Taking Care of Business

            You come to own a few knives, maybe more than a few, you'll discover you’re a knife collector.  Smart knife fanciers know they need to take care of their investments.

Every folder needs a drop of oil in its pivot, spring, or release.  The same goes for any metal blade.  Maybe your blade is a super stainless, or perhaps it is a nice 1085 carbon steel, but it still needs a drop of oil.  Stainless steels are literally called stain-less because they are more resistant to rust, not impervious.

These are all non-food grade

There is a sub-class of collectors that like to corrode their blades.  They say they are adding a patina.  I've heard collectors claim they like the patina older carbon blades form. 

No matter what you call it, it’s corrosion/oxidation.  Most corrosion is rust; to prevent it, we need to keep the steel dry and protected.  The easiest protection is oil.

But what oil?

As Rhett told Scarlet, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn."  Almost any oil, 3 in 1, some high-tech silicone or mystic rendered unicorn horn will work.  The better question is, which will harm my knife?  And which ones are safe for food?

A few years ago, everyone was excited about a mixture of hexane and paraffin wax.  The hexane would evaporate, leaving a thin coating of wax behind.  This product was often found lubricating bicycle chains.  The wax didn’t attract and hold dirt like sticky oils and was thought to be cleaner.  But I suggest you consider what hexane could attack on your knife.  At the very least, hexane can attack some plastics and finish.

Food-safe oils aren't that difficult to find.  Basic mineral oil is considered food-safe in small amounts.  If you anticipate your knife will be used to build a fire and prepare your meal, food safety oil is an excellent idea.  Giving yourself the Texas-two-step trots is not survival-oriented or conducive to a good time at cabin or camp.

Check your label in advance, if it doesn’t say food safe or safe for consumption, it isn’t.

Sooner or later, you'll need to clean your knives.  Maybe there’s a little discoloration of brass from age or storage.  Has your blade picked up a smudge of gunk, marks from sharpening a pencil, or a discoloration that needs to be removed? 

I've polished a lot of electron microscope parts with this

Try a solvent like Goo-Gone first to remove pine tar, adhesives, and organic gunk.  Super Erasers work well, but leave rubber sawdust everywhere. 

Paste polish is useful to bring back a shine.  I’ve used toothpaste, Simichrome paste, and several others for that purpose.  They have advantages and disadvantages.  The biggest is leaving a residue behind, especially in checkered areas or other depressions too small for a rag to wipe cleanly away.  Simichrome often leaves a reddish discoloration that is hard to wash clean.  I found a rinse with 95% isopropyl alcohol (that’s rubbing alcohol to most of us) removes the paste media.   I follow up with hot water and a little detergent to wash away the pigment.

More polishing paste

But you need to get rid of that water, right?  I hope so.  I turn to WD-40.  I generously hose the knife out over a trash can, and blow out the residue with compressed air or a hot air hairdryer. 

WD-40...Good stuff when used properly

Don't let it get too hot!  Then, add a small drop of oil to all the moving parts, including the back springs.  WD-40 isn't an oil; it's more of a surface treatment. 

My old can of Renaissance Wax next to Wicker Cleaner and Wax.  The gray reangle is a Super Eraser.

Recently, I've been using Renaissance Wax to preserve surfaces.  It's acid-free, which means it doesn't contain any organic acids that would react with brass, copper, and, to some degree, silver.  They have a polishing form that contains very fine powdered chalk.

Chalk is just calcium carbonate.  It's very soft, so it doesn't scratch metal, but we can use it to polish away slight oxidation like the green verdigris. 

I have used Wicked Wax and Wicked Cleaner successfully.  I used the cleaner to polish an old Buck 110, which cleaned up the brass and gave a nice shine to the wood.

I also treated the Buck's leather pouch with Neatsfoot oil.  It's a natural product, and I didn't soak the leather; I just wiped it inside and out. 

Leather can be damaged by salt, bacteria, and moisture.  All of these can occur when you use a knife.  I've heard of people removing old, worn, or damaged leather surfaces with very fine sandpaper.  There are so many possible variations of how manufacturers make leather washer handles that no simple procedure will fit them all.  On working knives with stacked leather handles, I wipe them off with a damp cloth, followed by a dry cloth and ambient air drying.  A thin film of a quality leather oil might be needed.

If necessary, I wash my collectible knives with saddle soap, allow the leather to completely dry, and wipe them down with Neetsfoot oil. 

Neetsfoot oil is a distillation of the long leg bones in cattle.  It is the closest natural plasticizer to leather there is.  But I use it sparingly.  Nobody likes soggy leather, which can happen from too much oily treatment.

Wrapping your knife in leather can be corrosive too.  Leather contains moisture and fatty acid salts that will attack brass and copper. 

For working knives, I actually prefer synthetic handles, which I can wash, dry and go.

If you collect, keep your knives where they are cool, dry, and protected so they don't scratch each other.  There are soft single knife pouches available that protect and save your knives.  Take advantage of them.

Working knives should be sharpened when needed, cleaned and oiled when dirty or wet, and made ready for more use.

I used to go to a flea market where Richard would display metal tools and steel vices.   All of them were rusted from being left out in the rain, significantly dropping interest and value.  Don’t be like Dick.  Protect your investment.

Spyderco

 

Spyderco was established in 1978 by Sal Glesser.  Surprisingly, his first product wasn’t a knife but the Portable Hand, a device created in 1976.  It was a spider-shaped device with ball joints, angles, and alligator clips that helped hobbyists and jewelers work with small parts.  Following the success of the Portable Hand, they produced the Sharpmaker in 1978.

Over the years, they have driven other companies to use new steel to stay competitive, and were the innovators of the one-hand opening folder.  They have become one of the drivers in the knife community.  Undoubtedly, success didn't come overnight but through hard work.  I greatly admire them.  Spyderco lives up to their motto: "Integrity is being good even if no one is watching."

I have been fortunate enough to acquire a mix of Spyderco folders.  In the pre-911 days, I flew with two Spyderco Delicas, and my wife also carried one.  I still carry a Spyderco almost daily.  Let’s take a shallow dip into my favorite Spyderco knives.

C28 - The Dragonfly

The Dragonfly was originally introduced in 1994.  The original steel was GIN1/G2.  G2 was Spyderco code (Good Shit 2) for the steel used.  Mine came in a little solid black box made in December 1997.  By this time, they were using AUS8.  AUS8 is a slightly better steel than GIN1.  Spyderco was still using plastic clips on FRN handles.  The clips worked well but tended to deform if caught in a seatbelt or such.  Unlike metal clips, first used on the Worker in 1981, a damaged plastic clip was bent for life. 

The Dragonfly

I like the Dragonfly.  It was a compact knife you could carry while wearing suit or dress slacks.  The small size makes it compatible with the tiny pockets in women's slacks. The weight of 1.2 ounces didn’t tug at the lines and deform your trouser pocket.  It is a classy knife.

C11 - Delica

The Delica has always been in the top ten best sellers at Spyderco.  You can get it in an amazing variety of steels.  Perhaps my first two were a green FRN and a black FRN Delica.  At the time, Spyderco serrations were still suspect.  We weren't sure about sharpening serrations or what to use them for, and even today, they are a polarizing feature for many knife owners.   Sal Glesser designed the Delica in 1990.  The early ones did not have the type of steel used stamped on the tang and were tang stamped with the acknowledged knife capital of the world, Seki, Japan.  Later ones were stamped Seki-City.  At the time, all the FRN (short fiberglass reinforced nylon.  Engineers often use it for high strength and low weight.) knife bodies had a molded clip.  The clip helped make the knife popular as a tactical knife.  You could fix it at a specific location, and it would remain there.  No hunting in your pocket trying to determine the knife’s orientation.  The clip held the knife tip up, and if you carried on the right side, the blade would nestle against the back seam of your pocket, out of the way until you needed it.

The Green Delica

The green FRN became first available in 1990.  Spyderco started stamping their knife steel in 1992.  I purchased it sometime between 1990 and 1991.

The plastic clip was always something of a question mark.  While it was convenient to anchor the knife in pocket, pouch, or shirt neckline, the clip could be deformed if caught on a seatbelt or forced around thick fabric.  Unable to remove the clip, re-bend it and re-install or replace it, Spyderco responded by grinding the clip off and fixing a metal clip with small screws.  Over time the screws would deform the FRN plastic and loosen.  Most owners who went that route ended up taking the clip off and dropping the knife in a pocket.  I would have bought a new one and exiled the bent one to the car glove compartment or tackle box.

Green Delica - Classic Plastic Clip

The black-handled Delica is marked AUS8A.  The A means the steel was factory-annealed.  AUS8 is very similar to 440C with a slight addition of vanadium, which forms very small and hard carbide particles.  These carbides represent an improvement in steel properties.  At the time, AUS 8 was one of the best available steels for knife blades.

The Black Delica

The tang stamp reads Spyderco AUS8A Stainless.  The reverse is stamped Seki-City Japan.

The Plastic Clip - Everyone loved them until the bent beyond repair

Both knives have the traditional ‘volcano checkering,' a margin defined raised square with a slight spherical depression in its center.  The pattern improved your grip with wet, soapy, or bloody hands.

AUS8A tang stamp

C71 - Salsa

Spyderco's Salsa was made in Taipei, Taiwan, and sports a green anodized finish with a pepper engraved.  It came with a shallow pocket wire clip and top compression lock.  The blade is AUS8.

The Salsa -  Still sorry I didn't get other colors too!

It’s not the first Spyderco with a compression lock, that honor goes to Bram Frank and his design, the Grunting.  The green Salsa was only made in 2002.  The blade is 63mm long with a cutting surface of 53 mm.  The thumb hole is 14 mm in diameter.  As a point of reference, the thumb holes on the two previous Delicas were 12 mm in diameter.  The Salsa thumb hole also has a cobra hood over the hole to promote the blade opening.  Then the blade is locked open, the hood becomes a wide, jimped thumb rest. 

Salsa top compression lock and Cobra Hood opener

My Salsa is partially serrated.  Serration increases the cutting ability of a knife by changing the geometry and increasing the cutting edge.  This is especially valuable in a short-bladed knife.

I'm sorry I didn't buy some of the other colors when they were available.  That is the life of a knife collector, one regret after another. 

C242 - Ikuchi

Ikuchi is one of Spyderco’s ethnic line knives.  This line pays tribute to many diverse cultures and their contribution to knives.  The Ikuchi is named after a mythical Japanese eel-like sea monster.  Paul Alexander designed it with a tapered, curved handle.  Skeletonized stainless steel liners and bitchingly cool carbon fiber/G-10 laminate scales.

The Ikuchi

You can find an excellent description of the Ikuchi in the August 2022 issue of Knife Magazine.

The knife was first shown in Spyderco's 2019 product reveal and was still available in the 2024 catalog. 

The Ikuchi top compression lock and finger opener.

The blade is full-flat ground 83 mm long graceful curve of CPM S30V and sports a tiny 6 mm Spyderco thumb hole.  The thumb hole on Spyderco folders has become a trade make.  I remember when Benchmade lost the rights to Spyderco’s thumb hole and had to change to an oval opener.  The clever thing is, when closed, the blade thumb hole lines up with two holes set in the handle.  That's mega-cool.

The top of the tang is slightly enlarged and becomes the flipper to open the knife.  The index finger of either hand works quite well when opening the Ikuchi.  The closed knife tang rests on a stop block, protecting the blade from hitting the pin connectors between the handle sides.  I like Spyderco's top compression lock, as I don't have to have my fingers in the path of the closing blade.

The wire clip is reversible, but the knife can only be carried tip-up.  I don't see it in the same light I see the Delica.  The Ikichi is much more of a formal dress knife.

We will see what's next!

The Variable Wharncliffe

 

This is Kizer’s newest neck knife, the Variable Wharncliffe.

Kizer's Variable Wharncliffe neck knife

It’s an awful name, not at all descript. It’s a fixed blade knife and you have no options on blade or handle length.  Be that as it may, it is a cool knife.  Let’s look into it.

The knife was designed by Dirk Pinkerton, one of the up-and-coming knife designers who works with several companies.  

Dirk always had an interested in knives.  Following examples set by his father and brother, Dirk came to realize a knife was essential tool.  One can appreciate the work and craftsmanship that goes into a beautiful knife, but it is a tool first and should be used.  As his collection and interest grew, Dirk became friends with legendary knife maker and designer, the late Darrel Ralph.  If you don’t recognize the name, it sucks to be you.  Darrel started making knives in 1987 and his influence over the custom knife market pushed other designers to excel.  He had a significant impact on the tactical knife world.  He passed following a stroke in 2021.

Made from D2 steel

Dirk was influenced by DR who told him essentially, don’t ask me to modify one of my knives for you, make your own. 

That was good advice.  Dirk purchased his first professional grinder in 2005.  Utilizing his 18 years in the private security working with law enforcement, S.W.A.T., fire and life rescue, and  various military units, he drew on this experience to determine the optimal configurations. 

The Variable Wharncliffe is a 4.8-inch-long slice of D2 steel shaped into a neck knife with a 3.4-inch blade.  The blade is 0.1 inch thick at the spine and tappers down to a razor edge.  The handle is black micarta centered behind a 1-inch finger hole.  It come with a kydex neck sheath that secures the knife until you need it.

The blade features a reverse tanto that drops the point below the centerline.  The Wharncliffe is a high shoulder flat grind.  Unlike many wharncliffe blades the straight edge is canted up, creating a powerful driving point with the reverse tanto.  Coarse jimping on the blade’s spine gives you extra control over the blade despite the small handle.  The handle is a hexagon shape 1.4 inches long and 0.45 inches thick.  My social commentary and ring finger naturally lock down on the handle.

The coarse jimping makes for an enhanced grip

        

D2 steel is seeing a resurgence.  Invented in 1927, the properties and heat treatment of this steel have become well understood and is a fine  steel for 90% of our use.  While not truly a stainless steel, it straddles the border between high carbon and stainless steel.  D2 needs more attention and a thin coat of oil.  Take care of this steel and you will not be disappointed. 

I like it a lot.  I’m a big fan of smallish knives that can be concealed, but deliver big performance.  I’d carry this as a back up when I’m off the concrete or in non-permissible environments... you know what I mean.    You can find yours at the e-link below.  Its currently (Dec. 2024) on sale for under $23.  You better hurry!

https://www.kizerknives.com/products/variable-wharncliffe-1052a1?srsltid=AfmBOoqR0L-ut0cKvkq7l1BJLCqW4PTreIrum1OrJ2V6U15KKQh6KANz

Just a reminder: Nobody is sending me free knives or paying me for these blogs.  I just enjoy knives.

 

One In The Pocket

 The Mantis Civilianaire coin knife arrived the other day.  It’s very icey.

Mantis Civilianaire Knife  Was it inspired by OSS tools?

The red-rimmed, black-faced circular knife is striking.  Both faces have a geometric pattern pressed into black surfaces, creating highlights and improving friction.  The red circumferential surface is also textured to improve grip.  On small knives, friction surfaces are critical to enhance your grip.

An edge view of the open Civilianaire

These surfaces form the handle and are constructed of G-100, a micro glass fiber/resin composite.  Glass fiber has the advantage that it is dimensionally stable and chemically non-reactive to ordinary solvents.  It doesn’t expand by absorbing water and creating internal stresses.

The blade is a wickedly sharp curved slice of steel about an inch long.  The curve feeds material into the cutting edge and effectively lengthens the cutting edge.  The blade opens with a small spur that sticks out from the coin.

The curved blade makes cutting easier

The blade is a laminated structure of two 420 Damascus steels supported on a 420 core. 

The Civilianaire opens easy with the spur.  There is sufficient friction so it doesn't accidently open

I spoke to Gary West, the founder of Mantis Knife, and he explained that the Civilianaire coin knife was designed to fit most jeans' watch pockets.  My measurements found the closed knife to be 1.3 inches in diameter and about 0.2 inches thick.  Compare that to America’s least favorite coin dollar, the Susan B. Anthony, which clocks in with a diameter of 1 inch and a thickness of 0.08 inches.

Slightly bigger than the unloved Anthony dollar

Yeah, the Civilianaire is slightly larger and noticeably thicker.  You will not accidentally drop it into a coin slot!

The knife doesn’t lock open, according to Mr. West, because locking knives are prohibited in Europe.  I don't see that as a big problem.  I instinctively placed my index finger on the opening spur and pulled the knife to cut with it.

It’s not the knife you’d take on a raft trip up the Amazon or trekking across the Rockies.  It is a knife you’d carry to cut string, open packages, or in a non-permissible environment. 

Mr. West told me the company came into existence in 1999 when his son joined him after graduation.  At the time, they were selling night vision and metal detectors, but the son was interested in knives more than anything.  They looked around and called it Mantis Knives because Praying Mantises eat spiders, a dig at one of their competitors.

Mantis makes a lot of cool and interesting knives.  You can find the Civilianaire at https://www.mantisknives.com/product/mck-1-civilianaire/.  The MSRP is $50.00.

Check it out.  You will be surprised by the range and quality of Mantis knives.

Spooky!

             I’m not sure why I bought this Texas Toothpick.  For some enigmatic and unexplainable reason, I bought it.  I’m not a huge fan of slip joints.  The blade is… calling it a patina would be kind.  The tip is broken off, and the front third of the blade is bent to the left. 

Would it have killed someone to put a little oil on the blade occasionally?

I kept it on a shelf in the garage, and one night, I turned off the light, looked around to make sure I had closed the pedestrian side door and noticed something worthy of the Ghost Busters.  Something was glowing on my bench.  Thinking I had left a tool plugged in, I turned on the light. 

What is that glow? Protoplasm?  Better call Ghost Busters!

Nope, nothing left on.  I turned off the light, and the glow was still there.  What?

After playing games with lights, I discovered my Texas Toothpick had glow-in-the-dark scales.  I should have guessed, in faint letters hot pressed into the handle were letters that read, SPOOK Knife.  The "O’s” were made to look like cartoon eyes.

Oh! It's Spook the knife.

The tang stamp reads Camo – USA.  The tang reverse is blank.

Camo was a cheaper line made by Camillus.  It's impossible to date accurately since the tang stamp was never changed during its manufacturing history.  I understand that in 1980, some Camo Knives were made in Ireland, and currently, the brand is made in China.

You can just barely read the word SPOOK heat stamped into the handle.

Camillus follows a pattern familiar to many knife companies.  Following its failure in 1873, the hardware company Bodenheim, Meyer & Company was restructured as Meyer & Kastor.  Meyer & Kastor had to close its doors in September 1876.  Only a few weeks later, Adolph Kastor started his own company, Adolph Kastor & Bros., on Canal Street in New York City, where he imported and distributed German-made knives.

But times were changing.

Following the Dingley Tariff of 1897, knives became too expensive to import.  The only solution Kastor saw was to manufacture knives domestically.  That led to the formation of Camillus Knife.  Kastor and his partner, Charles Sherwood, bought new machinery, such as steam-driven drop forge hammers and fly presses, and utilized new techniques, like alumina grinding wheels.

They were successful.  Eventually, they had to build a dormitory to house its German immigrant workers.

While not shown, the handle material on both sides absorb light and glow.

Camillus had in-house brands like Camo, Sword Brand, and Mumby Peg.  They also made blades for brands like Case, Remington, Schrade, Keen Kutter, and Sears and Sons.

Camo was a lower-end introduction to the market brand established in 1948.  These knives were sold as souvenir knives and could be hot-stamped and used as promotional giveaways and gifts.

Like many knife companies, Camillus filed for bankruptcy in 2007.  It was bought by Acme United Corporation. 

I've owned this knife for years and just discovered this glow in the dark property.  Some day, I'll sharpen Spook and put it up for sale.  Maybe it will find a new owner.

WRCA's Hubertus

         Most of us are familiar with the Hubertus lever lock automatic knife.  I own several, and I think they have great quality and style.

Hubertus Lever Lock   Total icey!

It’s a company with a complicated history.  Why complicated?  WWII in Germany threw a lot of companies into the dumpster of history.  Some survived and had Nazi associations which still haunts them to this day.  Ask Degussa, now Evonik, about that.

On March 1, 1932, Kuno Ritter started a knife company in Solingen, Germany, and concentrated on fixed blades called hiking knives.  We might call them camping or bush craft knives.

Due to the Second World War, business operations were discontinued in 1941 but resumed in 1946.  I found a report claiming Kino Ritter Co. made Boy Scout knives during the war.  I also saw reports that German Boy Scouting was closed and their members had to join the Hitler Youth organizations.  Draw your own conclusion.

Following the war, Kuno Ritter Co acquired several trademarks, including Hubertus, a brand registered for cutlery since 1899.  For those wondering, Hubertus is the patron saint of hunters.

An unknown Solinger cutler received a utility pattern in 1897 for a folding lever release, making the knife safer to carry in your pocket.  We call it a lever lock.

Around 1950, the company was renamed Hubertus Schneidwarenfabrik Kuno Ritter KG and is now run by the third-generation Ritter.

The Hubertus I recently ran across was a Western Reserve Cutlery Association (WRCA) club knife.  The date etched into the blade is 1985.  This appears to be part of the Golden Era of WRCA club knives when style and uniqueness trumped price.

WRCA's 1985 Club Knife

The bolster has tiny numbers stamped into it, indicating it was 7 of 65 knives ordered.  The top edge of the blade has some simple but nice file work, and the blade is etched.  WRCA can be seen in the middle of the blade.  The knife shows minor wear, but it is almost 40 years old.

I’m told this knife was offered to WRCA club members in three different styles.  One was gold-filled, and the other was silver-filled, but my source couldn’t recall the third option.  I suspect it was just the plain etched.

The stag looks a little worn  and I like the file work on the blade spine

To my surprise, the knife was ordered from Hubertus factory and then etched.  The etching was done by Shaw Leibowitz.  I dug into the name and found out our master etcher was really a husband-and-wife team composed of Sherill Shaw and Leonard Leibowitz.  You can find an interesting article about them by Bill Karsten in the December 1981 issue of Knife World and a better article by Sherrill Shaw in its Sept 2011 issue.  Knife World is now known as Knife Magazine, an excellent publication for any knife fancier.

Hubertus from 1985 direct to WRCA

I discussed the price with the owner but decided not to purchase it.  I'm not terribly interested in club knives.  https://knifesearch.blogspot.com/2023/03/not-huge-fan-of-club-knives.html  It has to be really special.  Plus, it is my opinion, shared by several dealers, that club knives don't hold their value.  That's sad, but it is the way it is.

My Thanks to Ian for lending me the knife for some quick photos!

 

Gerber Pixie and Sportsman II

Most of us know the story of Gerber Legendary Blades.  Let me add to what I wrote at https://knifesearch.blogspot.com/2021/09/gerber-parabellum.html.

Gerber Legendary Blades is an American maker of knives, multi-tools, and other outdoor and military tools headquartered in Portland, Oregon.  Gerber was established in 1939 by Pete Gerber and is owned by the Finnish outdoors products company, Fiskars.

Gerber is claimed to be the largest maker of knives and multi-tools for the United States armed forces.  Backing up that claim is a wide variety of combat-style knives, Many of which are highly collectable.  Susan J Dorey states in her publication (1) that Gerber switched on December 8, 1941, from making kitchen knives to military knives.  That was the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. 

Gerber's Folding Sportsman II -  From around 2000

Slightly off topic, but I found it interesting that Gerber and Emerson Knife formed an alliance to produce an automatic knife, AKA switchblade.  Interestingly, it was the first automatic knife made by either company.  The knife was based on Emerson Knives’ Raven knife design.  The auto was an issued item to specific military units.  You can look it up if you want to go down that rabbit hole!

NSN (NATO Stock Numbers): 5110-01-516-3243

A couple Folding Sportsman from "100 Legendary Knives"  by Pacella

I recently got hold of a Gerber Folding Sportsman II.  They were released in 1972.  The FS II was later discontinued in about 1995.  It’s a nice knife.  Many people found it a convenient substitution for the larger, clunkier Buck 110 Hunter.

The blade is just over 3.5 inches long and can be described as a flat grind, straight-back blade.  I couldn’t find anything listed but I suspect the steel is 440C, a common, but still used knife steel.  The handle is an attractive blend of brass and wood.  Of course, the blade locks open.

Gerber Folding Sportsman II

          The tang stamp doesn't appear to be anything unique.  The tang marking system developed by Case Knife is, without a doubt, genius!

It simply says 'Gerber' on the other side

It's an icey cool knife, and I'm lucky to find one this nice.

The other Gerber under discussion is the Gerber Pixie.  The Pixie could be best described as a bird and trout knife or a lightweight kitchen fruit knife.  

A Gerber Pixie

        There is an elegant simplicity to this knife.  It seems too nice to be used for kitchen work or field dressing.

The only identification is stamped into the handle "Gerber-Pixie"

The story here is a little more complicated, and I must find some reference books.  I thought I could fall back on my old trick of looking up Gerber's catalogs online, but they don't seem to have any.  Damn shame about that!

My limited research shows that the Pixie is a member of a family of Gerber aluminum-handled knives.  Some handles were given a coating to increase friction and improve grip.  I've found examples of Pixies with leather sheaths, the knife sans sheath, and at least one with a wooden sheath.  It is just an ordinary kitchen knife.

I find the smooth flow of the handle and blade attractive.  To me, it almost has a futuristic look

Here is what I consider interesting about this knife.  My friend Derrick found it at Harbor Freight in 2005.  "I don't know," he told me.  "They just had a pile of them.  Thought you'd be interested."  I was, but not enough to rush out, and by the time I did get there, they were gone.

(1)  http://www.susandoreydesigns.com/insights/GerberLegendaryBlades.pdf