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SOG's Woodline knives put the company's tactical quality to work for the hunter and fisherman. Built for practical camp work and survival needs, the Woodline knives skip the military features civilians don't require.

There's no tactical black coating, and you won't find a dagger point built for stabbing. The ...

Bear Grylls, British SAS veteran and outdoor survival show star, collaborated with Gerber to produce this interesting and very capable survival knife and kit. Unlike some survival knife combos which try to provide too much and wind up with little that works, everything here is functional. You get just the ...

The Practical Wakizashi from CAS Hanwei of China represents the smallest and least expensive true cutting katana of their extensive product line. Although you get a high quality blade made with a traditional tempering process, other parts of the construction are not what you'd expect in an authentic wakizashi.

If you buy ...

SOG's Woodline WD-50 Folder fits in a belt pouch, not in the pocket. For a compact survival knife large enough to make difference, that's a very sensible idea -- pocket clip styles get snagged on brush and disappear.

The Woodline WD-50 keeps the unusual styling of SOG's other Woodline civilian ...

Knife designers Chris Reeves and William W. Harsey Jr. collaborated on the technical details of the Gerber LHR Urban Combat Knife, but Matt Larsen -- an expert in close quarters combat -- also contributed some unusual ideas. Larsen studied hundreds of actual combat encounters before finalizing the LHR concept. ...

If you're looking for a heavy duty camp knife, hunting knife, and survival tool, stop here. Look no farther than the Ka-Bar Adventure Potbelly Knife. The Potbelly's seven-inch, hollow ground blade of 1095 Cro-Van steel has enough reach and enough weight to do the work of a camp axe as ...

One of three Adventure series knives released by Kabar in 2010, the Kabar Adventure Baconmaker satisfies anybody who likes a knife with great style but treats their tools a little rough. This pigsticker can take it.

Adventure series knives developed from a partnership with knife designer Steve Johnson, the field editor of ...

Some parts of this movie replica Viking Gladiator Sword are so unusual they deserve a closer look. Although by no means practical, this fantasy weapon does have a style all its own.

Forty-four inches long with a 33-inch-long, double-edged blade, the sword is impressively heavy. Even though the handle is wrapped ...

The Sword of Galbatorix recreates the battle sword of the evil Dragon Rider King from the story Eragon. Beginning as the first literary effort of a fifteen-year-old author, the epic story of Eragon progressed from daydream to self-published book and eventually to a well-known mainstream fantasy novel and movie.

This reproduction ...

Patterned after a sword used by Arnold Schwarzenegger in his first starring role as Conan the Barbarian, the Conan Barbarian Sword has been reproduced in many levels of quality over the years. This is one of the least expensive which still shows accurate detail.

You won't find combat quality steel in this ...

As part of the company's 125th Anniversary celebration, Victorinox reissued this classic version of its first Soldier knife. Manufactured for the Swiss Army beginning in 1891, the Soldier knife was the first multi-purpose pocket knife developed in Switzerland. Its assortment of practical blades outfitted the modern infantryman of the day with ...

Becker Knife & Tool once produced a wide variety of survival knives built to the specifications of founder Ethan Becker, who had a longstanding interest in big knives. Now produced under the guidance of Ka-Bar, the Becker BK-9 Combat Bowie is one of the best Beckers for the ...

Blade Magazine presented Columbia River Knife & Tool with the 2009 Most Innovative Imported Design award, earned by CRKT's Flux knife and tool combination system. Whether your frontier is the city or the country, you'll find a useful combination to tailor to your own pursuits.

Although the Flux tools ...

Kit Rae describes the Black Legion War Axe as one of the two fearsome axes wielded by the Barumen, the monstrous soldiers of the Black One. In the fantasy history which inspired the Swords of the Ancients series by United Cutlery, the Barumen evolved from a strange genetic mixture ...

This reproduction of the katana wielded by the immortal Scottish clansman Duncan Macleod in the Highlander saga could be one of the best swords ever produced by United Cutlery. Not the usual cheap reproduction, the Duncan MacLeod Katana is a hand-forged tempered katana of high carbon Damascus steel.

In fact, the blade ...

The Paul Defender from Lone Wolf Knives won Blade Magazine's 2009 award for Overall Knife of the Year. Termed the Gentleman's Tactical Folder by the manufacturer, the Defender is a collaboration between Lone Wolf's designers and Paul Poehlmann, inventor of the Paul Axiel lock.

What you'll notice first is ...

Credit card knives usually don't include much steel or much functionality, but the SOG Access Card 2.0 Knife is very impressive for a low profile cutter. Only 3/16 inches thick without the pocket clip, this tactical black folder opens and closes with one hand and even provides a ...

The nine different sizes of this Competition Wushu Broadsword from Dragon Well Forge in Lungchuan, China, provide any student of smaller physical stature with a properly fitted and IWF-approved weapon. Constructed with women in mind, this series of swords differs from the men's version only in overall length and weight.

Anyone ...

One of the many legendary and often magical weapons from the Lord of the Rings saga, the Sword of Isildur would make an excellent display piece for the fantasy weapon collector. Less ornate than many LOTR blades, the Sword of Isildur looks like it was built for combat.

United ...

United Cutlery's licensed replica of Duncan MacLeod's katana from the Highlander saga exceeds what you'd expect in a display weapon. Made of hand forged high carbon steel, this comes very close to the quality of entry-level cutting katanas.

Although not as rugged as a sword truly designed for tamashigiri, this replica ...

SOG's Tomcat -- the company's first folding knife -- won Knife of the Year in 1988, with innovations that set the bar for large lockbacks. This updated model called the Tomcat 3.0 Carbon Fiber is a limited edition of 450 knives with the same improved features included in the ...

More than a folding knife and not quite a fixed blade, the SOG Speciality Knives & Tools FX21-N Revolver SEAL shows some of the good features of both. Both knife and saw blades were ground from the same strong bar of 440A high carbon stainless steel.

The basics of the ...

Slightly over six feet long, this fantasy weapon doesn't exactly match traditional patterns -- but if your traditions include comic books and anime, you'll find the Black Dragon Spear familiar.

The black steel spearhead catches the eye immediately and includes some extra cutting edges that hint at old halberd ...

Definitely a nice display piece for those interested in fantasy weaponry, the Savage Celtic Spear from Bud K. appears too advanced to be truly savage. The worksmanship is artistic, not crude nor functional.

Pole arms must be one of the most difficult of the old weapons to duplicate well ...

Designed by William Fairbairn and Eric Sykes just prior to WWII, the Fairbairn-Sykes combat dagger was first produced for the British Army in 1940. Built to the specifications of these two veterans of the Shanghai Municipal Police, the dagger design first produced by Wilkinson Sword became the most popular Allied ...

The smallest knife so far in the Ka-Bar TDI series, the Tactical Defense Institute LDK neck knife could actually be stored in your wallet. The Last Defense Knife isn't much larger than a credit card and wields a wicked cutting edge just 1-5/8 inches long.

The flat build uses ...

Ka-Bar made the FIN Folding Frame Lock Knife in both drop point and tanto blade styles and offered a choice of combo-serrated or plain edges on each version. This combo-serrated drop point FIN offers very little plain edge for fine cutting. Make sure it fits your purposes.

Open length of the ...

The Musashi Koga Ninja Katana Sword comes with plenty of interesting extra features. Some lend the weapon a little of the technical mystique that gave the ninjas their unusual reputation. The full tang sword is strongly built but lacks some of the refinements of combat quality weapons.

The simpler blade construction ...

The strange sword you see here is the magical counterpart or zanpakuto of the merely physical sword called Wabisuke. In the popular manga Bleach, this unusual weapon is wielded by Izuru Kira, one of the more popular characters in the series.

Growing up in the world just beyond this one, ...

The virtual assassins among us will appreciate this straightforward battle sword. Visually, this display-quality weapon is a good match for the best weapon in Assassin's Creed II.

Carried by the assassin hero Altair as the game begins, Altair soon loses the rights to this high-level weapon as a result of breaking ...

The Becker BK3 Tac Tool, now made by Ka-Bar, resulted from a collaboration between Ethan Becker of Becker Knife and Tool and John Benner of Tactical Defense Institute. The original purpose of the Tac Tool was to provide emergency entry into locked or barricaded rooms. Even though the ...

First produced by Ka-Bar in 2005, the Desert Fighting Knife came about because many military personnel serving in the Gulf region wrote the company to request a desert version of the famous Ka-Bar fighting knife. Ka-Bar's Desert Fighting Knife incorporates handle material and sheath in desert tan.

A combo cutting ...

This Extreme Fighting Knife from Ka-Bar works some important improvements into the classic Ka-Bar Marine Corps fighting knife design. If you liked that one, you'll love this one too.

Components show more attention to appearance and are no longer just the most rugged parts possible. The fingerguard isn't a plain ...

The Ka-Bar Becker BK2 Campanion brings back an older survival knife that became a collector's piece after the original manufacturer -- Becker Knife & Tool -- shut down in 2007. Ka-Bar holds true to the original concepts of the Campanion, and the new version still comes close to the ...

The triple-bladed British Army Knife would make more sense in a sailor's pocket, but anyone who works with rope will find it handy. Knives with marlinspikes are found more often on boats. If you've ever struggled with a stubborn knot in camp, you've found the reason for the spike ...

One of a series of hunting and caping knives designed for Columbia River Knife and Tool by Alaskan hunter and guide Russ Kommer, the 2760 Chugach Range Utility Hunting knife is such a good-looking blade that it's a shame to call it a utility knife. With a beautifully styled ...

The Masahiro Empire Wheel Samurai katana goes well past display quality, giving collectors and recreational users a beautiful weapon capable of tamashigiri, or functional cutting practice. The details of this starter level sword from Fully Handmade will impress blade lovers.

Fully Handmade does produce traditional hand-forged blades using the old and ...

The Samurai Warrior 3000 Katana from United Cutlery embodies a design from the distant future when plasmium swords represent the best weapons of the samurai path. Although United Cutlery released only a little information about this interesting weapon, a truly functional combat version would apparently require knowledge of advanced ...

In 2009, United Cutlery produced a limited run of only 1500 Gil Hibben Dragon's Lair Gold Editions Swords, and only a few haven't yet found their way into the hands of proud owners. Your last chance to acquire the pristine version of this gold-plated sword is coming soon.

Termed an ...

Another of the unique swords in the Japanese manga series Bleach, this interesting blade is the personal weapon of Kenpachi Zaraki, a powerful supernatural warrior and captain of the 11th Division of the Soul Reapers. Set far in Japan's future and well into a fantastic afterlife, Bleach follows a war ...

One of Ryumon Sword's simplest swords, this natural shirasaya hand-forged katana could also be one of the company's best bargains. Though the unfinished katana demands some time and effort from the owner, it has potential as a good first sword.

Made at Longquan Forge in Longquan Village, China, this basic ...

This Ontario Knife Company design issued to pilots during the Vietnam War and now offered by Rothco would make a dependable survival knife for anyone. Designed to aid pilots in escaping wreckage as well as surviving jungle and combat, the Army & Air Force Issue Survival Knife isn't fancy. ...

An engraved hand-forged katana priced this low forces me to look for faults. Although I find some, the ITO Katana Samurai Sword 402 still seems like a bargain if you're looking for a katana good enough for light cutting practice.

At two pounds and ten ounces (without the scabbard), this ...

This replica sword -- a copy of the weapon wielded by Jet Li in his portrayal of the hero Nameless -- transforms a fanciful design into what appears to be the real thing. The Snowflake Sword of Wu Min is unusual even among fantasy weapons, beginning with ...

A faithful reproduction of one of the main weapons wielded by Gimli son of Gloin in the movie version of The Lord of the Rings, the Battle Axe of Gimli looks like it should actually work. With twin 11-1/2-inch-wide blades of 3/8-inch-thick tool steel, even though this ...

Built to exceed Russian Spetsnaz specifications, this tactical combat shovel from Cold Steel makes a great camp tool for the hunter, fisherman, and canoeist. With about a pound and a half of medium carbon tool steel and a durable hardwood handle, the Cold Steel tactical shovel is a ...

Without being too critical of what is clearly a well-made knife, I wonder what exactly the Alaskan Survival Knife by Gil Hibben was intended to do. I also wonder why it was endorsed by the Alaskan Professional Hunters Association, because to me it looks like a fantasy blade from United ...

The Stratofighter might slip past your notice if you saw it on a display shelf. It's angular and ungainly and not designed with beauty in mind, but there are some excellent tactical features in this heavy folder. In fact, if you need a pocket clip folder with the functionality of a ...

The Kershaw Whiplash is certainly an intriguing idea and does have some good things going for it, but it's an unusual concept not everyone will love.

The Kershaw Whiplash is a full tang fixed blade, but your first thought when you see it might be that it folds. In order ...

If not for the half-serrated cutting edge, the Bear & Son 444SR Guthook knife would be a serviceable and economical knife for deer and smaller game. Because the serrations will be tough to keep sharp without professional help, it's a much better choice for the boat than ...