KnifeCenter FAQ #137: Is That A Fixed Blade In Your Pocket?

Hello everyone, here comes David C. Andersen from KnifeCenter and welcome to episode 137 of KniFAQs, the series where I answer all

your

questions about knives, whether sharp or dull. This week, I have a question for you: keep a

fixed

blade

in

your

pocket

. You're happy to be here. Well, if you're new to this series, we've taken questions from our comments section below these videos and packaged them together with some answers for the video. So if you have a question and would like it to be considered for a future episode, the comments section below is right where you want to leave that question.

Today's first question comes from Dr. Kushner. Hi DCA, I'm looking for a

fixed

blade

that I can carry in my fifth

pocket

. Hmm, I'm a big fan of micarta. But open to other types of handles. Any suggestions? This is one of those where, from the beginning, I immediately thought, well, first of all, if you're not familiar with what we talked about like carrying the fifth pocket, it's that little fifth pocket and a pair of blue jeans. , a small coin pocket for watch has different names. But he says a little one doesn't have much space. And my first reaction was no.

Forward. I was ready to dismiss the question, but then I started thinking about it. And realizing that there are actually a lot more options than I thought, once you're open to the idea, we'll basically have to stick to small things. Obviously, the neck knife genre stuff is a good starting point because it's already a compact package overall. And really a lot will also depend a little on the case. That being said, there are a lot of things out there that could fit in that fifth pocket, especially if you don't need it to attach to the pocket at all, if need be, float there inside its sleeve in that pocket. tons of cool stuff.

So I was able to have some micarta options here. I didn't have to stretch to get some extra things. So here they are. My favorite option is this knife here and I show them first in the sheath, this is the MKM Mikro, the Mikro with a drop point, but a sheepsfoot or a reverse Tanto is also available. These are about $95, and well, here's the knife, you've got a two-inch blade of M 390 steel, a little bit like a pocket wedge right there. There is some durability to this despite its smaller size, stonewashed finish and natural or green micarta handles available, they can be gripped with two or two and a half fingers depending on the size of your hand, but it doesn't feel too slippery and presses very well for details. cutting edge work.

And this case really works very well. In fact, we have one of the skeletonized versions of this. You can remove the scales if you want and we'll try it. We have like an office copy that's there. And the nice thing about this with its magnetic flap on the leather case is that you can put it in that fifth pocket and have the magnet turn around and hold it in place. It sounds bad, but that's pretty much what it does. And it will keep it in place and you can take it out of the holster while the holster stays in the pocket and then it will be ready to go back in there and you won't have much sticking out above the fifth pocket that you are in.

It certainly won't go over the line of your belt on no case, so hopefully it will be pretty discreet. Of course, you can turn it over and let it sit deeper in your watch pocket, your fifth pocket, if you want, but it's certainly a very good option. Keeping in mind, of course, that you know that the size of said pocket can vary wildly between manufacturers or even within a company's own line depending on the cut and this is one of the smaller micarta handled options. I think that will do the job, so check it out. I have a couple more.

First of all, we have the Bokor gnome, which is about $59, it has just a simple kydex sheath here and at least in my fifth pocket I can bury all of this in that pocket, especially the angle it has a little bit like that. It's very easy to keep discreet and it's not that thick even though the handles are a little thick that you can't put it in your pocket. But the D2 Kydex sheath blade has a sheepsfoot profile of just over two inches with a hollow grind to keep that edge a little thinner. He mentioned that the MKM has an almost complete flat polish.

To give you an idea of ​​the geometry there. Burlap micarta handles with red liners, nice pop of color there. And this is a one and a half to two finger knife handle, depending on the size of your hand, it definitely doesn't give you as much to hold on to. But it's not terrible, I mean, it's something about the bulge and the spout here, those two fingers can grip it pretty well and your thumb can play a little bit of a role in, you know, gripping that handle keeping it safe. . For that kind of thing, you need a small knife like this to cut boxes, open packages and that kind of thing.

Its knife pinches very well to finish the sheep's foot profile, you will also be able to use that tip quite precisely, as opposed to a tip that is more inclined upwards. Very interesting things. Yes, $59 for fit and finish, it's a great D2 steel, it will work pretty well for you. If you prefer a stainless steel one, what I like the most is this QSP Canary, a little longer, not as squat in its dimensions, but still fits very well in that pocket. Probably a little bit of the handle sticking out, so I'm showing you here some fun with the denim micarta handles.

Because denim can mix with the denim of your jeans, which is the style of pants that usually has that fifth pocket. So that it's not too loud, in any case, $53 and a half for this Sandvik 14 C 28 N steel blade, you can get this denim version with Blackstone wash or satin finish, both come with some really cool details. file work on the spine, a really nice little touch adds a little bit of traction to a little bit more conventional blade shape, two and a half inches here. So you get a little finer with a nice high grind flat grind.

In this case, that will reduce quite nicely. And about three to three and a half fingers grab three and a half for me, but my hands are a little bigger than average. If you have smaller hands, you might be able to put a little bit more of the third finger in there, he'll show you how that lines up on any of these sheets, these kydex sheets anyway, you could Of course, apply something like an ulti to it. clip. If you need or want it, something that will actually secure that knife in your pocket so it doesn't move around.

That is an option. But just like when you do that in this pocket, you have a little bit more stick out of the pocket when you go in that direction. So keep that in mind. Again, the position and size of each person's pockets will be different. So your mileage may vary essentially there. And one more to take a look at the top knives, the three brothers neck knife, the three brothers. Well here's the holster, nice and square, it's flat on the back which should help it lay even flatter along your leg body at the same time, and also helps keep it oriented.

Straight up and down. There are some that depend on the size of your watch pocket; if it's pocket size, this could fit quite snugly in there, which can be pretty nice. For seven dollars, 1095 carbon steel here, essentially like a micarta ball on the end, it has two scales. But it forms a sort of micarta circle so that the handle gives you something to hold on to. But there are three blade shapes to choose from. This one is here, which is technically some kind of clip tip. But some might decide to call it reverse and others might.

It's a bit like the tip anyway, a bit like the Benchmade 940 Osborne which, of course, gave rise to both the reverse nomenclature. There is also a real algo available and a sheep's foot. So you can adapt this to whichever one you prefer. It feels good in the hand right here, for me a kind of ball sits between the middle and ring fingers. But again, use your thumb to jump here to help ensure that you can hold the knife fairly securely. It's sometimes surprising how secure a grip can feel despite its small size, and of course it also squeezes very well. 1095 is not corrosion resistant.

So keep that in mind. Being so close to your body. But it's a good and hard thing. I hope that helps. Only if you don't like any of these or want to open things up. Just keep an eye out for small blades. Typically around two inches will be the maximum search filter for neck knives by blade size on our website. You can do all that there quite easily. I'll show you some other things that might work too. I hope that helps. Next, Asher Parker says hello to the ever-wise DCA and, of course, the king of nihilism Thomas.

I mean I'm cynical. And nihilism. It would make me very tired to give up some things I'm looking for. Okay, what about you? problem I'm looking for a fairly cheap pocket fixed blade with a finger ring, like a karambit for easy deployment but with a more EDC friendly blade shape than a falcon beak. Do you have any suggestions on the $50 mark? A decent amount over or under doesn't hurt either. Thank you. I love this. I love pocket fixed blades. That's why I love talking about them. That's why you have a second question about the pocket fixed blade.

In today's episode we did a video on pocket fixed blades in general before you can see a link here in the video I'm sure. But these two questions are approached from a different mindset, like the fifth pocket, the fixed blade, and the finger ring. Fixed pocket blade. That's why I'm having fun with this one. This one was more difficult, most were sharp things that would work well for this type of utilitarian purpose. It does not come with a cover, it will work very well to save your pocket. I have some here that will do the job.

But with a couple of these examples, and with many other things whose size would make sense. You may need to consider making a custom holster to make it more appropriate and useful to carry in your pocket. But we'll get to this. The only one really in Indore, below its price of $50. What works for me is the cold steel Byrd and the game. It's about 20 dollars. For that you have a polymer handle. The steel is incredible, which is actually pretty impressive for only $20. There's plenty of length here, too. It has about a three and a half inch blade, a completely flat grind in that easy drop point shape, a very, very nice shape for everyday carry and just general utility, whether it's a carry game, which is not EDC material general but it's going to work well for that as such it will also work for food prep it's what makes a great little paring knife and of course for cutting EDC and you have that ring on your finger for easy extraction.

Now, this is where we talk about covers. This one could probably work, it's Secure-EX, it's got a couple of holes here, but you'll probably need to buy something like an ulti clip we talked about here a moment ago. And even with the price here, it will be under $50. So you get one of the ones that have the slot system here so you can go where you need to go with the holes here. And yes, you will be able to fit it in there, but it will touch some sort of edge or Yes, the part where the blade swells to fit the handle, you may have to get some deeper fasteners to separate this. a bit.

Your mileage may vary on this one, it's not a perfect solution but I think it could work. But if you make it work. Honestly, this is a great little blade and it has eight fixed blades for 20 bucks. In fact, I'm continually impressed that they can maintain that because it's a good thing. The next one that would also work with inclusion is the extra of an ulti clip. Although it comes with a sort of pocket clip that works, it will hold some sort of height out of your pocket. And that is the ESEE Izula 1095 carbon, but they also have S35VN versions.

But we now have the carbon steel versions for about $68. And there we go. There's the cover. It's hard plastic, your ulti clip wherever it is here will work pretty well and should hold me, just line it up there. Really dig into it a little. So you'll have about that amount sticking out of the pocket if you want, now it's not a karambit style finger ring, but there's that ring. If you need it, you want that for that extra push. You have it, but then you'll have to adjust the grip, so it may or may not reach what you need because of that style of ring.

But here it is a great blade with a completely flat drop point of almost three inches, there is a little bit of angle on the angles of the blade down so they can use the tip a little more effectively. But it still gives you a lot of belly because you know that a wider cut needs a great little knife design. So that's a little bit over the price. I'm going to get another one here that's a little bit above before it goes over the $100 mark just to give you guys more options. You're going to need this one, I think onecustom sheath, but it's a cool knife.

I'll be a little interesting or different looking. The Ka-bar Snake Charmer, designed by Mike Snody, costs about $78. S35VN Large leaf shape, hollow ground S35VN drop point about two and a quarter inches. The handle here may look a little unusual, but it actually fits that hand quite well. Even for my slightly larger than average hands, I can have my pinky in the ring and still comfortably grip that knife. If you need to overcome something, you can definitely count on the security you need. For more delicate things, that makes the case a problem, but for the pocket you talked about, it just has a ring here at the top, there's not going to be a very easy way to do this. a stationary pocket fixed blade if you just want to drop it in there.

Sure, you can do that. But with a custom cover, this could be a great option. So, of those three, I think Izula is probably the strongest out of the box to work on this. But I still think that with an ulti clip it would work better. We did increase the budget quite a bit, since you didn't mention that. There are a couple of things out of the box that I think will work. The first is the Bastianelli paddle, a marked Doug design, sorry, it comes with an end clip included to attach it to the holster, that's the word, and it costs about $160.

Now, if you're not familiar with a definitive clip, we haven't really talked about it or how, although we've talked about it, you have a snap tab right there, you can slide it on. in your pocket and then hold it. So that's not going anywhere once it's fixed in place. And it will be very easy to get this shovel, you can also bury it quite deep in your pocket. It doesn't show too much, reach in there with your pinkies out of the way just in case and you can pull it out pretty easily and a stubby little blade, but that's kind of the trade-off you get for a completely usable handle, while still being able to really bury it in the pocket.

A three-quarter inch blade N690 It's just a small arrowhead, basically a type of style, sharpened high and flat with a comfortable wedge in the hand, all edges are crowned and comfortable. Made in Italy by Fox, as you can see right there. A really great option in my opinion. And one more and this is another one that's a little bit outside of what you might be thinking. And that's the guy RMJ got stabbed. I love RMJ's names, they come up with a lot of interesting things. This is kind of a cross between a crowbar and a blade, but for $240, this is 3V steel made by us with that J-style hook that will snag in your pocket pretty easily.

If you prefer to have an ulti clip, you can also make it work here. But take that and here you have it. It's a big chunk of 3V with a sharp edge almost like a chisel, but not quite chiseled because it has a sharp bevel on the back. Therefore, it will not be very difficult for you to cut. But if you know you need it for self defense, it will work if you just put the tape on the boxes, you know you scratch the packaging to open it, this will do the job and look. It's great to do, so both are options.

Beyond that, there are other things that sound that could fit in a pocket. Many of them have protectors that work with an ulti clip. Like this tour right here. That's what it's called, sorry, the outlaw Viper around 195. But you'll have a little bit sticking out of your pocket. So that's something to consider. Again, if that's okay with you. There is even more stuff on the website that you can check out. But this one is pretty good, I think. Two and a piece, sorry, a two and five-eighths inch blade, a kind of arrowhead. Wedgie like a wedgie like the shovel we just saw made of black stonewashed D2 steel with a walnut handle and quite comfortable in the hand.

Pretty long lasting feeling. Look at them. I hope that helps. Alright, now we'll move on to today's lightning round. Daniel's first cheeseburger seven. Hi DCM not sure he has asked himself in the past. But when you sharpen, do you go from handle to tip or from tip to handle? And is there a 100% proper way to sharpen any blade? Any specific routines that need to be done? How do you do it? Well, I personally just use the loading game here. There's my personal thing. I usually sharpen heel to toe when using stones, but you know, what was the terminology you said?

Is there a 100% right way to sharpen any blade? Short answer? No. As long as you get good results, then it's legit, right? You don't know, in this case the proof is in the pudding or in the cut. You can certainly do advice to heal. I know some people who do that. Although, you know, curing to the tip will probably be more frequent, but honestly, sometimes, sometimes I'll be fine-tuning in little circles, which is kind of an old-school method that I've gotten pretty comfortable with. So you're doing both in that type of movement? Short answer no. If you're getting good results, then you're getting good results.

And that's what matters. The next question comes from midnight BS nine TR. Why do so many high-end companies still make framelocks? If you were to do a poll on your social media, if you haven't done it recently, I bet a lot of money it would be at the bottom of the list. Well, the reason so many companies still do it is because, honestly, they still sell. I mean, we see new releases all the time, like this new Ken Onion design, the Karbon Tidbit made in Taiwan, $80, they sell out and that's often a difference between social media, it's like a reality show, not always It is representative. from reality, right?

You know, in certain niches, especially people as passionate about knives as you are, we have our strong opinions. And those can, you know, kind of channel and take on a life of their own sometimes and become the truth. But the truth is what people actually buy and framelock still sells, at best. They still work and they still work for me. Yes. I understand it though. Personally. Frame locks mostly don't interest me. I just don't have a lot in my collection. In fact, right now I only have one frame lock, a titanium frame lock fin in my collection.

But that's just me. But to each his own, whoever likes it, keep going. Alright, now we come to our last question of the day, which of course is our most serious question of the day, which comes from dangerous dad serious questions. How many knives does it take to screw in a light bulb? Well, we'll find out. That's what this is here for. If you've been wondering, I've selected my knives carefully, because I think we can do it with the Gerber Gator, which is the perfect knife to do this. I think we're going to find out. Why do you ask?

Well, the handles are rubberized, so you have a little bit of grip. And look at that inside curve towards the handle. And that will hug the bulb pretty well as we rotate and insulate. I didn't even think that was a big point for the third safety. What he said, Alright, here we go guys, be careful. The answer is Gerber alligators. Well, I hope that helps. And I hope everyone can rest easy knowing that answer in their heads. Thanks for all your questions, friends. Remember, keep leaving them down. We need your questions and I need more serious questions.

Keep those comments please. And thanks. Let me know what you thought of the answers. If you have some alternative suggestions. We would love to hear them too. And if you want to get your hands on any of these knives, check out the links in the description that will take you to KnifeCenter.com where don't forget about our long-running knife rewards program where you can earn up to 5% back . your knife purchases to help offset the cost of a new one. I'm David C. Andersen from KnifeCenter. That's Thomas behind the camera and we say goodbye. See you next time.

I can hold it up here above my head and make people think that once in a while I had a good idea.