Handyniknaks Latest Special Offers

10% discount applied at checkout

Schrade Pocket Beast Knife only £11.69 after discount

Spyderco Native Knife (part serrated blade) £58.49 after discount

Remington Bullet Knife (cocobolo handle) £62.99 after discount

Buck Trapper Knife only £26.99 after discount

Spyderco Jester Knife (stainless handle) £31.49 after discount

Kershaw Chive Knife £35.99 after discount

Unbeatable Special Offers at Handy Niknaks

Byrd Meadowlark Knife (Black Coated) only £22.49 after discount (UK RRP £29.99);

Byrd Meadowlark Lightweight Knife £17.99 after discount. (UK RRP £20.99);

Victorinox Swisstool £53.99 after discount (UK RRP £79.99)

10th June 2009 - Spyderco Plans Low Cost Urban and UK Penknife

The owner of Spyderco Knives has revealed that lower cost versions of spyderco's Urban and UK penknife are in the pipeline. The Company has commented that sales volume for the recently launched Urban models remains low. Many would-be buyers have been put off by the hefty UK price tag of £105

However, as the Spyderco Urban Knife retails for $149.95 in the USA, the UK price is not so unreasonable after all. The UK buying public is still coming to terms with the recent devaluation of the Pound Sterling agains the US dollar. The days of snapping up bargains imported from the USA are over. A situation was reached in 2008 when one Pound would buy two US dollars. This was an historic aberration compared to the usual exchange rate of one pound to approx 1.8 US dollars. Currently the pound has undershot this value, although the situation is slowly improving.

The Spyderco Urban Knife has a 3 mm thick, flat-ground VG-10 steel blade, lightweight G-10 handle with wire pocket clip. These are obviously premium grade components, with the notch-joint spring and torx-screw assembly also adding to the cost. The lower cost models will have thinner blades and injection molded FRN handles instead of costly, machined G-10.

Spyderco is ahead of the curve by monitoring customer demand and tailoring the end products accordingly. The Urban knife is designed to appear less threatening for carrying in public and is slightly smaller than the UK Penknife. This was partly in response to feedback from UK penknife owners. The black handle colour was also dropped in favour of foliage green or safety orange . The global trend towards smaller, non-locking knives is due to increasing legislation and negative media publicity about knives in general.

For a limited time only ! Tool Logic products are reduced in price by 10 % at www.handyniknaks.co.uk

This includes the Pro Series of survival knives which feature removal torch / tool inserts.

The Tool Logic Pro 1 Knife comes with a magnetic, removable mini LED torch

The Pro 2 Knife has a removable torch / fire-steel combo. The magnesium alloy firesteel has a minimum lifespan of 10,000 strikes. A 5,000 degree centigrade spark is produced by scraping the fire-steel along the notched blade back.

The Tool Logic Pro 3 Knife has a torch / diamond sharpener insert.

This week-end only all Tool Logic prices reduced by 10%...

Assisted opening knives are often confused with automatic knives. Automatic knives have spring loaded blades which open at the press of a button and these are illegal in the UK. The blade of an assisted opening knife does not open at the press of a button. The blade is held closed until it has been manually opened past the thirty degree position. Once the blade has been partially opened, it then engages a spring to rapidly open the blade.

Several manufacturers have developed their own assisted opening technology. These include the Benchmade 'Optimiser' and Kershaw 'Speed Safe' designs. In the case of the Buck Rush Knife, the force which fully opens the blade is provided by a pair of coiled springs, built into each aluminium handle slab. These act to open the blade fully once it has been manually opened past 30 degrees.

The action of the springs is controlled by an eccentric cam pivot in the blade tang behind the pivot pin. In the closed position, the direction of the force is such that it keeps the blade closed. As the blade is manually opened past the 30 degree position, the force of the springs gradually increases to rotate the blade open. The speed of opening may be adjusted by tightening or loosening slightly the pivot pin retaining screw (a size T7 Torx fixing).

Handy Niknaks

The Rush is one of Buck's knives which features their patented 'ASAP' assisted opening technology. As the blade is not activated by a button and has to be partly opened by manual force, this is not an automatic knife. The blade has a safety lock to prevent accidental closure. This is in the form of a liner lock, consisting of a tensioned phlange of the steel handle liner, which engages with the offset ground blade heel. The knife may either be opened using one of the ambidexterous thumb studs or by pressing the flipper extension on the front of the blade tang. In addition to the liner lock there is an opening safety lock which prevents accidental opening of the blade. This is an oval shaped steel sprocket which locks into the concavity in front of the blade flipper extension, and prevents the blade from rotating forwards.

Buck Knives

Lanyard Threading How to Thread Lanyards for Spyderco Knives

It is advisable to use a lanyard cord when carrying a Spyderco Knife on a hiking or camping trip. Losing such an essential tool during an expedition would be expensive as well as inconvenient...

Attaching a lanyard helps to prevent loss of an essential tool. This is especially important in a marine environment where retrieval of a knife dropped in water would not be possible. Other situations where a lanyard is important are; working at a height, construction workers, outdoors activities such as rock climbing, hiking, caving, kayaking etc.

The lanyard also provides a convenient way of withdrawing a knife from the pocket, by pulling on the cord. The other end of the lanyard may have a snap-hook attached to trousers waistband or belt. A break-away point is also an important safety consideration. It is not always wise to have an unbreakable cord-belt attachment.

Spyderco Knives will accomodate a range of para-cord lanyards. The lanyard hole on Clipit Knives such as the Spyderco Atlantic Salt Knife is formed by the pocket clip assembly. Depending on the thickness of the cord, attaching a double loop lanyard may be difficult. It is sometimes necessary to remove the core of the cord before connecting it to the knife. Another tip is to apply wax to help it pass through the hole. Instead of trying to push the cord with a pointed object, which may cause damage, a length of dental floss, strong thread or fine wire can be used to pull the thicker cord through. Handy Niknaks

Insert a strand of dental floss, strong thread or wire through the lanyard hole

Pass the dental floss through the loop of the lanyard cord Thread the dental floss back through the lanyard hole in the knife

Hold both ends of the dental floss and pull the loop of cord through the lanyard hole in the knife

Continue pulling until enough of the cord has been pulled through the lanyard hole in the knife

The lanyard cord can be looped through and pulled tight to complete lanyard attachment

Looking at what has happened to the UK banking sector there is a vicious cycle at work. Increasing mortgage defaults, causing cashflow problems for lenders. Lenders stop lending, resulting in a slowdown in the property market, house prices start falling.

This spreads to the wider economy, unemployment looks set to increase.

The question is what happens when higher energy bills start to kick in this Winter...

UK energy companies have increased their charges by approx 30 %. The majority of customers pay by direct debit. The amount of the direct debit is controlled by the energy companies. That is fine. Except for one thing what happens when a dirct debit is requested from an empty bank account...

Whatever the amount, 30 % of zero is still zero. Faced with bouncing direct debits, energy companies may experience cash flow problems. Has the management of UK energy companies been squeaky clean. Do they have sufficient cash reserves to pay their suppliers ?

It is one thing to increase energy bills, another thing to make money out of thin air... if the customer's bank account is empty, what are the companies going to do ? Disconnect the customers in the middle of Winter ? Do the energy companies have the resources to administer large numbers of accounts in arears ? Are they able to roll out a massive programme of installing pre-payment meters in several million households...

Original Eickhorn Solingen
Rechargeable LED Torches

Spyderco Sharpmaker 204MF Blade Sharpening System

The Spyderco Sharpmaker 204MF consists of a plastic base unit which is slotted to take the sharpening stones. A pair of medium grit and fine grit stones are supplied togther with a pair of brass safety rods. The three sharpening angles permitted are 30, 40 and 12 degrees. The stones may also be positioned side by side in the underside of the base with the flat surfaces uppermost, for use as a conventional whet-stone. The slots in the base also allow the stones to inserted in a point-to-point or flat-surface-to-flat-surface configuration. Initial sharpening is done using point-to-point which is more aggressive, followed by flat-surface-to-flat-surface. The major benefit of this system is its simplicity. Provided the knife is held vertically during sharpening, the correct angle will be achieved.

Point-To-Point Stone Configuration Flat-Surface-To-Flat-Surface Stone Configuration

Medium Grit Sharpmaker Stones
The medium-grit, grey colour, alumina-ceramic sharpmaker stones are manufactured in USA, in a process which combines a bonding agent with alumina particles. Alumina particeles are essentially synthetic saphires measuring 15 - 20 microns. The Spyderco sharpening stones are shaped and kiln-fired at 1649 degrees centigrade.

Mohs Scale of mineral hardness: This characterises the scratch resistance of various materials by comparing the ability of a harder material to scratch a softer material. For example, talc measures 1, pure gold measures 3, hardened steel measures 7 , diamond measures 10. Alumina Ceramic sharpening stones manufactured by Spyderco, measure 9 on this scale.

Maintaining a 40 degree working edge is a step by step process:

• Start with the stones inserted in the 40 degree base slots
• Insert stones in a point-to-point configuration, that is with two angles or points positioned opposite.
• Ensure the two brass safety rods are in place, and with the unit on a flat, level surface, use one hand to hold the base steady
• Hold the knife by the handle, in the other hand with the cutting edge vertical, the blade tip pointing away
• Starting from the top of the stone, run the blade down the stone, from the heel to the tip of the blade
• Apply a medium pressure, making sure the entire edge makes contact with the stone from the heel to the tip of the blade, with the tip of the blade ending up at the black plastic base
• Repeat the procedure for the opposite side of the edge on the opposite stone

After 5 to 10 strokes on each side ot the edge, re-position the stones in the 40 degree slot, with flat-surface-to-flat-surface configuration. Repeat the above procedure for 5 to 10 strokes on each side of the edge or until sharpened sufficiently. To produce a finer edge, repeat the above procedure using the white, Spyderco Fine Grit Sharpmaker Stones.

This method has the advantage of lubricant-free sharpening, although after prolonged use, stones will need cleaning to remove microscopic steel particles adhering to the stone. The sharpening effectiveness is gradually reduced as the stones become loaded with steel. They are easily cleaned by washing in fresh water and scrubbing with powdered abrasive and a scouring pad to remove steel residue from the open cell structure.

Spyderco Diamond Sharpmaker Rods

Spyderco diamond rods are made of hollow steel with a triangular cross section. The coating of industrial diamonds is applied to the steel with nickel-plating. The exposed tips of the diamonds forms a highly abrasive surface. It is more effective to use a gentle stroke as the cutting depth is limited by the size of the diamond tip. The diamond surface can be damaged if too much pressure is applied in the sharpening process. Therefore it is better to sharpen with several strokes at medium pressure and this also prolongs the life of the diamond rods.

The Sharpmaker kit also includes an instruction booklet and DVD. These include detailed instructions for sharpening scissors, chisels, serrated edges and more.

High Power LED Torches

TerraLUX® manufacture a range of portable work-lights with LED lighting strips. The TerraLUX® LED lighting strip uses only 2 Watts per foot, and gives 120 Lumens. The WorkStar Series may be operated using the permanent internal rechargeable NiMH batteries, the 240V AC adapter or 12 V DC car cigarette lighter adapter. The WorkStar 36 model is powered by 3 X AA Alkaline or NiMH re-chargeable batteries. A characteristic of rechargeable batteries is their gradual self-discharge over time if left unused. Rechargeable batteries are more suited to everyday applications such as home / workshop use. Alkaline or lithium batteries are preferrable for emergency lighting situations.

LUXEON® is the brand name of Philips Lumileds Lighting Company. LUXEON® high power LED's are able to match the brightness of Krypton and incandescent bulbs used in portable flashlight torches. These high brightness replacement LED's are smaller, longer lasting and more energy efficient. The integration of power regulation circuitry gives a constant power output and enables maximum battery usage. As the Luxeon LED is a solid state device with no moving parts, filament or gas there is a higher degree of shock resistance compared to a Krypton or incandescent bulb.

TerraLUX® LED Light Engines use PowerPush ™ circuitry to keep the power output constant and completely drain the battery. This prevents the gradual decline in performance seen in battery powered Krypton and incandescent torches.

LUXEON® Rebel, the smallest surface mountable power LED available, produces more than 80 lumens of cool white light at 350 mA with a rating of 350 mA to 1000 mA drive current. With a 50,000 hour lifespan at 700 mA, lumen maintenance is 70 %. The LUXEON® Rebel LED is used in the TerraLUX® Lightstar 3 Flashlight

The TerraLUX® WorkStar 80UV includes an LED ultraviolet beam flashlight head. UV light is used for a variety of professional purposes. These include, leak and crack detection using fluorescein dyes, biological examination of stained cells and examinination of fluorescent markers in fish and other wildlife. Other applications include forensic investigation of protein and blood stains and use by food inspectors to detect urea stains from pets & insect pests. Geologists and minerologists use UV light to illuminate minerals for inspections. Being just beyond the limits of human vision, this UV light source eliminates the need for special glasses to filter out ambient light.

The subject of knife crime has become a public issue with recent gang-related stabbings in London. Genuine, law abiding knife sellers and end users are now looked on disapprovingly. Journalists are reporting that knife crime is out of control and that the law needs to be tightened up. On closer inspection, the UK already has very strict, not to say Draconian laws, regarding knives.

As an online retailer of knives, it is important to have a basic knowledge of legal issues. There exists a great deal of misunderstanding of UK law relating to knives. Basically, the only knife allowed to be carried in public in the UK is a non-locking pen knife with a blade no longer than 3 inches. The only exceptions are where the knife is needed as a tool of the trade or part of a traditional costume. The Spyderco UK Penknife is a high quality cutting tool which retails at around £80 and is also legal to carry in the UK.

There are several checks in place at Handy Niknaks to make sure that under 18's are not purchasing knives. Before completing checkout, an age confirmation tick-box must be selected. The main age confirmation method is achieved by credit card payment, which pretty much identifies the customer as an adult. Compared to selling in a face to face situation there are probably more checks in place when selling online. There is also a physical paper chain of age confirmation, not present in cash sales transactions.

But who are the customers spending £40 or even more than £100 on a folding-blade knife. There are 3 main groups of knife enthusiast, who will happily part with up to £100 for a knife consisting of highly engineered moving parts, polished to a mirror finish with a razor sharp point.

There is the the brand conscious, middle class, outdoors type (including the author). With a high disposable income, a high pressure occupation, who places a high priority on recreational activities. These activities include, camping, hiking, rock climbing, angling, kayaking etc. A significant budget is allocated for high quality accessories and pieces of kit, such as a dependable Spyderco Knife. Now, slowly moving out of the niche sector Spyderco Knives are stocked by major camping equipment retailers in the UK.

The 2nd largest group includes police / fire / rescue / parmaedic and military personnel, who may have a lower disposable income. Many of these personnel may carry a Rescue-Knife as part of their essential kit. Life-boat crew members require a specific tool which is lightweight and highly rust resistant. This may be required to cut through tangled ropes or fishing nets. Spyderco's Atlantic Salt Knife with its blunt tipped, H1 steel Blade and high performance serrated edge is the tool of choice.

Another customer group is the collector / enthusiast, an indefinable and ever growing number in the UK, some of whom have morphed out of the other 2 groups, after buying first one, then another and another slightly more expensive knife...