One company that's always grabbed my attention is Giant Mouse, formed by two Danish knife makers (Jens Ansø and Jesper Voxnaes (Vox), along with an American friend of theirs Jim Wirth, they decided to build a better mouse trap so to speak. Their goal was to create a knife brand that would have incredible designs, and amazing production quality while at a fair price.

When I think of those famous designs produced by the Danish duo, I see a knife like the Ace Grand. One look at it and you know who the designers are, and it's iconic in the industry. The name comes from a favorite hotel of the two designers, The Grand Hotel Nuremberg. It's an old hotel with a long history and a great name for a knife of this statue.

Revo Knives have kicking around a few years and have been bringing new and interesting designs to the industry. They believe that no one should be without a high-quality tool. They feel too often someone will go with cheap low-quality knives because they feel quality knives mean a higher price tag. Revo has been out to change that, with a high-quality product with focus on maximum value. Combined with that their team is comprised of not just knife enthusiasts, but people who have been users for decades. Today we're checking out a design they've had out for a little while, it's time tested, and popular with consumers, the Ness.

Some companies have a unique visual style, I love being able to identify a knife based on pocket clips, handle shape, etc. Finch Co. is one of those companies, founded in 2019, Finch follows a design style that harkens back simpler times, and have a vintage feel to them. The company loves traditional folders, they have infused that feel with modern materials to produce products that are visually stunning yet warm and nostalgic.

One of those modern traditionals is the Flint, the knife gets its name from a single-shot muzzle loading firearm that used flint to create a spark that ignited gunpowder to propel a lead ball. This Flint doesn't possess any explosive properties, but it's sure to get your attention. Let's check out the Finch Flint.

Located in northeast Kansas is Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary, it opened in 1906 and was the nation’s first maximum security prison. Some of its iconic prisoners include “Machine Gun Kelly” and “The Bird Man”. This institution is the stage for Finch Knives latest release, the Shiv. A shiv is a homemade knife-like tool fashioned in prison. Created behind unimaginable walls by desperate and resourceful people.

The Shiv is a pretty compact EDC knife, coming in at 3.7" closed, blade length of 2.8", for an overall of 6.5". The knife comes in two variations, a satin blade with black G10 handle, or black blade with a jade G10 handle. The one we're looking at today is the black/jade variation.

In the knife and tool industry there's usually two sides, those who make a single blade knife and those who create multitools. There are others that kind of meet somewhere in the middle, they still have a blade as their primary function but dabble in being multipurpose. Revo has come up with a new pocketknife that's a blend between the two, offering the convenience of a modern pocketknife, yet offering some versatility in its design.