Greg Wegrzycki, better known as Karambitmaker in the knife community, is a long-time martial arts practitioner, knife collector, and maker. While his passion primarily lies in crafting karambits and curved blade knives, he occasionally ventures into more utilitarian projects. The Kansept Rei is one such endeavor, inspired by the tactical folders from the early 90s. This review dives into its design, functionality, and overall performance.
The Multitool Mindset
Multitools amaze me. It’s not the details of any given tool that amaze me but the main idea behind all of them: response. We are the kind of guys who do something about something we can do something about. That’s the Multitool Mindset.
The Gerber Center-Drive Plus is an elevated version of the acclaimed Center-Drive multi-tool, incorporating highly-requested features while maintaining the robust functionality that defines the original. Here’s an in-depth look at what this multi-tool brings to the table, along with personal experiences using it.
The Center-Drive Plus keeps the purposeful one-thumb opening design, ensuring quick access to the tools you use most. The spring-loaded pliers, full-size blade, and center-axis screwdriver remain as the core features, offering reliable performance. The overall build quality is solid, with a sleek, polished aesthetic achieved through tumble finishing of all tools.
So it seems that the new color for the Leatherman Signal is Guava. I'm cool with giving people new color options, it allows people to personalize a tool, maybe even match it with an outfit. But, I'm used to multitools being stainless it black oxide. Maybe I'm old school, but I would much rather have a tool I'm not afraid to use hard. One I'm not afraid of chipping the paint on. Leatherman has changed some in recent years, trimming it's lineup and offering customized options instead. It's an interesting time for sure. If this is your thing, grab yourself a new Signal in guava.
We got wind last week that Leatherman was releasing a new color for the Signal. Leatherman sent out a teaser email today, press release will be this Friday (6/28).
A psychological operation (PSYOP) is a military strategy that uses targeted messaging to influence the emotions, motives, and behavior of a target audience. This can include enemy forces, neutral populations, or even allied groups. PSYOP campaigns can employ a variety of tactics, such as spreading disinformation, using propaganda, or broadcasting messages of persuasion. The ultimate goal of a PSYOP campaign is to achieve a military objective without the use of direct force. What does all that have to do with pocketknives? The PsyOp is a new design from Geoff Blauvelt in collaboration with Vosteed knives.
Geoff, from Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, has a rich background in fine arts, which he skillfully integrates into his knife designs. In 2011, he founded Tuffknives on YouTube, beginning as a knife reviewer and later transitioning into knife modding. His journey in knifemaking took a significant turn when he met John Gray, who mentored him in the craft and helped him start his own company. This company now produces and sells custom folders, leveraging the following Blauvelt had built from his YouTube days and his extensive experience modding production knives. He is known for his preference for a hands-on approach to knifemaking, using minimal machinery to maintain a more handmade, open style in his creations.
Justin Koch of Koch Tools is a respected pocket tool designer. His love for knives is evident in his creations, and people have enjoyed his handiwork for years. His designs are a blend of innovation, aesthetics, and utility. A popular knife design of his is the Korvid range; its cleaver-style blade and striking looks turn heads. The Korvid S is a fixed-blade version of that famous design. Today, we're taking a look at how it performs and if it's worth its metal.
Those that know me know that I view pocket knives as an art form. People are into paintings, sculpture, and other works that man creates. A man bears his soul when he creates, pouring out his creativity, passion, emotions, and even love. I, however, see beauty in knives. To others, they are purely utilitarian, cold steel made for a purpose. But I see knives as much an art form as those made with chisels and paintbrushes. It's the angles, curves, material choices, movement, acoustics, etc. It's poetry in motion. Knife designers are artists, and today we're taking a look at a design by Paul Munko.
Paul says that ever since he was a kid, he's been fascinated by anything with a blade. His dad had a toolbox full of pocket knives, using them for a variety of things around the house daily. Paul learned at a young age the utility that a knife could bring into your life. They made things easier in a way that you don't ever think about unless you carry one daily. They were not only useful but fun as well. He got hooked on pocket knives after a road trip, seeing them on display at a rest stop. He went to researching what makes for a good pocket knife. He found out how great the knife-collecting community was. He found collectors, creators, and even started speaking with designers and manufacturers about their work and how their ideas came to be.
Kansept has many models that define the brand, and one that stands out in particular is the Main Street. Designed by Dirk Pinkerton, the Main Street exemplifies his no-nonsense, purpose-driven philosophy. His approach to knife design is simple: big enough to get the job done, but in the smallest package. It features a comfortable yet versatile grip, able to handle whatever tasks you would expect a knife to handle. That sums up the Main Street perfectly.
The company often makes variations of their models, some of which are quite striking. I decided to take a look at the lightning anodized version with 20CV steel. If I don't get to this now, I'll forget—there's a lot to talk about. The overall length of the Main Street is 7.92 inches, with a blade length of 3.36 inches.
I'm generally a fan of mid-sized knives, but it's hard to ignore the fantastic smaller folders on the market right now. Vosteed has been a leader in this area thanks to their mini models. With designs like the Chipmunk, it's a standalone product rather than a smaller version of an existing model. A newcomer to the Vosteed lineup is the Acorn. The company describes the Acorn as "Our way of expressing gratitude to our valued supporters through a high-quality, budget-friendly knife." Let's get cracking and check out the new Acorn.
When it comes to sharpening, there's a myriad of ways to get the job done. There's freehand, fixed angle, motorized, crock sticks, and even pull through. Throughout millennia, man has used many ways to get his gear sharp, and just when you think we've exhausted new ways to get the job done, someone comes up with a fresh idea. One such innovation comes from the folks at Warthog Sharpeners.
Warthog was started with the simple aim of creating a better knife sharpener. They wanted to give people the ability to sharpen their knives to a professional level without having to send them to an expert. They began operating in 1999 and have been manufacturing and exporting high-quality diamond knife sharpeners for more than 20 years. Warthog saw there was nothing on the market that sharpened blades expertly and quickly while still being easy to use. They put their heads together and, in 2000, they designed and manufactured the first V-Sharp sharpener. Warthog proudly manufactures in Garden Route in George, South Africa.
Kansept Knives, the incredible manufacturer out of Yangjiang, has been a major player in the industry for the last four years. They've created a team with more than 20 years of experience in the knife industry. At the same time, they established a strong Research & Development department to continuously design the most ergonomic, innovative, and high-quality in-house knives. Combine that with award-winning collaborations, and you've got a recipe for success.
The public loves what Kansept is doing, but their knives don't reach everyone's budget. So the team put their heads together and created a new line called Tenable. This line of knives takes those award-winning designs and manufactures them at a price point everyone can afford. The name of the company means: "able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection." Seems fitting I think. Today, we're checking out one of the two new releases from this line, the Prometheus.
I don't have much of an intro for this knife, as this is part deux of the Tenable launch lineup. Today, we're taking a look at the company's Nesstreet model. The Nesstreet is designed by Greg Wegrzycki, known in the knife community as Karambitmaker. He's a long-time martial arts practitioner, knife collector, and knife maker. His main passion is karambit and curved blade knives, but he sometimes creates more utilitarian items. You might think that this new model would be a karambit-style knife, but instead, Greg has created a well-balanced everyday carry knife.
The humble Swiss Army knife has been a staple in the multipurpose tool market since 1884. Though it's evolved over the years, it's stayed relatively the same. Victorinox has been a dominant force in the industry world wide. Others have tried to grab some of the action, yet they cannot match the quality or production. They've got over 150 years of experience, one cannot simply compete. But instead of trying to copy them, why not innovate? Create something new, and fresh, use high end materials, and give people something they'll truly want. That is what Greg Medford of Medford Knives set out to do. His answer is called ASK Knives, which is an acronym for American Service Knife.
There are many things to consider when looking to purchase a sharpening system: price, ease of use, support, and warranty, to mention a few. When doing your research, one company seems to stand out time and time again: Work Sharp. Work Sharp is well known in the industry, offering many different products to keep things sharp.
Before I get into my review, I'd like to provide a little history lesson. Work Sharp used to be owned by a parent company named Darex. The company was founded in 1973 in Beecher, Illinois. The first three initials of the DAREX name represent three generations of the Bernard family: David, Arthur, and Richard Bernard. David and his father Richard founded Darex. His grandfather Arthur Bernard, who earlier founded the Bernard Welding Company, also contributed to Darex. In 1978, Darex relocated to Ashland, Oregon. In 2012, Matthew Bernard became the fourth-generation family owner of the company. In 2020, Darex Industrial was sold, and the company rebranded to Work Sharp, now completely focused on the consumer market.
The company has been in the abrasives industry for a long time. People all over the world rely on Work Sharp to keep their knives and other gear sharp, whether at home or in the field. A popular tool in the Work Sharp lineup is the Precision Adjust. The Adjust comes in three configurations: the base model called the Adjust, the Adjust Elite, and the Professional. Today, we're checking out the company's Elite model.
Tromping around the Cretaceous period, the Talarurus thrives. Heavily armored, with a club on its tail it was built like a tank. That was 89 million years ago, but this tough thunder lizard still roams today. Enter the Talarurus, a new knife for 2024 from the folks at Vosteed. These guys normally name their products after modern animals, but seems the company is going way back, using dinos for inspiration. Oddly enough, their new Ankylo is really short for ankylosaurus which is in the same family as the Talarurus. Anyways, enough talk about dinosaurs let talk knives.
What kind of people would write collect and review multitools? Quite simple really- we are designers and do-ers, outdoors types and indoor types, mechanics, doctors, problem solvers and problem makers. As such, we have, as a world spanning community, put every type, size and version of multitool, multifunction knife, pocket knife and all related products to every test we could manage in as many places and environments as there are.