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    New Benchmade 484 - Nakamura(Post)

    The new Benchmade 484 Nakamura didn't impress me when I saw the initial photos.  In fact, I didn't even order very many. When I went to SHOT, however, they put it in my hand and everything changed.  P

    Thoughts on the First Great Eastern Pocket Knife(Post)

    We just received this email from a customer.  I love hearing this stuff!  Great Eastern Cutlery makes fantastic knives.Hello from Southern Ontario Canada,I’ve just recently purchased my first Great Ea

    FAQ: Is it ok to clean my hunting knife in a dishwasher?(Post)

    NO. Knifemakers cringe when someone asks this question. Think about it -- your home dishwasher uses heat, pressure and semi-caustic chemicals to take the food off of your dishes -- none of that

    FAQ: What are the advantages and disadvantages of a hollow grind?(Post)

    What it is: A hollow grind features symmetric, concave surfaces ending in a thin, extremely sharp edge. A hollow grind doesn't produce a very strong edge, and therefore generally isn't suitable

    ​Lessons from George and Horace: The Sheath Knife(Post)

    As we said in our last post, we can learn much from the "trio" of woodcraft tools carried by George Washington Sears (a.k.a. "Nessmuk") and Horace Kephart. Most of us, however, are more familiar wi

    FAQ: What makes a knife 'collectible'?(Post)

    Honestly? We have no idea.Okay, that's not a very helpful answer to your question. But over the years we've seen many knives we thought would increase in value and didn't, while other knives we consid

    ​Special delivery: The Bark River Springbok(Post)

    The best reason to own a particular knife, as far as we're concerned, is because it works. It doesn't need to be pretty, and it doesn't need to be rare or collectible -- it simply needs to perform.Onc

    Knifemaker profile: A visit with Lon Humphrey(Post)

    When bladesmith Lon Humphrey invited us to visit his shop, he didn't have to ask us twice. We knew his work, of course -- old-school tools, hand-forged and hand-finished -- but we couldn't wa

    FAQ: What are the advantages and disadvantages of different grinds?(Post)

    Over the years we've handled and used thousands of knives. Because we know the hows and whys of various grinds, we understand the strengths and weaknesses of different profiles -- in short, we know

    FAQ: Is it ok to chop wood with my knife?(Post)

    Maybe -- but probably not. Very few knives are designed to handle the rigors of chopping (the way an ax is, for example). A purpose-built chopper is big enough, heavy enough and possesses the pro

    Will the black coating on my knife wear off?(Post)

    You have been looking at beautiful knives and some of them have a black coating on the blade.  Everyone wonders if the knife coating will come off with use.The short answer is, "Yes."Knife coatings ar

    ​Lessons from George and Horace: The Woodsman's Slipjoint(Post)

    George Washington Sears (a.k.a. "Nessmuk") called it a "pocket knife." Horace Kephart's term was "jackknife." Both men appreciated having a nimble cutting tool for finer tasks, but with so much att

    When Good Edges Go Bad(Post)

    When good edges go bad For the true knife lover, there's an almost indescribable thrill that comes with using a sharp blade. A keen edge glides effortlessly through the work, responding as muc

    Escanaba or Bust: An update on our move(Post)

    Well, here we are at the midpoint -- it's been about a month since we announced that KnivesShipFree will be leaving Hillsboro, Oregon for new digs in Escanaba, Michigan, and that move will happe

    FAQ: Can I exchange my new knife's right-handed sheath for one that's left-handed?(Post)

    Generally speaking, the sheaths that ship with most of the fixed-blade knives we offer are right-handed -- left-handed versions simply aren't available.Bark River is an exception to that rule.The s

    FAQ: What's the best way to 'wet fit' a sheath?(Post)

    We get a lot of basic, practical questions. One we get quite often is about fitting sheaths. We designed many of our general-purpose sheaths to fit a number of different knives, and to fit the

    3 Ways to Open a Folding Knife*(Post)

    3 Ways to Open a Folding Knife*(*that your granddad might not recognize) Depending on how old you are, you may never have lived in a world without folders designed to be opened with just one hand

    FAQ: Is a knife labeled 'collectible' too fragile to be used?(Post)

    No -- not the ones sold by KnivesShipFree, anyway. A number of factors affect a knife's value to collectors. A "new and unused" knife, generally speaking, would bring a higher price at resale

    Poetry in Steel: Bark River's Camp & Trail(Post)

    The other day, we were listening to a radio interview with one of our favorite celebrities as he traced the strange and circuitous path that led to his current fame. (We're not going to name him, but

    FAQ: What's the purpose of the 'extra' hole on the handle of a Chris Reeve Sebenza?(Post)

    That's a "tooling hole," also known as a "locating hole."Chris Reeve Knives buys titanium in large sheets and cuts it into rectangles about the size of the knife's handle. During manufacturing, all ho