How to Strop a Knife: Angle, Pass Count, and Mistakes That Round an Edge
Stropping a knife means pulling the edge backward across leather or denim loaded with a very fine abrasive, at roughly your sharpening angle, for 10 to 20 light passes per side. It does not sharpe...
Micarta Knife Handles: Types, Aging, and Care (2026 Guide)
Micarta knife handles are layered fabric — paper, linen, canvas or burlap — impregnated with phenolic resin and pressed under heat until it becomes a solid sheet you can saw, drill and sand like w...
12C27 Steel vs VG-10: Which Stainless Wins for EDC?
Two stainless steels show up in almost every conversation about folding knives: 12C27, the Swedish workhorse that anchors budget and mid-range blades, and VG-10, the Japanese cutlery steel that has...
Wood, Bone and Stag Knife Handles: Materials, Care and Aging
Almost everything about a folding knife is engineered for consistency — the same steel, the same grind, the same tolerance on every unit. Natural handle materials are the deliberate exception. Two ...
Knife Rust Prevention: Salt Water, Sweat and Humidity
Rust rarely announces itself with a dramatic orange bloom. On a folding knife it usually starts as a speck of brown in the plunge grind, a shadow along the edge of a liner, or a rough patch under t...
8Cr13MoV vs D2: Which Budget Knife Steel Wins for EDC?
Two steels show up again and again in the budget-to-midrange folding knife conversation: 8Cr13MoV and D2. They cost roughly similar money, they are both marketed as hard-working everyday carry opti...