Rec and Sports

Reviews of Various Pocket Knives

Peter Marker Damascus Folder: Being a fan of Peter Marker’s work, I snagged this puppy up real fast when I saw it come on sale on Bladeforums. Peter is one of the best values in Damasteel folders out there, bar none. He is a relatively low-key maker from Australia, and does some fantastic work.

Spyderco Merlin Knife C21/C08: Yet another Spyderco, same FRN construction, though this Merlin here is a bit of a rarer knife. The Merlin is basically an FRN version of the Harpy, with slight differences in blade steel, shape and thickness. This Spyderco Merlin is a plain edge model, which is extremely rare as they are no longer made.

Peter Marker Micro Damascus Folder: Here is another remarkably well-made folder from Australia’s Peter Marker. Unfortunately Peter is no longer making knives as far as I know, but his legacy lives on through the many knives he made during his career. My favourite thing about Peter’s knives were that they were always Damascus, and always affordable. He was the only maker that would sell a perfectly made damascus folder for $350.

CRKT Side Hawg Knife CR2403: I received this Mike Franklin designed mini fixed blade as part of my birthday present from my fiance, who was my girlfriend at the time. She was so nervous giving me knives as a gift, since she didn’t know much about them. I think this is a cool little knife, even though it is a relatively cheap little guy.

Spyderco Paramilitary D2 Foliage Green: I haven’t picked up a new Spyderco in a while, but every time I walk into the local knife shop, I see all their Spydercos displayed, and after a while I just can’t help myself. This time it was a Foliage Green Paramilitary that caught my eye, in the limited edition CPM D2 steel configuration. This is a very cool version of the Paramilitary!

Cold Steel Hatamoto Folding Knife: My opinion of Cold Steel’s knives has changed a bit with the recent acquisition of a couple of Cold Steel folders. The Hatamoto is the first of these Cold Steel knives that I have acquired, and comes from their high-end line they call their “Custom Series”, and feature their mysterious and somewhat gimmicky San Mai III Steel.

Spyderco Vesuvius Knife C66PBK: The Spyderco Vesuvius is one of the few FRN handled Spydies to have a smooth contoured handle, which I really like. It is also designed by Frank Centofante, which I was a bit surprised about. The design is much more in-house looking to me, but either way, I love the look and feel!

Gibo Zakabi Framelock Folder Knife: Gibo Zakabi is actually two knifemakers, George Gibo and Carl Zakabi, and their collective products are produced under the name Kanaka Tech. All the knives are collaborations between the two Hawaiian knifemakers, and are very well made. I’ve had this knife for many years, and enjoyed every minute of owning it.

Ben Vinson is a lover of many things including writing about his interests. You can read more from Ben at the Cheap Pocket Knives store and Cheap NFL Jerseys store. See you there!