what I thought was most important, since we only have 4 slots every month. I try to bring both a variety of topics, as well as highlighting trends in the industry.
Enjoy!
Group of Portland Knife Companies Forge Alliance
Consortia of geographically adjacent knife companies are nothing new. The best known of these is probably Maniago Knife Makers (MKM) of Italy. Founded in 1960, many of MKM’s constituent companies date back centuries. Now, a group of Portland, Oregon-area knife companies has formed the Portland Knife Center of Excellence (PKCoE), with the mission “to establish Portland as a destination that connects and celebrates a passionate knife community, while building pride in American craft, education and innovation.”
Portland is one of the leading hubs of knife manufacture worldwide, and the PKCoE seeks to promote both the knife making history and continuing innovation found in the area.
The five companies leading the effort are Benchmade, CRKT, Gerber Gear, Leatherman, and Steelport Knife Company. In a joint statement from the heads of the five founding companies, “As the founding members, we recognize the significance of our collective craftsmanship and the legacy of our brands. We represent more than 200 years of combined experience in knife design and manufacturing here in Portland, where the competition is fierce. We’ve long admired each other’s dedication to excellence and innovation. Now, we are proud to unite and uphold a spirit of collaboration that will spotlight Portland’s impact on the knife industry,”
By the time of publication, they will have already held their inaugural Portland Knifemaker Showcase, as well as a sweepstakes coinciding with that event and National Knife Day. For more information on the Portland Knife Center of Excellence and its future activities, visit www.pkcoe.org.
GiantMouse Partners with Michigan Distillery for Castle & Key Distiller’s Blade
Michigan-based GiantMouse Knives has a tradition of naming their models for people and places that have a special meaning for its three founders, Jim Wirth, Jens Ansø, and Jesper Voxnaes. Some past examples are the Bleeker, named for the street in Greenwich Village, or the Grand, from the famous hotel in Nuremberg, Germany.
Their latest knife release is in partnership with Castle and Key Distillery in Kentucky. The GiantMouse team had gotten to know the Castle and Key folks doing promotional pop-up events at Filson retail stores. A friendship developed, and culminated in the GiantMouse Castle & Key Distiller’s Blade.
There are two versions of the knife being made, in extremely limited quantities. The black-anodized titanium handled model is being sold exclusively at the Castle&Key distillery. The blue-handled version is being sold online, 50 through CastleandKey.com, and 50 through the GiantMouse.com website. Both feature a 2.86’ CPM20CV blade, copper backspacer, liner lock, and a deep carry clip. Made in Maniago, Italy, the GiantMouse Castle & Key Distiller’s Blade retails for $325.
There is a great blog post going into more detail on the partnership on the GiantMouse.com website. You can reach out via contact form on the site with questions.
Demko Knives Unveils $89 Budget Shark Cub
Demko Knives debuted their Shark Cub in late 2023, incorporating Andrew Demko’s Shark Lock from their AD20.5 in a more compact package. Originally released with a 2.5” 20CV blade, MSRP hovered around the $200 mark. However, Andrew wanted to release a more budget-friendly version, so they swapped in an AUS-10A steel blade, and substituted FRN scales for the aluminum or G10 options on the premium. The new budget Shark Cub comes in under $100 MSRP, $89.99 in fact.
Remaining unchanged is Demko’s patented Shark Lock. Fully ambidextrous, the Shark Lock is disengaged by pulling back on the spine-mounted slider, keeping the fingers safely out of the path of the blade when closing. Both of the Shark Cub’s blade shapes can be opened with either hand, via thumb stubs on the clip-point, or elongated thumb hole on the “Slicer Shark” drop point blade. Rounding out the knife’s ambidextrous features is a deep-carry, reversible pocket clip and an elongated thumb hole.
There is no release date available at the time of this publication, so be sure to check www.demkoknives.com for the latest information.
Defiant 7 Debuts New USA-made Folder
Defiant 7 is a small production partnership between Chad Nichols (Nichols Damascus) and Mississippi knife maker Les George, who describes their mission thusly, “We are working to develop the next generation of talent for the knife industry, leverage new technology into age old problems and, in general, produce badass knives. We believe overkill is underrated.”
When they say that they are dedicated to developing talent, they mean it. They have hired a trio of recent machine-school graduates for them to mentor and to help with the production.
Their newest model is one of Les’s designs, the Auto Valmera. George, a retired Marine Explosives Ordinance Disposal tech, named the model after an Italian “Bouncing Betty” type antipersonnel mine, only his deploys a 3.25” CPM-154 stonewashed blade instead of explosives and shrapnel.
The handles are aluminum, housing a button-lock mechanism. The clip is single position (tip-up, right hand), and the knife is made in the USA.
MSRP for the Defiant 7 Auto Valmera is $285. It joins a growing roster of tomahawks, knives, and other tools in their lineup. Email [email protected] for more information, or visit www.defiant7.com
Read the full article here