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.

Vosteed is my favorite knife company right now, if you catch me fan girling there's a reason. This newish company never ceases to amaze me, whether it be customer service, attention to detail or the community it has developed. I'd like to think all of our big companies out there used to be like this, it's a model I hope they continue to use. Today we're checking out the Vosteed Corgi, it's just as cute as it sounds and won't mess up the carpets.

With so many titanium pry bars out there, you would think the category has been done to death. With a slab of titanium there's only just so many things you can do artistically to give the tool more functionality. Well, the folks over at Ant Design have done just that and it's pretty ingenious.

Called the E-One, this pry bar comes in at 3 1/2 inches in length and 3/4 of an inch in thickness. This certainly is a thick boy compared to other pry bars out there, but it has a secret weapon. Some of the included features of the E-One include: a removable clip, bottle opener, nail file, ruler, file and prybar. The pry bar comes in a few style options; the pry itself comes in either brass or titanium with the option for an inlay of copper, brass, titanium or timascus.

One of my many quirks is looking up how we get the words we use today, the etymology. Did you know that the name Valkyrie Means "chooser of the slain"? In Norse myth the Valkyries were maidens who led heroes killed in battle to Valhalla. With a cool name like that, it's been used many times for movies, games and novella. You think it would be a cool name for a pocketknife? The folks at Vosteed think so, let's take a look at the Valkyrie.

Orion Knives is a fairly new company that's been around since 2019. David says Orion Knives combine his love of mechanisms and design. He found early on that he was fascinated with mechanisms and workmanship. The name of the company, as well as the logo, holds a special place for him as he has 3 boys and their favorite constellation is Orion. This was going to be the model name of the initial knife, but it turned into the name of the brand.

The naming of their products come from constellations, the one I'm taking a look at today is the Cetus. The Cetus (sometimes known as the whale) is one of the largest constellations in the sky. The name comes from the shape and look of the knife when in the open position rather than the size of the model. The curved spine provides a bit of an optical illusion as the cutting edge looks like a recurve. The edge is straight with a small belly at the blade tip providing ease of sharpening.

The Cetus comes in a couple different configurations, I'm checking out the stonewashed and black G10 version. Some others comes with a black blade as well as Amboya wood handles. I chose to go with G10 because I was afraid in my clumsiness, I'd drop this knife and have the wood crack, maybe I'm reaching, but with me you never know.

With the plethora of options available when it comes to pry bars and EDC gear it can be daunting to find one to suit your tastes. My task here at multitool.org is to weed through them, let you know how said tools fair and help you in your decision making. A little while back I stumbled upon an EDC tool company I had never heard of eXtreme EDC.

eXtreme EDC is a small company that's been around since 2014 and based in the heart of Europe. Their passion is for EDC gear and self-defense equipment, proudly producing products that are produced only in the Czech Republic. They cooperate with many local companies to produce these tools with emphasis on perfect machine processing, the best materials and surface finish. eXtreme EDC makes a lot of stuff in different categories, today we're taking a look at a few pry tools and a keychain ratchet driver.

Ocaso Knives was founded in 2022 by Ric Valdez, the former Executive Vice President of Cold Steel. Valdez has over 20 years of experience in the knife industry, including time spent collecting knives and gentleman's accessories. He started Ocaso with the goal of creating high-quality production knives that can be used in the office or outdoors.
Valdez's belief that the knife you choose to carry every day defines the essence of who you are and what you believe in led him to start Ocaso.

Ocaso (oh-kah-soh) means “sunset” in Spanish. Ocaso is based in the Ojai Valley in Southern California, in an area that is legendary for “pink moments,” a period just before sunset when the mountain ranges framing the valley take on a brief pink glow.

I appreciate knife companies that not only do in house designs but work with other knife makers to create some beautiful blades. When I think of collaborations, I immediately think of Columbia River Knife and a Tool. Founded by two guys in '94 that use to work at Kershaw, they have shaken up with industry time and time again. CRKT's commitment to design, craftsmanship, and functionality show in their incredible library of products. Over the decades they've released a dizzying array of knives and tools, and it's allowed the average Joe to enjoy incredible designs at an affordable price.

The folks at Vosteed are always working on new designs, and they have some clever names to go with them. The latest one they've released is called the Corsair. The name didn't click at first and I had to go a Google search to jog my memory what the name means, Corsair is another name for a pirate or privateer. Unfortunately this knife didn't come with any booty, but it does cut like a cutlass. Let's take a look at the new Corsair.