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Knives are being given new meaning in the new era. They originally appeared in people’s lives as weapons and tools, but now they appear in front of the world as gentlemen’s accessories—just like jewelry for ladies.

Like many small spider knives, the Pochi is designed to be an EDC piece, delivering serious cutting power in a sleek bag. “The dog’s tail swivels outward to create a little stand,” designer Joyce Laituri notes of the tail extension, “increasing the length of the handle for a better grip.

 

Today’s gentleman’s knives are what they are, not what they used to be.

 

In years past, there was a pocketknife that was fancy and understated. It can be said that today’s gentleman’s knife is no longer a gentleman’s knife. According to officials at the knife company that makes them, the knives, known as gentleman’s knives, are loved by all kinds of people. There are subgenres, and their popularity is growing.

 

In the case of A.G. Russell Knives, customers are no longer gravitating toward tactical knives, but toward smaller, gentleman-style knives.

 

“Over the past year or so, we’ve seen an increase in interest in these small knives that can be carried unobtrusively,” the A.G. Russell team wrote in an email. The knives best worn on Sunday tend to be more traditional, according to a spokesperson for the company. This is a subcategory of pocketknives with a sharp look, including high-quality handle materials. Team Russell added, “A gentleman’s knife can’t be too big, it has to be elegant, and it has to perform well.”

 

For an idea of what represents a new generation of gentleman’s knives, see the A.G. Russell Vest PocketSemi-Skinner. Designed by the late company founder and BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame® A.G. Russell, this knife combines classic design with modern materials—the latter being a carbon fiber handle and premium CPM S35VN stainless steel blade steel.

Bob Loveless introduced the semi-skin blade shape to A.G. Russell, who fell in love with it and paired it with the carbon fiber handle in the Vest Pocket Semi-Skinner.

 

The heart of the knife is the half-peeling blade that is larger than it should be. As noted on the company website, A.G. loves the half-peeled blade, a pattern he credits to Cutlery Hall of Famer Bob Loveless introducing him to it. “A.G. saw the need for a small, lightweight pocketknife that would fit comfortably in any pocket, especially a vest pocket, and had the opportunity to make one with a blade he really liked,” the site explains.

 

AG Russell’s sketch of the Vest Pocket Semi-Skinner (pictured below) was scanned into a CAD program in March 2018. Unfortunately, AG (pictured above) did not see the knife in production, as the iconic knife entrepreneur passed away in October of that same year well before the design was fully realized.

 

It’s a blade shape that’s good at getting the job done at the tip, which is crucial for smaller knives.

 

“A good gentleman’s knife is very good at detail work,” the site notes, “where blade and point control are very important.” As a result, the Vest Pocket’s blade is designed with a distinctive, thin-edge geometry that’s ideal for slice.

 

The stainless-steel support is also important to the design, as it covers the square root of the blade that connects to the locking bar. For example, rooting can wear down the delicate fabrics of vest pockets if left unprotected.

 

AG’s sketches of the tool (pictured below) were scanned into a CAD program in March 2018. Unfortunately, he didn’t see the knife in production, as the iconic knife entrepreneur passed away in October of that same year, before the design was fully realized.

Sketch of A.G. Russell’s Gentleman’s Pocket Half-Skinning Knife.

 

Specifications:

Name: Russell Half Skinning Knife

Designer: A.G. Russell

Blade Length: 2.53”

Blade Material: CPM S35VN stainless

Cutting edge method: flat grinding

Handle Material: Carbon Fiber

Knife pillow: stainless steel

Pocket clip: no

Lock: Lockback Weight: 2.5 oz.

Closed Length: 3.125″

 

|——The Maserin Gentleman’s Knife

No discussion of gentleman’s knives would be complete without mentioning classic designs from around the globe. Take for example the Turtle, a classic Maserin design that has been infused with traditional materials throughout and exudes sophistication.

 

In 2006, Italian knifemaker Claudio Volpato designed a pocketknife with a blade less than 2 inches and sent a prototype to Marcelin. “We industrialized it,” recalls owner Claudia Marcelin and her two brothers Marcelin, and the turtles were born. “The knife is still very popular considering we first showed it a long time ago. The best handles are ebony and briar, and the Damascus blade version is still very popular.”

Notable features of the Turtle by Maserin Knives are the pivot pins with concentric lines and the open-worked titanium clips anodized blue.

 

Some of the more notable features of this pocketknife are the pivot pin with concentric lines, and the open-worked titanium clip anodized blue. Part of the aim was to take classic materials and revamp them “We looked for materials that were elegant and traditional,” explains Claudia, “with wooden handles like ebony and olive.”

 

A few years ago, officials at Maserin realized that some women were attracted to turtles because of its small size, so they treated the knife with pink giraffe bones. “We design knives without regard to the gender of the end user, and instead design knives that are elegant,” says Claudia. “We know they’re perfect for both women and men.”

 

Early version blades were ground in 440C stainless steel. Now, they are N690 stainless steel. Small enough to slip into a pair of jeans pockets and easily open with one hand.

 

“Our gentleman’s knife is perfect for everyday carry,” insists Claudia. “You can open an envelope, a package, cut a piece of fruit. When you find yourself saying ‘if only I had a knife…’, this is the knife you need.

 

Specifications:

Name: Turtle (Marcelin)

Designer: Claudio Volpato

Blade Length: 1.56”

Blade material: N690 stainless steel or Malaysian stainless steel

Cutting edge method: flat grinding

Handle: Mayan rosewood, briar, ebony, olive or walnut

Back Clip: Skeleton Titanium Anodized Blue

Lock: Liner lock

Weight: 2.05 oz.

Closed Length: 2.5″

Origin: Italy

 

|——Spider Boqi Knife

In Joyce Laituri’s book, the strict definition of a gentleman’s knife doesn’t quite hit the mark. A spokesperson for Spyderco met a knife enthusiast at a knife show who wanted to buy some knives. The man was over 6 feet tall, “built like an NFL linebacker, with paws like a bear,” she recalls. While he looks gentlemanly, a blade under three inches is too small for him.

 

“In today’s industry,” Laituri begins, “there’s a broader view of what a gentleman’s knife is. Is it size, cost, function, material, look? That definition is unique to each knife.”

 

To some, a gentleman’s knife may be a small, elegant knife. Laituri notes that other people think the most gentlemanly knife they can carry on their wedding day is a 5-inch pocketknife or even a Spyderco military model. To better describe the breadth of people who carry such sharp tools, the company avoids using the term “gentleman’s knife” in lieu of “high-end knives,” Laituri said. Meanwhile, a Spyderco knife that appeals to the knife block for various reasons is the Pochi, a finned folding knife in collaboration with Japanese custom knife maker Kazuyuki Sakurai.

Like many small Spyderco knives, the Pochi is designed to provide a lot of cutting power in a small package.

Spider’s Poké Knife

 

The spider’s pooch knife is adorable and has a very figurative puppy shape, featuring flipper tabs and blue pocket clips, folding dog tail, oversized pivot pins, and R.I.L. (Reeve Integral Lock). Dare we call it alpha art?

 

“There’s a certain market for people looking for non-traditional knives,” Laituri said, “and the Pochi is popular—surprisingly—because it’s so different from a traditional pocketknife.

Pochi roughly translates to the most common name for a dog in Japan

 

She added that some Pochi users love the design because they find it both attractive and functional. Others are fascinated by its high-end CPM S45VN stainless steel blade material, and especially love the hollow-ground edge treatment. Laituri said some people are drawn to the animal form of the design and carry it because they like dogs.

 

Pochi, which roughly translates to the most common dog name in Japanese, has all the basic canine elements, like a pug on the go. Like many small Spyderco knives, Laituri says the Pochi is designed to provide a lot of cutting power in a small package. “The dog’s tail rotates outward to create a little finger holder,” Laituri points out, “which adds length to the handle for a better grip.”

 

Specifications:

Name: POCHI/SPYDERCO

Designer: Kazuyuki Sakurai

Blade Length: 1.58”

Blade material: CPM S45VN

Grinding method: Hollow

Handle Material: Titanium

Pocket Clip: Titanium Anodized Blue

Locking method: R.I.L. (Reeve Integral Lock)

Weight: 1.7 oz

Closed Length: 2.6″

Origin: Taiwan, China

 

|——User Evolution: Bear and Cub “Bold Action” (Bold Action 14′)

Matt Griffey of Bear & Son Cutlery says the world of gentlemen’s knives is changing all the time, partly because of shifting applications.

Typical uses for the Bold Action 14 (“The Bold Action 14) are for common chores at the office or at home, such as opening small packages, cutting string, and opening envelopes,” says Bear & Son’s Matt Griffey, noting that the knife can also Tackle bigger tasks.

 

“We’re seeing less and less manufacturing professionals and more people in office environments,” he said. “The gentleman’s knife is for the decline of the labor movement and the lifestyles that come with it—accountants, computer technology, engineers, etc.—the knife is small or slim and made of higher quality materials.”

 

At the same time, Griffey noted that wholesale of some slender knives is growing, and at the forefront of this change is the increase in automatic knives.

 

“Automatic knives have always attracted both traditional and modern knife enthusiasts,” Griffey writes, “and today more and more states are sanctioning everyday carry and ownership of such knives.”

 

To comply with many new automatic knife regulations, Bear & Son introduces the Bear OPS Bold Action 14. The result is a knife with an anodized aluminum handle and a Sandvik 14C28N stainless steel blade, available in a variety of colors, all produced at the Alabama factory.

The Bear OPS Bold Action 14 features an anodized aluminum handle, available in a variety of different colors

 

Aluminum is a lightweight, low-maintenance material, while 14C28N is known for being corrosion-resistant, durable, and an “excellent performance steel”—essential traits for knives with smaller blades that can do a lot of work.

 

“Typical uses for the Bold Action 14 are common office/home cutting chores such as opening small packages, cutting cord, and opening envelopes,” says Griffey, noting that the knife can handle larger tasks as well.

 

In the meantime, expect more gentleman’s knives—or whatever you want to call fancy pocketknives—in the future.

 

“There’s a market for gentleman’s knives,” Griffey said. “Today, there are so many different options and we are fortunate to have so many knife designers pushing the limits of the category in terms of materials, size and overall design.

 

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