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By Jeff Johnston, FE Hunting & Shooting Editor dept of neurosurgery
Is it the golden era of knives, or what? I can’t imagine any society in the history of mankind—including those warring cultures who depended on blades for daily survival—that had more options than we do now. I’m talking technology, designs, steels, styles, handles, prices—everything.
I suspect that like most of you, I’m solidly in the collector realm by owning more knives than I’ll ever be able to use. But one that is rapidly growing on me—meaning, it’s finding its way into my hunting rotation with increasing regularity—is a new one from Hogue, the same company that brought us overmolded handgun grips and rifle stocks. As it turns out, this 100-percent American firm headquartered in Henderson, NV, makes top-shelf knives that are practical if they are anything.
Its Extrak 3.3 is a full-tang sheath knife weighing in at 1.9 ounces, so light that I hardly know it’s on me. Although Hogue calls the Extrak’s blade style a clip point, to me it’s really a hybrid clip/drop point, which I believe offers the best of both worlds: a sharp point for piercing and a full belly for slicing. I also like the grooved finger notch on the top of the spine for intricate work such as skinning. G10 grip scales are what I’d expect from a $200 knife because they provide unwavering grip even when wet and bloody.
Another indicator of a top-end, do-all knife is the quality of the steel from which it is made. Hogue chose the remarkable CPM M4 tool steel, made by Crucible Industries using the company’s patented Crucible Particle Metallurgy process. This particular type of high-carbon, high-alloy steel makes for an extremely hard (63 on the hardness scale) tough, sharp, and durable blade that retains its edge better than the vast majority of knife steels available. Its negatives compared to some softer steels are two-fold. First, it’s tougher to sharpen because of its hardness (no big deal in the age of high-tech diamond sharpeners), and second, it is not as corrosion resistant as some other stainless steels. But Hogue remedied this by Cerakoting the Extrak’s blade. I chose the blaze orange Cerakote model because the older I get, the more I realize that being able to find my knife on the side of a mountain in the dark is better than 3.3 inches of extra camo.
Another feature I’ve come to really like about this minimalist knife is its Kydex sheath. Molded Kydex is a model of functionality no matter the conditions encountered. It’s molded for terrific retention and a tactile feel when popping the knife in and out of the sheath. It’s also easy to clean. I like the Ulticlip that allows me to secure the featherweight knife safely on my Full Bar chest rig and never know it’s there—until I need it.
If you haven’t heard of Hogue Knives yet, give them a hard look. (They make some badass EDC automatics and replaceable scalpel blade models, too.) All of the guys at FE are knife guys, and so far we’ve been nothing but impressed.
Pros: extremely light, tough, sharp, impervious Kydex sheath with clip, orange Cerakote finish for corrosion resistance and so you can find it after gutting a deer.
Cons: very thin feeling for some ham handers.
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