null Skip to main content
    FAQ: "What is stainless steel?"(Post)

    Question: "What is stainless steel?" Steel that contains at least 11.5% free chromium content is considered stainless steel. Chromium is an alloying element specifically added to steel increase ...

    FAQ: How Do I Maintain My Carbon Steel Knives?(Post)

    With the popularity of traditional and custom knives (like  Great Eastern Cutlery, Northwoods Knives, Bark River Knives, Fiddleback Forge, etc), we are asked all the time, ...

    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 coati ...

    Quick-reference guide: Know your knife steels(Post)

    The products in the KnivesShipFree inventory represent dozens of different steels -- stainless steels and carbon steels, tool steels and "super" steels -- and we know that can be a bit overwhelmin ...

    FAQ: "What is the best blade steel?"(Post)

    Question: "What is the best blade steel?" With so many aspects of a steel's performance dependent on subjective and personal preferences, this question is going to be difficult to answer fully.

    How to Choose a Knife for Your Son(Post)

    Knives for KidsI love it when parents ask me how to choose a good knife for their kids.  It is a privilege to be able to help.  We are working on creating a resource for parents who want to ...

    FAQ: "What is tool steel?"(Post)

    Question: "What is tool steel?" Tool steel is a term that refers to high carbon alloys that are optimal for use in tools, particularly where a high edge retention, resistance to abrasion and de ...

    A Review of the Bark River Adventurer Neck Knife(Post)

    The Adventurer Neck Knife is a relatively new offering from Bark River, and so far it's been very well received. Those who have tried it, like it -- a lot. If there's one thing that ...

    FAQ: "What does 'CPM' stand for in the knife industry?"(Post)

    Question: "What does “CPM” stand for in the knife industry?" In the knife world "CPM" stands for Crucible Particle Metallurgy. This is a proprietary system developed by Crucible Industries to c ...

    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 han ...

    FAQ Is there really a difference between a $20 knife and a $200 knife?(Post)

    In a word, "Yes." As with most things in life, you get what you pay for, and knives are no different.So what do you get when you spend more on a knife?You get better engineering and design. You ...

    How-To: Modifying a coated knife to strike a firesteel(Post)

    Modifying a coated knife to strike a firesteel A firesteel requires a sharp striker. It's possible to use your knife’s blade to make sparks fly, of course, but that can create a dull spot ...

    The Best Bushcrafting Knife? (Post)

    A Review of Bark River Knives: Bushcrafter When it comes to bushcraft/survival knives, how much is enough? How do you make sure your knife will be up to the task? Here’s a product from Bark River K ...

    How to Choose a Knife(Post)

    How to choose a knifeOkay, we know what you're thinking -- "How hard can it be to pick out a knife? For cryin' out loud, do I really need instructions for this?"Truth is, with so many choices ava ...

    FAQ: Can stainless steel rust?(Post)

    In short, yes -- most any steel, under the right conditions and if truly neglected, can oxidize (rust).What we call "stainless steel" is no exception.Think of stainless steel as rust-resistant, not r ...

    How to turn your ESEE knife into a firesteel striker(Post)

    A firesteel requires a sharp striker. It's possible to use your knife’s sharpened edge to get sparks flying, of course, but doing that even a few times creates a dull spot you’ll have to to ...

    Bark River Knives: City Knife(Post)

    We asked Bark River Knife and Tool owner, Mike Stewart about the Loveless City Knife.  This is what he said.The City Knife was designed originally by Bob Loveless in the late 1980’s.

    Knife Sharpening(Page)

    Whether you're a veteran knife nut or you just received your very first knife, we believe you should sharpen your own knives. Sure, it might seem easier to hand your blade to a sharpening service or ...

    Knife Knowledge(Page)

    Expand your knife knowledge with articles, videos, and other free online resources at KnivesShipfree.com!

    Sharpening Videos(Page)

    I get a ton of questions as to how to sharpen and maintain a knife with a convex edge such as a Bark River Knife. Since a picture is worth 1000 words, I figure a video would be worth a ton more! We ...