I am a couple of days early, but with all of the January content on the homepage, the December Knife News column looks pretty out of place. So here is January’s column. As always it comes with the caveat that it is not always the freshest by the time it hits these digital pages, but it is a good record of things we find significant enough to make it into the physical print magazine.
GSM Outdoors Adds Smith’s Products to Family of Brands
Irving, Texas based conglomerate GSM Outdoors has added Smith’s Products to its ever expanding family of outdoor recreation brands. The acquisition follows GSM’s purchases of knife companies Cold Steel in 2020, SOG in 2021, and Camillus Cutlery in 2023. Smith’s becomes the 57th brand under GSM’s umbrella, and fills a sharpening system gap in their overall portfolio.
Smith’s story started in 1886 when James Archer Smith began mining and selling Arkansas Novaculite stone. Over more than a century they expanded to finishing the whetstones themselves, and later adding a full range of diamond, carbide, ceramic abrasive offerings. Smith’s brings with them a legacy of both tradition and innovation, having secured nearly 100 patents throughout their history.
Eddie Brady, GSM’s senior vice president of brand management, stated, “This acquisition marks an exciting milestone in our mission to inspire more people to experience the outdoors. Smith’s Products brings a strong legacy of quality craftsmanship and innovation that not only complements our existing family of brands but also enhances our ability to serve a broader community of outdoorsmen.”
Operations at Smith’s Hot Springs headquarters will continue unchanged, with products remaining available through existing channels. For more details, visit www.smithsproducts.com or www.gsmoutdoors.com.
TOPS Tex Creek Slipjoint Folder is Also its Smallest
TOPS Knives has built their reputation on their tough-as-nails fixed blades. That isn’t to say they haven’t dabbled in folding knives, including their MSF, and Brother’s of Bushcraft Fieldcraft Folder. They have just released a new slipjoint, the Tex Creek Folder. While it is based on their fixed blade model of the same name, it measures 5.13” in OAL as opposed to the fixed blade’s 9” length.
The Tex Creek Slipjoint is made in partnership with Fox Knives in Maniago, Italy. Designed by Leo Espinoza, the knife features a 2.38” M390 stainless blade with scalloped G10 handles in OD Green. It weighs just 1.3oz, or 1.8oz with the included leather pocket sheath.
The Tex Creek Wildlife Management Area includes two national forests and is accessible starting about 10 miles from the TOPS Idaho Falls facility. It serves as the field test area for all TOPS knives, and the company wanted to pay homage to their backyard stomping ground.
MSRP is $240, though it is listed for less on several websites, including TOPS’ own –www.topsknives.com where it is available for purchase.
GiantMouse Unveils First Automatic, Made in USA by ProTech
GiantMouse, the Danish-American design collective founded in 2015, has partnered with Pro-Tech Knives to introduce a new knife to their ACE line, the Elmer Auto. Set for release in December 2025, this marks GiantMouse’s first automatic knife, leveraging Pro-Tech’s precision engineering with a design derivative of GiantMouse’s popular Clyde manually opening knife.
Slightly larger than the Clyde, the Elmer’s trailing point blade measures 3.2” and the aluminum handle is 4.57”, available in blue or black. The steel is stonewashed MagnaCut, and the knife features a button-lock mechanism. A milled titanium pocket clip rounds out the package.
Like most GiantMouse knives, the Elmer has an interesting origin story. In this case, Elmer was “an artillery gunner in the 36th Texas Infantry Division during the Second World War, surviving five major invasions across Europe and North Africa…He returned home with no medals asked for and no stories embellished. He simply carried on, the way so many of his generation did.”
The GiantMouse ACE Elmer Auto is made in Southern California by ProTech, MSRP is $365. For more information visit www.giantmouse.com
CRKT Adds Automatic OTF to Rodriguez-Designed Xolotl Family
CRKT’s Forged in War program, established in 2016, invites “real life warriors to apply their knowledge and experience to design a specialty line of mission-ready knives and tools”. Green Beret Veteran Michael Rodriguez is a multi-time participant in the program, and is adding an Out-the-Front (OTF) Automatic version of his Xolotl design.
The original liner-lock version was a 2020 release, with the fixed blade to follow. The new Xolotl’s dual-action OTF mechanism ensures quick deployment and retraction, befitting the Aztec god of fire and lightning for whom it is named. The aluminum handle, sculpted with skeletal details, honors Xolotl’s role as a guide to the afterlife and Rodriguez’s 21 years of service. The blade is a 3.5” MagnaCut spear point, ground sharp on both edges, and the reversible pocket clip allows for ambidextrous carry. Made in the USA, the knife has an MSRP of $324.99.
Like all Forged in War knives, CRKT donates a portion of the profits to a charity of the designer’s choice. In Rodriguez’s case this is the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation (www.gwotmemorialfoundation.org) For more information on the Xolotl OTF visit crkt.com or contact [email protected].
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