At the booth of a quintessential bright young whippersnapper named Steve Overholt, we found something truly new and quite sensible in the realm of field knives.  This Montanan has addressed the dark secret that although all real men don't eat quiche, some of them can't sharpen a knife worth a hoot.  Some of us, of course, will feel obliged to say that this knife is of interest primarily as an excellent gift for the wife or brother-in-law because they don't know how to sharpen a knife.  But there's been more than one time that we let a blade get duller than would come back with a couple minutes work because we were fighting encroaching darkness, and as a result did a sloppy job of dressing a hide.  Some of the new diamond sharpeners are amazingly fast at putting an edge back on a knife, but they don't do it in two seconds when the sun is sinking away from you.  But the Tigersharp does - by replacing the edge.
     Many new knife ideas look real good on paper, but there's many a slip 'tween the cusp and the slit.  The Tigersharp, however, is one handy idea that has been very thoroughly engineered to be as good an idea in the hand as it is on paper.  The basic idea isn't new - changeable and/or disposable blades have been used to great advantage on three-cornered knives and scalpels for decades.  Not because sheet-goods men and surgeons aren't smart enough to sharpen a blade, but because time they would spend messing with a blade is better spent doing what it is they do best.
     The application of the principle is new, however.  The Tigersharp's central blade, you know, the sharp part, is made of K7 stainless (an excellent blade material, although not a common knife material) sandwiched between two rigid 440A stainless side panels, same idea as a laminated blade of high-carbon steel between cheeks of a more resilient low-alloy steel or titanium.  Well-supported by the cheeks, it can be hardened to Rockwell 56C since brittleness is not a problem.  It thus holds a very good edge, and when it does dull you simply release it, and swap it for the fresh blade insert that is riding in the Finnish-style Cordura nylon sheath.  But the Tigersharp's instantly changeable blade is not necessarily a throw-away: What you do with the old blade is up to you, but we took ours to the bench and resharpened it on a Japanese waterstone and it's like new and riding in the sheath waiting for its brother to get dull.  Spare or replacement blades are available from Tigersharp at very reasonable cost.  You carry spare ammo, spare batteries, extra water and some jerky afield - now you can carry a "spare knife" with almost no weight penalty.
     With an overall length of 8-1/2" and a 3/4" blade, the Tigersharp is not a chopper, but for every cutting and slicing duty - especially for dressing game - it is one of the handiest fieldcutters we've ever held.  The slightly drop-point blade has a very good radius for either skinning or dressing.  Scalpel-sharp, it cut the prettiest steaks you ever saw from a frozen venison shank.  The well-designed locking system holds the central blade tight and firm with no play whatsoever.  The handle is of black, high-impact ABS with a very good shape and good texture for use and grip.  Important for a camp knife that may be gutting game at noon and preparing dinner in the evening, the Tigersharp is very easy to clean and wash.  It is of full-tang construction (0. 140"), yet weighs a scant 7 ounces.  It is entirely made in the USA.  We don't use a star-rating in this column, but if we did we'd have to throw a whole handful at the Tigersharp - it's gear that's good to go.  If nothing else, assuming you're getting along well enough that you trust her with sharp things, you should get one for your significant other.  You can always say "Sweetpea, I can't find my pocket stone, can I borrow your sharp knife?" and she'll be pleased you gave her something so good you want to borrow it back - and you'll always know where it is.
     Dealer program?  Of course.  Limited lifetime warranty against defective materials or workmanship (don't use the knife as a tire iron and you'll never need the warranty).

- Don McLean
Senior Editor