Keith Edick and Universal Outfitters have been making knife parts for almost two decades. They have made parts, Midtech knives, and production knives for some of the most renowned custom knife makers and production companies. They have also made quite a few sets of G10 grips and rail covers for a number of firearms manufacturers and gunsmiths.
A few years back, Keith started his own knife making company called Angryman Knives, but found himself so busy making knives, parts, and grips for other people that he had to put it on the back burner.
Keith has decided to formally relaunch his own brand with a vengeance in order to bring 100% Made in the USA knives direct to the consumer. He has started a Kickstarter Campaign so collectors and knife users can get in on this offering early and at a great price.
The inaugural knife for his brand is the Ollie Tanto.
The Ollie Tanto was designed as a simple, rugged bushcraft and field knife. The blade is robust enough for batoning firewood yet has a fine point to remove splinters, bore air holes, or do whatever else you need to do with the D2 tool steel blade with a Rockwell of 59-60.
Rather than a polish or a bead blast, each blade is Cerakoted to reduce glare as well as to provide corrosion resistance and they can be had in black, flat dark earth, or olive drab green.
Handle scales are fully contoured and 3D machined G10 to provide a rugged and secure handle to endure the harshest conditions the universe throws at it and are available in 4 color options: black, coyote brown, OD green, or safety orange. Edges of these handles are fully chamfered and are provided with traction grooves, so the blade is comfortable in a variety of hand positions whether you prefer a saber grip, reverse grip, or hammer grip. They are secured to the tang via heat treated hardware that is a combination hex head and slotted drive.
He sent along a sample to try out and so far I have been very impressed with this blade. Mostly because I am a huge fan of the tool steels in edged tools and D2 is probably my second favorite.
Folks on the coasts may not like steel because it has a tendency to rust, but Keith has gotten ahead of that problem by Cerakoting the blades.
I found the knife very comfortable and it did excel at splitting some oak I had to prep my smoker for this weekend’s brisket. When I was done, the knife was still shaving sharp and did not need so much as a touch-up.
The 5-inch blade is 0.2 of an inch thick and ground flat. The edge is just about perfect, some makers tend to go too thick in building a robust knife like this, but Keith's grinding experience shows that he knows better.
To get your hands on one, click on the link above. For a pledge of $199 you get the knife in your choice of colors for the blade and handle plus a Kydex sheath with a belt loop attachment.
Specifications:
Blade length: 5 inches flat ground
Overall length: 10 inches
Blade steel: made in the US D2
Blade thickness: 0.2 inches
Blade hardness: 60 RC
Blade coating: Cerakote (3 colors available)
Handle material: G10 fiberglass (4 colors available)
Handle hardware: 4140ph
Sheath: Kydex with belt attachment
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