I admit it, I’ve got a thing for babes with blades. Something about stunning beauty coupled with impending peril really sharpens my blade.

With that in mind, I’ve compiled the ultimate list of hot sword fighting movie actresses.

On this list, you’ll see…

Smokin’ Hot Babes With Razor-Sharp Swords in Kick-Ass Movies.

The women are ranked by three factors: looks, acting ability and, most importantly, their skill with a sword.

The classic beauties on this list were ground-breaking pioneering hotties who weren’t afraid to mix it up in their day. The younger ones are stunning martial arts experts who hope their legacy lives on forever.

Enjoy the list! And if you don’t like my rankings? Leave a comment below. Or make your own list and be sure to let me know.

Where’s Xena?!
Movie babes only this time around. We’ll tackle the TV babes soon so stay tuned.

Hang around OnlyKnives for a while and you’ll start to get to know MAC knives. They’re fantastic knives and they tend to be about 20% less than other “big name” knives.

We recently reviewed the Mac Superior Santoku knife and gave it an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

This Santoku is part of the Professional series, which makes it a small step up from the Superior.

What’s the difference? Two things.

First, the Professional has those dimples in the blade. Called “grantons”, they help keep food from sticking to the blade.

Second, the Professional has a metal bolster between the handle and the blade. This gives the knife a bit better balance.

Overall, the difference is subtle. You certainly don’t need the professional’s extra features, but it’s only about $20 more so you may decide to go for it.

Either way, you can’t go wrong with these wonderfully sharp knives from MAC.

More Info on this Mac Professional Santoku:

• Click here to find this Knife at Amazon.com

I have to admit — I’m not a big fan of “New Wave” music. There’s something so 80’s about it, I’d just soon leave it behind.

What’s that? This is a Leatherman New Wave? Oh, that I can get behind!

Leatherman, of course, makes great quality multi-tools, and the original Wave was one of their most popular. The New Wave updates the Wave to make it even better so it’s bound to be a hit.

The New Wave features a redesigned, stronger pliers that was one of the Wave’s weaknesses. It also features locking tools and an optional multi-bit accessory kit that is a much-needed addition.

What they didn’t change was the set of tools — it features four blades that can be accessed without opening the tool. These are two knives, a saw and a file.

The interior tools are a scissors, two pliers, two wire cutters, another file, several screwdrivers, a bottle and can opener, a wire stripper and a ruler.

Also included is a nylon sheath.

This is one of Leatherman’s full-sized tools so if you’re looking for something extremely compact, this might not be your choice.

And if you’re looking for A Flock of Seagulls or some such other “New Wave” nonsense, look elsewhere.

More Info on this Leatherman New Wave Multi-Tool:

• Click here to find this Knife at Amazon.com

Leatherman delivers a mid-sized multi-tool in their Juice CS4 model. Leatherman has quite a following and you’ll see endless debates about how their products stack up against Swiss Army Knives.

Truth is that both Victorinox and Leatherman make good quality products, and the CS4 is no exception.

Leatherman is shooting for the sweet spot of functionality and compactness with this one. If you’re looking for a tool that has as many features as possible or for the tool that is the most compact tool around, this may not be the right knife for you.

But, if you’re looking for a mid-range knife in terms of functionality and size, read on….

This tool has a blade, a pliers, two wire cutters, four screwdrivers, a can and bottle opener, a scissors, corkscrew, saw and awl. It manages to pack that all in to a tool that’s 3.25 inches closed and weighs 5.5 ounces.

It’s a close, but not perfect, match for the Swiss Army Huntsman knife.

It’s available in gray or blue.

More Info on this Leatherman Juice Multi-Tool:

• Click here to find this Knife at Amazon.com
• Click here to see this tool in gray

Find the Leatherman Juice on eBay:

Leatherman Juice KF4 Multi-Tool (no sheath) US $9.50 (6 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Nov-20-2008 7:01:03 PST Bid on this Item   | Watch this Item

Leatherman Juice XE6 STORM GREY Multi-Tool Knife US $59.99 Auction Ends: Thursday Nov-20-2008 10:02:07 PST Bid on this Item   | Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Leatherman Juice XE6 Thunder Purple Multi-Tool Knife US $59.99 Auction Ends: Thursday Nov-20-2008 10:02:08 PST Bid on this Item   | Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Need a place to store your knives other than a knife block because you’re running out of counter space? J.A. Henckels might have a solution for you.

Here’s a 13-slot knife tray that’s specifically made to fit common sizes for both knives and drawers. It measures 17 x 9 x 2 inches, safe for standard-size drawers. And it can hold 12 different knives, as well as a sharpening steel rod.

It’s actually got two different levels, barely noticeable and very convenient. The bottom slots are meant to hold your bigger, thicker kitchen knives, and the top half has six slots to hold your special steak knives.

Before you buy, you might want to check the measurements of the knives you already own, because if your steak knife blades are longer than 5 inches, or your kitchen knife blades are longer than 10 inches, this set won’t work.

If it does work, however, this is a great way to protect your knives if you don’t want a knife block. And it’s convenient for both you and your wallet.

More Info on this In Drawer Knife Storage Tray:

• Click here to find this Knife at Amazon.com

Find this Henckels Tray on eBay:

J.A. HENCKELS IN DRAWER DELUXE KNIFE TRAY US $14.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Wednesday Nov-26-2008 18:00:00 PST Bid on this Item   | Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

These Forschner knives really are exceptional. OnlyKnives named them the Best $50 Kitchen Knife Set a while back, and Cook’s Illustrated has lauded them many times as well.

The Santoku fits right in. For thirty bucks, you get a very sharp blade, a non-slip fibrox handle and a dimpled granton edge that prevents food from sticking.

The blade is high-carbon stainless steel. Personally, I’d still not throw them in the dishwasher or leave them soaking in water for fear of them dulling or staining.

The Santoku is not intended to be a replacement for your Chef’s knife, though it is sometimes marketed that way. But it makes a nice complement to your existing set and you really can’t go wrong with Victorinox.

More Info on this R.H. Forschner Santoku Knife:

• Click here to find this Knife at Amazon.com

Find this Forschner Santoku on eBay:

Santoku 7 inch Granton Edge Forschner Victorinox 41525 US $58.00 Auction Ends: Thursday Nov-20-2008 19:29:12 PST Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

R H FORSCHNER VICTORINOX 7" SANTOKU KNIFE BUTCHER CHEFS US $24.97 Auction Ends: Saturday Nov-22-2008 14:01:22 PST Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Forschner Granton Edge 6 3/4" Santoku by Victoronox US $22.95 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Monday Nov-24-2008 18:00:00 PST Bid on this Item   | Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

A lot of Westerners have fallen in love with the idea of the Santoku.

It’s a nice idea — you’ve heard about high-end Japanese knife brands and maybe you’ve even heard about razor-sharp Japanese steel. Why not try a Japanese style blade as well?

There’s only one problem with that — the Santoku was never intended to be the all-purpose utility knife it’s become. Sure it’s got a place in a well-equipped kitchen, but it really shouldn’t replace your go-to Chef’s knife.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at this Santoku from KitchenAid. KitchenAid makes decent knives for the money. Not great, but certainly not terrible.

This one features a high-carbon stainless steel blade with “grantons” — dimples that help keep the food from sticking. The handle is contoured for a sure-grip.

Those are all nice features to have, and the price of this knife is quite compelling. If you’ve got just a few more dollars in your budget, I highly recommend the Forschner Santoku instead.

More Info on this Knife:

• Click here to find this knife on Amazon.com

Find this KitchenAid Santoku on eBay:

KITCHENAID PRO SERIES STAINLESS STEEL SANTOKU/PARER 3.5 US $9.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Nov-20-2008 13:33:45 PST Bid on this Item   | Watch this Item

KitchenAid 7" Santoku Knife - Black Silicone Handle!! US $6.65 (2 Bids) Auction Ends: Friday Nov-21-2008 15:32:56 PST Bid on this Item   | Watch this Item

NEW KitchenAid PINK 7-Inch Blade Santoku Knife NIP US $19.99 Auction Ends: Sunday Nov-23-2008 5:00:10 PST Bid on this Item   | Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

This Super Tinker Swiss Army Knife features a squeegee, a large bucket and a small stick of TNT.

Oh, no wait, that must be another model.

This fifteen-tool model features two blades, three screwdrivers, a scissors, a can and bottle opener, a hook, a leather punch, a tweezers, a toothpick, a sewing eye and a wire stripper.

There’s no corkscrew here, nor is there a saw. If you want those, you should consider the Swiss Army Huntsman knife.

This knife is intended to be a compact set of essential tools and it accomplishes that goal nicely.

It’s made with the same high-quality that all of Victorinox’s knives are — many owners report flawless operation for decades.

More Info on this Victorinox Super Tinker Swiss Army Knife:

• Click here to find this Knife at Amazon.com

Find the Swiss Army Super Tinker on eBay:

Victorinox Swiss Army Knife SUPER TINKER US FLAG 53342 US $24.95 Auction Ends: Saturday Nov-22-2008 5:41:41 PST Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Victorinox Red Super Tinker Swiss Army Knife US $5.50 (2 Bids) Auction Ends: Saturday Nov-22-2008 16:19:11 PST Bid on this Item   | Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Victorinox Super Tinker 3.25 Swiss Army Knife US $9.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Saturday Nov-22-2008 16:52:10 PST Bid on this Item   | Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

If you spend much time on OnlyKnives.com, you’ll know that we love MAC Knives. We raved about both the Superior and Professional series earlier.

But today, we’re going to focus on a single knife — the Superior Santoku.

It’s an amazing value — you will not be able to find another knife made of these high-end materials in this price range.

America’s Test Kitchen, for example, gave it their top overall score in a recent rating.

So what’s so great about it? The steel blade is made of an alloy of high-end materials that allow it be made extremely sharp and to retain that edge over time.

Their Santoku knife is an all-purpose Chef’s knife with a Japanese shape to it that many people prefer. It’s a bit on the small side at just 6.5 inches but that should serve you well if you like a smaller knife.

The high-end steel is not without one downside that must be mentioned. This knife is not intended to be left soaking in water or run through the dishwasher. If you’re okay with that, you simply cannot go wrong with this knife.

More Info on this Mac Superior Santoku Knife:

• Click here to find this knife on Amazon.com

MAC makes some incredible knives. They don’t have the prominence or the marketing budget enjoyed by more well-known brands like Shun or Wusthof, but their knives are every bit as good.

The Superior series deserves the press it gets for being a great value, but the Professional knives are the ones that go toe-to-toe with the big boys and do quite well.

This MTH-80 is their flagship knife, the 8″ Chef’s knife that should be the bread-and-butter of any serious cook’s kitchen.

The blade is one of the sharpest edges you’ll ever encounter out of the box. It’s made of a unique high-carbon alloy that includes Molybdenum, Vanadium and Tungsten Carbide.

Those ingredients allow it to be very hard and, as a result, very sharp. They also help it retain its edge and provide stain-resistance.

This knife is not meant to be left soaking in water, nor should it go through the dishwasher. If you’re willing to put up with that minor inconvenience, then prepare to be extremely happy with this knife.

More Info on this Mac Professional Chef’s Knife:

• Click here to find this knife on Amazon.com