National Knife Day

 August 24 is National Knife Day.  Hip hip hooray!  It is a grassroots holiday that is celebrated by millions but never recognized by Congress. 

TOPS Silent Hero 4

The history of this holiday is contorted, and should you go down this rabbit hole, you will find dead ends and conflicting information.  A good source is Blade HQ: "The Real History of National Knife Day."

https://www.bladehq.com/blog/national-knife-day?srsltid=AfmBOooH-SzG-EVfi3Vgv6A9LsEwgvLq5fMqB8RM47aDYrGK7IvbJoZl

Many of us have wondered why knives are so appealing.  At its simplest, a knife is a thin wedge that comes to a very fine edge, with a handle that lets us use it with some degree of safety.

It is one of man's oldest tools.  In the absence of a time machine, I have my own theory.  I think the oldest tool was initially a stick to extend our reach to push dangerous things farther away.  The next was a simple hammer. 

Watch a child at play.  He'll use an object to pull something that interests him closer.  While he's playing with it, he'll hit it.  This reflects our need to understand things by seeing what's in it.  Somewhere along the way, a human progenitor discovered shards of his hammer were sharp and made separating things faster and easier than bashing it to nothing. 

Prehistoric flint and bone tools

As we developed technology, we also developed art.  Museums are filled with examples of edged tools decorated for ceremonies, for artistic pleasure, and for simple identification.  That knife with the rawhide strings and birdwing carved in the handle is mine! 

At the same time, they have become a source of mystery and snatches at our attention across the ages.  One only needs to consider Jim Bowie's knife in all its iterations.

Open any catalog, and you'll find knives ranging from the simplest to works of art.  I have at least two knives that I carry only to formal events like weddings and funerals.  They are attractive to me, and I value them.

Bad Feather fixed blade with sliding handle

Knives remind us of people, places, and times from which we are separated.  I know more than a few people who treasure a worn-out knife that belonged to someone special.  Most of the time it isn't about value; it's about connection.

How am I going to celebrate National Knife Day?  My favorite carry knife, a Spyderco, needs a little sharpening.  I'll spend a little time wiping some of my blades with oil.  Others I'll take out and wonder about. 

CRKT's Taco Viper

Enjoy your Knife Day.

 

TOPS Lite Trekker

 One of my favorite fixed blades is the TOPS Lite Trekker.  It is a little lightweight knife that performs in a heavier weight class.  I picked mine up at the 2015 Blade Show.  Seems a company was offering free laser engraving with your purchase.  Somehow, the wrong name was lasered into the steel and I found it marked down on the last day of the show.

Why would I want a knife with someone else’s name on it, especially a misspelled name with lots of tricky letters and vowels?

Simple, I had the retailer laser out the name, leaving me with just the show date.  Later, I wrote an article about it for Knife Magazine.  Yes, Mr. Pasknyuskas III’s knife worked out well for me.

The knife locks into a deep kydex sheath with a positive click.  It’s not about to bounce out and be lost in the weeds because you took a fall.  The overall length is 8.75 inches long.  The blade measures out  to 4.25 inches long.  The Lite Trekker weighs in at 5.1 ounces.

TOPS describes the blade as a Hunters Point.  I see it as a basic drop point.  The steel is 1095 carbon, so a little oil and blade dressing is needed to keep the edge in great shape.  The steel is hardened to a RC 56-58.

I hear you.  I know a bunch of you whiny little mall commandos are telling me you only carry the newest super steel hardened to at least RC 60.  I’m not going to attempt to convert you, but remember, hardness and brittleness are related and a bent knife is still a knife but a broken blade is just junk!

I’m going to swap out the olive green paracord for something a little brighter to make it easier to find when I place it on the ground.

The Lite Trekker comes with a variety of color inserts built into the handle.  I like mine a lot and you can find it at https://www.topsknives.com/tops-lite-trekker  with a MSRP of $195.