Knives

The only thing a knife needs to be all the time is sharp, and Sandrin’s TCK 2.0 is always razor-sharp.

Morakniv has been in the business for almost 130 years producing high-quality knives near the city of Mora, Sweden; in fact, Morakniv means “knives from Mora”.

Dmitry Sinkevich designed both of these knives for ZT, and I just can’t get enough of them. The feel in the hand and the utility of the blade shapes are perfectly matched in these two knives that are both excellent every day carry options. They are utilitarian works of art.

All that put together gives the knife a vibe. Like it talks to you when you hold it, which is a rarity among weapons. The feel from this one is all primitive.

Emerson is a knife company founded on a reputation for hard use blades. They expect you to beat and batter them, which is largely why they don’t come cheap.

As a defensive tool, the size plays a factor. While I don’t think this is for everyone, it would be the weapon of choice if you had to use a folder in a life or death situation. It has a size and a reach that is well outside anything else in its class.

But an excessive amount of steel isn’t exactly fun to carry and is often frowned upon by polite society. Much like guns, for discreet carry purposes, smaller is better.

The new Genzow is a work of art. The name is taken from Martin Genzow, a German outdoor enthusiast and historian. His life’s work has made him an expert on axes and tomahawks, and the subtle design differences that affect cutting performance.

What first drew me to the Spartan was its unique blade shape, like a tiny copy of a Greek kopis sword. It looked cool enough that I was willing to buy one to try.