Off Duty, Technology - Marine Corps Times

Give yourself an extra edge in battle

ORLANDO, Fla. — There are few pieces of gear that are more personal than a knife.

Multimedia

Audio slideshow: Knives

Want to see it? Sure, we’ll hand it right over.

Want to borrow it? Fat chance. You might as well ask if you could date our sister.

If you haven’t found that perfect fit yet — that blade that feels just right in your hand and does everything you need it to do in any situation — there’s no need to be jealous.

With so many great new options coming out this year, you’re bound to find a new soul mate.

It seemed that there was a table full of sharp objects vying for our attention around every corner of SHOT Show. From what we saw, expect plenty in the way of assisted-opening folders and automatics to hit store shelves this year, along with a few more exotic options — including a butterfly knife for the new millennium.

Call it love at first sight, times 13. Now we just have to pick one to go steady with.

Automatics

• Benchmade Infidel. Remember that switchblade you had as a kid? The one with the black plastic comb in place of the blade? Now you can get your hands on the real thing with Benchmade’s Infidel. This automatic, available exclusively to military and law enforcement personnel, evokes the look of the classic Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife. It features an ambidextrous thumb slide that fires off a 3.9-inch, double-edged blade. Weighing in at 4.9 ounces, it’s 5 inches long with the blade retracted. It’s available now and retails for $450.

See http://www.benchmade.com.

• SOG TAC Automatic. This is SOG’s first switchblade, but the TAC Automatic looks as if it was worth the wait. This low-profile knife features a slim, easy-to-grip handle, weighs 3.8 ounces and comes in at 8 inches overall, with a 3.5-inch blade. The side-opening blade travels quickly and features a safety that locks it in the open or closed position. A military- and law enforcement-only blade, the TAC Automatic will sell for $130 (satin finish) or $150 (black) when it becomes available in May.

Watch for it at http://www.sogknives.com.

• Colonial Knife Co. Hurricane. This one is a true sailor’s knife. The Hurricane is based on Colonial’s M724 automatic rescue knife already in the military supply system, but it was adapted with the mariner in mind. Incorporated straight from the rescue knife is a hook with a rounded tip, ideal for cutting through lines on a rubber raft without risking a puncture. The straight blade features a center opening for breaking loose boat shackles. Available with a black or safety-orange handle, the Hurricane is about 4.5 inches long. It should debut in April and sell for about $80.

See http://www.colonialknifecompany.com.

Folders

• SOG Bipolar. It’s a rescue hook. It’s a lean-and-mean knife. It’s bipolar. Another first for SOG, this new knife features assisted-opening mechanisms on both blades. Start opening the hook or the 3-inch blade and Bipolar does the rest of the work for you, propelling the blade to the open position. The “V-Cutter” rescue hook blade is ideal for slashing through seat-belt material, paracord, clothing and more. Adding to its value as a rescue tool is the glass-breaker nub at the butt end of this 7.5-inch knife. Weighing in at 5.7 ounces, the Bipolar will sell for $135 (satin finish) or $160 (black).

Look for it on http://www.sogknives.com, starting in May.

• Benchmade LFK. Another fun entry in Benchmade’s ’07 lineup is the LFK — the Large Folding Knife. We don’t get caught up in the “size matters” argument, but the LFK is pretty slick. It features a 5.2-inch blade, but a portion of the steel is housed in a “tail fin” that retracts as you open the knife. The result? It folds down to just 6.7 inches and feels as if you’re gripping a knife handle, not a bowling pin. Part of Benchmade’s foreign-made Red Class, this 6.7-ounce knife will retail for $100 (combo-edge price is $110). Expect to see it available in April.

See http://www.benchmade.com.

• Spyderco Salt series. The latest addition to Spyderco’s Salt knives, a rustproof line of blades perfect for deck-plate sailors, is the Tasman Salt. It features a “hawk bill” curved blade with a claw-like tip. Available with a straight or serrated edge and a black or bright yellow handle, the Tasman is 6-13/16 inches long. With no liner inside the fiberglass-reinforced nylon handle, it weighs just 2 ounces. It’s available now and retails for $84.95.

Three older models in the Salt line — the Salt 1, Atlantic and Pacific — feature different blade styles if the curved blade isn’t your thing. And later this year, look for two new additions — the Saver Salt, an emergency-style knife featuring a rounded-tip blade, and the Aqua Salt, the first fixed-blade member of the Salt family.

Check out the Salt line at http://www.spyderco.com.

• BlackHawk Jani-Song. Time to release your inner ninja.

New from BlackHawk Blades comes the Jani-Song, a flip-open “butterfly” knife modeled after the Filipino balisong fighting knives we loved to see on Kung Fu Theater. Unlike those finger slicers, the Jani-Song adds a level of safety to your mindless click-clacking.

Still composed of two handles attached to a sturdy blade, the Jani-Song updates the design to ensure that your fingers never come between the blade and the handle. An ambidextrous slide safety keeps it locked tight when you aren’t using it, and a handy pocket clip allows you to keep it within arm’s reach.

The Jani-Song has a 3.4-inch blade and opens to an 8.4-inch overall length. Retailing for about $200, it will be available in April.

Can’t wait that long? Check it out at http://www.blackhawk.com.

• Toollogic SL Pro. When we were kids, we were convinced our grandfather walked with a limp because of all the stuff he had in his pants pocket — cherry LifeSavers, penlight, pocket knife, car keys — you name it. If you’re the same way, look to the 4.2-ounce SL Pro to lighten your load a bit. It pairs a 3-inch straight or combo blade with a removable white-LED flashlight. Pull the flashlight out and at the base is your choice of a flint, a knife sharpener, a magnetic tip, a Glock pistol field-stripping tool or a handcuff key (sorry — that last one’s law-enforcement only, Houdini). It retails for $59.95 (bead blast finish) or $69.95 (black).

See http://www.toollogic.com.

• SureFire Delta. The company is best known for its flashlights, but SureFire is turning heads with its line of tactical knives, including the newest entry, the Delta. This one does double duty as a fighting and utility knife, with some handy tools built into its rugged titanium frame.

These include a wire cutter/ crimper that accepts up to 12-gauge wire, a finger guard that doubles as a blade flipper and a screwdriver for red-dot optical gun sights, a hex-nut wrench useful for scope-mounting nuts, a cord cutter and a window-breaker tip at the butt end. All that, plus a 3.37-inch blade.

With the blade closed, the Delta is 4.7 inches long; it weighs in at just 4.6 ounces. This much goodness comes with a big price tag, though — it retails for $425. (Look for a similarly priced fixed-blade Delta later this year that also features an integrated wire and flex cuff cutter.) You can check out the folder now at http://www.surefire.com.

Fixed blade

• Ka-Bar Large TDI Law Enforcement. When you think Ka-Bar, the image that immediately springs to mind is the iconic Marine Corps fighting knife. But there’s a lot more in Ka-Bar’s arsenal of blades, including the new Large TDI Law Enforcement. Featuring a curved handle (available in black, coyote brown or foliage green), it’s offered in drop-point and tanto-point models, with either a straight or combo edge. The matching sheath is compatible with military web gear, which means you can keep this blade within easy reach on your body armor. Measuring up at 7 9/16 inches overall, it features a 3 11/16-inch blade and weighs just 4 ounces. It retails for $65.

See http://www.kabar.com.

• Zero Tolerance 0121. Designed by Strider Knives, the 0121 is the newest military knife in the Zero Tolerance Knives line. This is a substantial knife, weighing in at 9.1 ounces, but it still feels light and comfortable in the hand. The 4.25-inch blade features a cord-cutter notch. It is 8 inches long overall and includes a MOLLE-compatible sheath. It will retail for $235. A portion of the sales proceeds will go to the Paralyzed Veterans of America Heritage Fund.

See http://www.zerotoleranceknives.com.

• Leatherman Steens/Ukiah. These new tools in Leatherman’s knife line are true hunting knives and aren’t really suited for tactical situations. But their innovative design, best described as a “rotating fixed blade,” is worth a look even if hunting isn’t your thing. If these two take off, you could well see this design turn up in combat knives.

The Steens and Ukiah feature both a gut hook and a 3.75-inch blade; to access one or the other, you simply rotate the handle to expose the one you need and stow the one you don’t. Also included are an integrated sharpener rod and a fold-out bone saw that slips over the blade.

At $160, the Steens is the more expensive of the two; it weighs 8 ounces and boasts S30V steel and an aluminum handle with rosewood inlays. The Ukiah, which features a black glass-reinforced nylon handle and 154CM steel, is slightly lighter at 7.2 ounces, and sells for $120.

Both are available now. Find a dealer near you by visiting http://www.leatherman.com.

• Gerber drop-holster knife. This one’s so new that there’s only one prototype model — and we got a sneak peek. Gerber designed this knife and sheath to attach to a pistol drop holster after hearing from a Marine in Iraq who needed both his knife and pistol within easy reach for crowd-control situations. Expect to see this one come out some time in the spring and sell for under $100.

Keep your eyes out for it at http://www.gerbergear.com.