Earlier this year, Hogue released their Deka MagnaCut Knife, a made-in-the-USA EDC folder featuring cutting-edge blade steel and superb performance. Now the folks at Hogue have made a great thing even better by releasing an exclusive edition of the Deka MagnaCut that showcases beautiful and durable Ultem material for the knife handle. The translucent yellow handle allows you to see the super-premium blade steel, even with the blade closed.

Like MagnaCut stainless steel, synthetic Ultem material has taken the EDC world by storm, and a lot of everyday carry gear made nowadays features it because of the weight savings, stability, and durability of the material itself compared to traditional materials. On the Hogue Deka MagnaCut knife, the Ultem edition weighs in at 2.1 oz compared to the original Allen Eishewitz design’s 2.4 oz. When you EDC a lot of gear, weight savings are welcome, particularly when it does not negatively impact performance.

And on the Hogue Deka MagnaCut Ultem knife, you get that in spades. Whether you opt for the 3.25” Wharncliffe or clip-point blade, the Deka can cut through your daily tasks while retaining a sharp edge. And the same ambidextrous ABLE-lock featured in the original is seen here, making it a joy to use with either hand.

What we like: The addition of Ultem to the premium MagnaCut stainless steel featured in this made-in-the-USA folding knife makes this the definitive version of the Hogue Deka MagnaCut.

What to watch out for: Because of the Ultem material, you must like the yellow translucent look if you buy this knife. If that does not work, consider picking up the regular Hogue Deka MagnaCut knife instead.

Final verdict: It’s rare to see an EDC-friendly knife become even better, but Hogue has managed to do that with the new Ultem edition of the Deka MagnaCut knife. It’s available exclusively at BladeHQ, and you’ll want to pick one up sooner rather than later before they sell out.

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The post The Drop: Hogue Deka MagnaCut Ultem Knife appeared first on Everyday Carry.

When Crucible’s latest and greatest steel hit the market, knife enthusiasts and collectors had a reason to be excited. The new steel—dubbed MagnaCut—was a true evolution of metallurgy. Without nerding out too much on the details (the creator, Larrin Thomas, goes into extensive detail himself in a blog post about the creation of the steel), MagnaCut’s goal was to combine and balance the best parts of the best steels into a one. The result was a powder stainless steel that had incredible toughness and edge retention while still having amazing corrosion resistance, second only to specialized corrosion-resistant steels like Vanax or LC200N.

The story of MagnaCut is a long and interesting one (again, see the article linked above), but anyone’s initial conclusion would be that this performance would demand a premium price. And initially, it did, in its early appearances in one-offs and customs. Thankfully, Hogue Knives has made it possible to own the very best steel without having to sell a kidney.

At under $150 the USA-made Deka has been making all sorts of waves in the community as one of the best ways to dip your toes into MagnaCut, offering the steel itself in two popular shapes—clip point and wharncliffe—as well as a handful of color options for its polymer handle and blade. Even better, the Deka is for all knife users, thanks to Hogue’s take on the crossbar lock called the ABLE-Lock. This makes the knife not only a great place to start a knife collection, but one you can end on, as well.

What we like: Affordable MagnaCut in an attractive, ambidextrous knife. Seriously, what’s not to like?

What to watch out for: Polymer handles aren’t everyone’s cup of tea since they can be flexible, but for all practical purposes it won’t get in the way of normal EDC use. The Deka is also understandably very popular at the moment so stocks may be an issue in the short term.

Final verdict: An ideal candidate for a one-knife collection.

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The post The Drop: Hogue Deka MagnaCut Knife appeared first on Everyday Carry.