Author: budk

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Preserving Historically Significant Bayonets

Let’s say you have a militarily significant bayonet such as an M1 bayonet, or something even older like an M98 butcher bayonet. These military collectibles are relatively rare, historically valuable, and when properly cared for, hold their value well. The keyword there, however, is care, qualified by “properly”. Here are some tips to keep your […]

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Lock Picks: An Essential in Survival Training

In survival training, most people think of knives, fire starters, and water filters as the core gear. But there’s another tool that can be just as important in certain situations: a lock pick set. In real-world emergencies, you might encounter locked gates, storage sheds, or abandoned buildings containing critical resources like food, water, or shelter […]

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Getting (and Keeping Rust) Off Your Machete or Knife

A machete is a tough tool that you might make a habit of using around the yard to keep it clear, or in the bush when you’re scouting, hiking, camping or just cutting shooting lanes. This means two important things: the machete is going to see some hard use, and by nature of clearing vegetation, […]

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The Value of Hidden Weapons for Modern Self-Defense

Today personal safety is never guaranteed. Whether walking alone at night, navigating a parking garage, or living in an unpredictable neighborhood, being able to protect yourself can mean the difference between vulnerability and survival. Hidden weapons, those  small, discreet tools designed for self-defense, have become increasingly popular for people who want security without drawing attention. […]

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Identifying a Dagger’s Intended Utility by Feature

While all daggers are in practice weapons, there is a lot of variation in their designs, and it’s the blade profile (predominantly) that determines how a given pattern was intended to be used, as well as what its relative advantages were. For instance, some patterns were designed to be thrust, whereas others were more effective […]

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The Swords of the Fighting Uruk-Hai

For film fans, the appearance of the main villains in Peter Jackson’s film version of The Lord of the Rings are unforgettable. This is not mainly due to their excellent character design and makeup, but also the unique weaponry they carried. The swords carried by the Uruk-hai in the films stand out immediately. They look […]

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The Most Common Mistakes in Locksport

Locksport is one of those hobbies that looks mysterious from the outside but turns out to be very approachable once you understand what it is really about. At its core, locksport focuses on opening locks without damaging them. The goal is not to break anything or bypass security through force, but to learn how locks […]

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Assessing a Dagger by Blade Profile

Daggers, broadly speaking, constitute a broad class of bladed tools that are primarily intended as weapons, for defensive applications. Unlike many other bladed tools, the utility of a dagger is therefore limited, and determined largely by the profile and size of the blade. That being the case, you can tell a lot about a dagger, […]

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9 Uses for Your Machete Knife

The term “machete knife” might be a little cumbersome, but that notwithstanding these are incredibly versatile tools, especially for bushcraft or survival. Here’s why, despite the imposing size, you should have one around the campsite the next time you’re out there. Trailblazing This is the original use of a machete knife; clearing and maintaining trails. […]

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Caring for a Push Button Automatic Knife

Whether your collection has a push button automatic knife or you carry one on the daily for its convenience (and the fact that you can easily deploy it with one hand) one thing is sure: you need to know how to take care of it. Folding knives are more complex than fixed blades and require […]