SHOT Show cutlery roundup features real, training knives
by Bob Lesmeister
National Correspondent
The 2008 Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas at the beginning of February proved to be a showcase for some classic and innovative cutlery—cutting edge you might say. Sharp styles, keen designs, something to write hone about. Stop, you say! Enough of the puns! Get to the point! Okay, I’ll take a stab at it.
For starters, the name may sound new, but the product is instantly recognizable. HallMark Cutlery (4436B Middlebrook Pike, Dept. GWK, Knoxville, TN 37921; phone: 866-583-3912; online: www.rtzdistribution.com) offers the Uzi brand of knives that feature hard titanium blades and handle coatings in black, silver matte and camo finishes. All of the fixed-blade Uzis come with MOLLE system sheaths. What’s MOLLE you ask? It stands for Modular Lightweight Load-bearing Equipment. It’s the current generation of load-bearing equipment and rucksacks used by the US Army. What makes MOLLE modular are the rows of super-strength nylon webbing stitched into the combat vest that allows the user to attach various MOLLE-compatible accessories including the Uzi sheath.
The Uzi Tactical Commander Series offers a full range of small to large fixed-blades with solid matte and camo finishes. Most popular in the series is the Combat Commander. This gutsy fixed-blade offers a balanced, skeletonized frame with black titanium coating and positive grip. As a multi-functional tool, it incorporates a saw-backed blade for survival applications, and a chain link break for breaching fencing. Overall length is 8-7/8-inches with a 4.25-inch blade. And, of course, it comes with a black nylon MOLLE sheath.
The Uzi Tactical Folder category includes models from small to large that offer one-handed opening and ergonomic grips. The Silver Star Series “Alpha” Tactical Folder highlights the series as a lightweight utility model. The black, aluminum-framed handle is contoured and textured for a positive grip. No doubt you will be hearing more from this company, which is far from being new to the business. Company principals have over 30 years experience in the US and international markets that include design, manufacturing, distribution, licensing and marketing. The company also offers state-of-the-art laser marking services that can create designs on metal, wood, glass, leather and plastics.
First they offered you knife sharpeners, now Lansky (PO Box 50830, Dept. GWK, Henderson, NV 89016; phone: 716-877-7511; online: www.lansky.com) is offering you something to sharpen on them. The new Professional Grade Industrial MultiTool is the bread-and-butter product of the company’s new knife and tool division. The MultiTool is constructed of 420 HC stainless steel and offers 20 different functions. The ergonomic design features contoured handles with a matte, bead-blasted finish. You can whip out the pliers with a flick of the wrist.
The integrated tools and blades are stored in the inboard handle and lock into position when opened. The MultiTool comes with a reinforced ballistic nylon sheath with snap closure. The sheath also has an internal pocket to hold the included ˘-inch socket and bit accessory set. The tool’s functions include: Spring-loaded, needle-nose pliers, medium screwdriver, file/ruler, small screwdriver, wire cutter, serrated clip blade, clip blade, can/bottle opener, awl, magnetic bit holder and ˘-inch socket drive with a 9 insert bit assortment. Perhaps best of all, it comes with Lansky’s limited lifetime warranty and sells for under $30. You can compare it with similar tools costing twice as much.
The perfect gift for any holiday or birthday is a knife kit. Whether you’re an old codger or a young whipper-snapper, you have to love a knife you put together yourself. Linville Knife & Tool Co. (PO Box 71, Dept. GWK, Bethania, NC 27010; phone: 336-923-2062; online: www.linvilleknifeandtool.com) 
offers several kits of quality materials. The company brags that each knife kit is personally inspected by noted knifemaker Tim Britton. Folder kits include 3˚-inch bead blasted AUS-8 steel blades with scales made of sandalwood and cocobolo; 3-inch bead blasted AUS-8 steel blades with checkered scales; 2˘-inch bead blasted AUS-8 steel blades with checkered scales. Two boot knife kits are also offered. One is 8-inch overall with an AUS-8 RC58 steel blade and wood micarta handle slabs. The other is a 6˚-inch overall length knife with an AUS-8 satin or mirror finish blade. Most of their knife kits are also available as assembled knives.
Someone at the SHOT Show asked me what was the most impressive thing I saw in cutlery at the show. I had to admit it was the guy blowing the horn at the Wenger (15 Corporate Dr., Dept. GWK, Orangeburg, NY 10962; phone: 800-267-3577; online: www.wengerna.com) booth. The music coming out of the alphorn was as smooth as a bead-blasted blade. For your info, the Swiss alphorn varies in shape according to the locality. The alphorn is carved from solid softwood, generally spruce but sometimes pine. Records of alpine societies using signal horns date back to the 2nd century. Alphorns had frequently been used as signal instruments in village communities since medieval times or earlier, sometimes substituting for the lack of church bells. Almost as sweet as the music emanating from the alphorn was the Glacier Blue Translucent MicroLight Pocket Tool Chest on display. This compact contraption offers nine tools with 14 functions. They include: 1.75-inch pen blade, built-in flashlight, micro screwdriver, 1.8-inch springless scissors with serrated self-sharpening design, screwdriver, cap lifter, wire crimper, nail file, nail cleaner, reamer, awl with sewing eye, cuticle pusher, tweezers and key ring. Overall size is just 2.5-inch and it comes with a limited lifetime warranty.
Wildsteer (22 La Bertrandière, Dept. GWK, F-42580 L’Etrat, France; phone: 011-33-477925986; online: www.wildsteer.com) is offering a clever knife for archers and bowhunters. It was designed by an archer with over 25 years experience in the field. Some of the things this blade can do include vise function and arrow extractor. Using the extractor as a vise, you can easily unscrew the shaft from the arrowhead. Special notches in the hilt of the knife and the extractor allow the user to insert and firmly grip the shaft without causing any damage. Using the lever effect of the Wildsteer knife and its special extractor, an archer can easily recover an arrow head. If an arrow is deeply embedded into a tree or wooden target, the tanto point of the knife can be used to chip away the surrounding wood to free the arrowhead. The extractor can also be used as a sharpening tool for arrowheads. The notches on the Wildsteer knife blade can also be used to file down rough or broken shafts before fitting on the insert. It’s a shame, but all too often American knifemakers fail to recognize the archery field.
One of the hottest knives (literally) at the SHOT Show was the Shocknife from Shocknife Inc. (20 Railway St., Dept. GWK, Winnipeg, MB, Canada; R2X 2P9; phone: 204-336-0011; online: www.shocknife.com). Shocknife SK-2 is a training tool for law enforcement and military. The knife emits a shock when the blade makes contact with a body. The shock is similar to what a cut would feel like if the knife were made of steel. The shock is just a shock, however. No harm is unleashed on the “victim.” The SK-2 model delivers a powerful shock upon contact, allowing the trainee to recognize both where and when he was exposed during the attack. The shock will even arc 
through clothing. The SK-2’s four different shock level settings range from low to extreme so instructors can vary the stress level during training. When wood or rubber knives are used in training, it’s just human nature for participants to disregard the danger posed in a real life situation. But when the SK-2 sparks and cracks and the trainee feels the hot sizzle, you can bet he/she understands what the training is all about! For departments that can’t afford the cost of the SK-2, Shocknife is offering the lower priced StressBlade. This works just like the SK-2, only it has just one setting.
Kizlyar USA Limited (19745 Colima Rd., Ste. 1-218, Dept. GWK, Rowland Heights, CA 91748; phone: 909-598-9683; online: www.kizlyarusa.com) offered a nice assortment of outdoor and combat knives made at the Kizlyar knife works in Dagestan Province, Russia. The DV-2 or Dalnya-Vostorchny Spetsnaz is as its name implies. Spetsnaz is the name of the Russian Special Forces. The DV-2 was designed by the unit and was made to its specifications. It features a hand-ground, blackened z60 steel 9.25-inch blade, a stainless steel pommel and a hand-shaped and polished Caucasian walnut handle. Each knife is completely hand made and no two are totally alike. Each knife comes with a handmade leather sheath. The Sh-5 model knife is based on a traditional form of Russian hunting knife with a mix of traditional Caucasian elements and modern day materials. It features a blade of a traditional Russian pattern with a clip point, a long false edge that terminates into an un-swept tip. The 5.7-inch blade is etched with the traditional Caucasian vine pattern, blackened to enhance the image. The handle is composed of stacked and compressed leather washers that are hand shaped and polished to a high luster. The pommel is threaded and screwed to the tang and can be adjusted accordingly by tightening a nut on the pommel cap.
A company offering an impressive line of German combat knives is Eickhorn USA LLC (53 Principe De Paz, Dept. GWK, Santa Fe, NM 87508; phone: 505-988-1272; online: www.eickhorn.usa.com). A clever folder offered is the SARD (Search and Rescue Device). The four interchangeable blades include: Rescue with rounded tip and third serrated edge; Tanto tip with part serrated edge; Wave with part serrated edge, and Drop Tonto tip with part serrated edge. All blades are 440 stainless with blackened finish and dual oversize thumb lugs. Overall 5˘-inch closed, the SARD also features black Plakarta handles and integrated belt clip. The SARD also does quadruple duty as a wire cutter, crimper, window breaker and seat belt/nylon cuff cutter. The ABCK (Airborne Combat Knife) is a real working commando knife that incorporates functions specifically suited to airborne Special Forces. All parts of the ABCK are non-reflective and it’s electrically insulated up to 1,000 volts. It has a hook blade for seat belt or web cutting, and a saw edge for cutting wood, plexi-glass, or laminated glass. The knife’s sheath is MOLLE system compatible. The heavy nylon sheath with liner stores a sapphire sharpening plate, awl and a small T-handle push dagger. The non-reflective 5˘-inch blade is constructed of 440 stainless. The handle is constructed of black fiberglass reinforced polymide and a glass breaker is integrated into the hand guard. And to top it all off, all the metal parts are treated with an anti-corrosion coating.
Although Zlatoust (456228, Taganaiskaya St., 204, Dept. GWK, Ñhelyabinsk, Russia; phone: 73513 668 747; online: www.zlatoust-air.ru) has no US representation yet, the fact remains the company offers some of the most exquisite blades ever presented at the SHOT Show. One such example is the decorative Damascus steel blade axe with walnut handle and gold plated trim. This particular piece is offered in a special velvet lined wooden presentation box. More conventional is the Robinson knife set with birch, walnut and leather handles. Very colorful but also extremely sturdy. They can be used in the field with the best of them.
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