slipjoint

Benchmade Shipping Its First Slipjoint Ever

Modern traditional knives are a growing trend and Benchmade is entering the arena with a brand new slipjoint called the 319 Proper. Other Benchmade models like the discontinued Lone Wolf Tailout and the Summit Lake series also capture a traditional vibe but the 319 Proper is Benchmade’s first ever non-locking folder.

“[It] is definitely a callback to traditional slipjoints,” Benchmade’s Derrick Lau tells us. “This year is our 30th anniversary and we wanted to cover the whole map.” The Proper has a 2.86-inch S30V sheepsfoot blade, modified with a slight belly. Weighing 2.3 oz., it doesn’t have a pocket clip and is meant to be carried loose in the pocket, with or without a lanyard.

The Axis Lock has been Benchmade’s bread and butter for decades, but the Proper sees the company breaking away from locking knives altogether. Making a non-locking folder meant balancing ease of opening with back spring strength. A fuller works in place of a nail nick, and for added safety, Benchmade employed a half stop that catches the blade between the open and closed position. “Obviously it’s not like an Axis Lock but it’s pretty sturdy,” Lau says.

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French Knife Maker Defies Tradition with Comic Book Knives

Known for working with unconventional materials, French knife maker Roland Lannier is preparing a new line of slipjoints with handles made of Solid Comic Book, a substance composed of comic book pages soaked in resin.

The first knife to come out of Lannier’s workshop getting the Solid Comic Book treatment is the Spring Heeled Jack. This sizeable slipjoint packs a 3.5” blade made of 14C28N into a knife that weighs just 2.5 oz. The Spring Heeled Jack will also come in carbon fiber and another experimental material that Lannier is keeping secret for now.

Lannier has made knives with vinyl records, guitar fretboards, Corian, bamboo, and punk-style Scottish tartan Micarta. In a world where G-10, carbon fiber and titanium are prevalent, do these playful materials make for good tools, or just good art? “There is no actual technical advantage to these materials,” Lannier acknowledges, but he insists they are hardy enough for any sort of reasonable use of his knives.

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Hinderer to Unveil Slipjoint on XM-18 Platform Friday

“I was told by some of my European dealers not to bother coming to Germany if I didn’t bring a slipjoint,” Rick Hinderer jokes. IWA Outdoor Classics, the most important show outside the USA for knife companies, kicks off in Nuremberg, Germany on Friday and Rick Hinderer Knives won’t be disappointing its European dealers. They’re coming prepared with a brand new non-locking folder called the XM-SLIPPY.

The knife is the latest spin-off of the storied XM-18, which also inspired the ZT 0562 and the Kershaw Cryo, one of the best selling one-handed opening folders of all time. “It made sense to build the slipjoint on the XM-18 platform,” Hinderer tells us. “It’s tried and true and it’s what our customers have been asking for.”

The new XM-SLIPPY is geared to multiple audiences, not the least of which are European consumers. “We’re moving more and more into the worldwide market,” says Hinderer. “We heard fans around the world say ‘we love your designs, we just wish we could actually carry one.’ ”

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Fox Knives Introduces Black Fox Nidhug Tactical Slipjoint

Fox Knives recently revealed it would be expanding its value-oriented Black Fox line in 2017, with several new models slated to join the budget catalog. First out of the gates is the Nidhug, a tactical slipjoint folder designed by Mikkel Willumsen that brings Fox style to the masses in a sub-$50 package.

Designed for wide legality, it has a stiff back spring in place of a lock and a loop-over pocket clip to keep it inconspicuous. Though Fox is known for its beautiful fit and finish, the Nidhug will be produced in Asia and not Italy. According to the company, before travelling to its final destination each Nidhug will make a stop in Maniago for a quality inspection.

The details are attended to with a polished back spring, two-tone blade finish, and chamfered G-10 scales. The Nidhug also houses a wide 2.75” modified wharncliffe blade made of 440C steel. According to Fox’s Massimo Centazzo the unusual blade shape and modern materials give it that Willumsen feel despite its departure from the Danish designer’s usual work. It also addresses Fox customers’ growing desire for modern-style slipjoint knives. “Our customers have been asking for a legal, tactical folding knife. The Nidhug covers all of these bases.”

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