Hey everyone, David C. Andersen here coming
at you from the KnifeCenter. And with the Fourth of July, our nation's
Independence Day right around the corner now is a perfect time to take a look at some of
our favorite American made pocket knives. Let's check them out. For the purposes of this video, I'm going
to stick to production companies because there's a lot of fantastic smaller makers out there,
both small batch production as well as custom folks that you know, the sky's the limit,
we're not going to be able to cover all of them, but stuff like the Hinderer, Xm 18 stuff
from Chris Reeve, all the custom guys out there. I don't want to leave anyone out. So we're just going to leave all of them out
and just stick with the production folks. But let's start with a classic, we've got
the buck 110 but I've actually pulled the the little brother to the 110 right here,
the 112 Ranger to slightly more EDC friendly size than the 110 folding hunter and the new
112 slim versions are even more pocket friendly,
and just perfect for modern everyday care. Now as I go through these knives I'm going
to go through a range of price points I'm starting on the affordable and the 112. Slim start at about 24 bucks and they go up
from there and some upgraded versions, this one here coming in about 80 bucks. Immediately you can see there's some pretty
stark differences between this and the classic versions of the 110 and the 112. We don't have the wood handle with the brass
bolsters instead, in the case of this slim Pro, we've got black g 10 handles that are
thinner so that they lay flatter in the pocket. We've also got a deep carry pocket clip, which
makes it much easier to carry in the pocket rather than in the belt sheath that comes
with those classic models that is reversible for left or right carry the handle profile
otherwise is the same and the blade is just a little bit different. You can see we have a straight clip point
here, rather than the more aggressively scooped out clip point of the originals but I think
that works even better in the modern era for just most of your everyday carry type. needs. We've also got a one hand opening blade we've
got dual thumb studs on this knife opens up nice and solid that lock back is nice and
secure. Definitely time proven. And on this version we've even got an upgrade
of s 30 v blade steel over the base 420 Hc stainless the buck likes to use frequently. If you like the classic models, those are
still around and they're still great knives. But we love what buck have done with these
slim versions and just updating their classics into a more modern aesthetic. If you'd rather have something more classic
though, let me direct you to this knife here. This is from case knives. And this is the Tony Bose tribal lock with
the bone stag handle. You still get a lock back like the classic
buck knives, but you have a shape that's more reminiscent of just your standard slip joiner
the old school pocket knives, which of course case is more well known for. This knife comes in about $74 and as you can
see it's very, very classy. We've got that bone stag handle which is it's
just bone but it's kind of jig to work. And carves to mimic the look of stag. And it's also got a little bit of amber dye
here so looks really cool. And then that's offset very nicely by some
brass liners. Now the steel is Case's proprietary stainless,
it's not going to hold an edge as long as some other things out there, but it really
looks fantastic. It takes a really nice polish. And ultimately the mission of this knife is
to give you capability, but also look absolutely phenomenal doing it and it looks it definitely
looks the part as you can see, I'm gonna swing it back to buck now for a second and take
a look at their new sprint series of knives. And like the Ranger before there's there's
a couple tiers of this knife the entry level with synthetic handles and 420 Hc steel starts
around 50 bucks. This particular one is one of the upgraded
versions, the sprint pro that comes in just under 100. Right now, you see a few cool upgrades in
the case of this design here still made in the USA just like all of these here, we've
got an s 30 v blade again, comes in just over three inches and it's just the simple Classic drop point, I say classic, but it's
not exactly a classic looking drop point. It's just a very versatile shape. We've got a really cool scoop out here on
the spine, that does a couple things. It's a good place for choking up with your
index finger or your thumb. And on these pro versions, you've even got
this kind of rope file work, or vine firework going down there, adds a little bit of visual
flair looks really good and also gives you a little bit of traction, kind of like some
jumping as well. Now the big news, when Buck introduced these
sprint knives was the action this is their first time that they've used a ball bearing
pivot in any of their production knives. And they've actually gone in tuned it a little
bit differently than a lot of folks out there so that the flipping action is not as crisp
but it's even smoother than any of its competitors. This particular version comes with these brown
burlap micarta handles really cool look. We're starting to see this a little more from
some manufacturers these days. And I really like it it gets to kind of a
vintage-y vibe. But you have all the benefits of modern McCarter
constructionists going to Feel good in the hand, it's gonna feel a little
bit tacky or when it's wet. And of course, it's very stable unlike the
old wood handles of yesteryear. Got a nice pop of color here on the Backspacer
as well as a deep carry pocket clip for the right side. If you'd like something a little bit fancier
than this kind of rugged looking version, we've also got one that has some red accents
and a marbled carbon fiber handle with that same cool s 30 v blade. Alright, now I want to talk about the Kershaw
link. And this is another series that spans the
range in price, but this particular one I'm holding right here, dollar for dollar probably
offers more performance than just about anything out there and really is one of the best bargains
even at the regular price on our site. Although the base models start around the
$40 mark, this particular knife comes in at about 83 and for that we actually get a 20
cv blade. If you're not familiar with CPM 20 cV, phenomenal
performance, it's a great particle steel offers excellent edge retention, but it usually costs
a fair bit Money. And by a pretty wide margin. This is the most affordable knife out there
you can get with the steel pretty much anywhere got three and a quarter inches of length here
and a really useful shape. I always like a knife with a continuous curve
to the edge, you see that here, it's going to make it a really nice slicer, especially
as you move through a cut. And you've still got a very acute point along
with this as well. You're gonna be able to pierce stuff open
up packages or you know, those really annoying blister packs you pick up from your big box
store that are just impossible to open. It's going to be no problem with this slice
through a bunch of cardboard, whatever you need to do, it's going to do it quite nicely. It's also got a nice stonewashed finish, if
any of you've heard me talk about a stonewashed finish before you guys know how much I like
it, because it's kind of a random pattern, scratching essentially already built in. So once you go in and actually use the knife
and put some scratches on it, they're going to blend in and it's going to look even better
for longer since it's not going to feel like you're really marring up the blade. Another thing to note about 20 cv in addition
to its performance characteristics, Is the steel itself is made in America too,
so they're not importing the raw material for that it's being built right here. The handles on this one are anodized aluminum
green. In this case. As you can see, we've got some pretty cool
milled relief here it's going to add a little bit of grip, as well as kind of breaking up
the handle visually as well. It's a liner lock, and we've also got a deep
carry pocket clip which is reversible for either side. And buried underneath the handle here. We've got Kershaw speed, safe assisted opening
mechanism, which is a torsion bar setup. What that means is once you start to open
the blade manually, a springs going to take over and finish the opening action and it's
nice and snappy and repeatable pretty much every time. I've actually got another option from Kershaw
here again with 20 cv steel. That might be a good alternative if you prefer
manual opening action as opposed to the assisted opening action. And this is the higher end version of the
Kershaw bare knuckle. Now the cheaper ones of those start, I think
around the $75 mark, or So those come with a 14 c 28 n blade, good
steel, but it's not going to equal the edge retention of 20 cv. So for 120 bucks, you can get this version
right here, which has a black DLC coated 20 cv blade, we've got a little bit more edge,
a full three and a half inches so you've got even more edge to work with, but a similar
blade shape, in fact, similar kind of continuous curve and very acute point. It's also got a deep carry pocket clip, which
is reversible for either side. And you may see a few scratches on this, this
one that's because this particular knife is one that's been in our test fleet for several
months. And even after all that carry you can see
it's holding up very nicely with these anodized champagne gold handles. One big difference you'll see between this
and the link that we just looked at is instead of a liner lock underneath these aluminum
handles, we have Kershaw's patented subframe lock. And essentially that gives you a full size
lock bar like you would get on a frame lock, except that lock bar itself is anchored into
the aluminum rather than being a single part with the Handle scale. And that lets them get that cool color wrapping
around the entire knife as opposed to, you know, just a normal titanium scale that you
wouldn't be able to analyze quite like this. But the lockup is just as solid. And then the action, even though it's not
assisted is still very rapid. That's because we've got Kershaw's kvt ball
bearings and the pivot, they're tuned fantastically. And I think on the table right here, this
might be one of my very absolute favorites of the modern crop of American made pocket
knives. Right, we've seen some books and a case knife
so we've had some classic brands. How about another one we've got the Gerber
fastball here, and although Gerber may be overlooked by some of you knife enthusiasts
out there, the fastball is definitely worthy of attention. This knife I think, is one of the best folders
Gerber has made in quite a long time. They really did a fantastic job here. Just a really solid all around EDC coming
in just under 100 bucks. The blade is three inches long and it features
s 30 v steel. It's got that stonewashed finish, which I
really like and we've also got anodized Green aluminum handles on this knife as well. It's a liner lock, we do have a reversible
pocket clip. It's not deep carry. And we also have ball bearings in the pivot
rather than an assisted opening system. And they've tuned it really well the action
is quite quite good, flings that blade out very easily. That wharncliffe shape is going to work very
well you've got your excellent piercing capabilities, and it's going to be a really strong cutter
despite its smaller size. There's a few different colorways available
right now there's a version just like this that has a plain gray aluminum handle. There's also a black aluminum handle and that
version comes with a black and stonewashed blade if you prefer and coming soon, they're
actually working on some cleaver versions of this knife as well and that's going to
come with some 20 cv blade steel, which is a really nice upgrade. Alright, next we're going to look at a Spyderco
and this is where we start to get into knives that at their lowest level start right above
the hundred dollar mark. We've got the native five which kind of like
the Delica, which is a one of Spyderco's Japanese made knives This is one of those awesome blanket recommendations
that I can make to pretty much anyone. If they're not sure what they're looking for. If someone says, I need a pocket knife I want
it to be made in the US What should I get? The native five is always one of my top recommendations. This particular one is the native five salt,
which differs from the standard models. First of all, you can see this bright yellow
handle and I'll get to more about that handle in a second. The key story with this particular version
though, is the blade steel itself they use lc 200 n. This is a very tough and very high performing
stainless steel. Now the thing we have to remember with stainless
steel, a stainless means it stains less it's not necessarily rust proof. However, the LC 200 N here second only despite
it goes H1 really is virtually rust proof. This could live in the bottom of the river
for quite a long time. And you're going to be able to pull it out
later and it's going to be in pretty good shape. And I don't say that just out of nowhere. I've actually had my friend Joe flowers with
his Spyderco Caribbean had that exact same thing happened to him
and I was really impressed by how it looked when he pulled it out. So not only do you get that high stain resistance,
like I said, you're getting very good performance here, kind of getting into the arena of some
of the super steels out there, at least on the lower end. I really like it. I've used this steel and one of my EDCs for
quite a while very impressed. plus another cool little fact, NASA actually
uses this for ball bearings when they actually absolutely have to have something that's not
going to rest. Now the handle itself has some of those things
that makes a lot of the smaller Spyderco knives on the market just so so good. First off, bidirectional FRN. We've got nice text strings, they've got retention
in both directions forward and backwards. We've also got a mid mounted lock back which
is a very ambidextrous system. And that kind of carries through to the rest
of the features on the knife. That opening hole opens with your thumb with
either hand just as easily. And we've got a nice black pocket clip here. That's a four position clip. You can carry it on the left or The right in tip up or tip down fashion. This really does work for just about anyone
out there. And although the blade itself is only three
inches, you're actually able to get a really big handhold on this knife and that's thanks
to the finger choil here, right at the front of the blade, which again is one of those
common things from spider COEs, at least on their smaller knives, especially that allow
it to fold up small but you've still got a very full grip even for larger hands. Now in addition to this version, there are
a bunch of different versions out there from Spyderco both with different blade steels
as well as fancier handle materials if that's your thing, but this FRN one here is nice
and lightweight, but if lightweight is truly what you're after that if that's one of the
biggest considerations you've got, might want to check out the benchmade bug out the start
a little bit above 125 right now. And for that you're getting a very well designed
knife with a very versatile shape that weighs less than two ounces. That blade itself is about three and a quarter
inches long. drop point is going to be applicable to all
kinds of different things. And the blade stock itself is nice and thin. It also comes with a really high flat grind. They really went out of their way to make
sure this knife was a phenomenal slicer. Now the handles are Grivory. And this particular one comes in blue. This was actually the original version of
the bug out that was released. And they originally aimed this at ultra light
campers or hikers. And the blue was a really good choice there
as it's a very highly visible color when you're out in nature. It's actually a little less common in the
natural world than oranges typically would be, which is kind of the color you first think
of. But despite that stated mission, I actually
think this is even better. As a lightweight EDC. Those handles are nice and thin. And certainly the blue helps to keep it looking
a little bit less, less scary to certain folks out there which is definitely appreciated. And then it carries nice and unobtrusively
too and that's thanks to the mini deep carry pocket clip here with a nice oxide finish
that's not going to chip like a painted clip. Well that is reversible. For ambidextrous consideration, and that also
carries through to the AXIS Lock that we see right here which is another great option for
lefties or righties both simply pull back on that lock bar here and you can close the
blade quite easily. You can open it again with a thumb studs or
my favorite thing to do, hold the lock bar back, give it a little bit of wrist action,
flick the blade open or close really quickly. If you're not a fan of the blue here, there
are a few other different colors available, including one I'm really excited about their
new CF elite handle, which is a carbon fiber reinforced nylon, it's even lighter but at
the same time even more rigid than these Grivory scales is really impressive. If you want something that's a little bit
more premium than the bug app but you like that kind of size. There's a newcomer from Hogue that I've been
really impressed with and this is the Deka the start just above 140 and there are several
versions of this just like the bug out we've got different g 10 handles, and that first
thing right there you got g 10 instead of Grivory We've also got 20 cv blade steel, you can
get it in the stonewashed finish you see here or a black finish, we've also got two blades
to choose from on the Deka, we've got the clip point here, as well as a wharncliffe
profile. Blade stock is roughly the same thickness
as the benchmade. Although the grinds not quite as high, but
it's still going to be a very nice and efficient cutter just to say, we've also got a pocket
clip which is reversible, it's not deep carry, but on the side you're not using we do see
a little blockout plate, so you don't have some bear holes in there. It's just one of those nice little features. That's cool. Just like its competitor. We've also got an open back to construction
here. So it's going to be very easy to keep the
knife clean. And we also have Holmes iteration of the crossbar
lock, their ABLE lock, which is very smooth. Now well benchmade is certainly set the standard
with their AXIS Lock. They do it very smoothly and it's very highly
regarded. Hogue shouldn't be overlooked either. They're doing a great job with this abl lock. It's got the same ambidextrous qualities I
love and then one thing I did didn't mention that's an advantage for this
style of lock when you go to close the blade, you don't have to put your fingers in the
path of the edge at all, which I just love that inherent degree of safety that comes
with this style. Now another type of lock that allows that
is Spyderco's compression lock I've got another Spyderco here. This is the paramilitary two got a bigger
blade than the previous two with this knife which they were about three and a quarter
inches. This one is about three and a half Scott that
signature Spyderco shape with the high flat or full flat grind. So again, really good slicing characteristics
and then that opening hole for easy opening. But if I flip the knife over you can see right
here mounted on the spine is that compression lock. And while it does have a tab that sticks up
into the Tang of the knife, you can kind of think of this as a liner lock just kind of
reverse mounted. Fold the lock down or flip the lock down with
your finger and then you can flick that knife closed if you wish, or you can be a little
more deliberate, you know closing it without the the wrist action. Then you can open it the same way to if you
don't want to use those thumb holes to do a Standard open, you can kind of hold the liner
back a little bit and flick the blade open. Like the native five this is another knife
being a classic and spider COEs lineup. But there are a ton of different variations
available out there, including some dedicated left hand versions because the compression
lock by its very nature is a little more biased to a single hand rather than being completely
ambidextrous. But we've still got that nice four position
pocket clip, carry whatever way you wish. You've even got that finger toilet signature
Spyderco element there that gives you even more reach on the handle. For my slightly larger than average hands. I do get I wouldn't say I was cramped but
I don't quite fit within the prescribed sections here. It is still pretty comfortable, but it's also
nice to have that choil there so you can choke up. Not only does that allow me to get a fuller
grip, but also if you're holding it kind of in a pinch fashion there, you're able to get
a much finer control over the tip of this blade. As I said there are a number of versions available
both with different blade steels and handle materials. They start around The 150 dollar mark. And this particular one is sits right about
there and comes with the camo G 10 pattern. And that really calls to mind that in addition
to being a great EDC design, with a name like paramilitary as you'd expect, this really
is a phenomenal tactical knife as well. All right, we're definitely firmly into the
more expensive end of the US production knives now, but now let's get into some truly premium
stuff. And I'm going to start with one of those underrated
brands out there, they're a bit smaller, but they definitely deserve a look and I'm talking
about Southern grind. This right here is a version of their spider
monkey design that comes in at about 220 right now. For that you get a three and a quarter inch
blade of s 35 v and steel like 20 cv and s 30 v Made in America, which is quite nice. The drop point blade is gonna be very usable. They've managed to give it a pretty distinctive
shape, which is hard to do on a drop point. I really appreciate that. You can see this particular ones a combo edge, but there are
plain edge versions of this knife available. And we've got carbon fiber for the handle
scales here, although we've also got copper as well as some other options. Also, the build quality is fantastic. It's not a huge knife in the hand but it feels
extremely solid. It's got a liner lock for security, and it's
actually a thumb stud opening knife. You might have expected it to be a flipper. You still can't flick it quite nicely but You're just not going to be able to do it
with your with your index finger. While you might be able to if you're if you're
kind of skilled enough you could be able to pull it off. We've got open back to construction here again,
easy to keep clean and nice sturdy pocket clip which is a right side
tip of only design. This particular one here with the carbon fiber
and the black blade. I think it's a pretty cool dichotomy. Between the classy and the brutal and I just
I really like the way those two work together. All right now we got to talk about our favorite
overbuilt American brand or at least that's a, that's the image they like to project. I'm talking about Zero Tolerance and this
is this zt 452 cF there's a lot of great ZT models
out there. I'm a big fan of the new 308 but one of those
that just I keep coming back to because I love the looks I love the overall design is
this particular one right here designed by Dimitri syncovich This knife comes in at the $240 mark and what
we get here is a titanium frame lock flipper, which is something zt is very heavily known
for. Got that solid lock up from the titanium bar
here with a nice hardened steel lock bar insert right on the end and we've got a nice long While going on here, a full four inches just
over four inches in fact, of excellent s 35 vn steel. The front looks nice and classy too, but that
carbon fiber, and then the action is unassisted. It's ball bearings again. Now, if you didn't know zt and Kershaw from
earlier are actually both owned by the same parent company, which is why you see a kvt
bearing system here as well. And the answer Just plain works. I mean you can hear it over the microphone
just how snappy and authoritative that action is. But if you find yourself wanting to carry
a gentleman's knife, but you just can't Give up the idea of a big blade. Look no further. This is the one to get for sure. If you don't need the full four inches but
you still want a very distinctive knife, check out the 940-1 from Benchmade designed by Warren
Osborne. This is the most premium version of the 940
series and they start around 175 on the low end. This particular one comes in at 272 because
we've got a number of upgrades over those standard models. The first thing you'll see immediate That's different than the aluminum or G 10
handles of the lower end versions is the usage of carbon fiber, but they didn't just slap
a flat set of carbon fiber scales on here it actually has the same milled contouring
that the aluminum models get. The 3.4 inch reverse Tonto blade has also
seen a an upgrade, a very significant upgrade. In fact, it uses s 90 v blade steel, which
have everything here on the table. If your highest priority is edge retention,
this is going to be the way to go S 90 v has a ton of edge retention, because it's so abrasion
resistant and part of that translates into the manufacturing process. It takes a lot more consumables and a lot
more time to make this blade than even with the 20 cv that we've seen on some of these
other knives. As I said you've got a very distinctive blade
shape here, but that's not really going to hurt its usability. This is still going to be a great knife for
any year, any of your day to day tasks that you're going to need to do. And then of course you've got that nice ambidextrous
AXIS Lock ambidextrous pocket clip to that Flip over on either side, hold the bar back,
flick it closed, flick it open. It's just a really cool design and very distinctive
to even after all this years of this knife being out, it's immediately recognizable,
no one's really been able to do something that captures the same spirit as the 940. I'm going to end things with a personal favorite
of mine in the realm of the high end, American made titanium frame lock flippers, the zt
609. Like I said, one of my favorites for sure. This knife was designed by RJ Martin, we actually
see one of his signature design elements. We have his see through pivot design. So there's actually essentially a pass through
running through that pivot itself. Does it do anything practical? No, not really. It's just there to look cool. And it definitely does and it really ties
everything together on a very cool looking design. Overall, these knives run about 260 right
now, we've got a 3.4 inch blade with CPM 20 cv blades. We've also got the titanium frame which has
been anodized sort of a rustic bronze color and a really a good amount of
intricate milling going on that looks really good. It's going to be a fantastic gentleman's knife
option. And it's going to give you some traction to
when you go to use the knife. Whereas a lot of ZT's titanium frame lock
flippers tend to feel overbuilt, and I don't use that term negatively. Like that's just what they're going for. This night feels a little bit more refined
a little bit more svelte overall. And that's just something I particularly appreciate
the action, it's kvt bearings, so it flips open quite nicely. You've got a distinctive and fancy look with
some phenomenal materials, you really can't go wrong. I had a fair number of knives here on the
table, but in reality, this is just a small sampling of all the great knives that are
built right here in America. And make sure to let me know which knives
you like down in the comments which one of these was your favorites? or What did I leave
out what's your favorite American made EDC pocket knife EDC or otherwise let us know
in the comments. If you want to get your hands on any of these
knives, as well as browse our entire selection of American made folding knives. We will leave links in the description below. And while you're over at the KnifeCenter checking
out those knives, make sure you sign up for our knife rewards program while you're there,
because if you're going to buy one of these cool knives you might as well earn some free
money to spend on your next one. I'm David C. Andersen from the KnifeCenter
I hope you're all staying safe, sane and sanitary. Happy Fourth everyone. See you next time.
