Blade December 2025

Sniper & NBS Partner Up Sniper Bladeworks has inked a partnership with Nation’s Best Sports (NBS), a Sniper press release reported. Founded by former SWAT sniper Lance Abernathy, Sniper is a premium tactical and outdoor knife brand that has been recognized for its “bold designs and functional innovation”—including its distinctive pistol-grip ergonomic knife handles. A leading buying group of sporting goods, NBS was founded in 1956. It supports over 450 independent retailers nationwide through strategic buying power, exclusive vendor programs, and in-market opportunities to foster lasting vendor-dealer partnerships. According to the release, the partnership demonstrates Sniper’s momentum in the independent retail sector and its mission to deliver field-tested, uniquely hard-working blades to dealers who serve law enforcement, outdoor and blue-collar professionals nationwide. For more information on Sniper Blade-works, visit sniperbladeworks.com.…

VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.BLADEMAG.COM TO: • Sign up for our free newsletter. • Renew your magazine subscription. There’s a subscription link in the nav bar. • Comment on our site stories written by BLADE® staff members and others. LOOK FOR BLADE MAGAZINE ON: SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES: Visit us on the web at www.blademag.com or call 877-485-6426. BOOK SALES: Visit us at www.gundigeststore.com or call 920-471-4522. BACK ISSUES FOR SALE: Subject to Availability. Call 920-471-4522. ADVERTISING: Contact Lori McDaniel at 715-498-3768 or lori@gundigest.com, or request a media kit by writing to: BLADE, 5583 W. Waterford Ln., Suite D, Appleton, WI 54913. LETTERS OR ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS: Steve Shackleford, Editor BLADE Magazine 5583 W. Waterford Ln., Suite D Appleton, WI 54913 or email steve@blademag.com.…

Jacob Anstaett outfits his santoku in a wa handle of stabilized Tasmanian blackwood and a brut-de-forge-finished blade of Hitachi 1085 carbon steel. Decipher his approach to wa handles for household cutlery and those of other top custom knifemakers in the story beginning on page 12. The Utility 5 by Vero Engineering has a Nitro-V stainless blade with a milled pocket to enhance pinch grips for dicing and slicing, and comes in a selection of synthetic handles. It and other utility kitchen knives are the focus starting on page 26. BLADE® field editor Dexter Ewing describes the Spyderco Nand designed by Paul Alexander as “sort of the Cybertruck of folders.” See why in Dexter’s story on the latest factory/custom collaboration knives commencing on page 48. SharpByCoop photographed the Anstaett santoku and the Lonnie…

The day before Veterans Day, November 10 is the 250th anniversary of some of the most storied combat fighters in world history—the United States Marines. The Marines have a special aura that almost transcends their many exploits. And when it comes to American military exploits, the Battle of Iwo Jima is in the top two or three all time. The raising of the flag on Mount Suribachi is America personified, and the United States Marine Corps War Memorial across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., celebrating the event is about the most awesome monument anywhere. As for those in the knifemaking community, Marine veterans are well-represented and include two BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® members, Don Fogg and Joe Keeslar. Other Marine vets who make knives are Tim Brit-ton, Matt Chase,…

The Japanese influence in kitchen knives is more or less a given. Those who work in food preparation, an art form unto itself, appreciate the style and utilitarian feel that the Japanese culture exerts on their vocation. The kitchen knife has seen a wave of custom makers taking that context a step further. The knife is an extension of the hand and that extension starts with the handle. So, here again the ergonomics of Japanese influence emerge. The wa handle brings comfort and confidence to the kitchen user while also providing a sense of form, function and artistic expression for the custom maker. According to maker Jacob Anstaett, the name itself is rooted in the Japanese language. “Wa comes from the Japanese language and broadly translates as ‘harmony’ or ‘balance,’”…

SPEC CHART MODEL: Kitchen knife BLADE LENGTH: 8.3” BLADE MATERIAL: Copper-clad 1084 carbon steel forged by Dane Standen Knives BLADE GRIND: Flat BLADE COAT: Dane Standen brutalist copper clad 1084 finish SCALES: Copper mesh in resin w/copper spacers OVERALL LENGTH: 12.8” KNIFE TO KNOW: The maker is a probationary member of the Australian Knifemakers Guild MAKER’S PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE: Contact maker for pricing MAKER: Signal One Forge, c/o Joel Eckford, French’s Forest, NSW 2086 Australia +61-0422-932-256 joeleckford@hotmail.com SPEC CHART PATTERN: Chef’s knife BLADE LENGTH: 8.75” BLADE MATERIAL: 80CrV2 carbon and 15N20 nickel-alloy steels forged by Jeff Waggenar DAMASCUS: Flower pattern BLADE GRIND: Flat SCALES: Blackwood amboyna/acrylic composite by Randy McBurrney OVERALL LENGTH: 14.75” MAKER’S PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE: $1,175 MAKER: Kevin Korenek, Dept. BL12, 105 Meadowbrook St., Robinson,…