If questions surrounding knives are plenty, the answers don’t get so lucky. There are too many questions that remain unanswered, wrongly misinterpreted, or at best, we take a long shot with an educated guess. Say for example, “when was the first knife made?” It’s an impossible question to answer. We know from archeological digs that humans made the first stone knives almost 2.5 million years ago - when men resembled apes more than modern humans. But the trouble is, we cannot know the exact date and year when the first flint was consciously chipped into a sharp spear-like ‘knife’. That’s just one of many. So, let’s take a look at some of the most interesting questions people ask about knives.
Do You Sell Damascus Knives?
This is strangely a very frequently asked question. The honest answer is ‘No’ - NOONE does anymore. Like all other modern knife makers, we sell knives that closely resemble a Damascan steel blade. But the original - we can’t, nobody can. We’re all on the hunt for the secret of the Damascus steel that got buried in history. The knife makers of India took the secret with them and we have never been able to replicate the steel completely. Records show Alexander the Great boasting armory made of this remarkable steel. Legend has it that Damascus steel blades could slice a feather in midair.
So, unfortunately, unless you can break into the Indian museum, you can’t get one. However, you can buy quality replicas of the Damascus blade.
What’s The Difference Between Hand-Forged And Machine-Forged Knives
Many a time, when customers ask me for a good switchblade, I recommend the SWIFT. It remains one of the best EDC switchblades for most due to its unique combination of stunning design, durability, edge retention, timeless geometry, and an excellent spring mechanism that fires and retracts the blade with a silky movement. What not to love?. “But is it handmade?” That’s often the first question that follows when I suggest a knife. Many customers harness the belief that knives that are hammer-forged and pounded into shape are better. Not always. It’s true, that some of the best switchblades and fixed knives ever are hand-forged by expert bladesmiths. But modern precision machine forged knives these days can easily match most hand-forged knives. In fact, a lot of power machine knives come out even better due to the precision technology that eliminates human error. End of the day, it’s a personal choice.
What’s The Best Steel For Knives?
This is a tricky one. The question is too general - kind of like
asking ‘Which woman will make the best wife? There’s no one-size-fits-all here. Our job as knife makers is to pick the best steel for most knives, as it’s not possible to order separate steel for each and individual knife. Over the years, we used 440C for most of our switchblades and folding knives. This steel has been used to make many popular knives by reputed knifemakers like Benchmade, Tekto Knives, and Boker. However, this year we’ve tried something new and relaunched some of our most popular knives with D2 steel - harder, more durable, and has longer edge-retention than 440C. D2 steel has been used to forge some of the best knives over the years. Bob Dozier, one of the pioneers of D2, used it for his remarkable Dozier Folding Hunter.
