I’ve been a knife user and collector for most of my life. Over the last four decades and change, I’ve owned more knives than anyone would need for ten lifetimes. Some of them got a lot of use, some were carried just a bit here and there, and a few were more for show than anything else. I mean, there just isn’t much call for a dagger in my day-to-day life, y’know? But they sure are cool.
If I were forced to get rid of my knife collection and could only save five, these are the ones I’d keep. These are my ride or die blades.
Phoenix – Dan Tope
Dan Tope is one of my favorite knife makers. He has an enormous range of great-looking and very functional designs. The Phoenix is a blend of two models, the Lynx and the TDC (Tope Daily Carry). This is what I’d call a semi-custom knife. The Phoenix is one of Dan’s standard models, but the buyer decides the steel, handle material, and such. Mine is CPM 154 steel with aged linen micarta handle scales.
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The Phoenix is 8.75 inches from end to end, with a 4.5-inch blade. It weighs 3.9 ounces. The base price of the Phoenix is $325, which does not include a sheath. I use Skin Bender Leather Works for almost all of my custom sheaths. They made the one shown here.
If I were to design a knife from the ground up, it would probably end up looking a lot like the Phoenix. It’s comfortable, with plenty of reach for anything I might need to do with a knife.
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Fox River EXT-1 – Bark River Knives
Based in Escanaba, Michigan, Bark River Knives produces a dizzying number of knives every year. One of their hallmarks is how they’ll utilize dozens of different handle materials in a given run of knives. You’ll find their models in everything from micarta and G10 to mammoth, burls, carbon fiber, and more.
The Fox River EXT-1 is one of their standard models. The original Fox River was designed to be the quintessential hunting knife. The EXT-1 added a bit of length, thickness, and curve to the handle, making the knife even more ergonomic. It measures 8.625 inches in overall length. The blade is 4.125 inches. All in, the knife weighs about 5.0 ounces, though this can change slightly based on the handle material.
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The Fox River EXT-1 is an excellent general-use fixed-blade knife. It’s very at home out in the field as well as around the house.
Redhawk – Tactile Knife Co.
This is the newest of the bunch. I’ve only had the Redhawk for a few months, but it’s earned a permanent place in the EDC rotation. It was produced by Tactile Knife Co. and designed by Taylor Martin from Best Damn EDC. In the time I’ve had it, the Redhawk has proven to be an eminently capable EDC knife.
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It’s 6.9 inches long, with a 2.75-inch MagnaCut blade. It has a tumbled finish, which I like because scratches don’t show up easily. And let’s face it, if you’re going to EDC a knife, it’s probably going to get scratched. I really like the green micarta handle scales, too.
The Redhawk comes with a nice Kydex sheath with a great pocket clip. Personally, if given a free and open choice, I’ll always go for leather over Kydex. That said, the Redhawk sheath is perfectly suitable here.
The Redhawk runs $229 and is worth every penny.
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Mess Maker – Vehement Knives
This knife is the result of a confluence of a few interesting tangents. Matt Martin, the maker behind Vehement Knives, is known for designing gorgeous knives that are also practical and have use in the real world. His wife, Jenna Martin, isn’t just a world-class leathersmith with Skin Bender Leather Works; she’s also an incredible cook.
Finding the utility knives available on the market lacking in one way or another, she asked Matt to come up with something suitable. Thus was born the Mess Maker. She posted about it on Facebook, and I knew I had to have one for myself. To the best of my knowledge, there are only a handful of these Mess Makers out in the world.
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It’s 8.5 inches long with a 4-inch CPM 154 steel blade. It is, without a doubt, one of the nicest knives I’ve ever owned. While this is absolutely a kitchen knife, I could easily see carrying it as an EDC. It looks amazing, but it also slices like a laser beam. It’s one of the few knives that no one else in my home is allowed to use.
This was a custom order from Vehement Knives. Unfortunately, their books are closed for the foreseeable future.
Violin – Night Watch Knives
I’ve said before that Alex Harrison, the maker behind Night Watch Knives, has no business being as talented as he is, given the relatively short amount of time he’s been making knives professionally. He’s dedicated to the craft, and it shows in his work.
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I own several of Alex’s knives, but the Violin is far and away my favorite. It’s just classy. It’s 7.75 inches long, and the blade is 3.5 inches. It features the Night Watch Knives War Wash finish on the steel. This is a surface treatment using a chemical etch. The brass guard really adds some pop to it. I posted a full review of this knife not long ago.
Alex takes orders for custom work regularly, but he also does small runs of various models, including the Violin. I believe the Violin starts at $400.
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