Review: Terrier Blades Necky Knife

Last summer my wife and I were puttering around Comox, B.C. during the early hours of the towns Nautical Days celebration. One event of the annual festivities is an artist show in the Marina Park. It was the usual mix of high end paintings, jewelers, nick-nacks, food vendors, and photographers. Not much was catching my eye this day, and I was feeling anxious to head out for our annual salmon fishing trip on the North Island. Reports of great fishing had filled my ears, and I was excited to put some pink salmon in the larder for the winter. We happened upon one booth that was different. Knives! Now were talking. I love a good blade. I own so many, a fascination over the years of finding a knife that could shave my arm and hold an edge. Unfortunately, my search has been for not. So many nice tools that just don’t fit my criteria. It is a disappointment to drop a good chunk of change on something, to be dis-satisfied by the performance of the blade.

Immediately I could see that there was something different about this knife maker. Terrier Blades had neck knives! I had only recently heard about these fine handy devices. I had seen them before. One of my mentors, Jack Spirko, at the Survival Podcast wears on all the time. I had never seen one in person before, so this was a good day. I picked one up for a closer inspection. The knife was created with artwork laser cut into into the handle, native art inspired. There was a salmon, a ram, and a bear. I was certainly drawn to the bear, as it is my favorite animal in Cascadia. He also had a sailboat, and a duck in more traditional symbols. To round out the neck knife line were a selection of women specific models. They had beautiful inlays in the handle of abalone shell. Jewelery meets every day carry. Very clever.

Peter Demmer, the owner and knife maker could see my enthusiasm for his product. He showed me how to remove the neck knife from its unique nylon sheath. Most neck knives us Kydex, a type of plastic that is molded and cured in an oven, to secure the knife. It poses some challenges, while nylon is flexible and will pinch the blade to keep it in place. The nylon sheath is secured to your neck with a leather cord. My wife could see my “kid in a candy store” eyes and bought me one for an early birthday present. I had a brief look at some of the other offerings, and a quick exchange with Peter, but we had to go as a crowd was gathering.

Receiving the knife just in time for camping was perfect. It was with me the entire trip, and was ready to go. Unlike a belt style fix blade, which I find can be cumbersome while sitting in a vehicle or going to the bathroom, it is tucked in tight to the body. No need to pull it off when changing pants or donning chest waders, as happens often while on fishing trips. Rights at hand for nipping bits of tippet from my fly line, sharpening a marshmallow stick for the kids, and gutting a fish. Being made from 440B stainless steel there is lower risk of immediate rust from salt water(Peter assured me that ALL steels should be rinsed in fresh water after exposure to the sea). While I didn’t get a chance to go hiking with this tool, I would much rather wear this while carrying a multi-day pack, then a sheathed knife on my hip that would get in the way of my pack waist belt. Even for paddling adventures I could see uses. When wearing board shorts on a paddle board, or in a kayak. Really there are no situations, in my mind, where a knife isn’t an important tool to have on hand. I wear the Necky while riding my bike to and from work. One never knows when that blade will come in handy. For the ladies(and the gents) who like to get dressed up and don’t want the bulkiness of a tool in their pocket, or don’t have any pockets at all, here is your solution. Your LuLu pants don’t have room for security or tools, this will easily conceal under running clothes or yoga wear.

This isn’t a tool for everything. I would not want to gut and butcher a moose with it. Your hands would be way to sore, not enough leverage in this compact package. This isn’t the appropriate usage for this tool. I still pack my belt knife when hunting for doing larger tasks, but two is one, one is none, so having a back up knife is essential to ensuring the ability to give proper care to downed game. A belt knife could potentially fall out of it’s sheath at some point, lost for good. This five inch back up, EDC knife will be there, concealed or not, comfortable, not cumbersome, and looks pretty damn cool too! Check out Terrier Blades website, use the coupon code “blayne” at check-out for a great discount.