Tag Archives: Fixed Blade

The Tactical EDC Knife That’s Also a Fidget Toy: Meet the HK2024 Eggplant

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I have a special affinity for folding knifes – they’re compact, safe when shut (by design), and can sometimes be extremely fun to deploy. However, once in a while I come across a fixed-blade knife that feels like it has the spirit of a folding knife. Meet the Harnds HK2024 Eggplant (or just Eggplant) – it’s compact, capable, and charming. Designed to be a full-tang knife with a neat sheepsfoot blade, the Eggplant may just seem like your regular knife if you’re just reading this text without looking at the images. Take a look at the knife, however, and you notice its most obvious design detail – a hole running right through the center of the knife. Wide enough to slip your finger right through, the Eggplant knife gives you a sense of reliability when in use – but when you’re not wielding its sharp blade, the knife doubles as a fidget toy, allowing you to spin it around for fun. Eventually, your hands and eyes fall in love with the Eggplant knife, making it a staple part of your EDC collection.

Designer: HARNDS

Click Here to Buy Now: $40 $49 (18% off) Hurry! Limited units at discounted price.

The mark of a good EDC isn’t just something that’s good-looking or functional, it’s EDC your hands can’t get enough of. Whether it’s playing with a wallet that fans your cards out, rotating your keys on your index finger, or playing with a switchblade or butterfly knife – the tactile experience of EDC plays a pretty important role in ensuring your mind falls in love with its design. That’s what the HK2024 Eggplant knife does with its ‘hole-punch’ design. It’s a knife you’ll absent-mindedly always want to have in your hand even when you’re not using it, and that’s really what subconsciously makes it such a handy little devil. The entire knife measures a mere 5.3 inches, with the blade clocking in at a compact 2-3 inches. The rest of the Eggplant is fairly grippy and ergonomic in hand (a sentence I never thought I’d say professionally), and its ambidextrous handle makes it perfect for both left and right-handed use.

The HK2024 comes in two variants: the D2 steel with a G10 handle and the N690 steel with a carbon fiber handle. The D2 version has the feel of a workhorse—ready to handle tasks from the mundane to the unexpected. D2 steel is a high-carbon, high-chromium material known for its excellent edge retention and durability, ideal for those who value a knife that can keep its sharpness through rough use. Pair this with a G10 sheath, and you’ve got a setup that’s built for those who expect their gear to take a beating. G10 is a composite material, strong yet lightweight, with a textured surface that ensures a solid grip, even when your hands are wet or the conditions get rough. The result is a knife that feels secure in hand, whether you’re cutting rope, working wood, or slicing through a particularly stubborn clamshell package.

The HK2024 Eggplant D2 Steel Variant

The HK2024 Eggplant N690 Steel Variant

Then there’s the N690 variant, which feels like the more refined cousin in this lineup. N690 stainless steel is prized for its superior corrosion resistance and sharpness, making it a great choice for environments where moisture or humidity might be a concern—think coastal hikes or rainy-day urban adventures. The carbon fiber handle adds an extra layer of finesse, offering the same lightweight durability but with a touch of elegance that makes it feel like something special. The carbon fiber sheath keeps the whole package sleek and minimal, reducing weight without sacrificing strength.

Both versions keep the blade length at 2.36 inches, with an overall length of 5.35 inches. This size strikes a sweet spot—it’s compact enough to carry comfortably but long enough to handle a range of cutting tasks. Weighing just over two ounces, they’re light enough that you’ll forget it’s there until you need it. The blade’s sheepsfoot design offers just the right amount of cutting surface for detailed work, like carving, slicing, or opening packages. The curved belly makes it good for rocking back and forth too – an essential for chopping herbs or mincing aromats.

Full-tang construction means the blade and handle are a single piece of metal, making the knife sturdier than those that rely on separate parts. There’s also jimping on the spine for better thumb control during precise cuts, and lightening holes in the design to trim down the weight. These are the kinds of features that seem small but make a big difference in use.

A fixed blade almost always needs a good sheath if you need to carry it around – and the Eggplant does come with one, made from either G10 or carbon fiber depending on whether you buy the D2 or N690 steel variant. The knife snaps into the sheath, and can be ejected with a click sound that adds that wee bit of audio feedback that feels really satisfying. The hole in the center of the knife makes un-sheathing rather simple, giving you a fairly good grasp as you tug the knife out of its ‘holster’ of sorts. With clips made from 420J2 stainless steel, you can attach the knife + sheath to your belt, bag, or even keep it in a pocket. There’s also a lanyard hole, letting you wear it around your neck or attach it to other gear. These options matter, especially when you’re out on a trail or need to access your knife quickly. It’s all about making the tool fit into your routine, not the other way around.

The D2 model offers finishes like black titanium stonewash or satin, while the N690 variant comes with a sleek satin look. These finishes aren’t just for show; they add a layer of protection to the steel, helping it withstand the scratches and scuffs that come with regular use. It’s the kind of detail that keeps the knife looking good even after months of carry.

The HK2024 Eggplant doesn’t try to overcomplicate things. It’s a knife that gets the basics right and adds just enough of a fun fidget-style interaction that your hands will intuitively and instantly get used to. Combine that with the knife’s solid build, its versatile blade, and fairly affordable price and you’ve got an EDC that’s a no-brainer.  The D2 version starts around $40, while the N690 model is about $74. Plus, the campaign promises free global delivery by December 2024, making it a potential holiday gift—or a new tool for your own kit to kick off the new year.

Click Here to Buy Now: $40 $49 (18% off) Hurry! Limited units at discounted price.

The post The Tactical EDC Knife That’s Also a Fidget Toy: Meet the HK2024 Eggplant first appeared on Yanko Design.

This hand-forged Damascus Stainless Steel Knife boasts a spectacular mirror-finish marbled blade

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With each knife having a pattern that is unique to it, almost like its own fingerprint, the Greno puts the beauty of hand-forged VG-10 Stainless Damascus steel in your grip, giving you a knife that’s equal parts magnificent and masterful.

They say that the true process of making Damascus steel was lost to history, although the art has certainly flourished again, with a lot of forgers building their own techniques of making the gorgeously marbled metal. One such creator is Shaggs LLC, the designer and builder behind the Greno – a hand-forged fixed-blade knife with perhaps one of the most unique-looking marbled steel blades we’ve seen. While most Damascus steel blades rely on a dual-color design that highlights the marbling, the Greno is different. It employs VG-10 steel – a premium cutlery-grade stainless steel produced in Japan, which results in a marbling quite like no other. Add that to a 4.5-inch blade with a 4.3-inch handle and you’re left with a knife that doesn’t disappoint. When not in use, the Greno is an art piece, a visual representation of a one-dead handicraft… and when in motion, it’s a knife designed to dominate and get the job done every single time.

Designer: Shaggs LLC

Click Here to Buy Now: $55. Hurry, only a few left!

Measuring a staggering 9 inches from tip to end, the Greno is fairly larger than any of the flippers or folders we feature here. It comes with a fixed blade design too, and ships with a Top Grain Italian cow leather sheath to help you carry it around wherever you go. The knife’s handle comes crafted from green Micarta, used extensively in the knifemaking industry for its durability, balanced weight, and the unique texture it provides to the handle, giving it a superior grip. To supplement this, the Greno’s handle boasts an ergonomic grippy design that’s innately ambidextrous, allowing you to grab it confidently as you maneuver its crown jewel – that spectacular blade.

A self-taught knifemaker, Shaggs managed to master the art of forging Damascus steel, although their experiments with the Greno are different from any other Damascus steel you’d find on the market. To state things plainly, a lot of the Damascus steel you see today is simply a laser-etched marbling pattern on regular steel. True Damascus steel is created by folding and forging two different kinds of steel together, before acid-etching the blade to reveal a zebra-like pattern. Greno’s take on Damascus steel is similar, but the results are stunningly different. The blade shimmers with a chrome-like finish, but instead of being dual-colored, comes with contour lines, almost like the knife has its own fingerprint.

The blade itself has a drop-point design, a very popular template in the knife world. With a long 4.5-inch edge that culminates in a sharp tip, the Greno is perfect for pretty much any indoor or outdoor tasks. Whittling wood, slicing paracord, cutting meat or veggies, and self-defence, the Greno’s blade holds up remarkably well to any form of abuse. The VG-10 steel is inherently corrosion-resistant and has remarkable edge retention, which means spending more time using the knife and less time sharpening it. The rest of the blade travels through the handle, or what the industry calls a ‘full tang’ format. This effectively boosts the knife’s overall durability and allows you to lean into the Greno while using it. The full tang design means being able to apply forward and downward pressure with ease, along with also being able to twist your knife while using it to do things like open metal cans or gut your hunt.

When all’s said and done, the knife slides right into its cowhide sheath, which encases the blade so it doesn’t accidentally hurt anyone. Owing to its large size, the Greno definitely doesn’t come with a pocket clip, but it does boast a lanyard hole at the end of the handle, allowing you to loop a paracord or lanyard through the knife to make it easy to carry around with you on outdoor trips, whether it’s camping, hunting, or even showing off to your EDC-enthusiast friends!

Click Here to Buy Now: $55. Hurry, only a few left!

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