Blade Show 2024 is a wrap and we had another amazing year getting awesome maintenance products into the hands of the knife community! One of my favorite things about Blade Show is the opportunity to see the hard work of the many amazing knife companies and makers out there. This year I was a man on a mission, I was on the hunt for the best EDC fixed blades made by small companies and makers! With all of the booths and tables across the two rooms of Cobb Galleria, not to mention the massive crowds of knife enthusiasts filling the aisles it is hard to see everyone, but I was able to identify some amazing EDC fixed blades and speak to the people who made them! Join us as we take a brief look at some of our favorite EDC fixed blades of Blade Show Atlanta 2024!
Auxiliary Manufacturing Pocket Bowie
Michael Jarvis spent 15 years working in the restaurant industry, during this time he developed a hobby of making pocket pry bars. After leaving the industry to help take care of a sick family member Michael with the help of his wife Anne, founded Auxiliary Manufacturing in 2016. Today Mike is a full time knife maker with an impressive line up and a few awards to back up his exceptional work.
When the Pocket Bowie released the design really caught my eye. At 6.25 inches overall it is truly pocketable, and a three inch blade is more than enough for just about all of your EDC tasks. The design itself is unique and just looks really cool. There are a variety of handle materials available including G10, carbon fiber, and a cord and ray skin wrap. Now a truly great knife can’t just look good, it has to feel good too. I can confirm after finally getting one in my hand that the Pocket Bowie is an ergonomic masterpiece. The handle, regardless of material choice melds to your palm creating a solid comfortable grip. The excellent ergonomics and striking good looks as well as the superb fit and finish has earned Auxiliary Manufacturing and the Pocket Bowie a place on this list!
JD Custom Knives Cheeker XL
Jordan Danz started making knives as a hobby back in 2019. He began posting some of his work to bushcraft forums for “make me an offer” prices and used the proceeds to invest in better equipment and materials for his shop. During that time he also consumed as much information as he could about knife making and developed a passion for the small nuances that make knives great. Today Jordan is known for making some of the best outdoor knives in the business with incredible attention to detail and an eye for beautiful handle material combinations.
Recently Jordan released the Cheeker XL Production Knife. Like all his other knives the Cheeker is made in the USA and despite being made with machines each Cheeker XL is hand finished. At 6.75 inches overall the Cheeker fits perfectly in your pocket with the accompanying kydex sheath. The bolt on G10 handles provide a good grip on this ergonomic knife and the 3 inch saber grind magnacut blade is well suited for both EDC tasks and outdoor work. The spade shaped blade in conjunction with the slightly curved handle would make the Cheeker XL a functional and unique addition to any EDC collection.
Wilson Custom Knives P.A.C.K Lite
Sam Wilson is known for making hollow handle survival knives, one look at these knives and I am instantly taken back to the 1980’s where all I wanted was a “Rambo” knife. Now if you’re from that generation you would know that those “Rambo” knives were the biggest pieces of junk on the planet! Fortunately for us, Sam Wilson can make all of our childhood dreams come true with his extensive lineup of exceptionally well made and meticulously tested hollow handle knives!
Recently Sam launched his Tekline production knife series. Each knife in this line is still built and tested to Sam’s incredibly high standards to ensure they perform just as well as his ultra-premium handmade line. The P.A.C.K. Lite is part of this line, and it is essentially an EDC sized survival knife. With a 3 inch CPM154 blade and a 4 inch machined aluminum hollow handle the P.A.C.K. Lite is the perfect size for lightweight EDC and outdoor use. To complete the package the handle cap is equipped with a compass and the handle is wrapped in microcord. This package gives you the beginnings of a personal survival kit in knife form! Each P.A.C.K. Lite has hard anodized handles and gunkote blades in a variety of available colors including a new camo pattern that looks amazing!
Reiff Knives F3
Reiff Knives is an American production knife company founded by Stu and Ben Shank. As lifelong outdoorsmen with an extreme passion for knives and American business, the Shank brothers set out to build a premier knife company that solely sourced American made materials from American businesses. A few years back Reiff knives released their first knife the F4 which I had the honor of being among the first product testers and reviewers on the prototype. Since then I have had the pleasure of watching Reiff overcome the many obstacles start ups face and grow into a successful business that stands by the same values they had when they first started. From the F4 came several other designs in a variety of sizes, blade grinds, and steel options.
The smallest knife in the Reiff lineup is the F3. This compact fixed blade is 6.7 inches overall with a 2.9 inch flat saber grind blade. This model currently uses CPM-3V, one of my favorite steels for its incredible toughness, great edge retention, and ease of sharpening. The 3.8 inch handle is very comfortable in the hand and is definitely designed for use over extended periods of time. The F3 is available in both leather and kydex sheath options to best fit the preferences of different users. Despite the small size the F3 is ready to do some serious work. It will easily handle any EDC task you have and will transition very well into more harder outdoor use.
AA Forge Micro Bushcrafter
Adam Grey of AA Forge has been making knives since 2009. What started off as a hobby in his parents basement has since grown into a full time knife making business. AA Forge is known for making exceptional outdoor knives from high quality materials with an eye for detail and an excellent knowledge of steel properties, heat treat, and blade geometry. Each knife from AA Forge is made by hand in the USA, has excellent fit and finish, and is designed and built for serious outdoor use. The AA Forge lineup fits a variety of styles and uses ranging from bushcraft, hunting, fishing, cooking, and EDC.
One of the newer Knives in the AA Forge line up is the Micro Bushcrafter, this little EDC friendly knife is a shrunk down version of the popular Bushcrafter model. This is the smallest knife on the list coming in at 5.5 inches overall with a 2.5 inch CPM154 convex saber blade and a 3 inch handle. The handle scales on the version I held were made from wenge wood with yellow G10 liners. Despite the compact size the handle is contoured in all the right places to making it comfortable and providing you great purchase in hand. One of the things that makes the Micro Bushcrafter standout is that while it is definitely an EDC sized knife it has a definitive outdoor look and feel to it. It is not just about looks either, thanks to the excellent design, tough steel, and superb grind the AA Forge Micro Bushcrafter will serve you just as well in the woods as it would around town!
Knives By Nuge Chickpea
While Tom Nugent has only been working as a full time knife maker for a year and a half his company, Knives by Nuge, has been a major force in the EDC fixed blade market with his incredibly popular WIcket and Wicket XL models. LIke many other knife makers on this list Tom Nugent, owner of KBN, did not set out to make EDC knives, but because his designs are purpose built based on his own life experiences many of his knives are incredibly well suited for EDC despite being built for outdoor use. Having had the opportunity to handle every single model KBN has released and a few that haven’t hit the market yet I can honestly say Tom has a knack for making highly functional designs that can be used across a variety of purposes. KBN’s great designs combined with his attention to detail, incredibly high standards, and uncompromising work ethic has helped KBN build a robust and loyal customer base. His current line up has a wide variety of designs with blade sizes ranging from under 3 inches in his Wicket model to 4.5 inches in his Big Boi model.
The Chickpea is one of KBN’s first models; it was originally designed as an outdoor knife for the boy scouts, but the slim and ergonomic design made it ideal as a small bird and trout knife. The same properties that make it a great bird and trout knife also make it a great EDC knife. The Chickpea is 6.5 inches overall with a 3 inch saber grind Nitro-V blade. The newest versions of the Chickpea feature ultra thin handle scales that are usually made from G10, Micarta, or Ironwood and can sometimes be found in some fancy G-Carta. The Chickpea currently comes with a super slim custom made kydex sheath that can be neck carried, scout carried, or pocket carried by adding a clip of your choosing. The slim and compact nature of the Chickpea does not stand in the way of it being ergonomic. It feels great in the hand and is well suited for extended use. The high saber and thin blade stock makes the Chickpea a great slicer that can handle all your EDC tasks, make a great hiking companion, and a lightweight fishing knife!
