TBS Wildcat Pocket Knife - Black Micarta
The TBS Wildcat is a brilliant "Every Day Carry" pocket knife that takes our already fantastic Boar EDC to another level. The Boar EDC has always been a very popular knife but we wanted to be able to offer something a little different to make an even more versatile pocket tool.
The Wildcat differs from the Boar as it features two blades, one Scandi ground and one Flat ground. I am a big fan of a scandi grind as it is very easy to sharpen and maintain but I am also a fan of having a flat grind, especially in a pocket knife. It's not really practical to carry 2 different pocket knives so why not carry 2 knives in one!
When we prototyped this knife we literally made no changes from the original as it just worked from the start (well, apart from the logo!). I went away for two weeks and carried it every day and it was perfect all sorts of camp tasks. Having a good sized scandi grind blade is always perfect for cutting wood, carving and all the general tasks around camp, just like having a Boar EDC. The real bonus was then having a flat grind on the same knife. A flat grind lends itself so well to much finer slicing, just the sort of thing that is perfect for food prep, field butchery and slicing of all sorts of things.
The obvious problem we had was, how do you get two good sized blades in one knife without making it too chunky in the hand and be comfortable and practical to use? Well, the obvious thing to do was to slim the blades down slightly to 2mm each but then you need to counteract the slimmer blade by making them from the right steel.
The obvious choice for us was MoVa steel (ACX380) as we would heat treat this to a slightly lesser degree for a little more flexibility. ACX380 MoVa steel is a Martensitic stainless steel that exhibits an excellent combination of mechanical resistance and hardness with the correct thermal treatment. Due to its high molybdenum and chromium content ACX 380 has the best corrosion resistance among this family of stainless steels and is absolutely ideal for high quality knives and cutting tools. It is a modern high grade stainless steel that has a great balance between edge retention and maintenance.
The handle choices were simple, as you may know we do not use strange exotic woods as, to be completely honest, you cannot 100% tell where they have come from. We have decided to offer the Wildcat in Curly Birch, Turkish Walnut, Black Micarta and Stag Antler.
With all of our materials we only use products from sustainable, reputable sources. In this case we have used Curly Birch and Turkish Walnut and we import these woods directly from the timber merchant in Finland and Turkey. They only use timber they have harvested for generations and are harvesting trees that their Grand Fathers and Great Grandfathers have planted. Anyone that says they can prove the provenance on all these exotic hardwoods they use I am afraid is highly questionable as, from recent studies, there is more of these timbers on the market per year than there were ever quotas for......
Anyway, Curly Birch and Turkish Walnut are not just great looking timbers, they are highly sustainable and very durable. They are also very easy to maintain as they need simple oiling. You will need to maintain and oil your knife occasionally as we do not varnish or seal our wood as we believe it is better to let it breath and we simply oil them.
If you want practically no maintenance them Micarta or Anter is the material for you. Both exhibit excellent wear resistance and are highly water resistant so are ideal for wetter environments.
Main Features:
- ACX380 MoVa Stainless Steel - 2mm thick
- 2.8" (70mm) length blades
- 3.8" (95mm) length handle
- Black Micarta, Curly Birch, Turkish Walnut & Stag Antler
- Quality Belt Pouch Option
- Lifetime Guarantee against any defect in manufacturing, material and workmanship.
- More information on the materials and construction (click here)
ACX380 MoVa Steel - Carbon 0.55%, Silicon 0.75%, Manganese 1.0%, Phosphorus 0.04%, Sulphur 0.015%, Chromium 15.00%, Vanadium 0.20%, Molybdenum 0.8%, Nickel 0.02%, (HRC 56-58)
Twice the blade, twice as versatile.
I bought one of these in Orange at the Midland Game Fair and have used and abused it for the last two weeks. It came very sharp and following 10 minutes on the strop it was hair-poppingly shaving sharp. I've used the flat grind for food and game prep, whittling and general household/workplace uses - handled everything without issue whilst still retaining it's edge. The scandi has been used for feather sticks and firewood prep without complaint and is every bit what I've learned to expect from a TBS knife. My complements to the team, well thought out, well executed and a fantastic steel choice. my 8th TBS knife, probably not my last.
Great twin bladed knife
Really versatile well made knife. The flexibility of flat and scandi grinds in a neat well made package, very sharp out the box, lovely piece of birch on mine. Little finer sanding, some boiled linseed oil and a quick strop and it's ready for anything. Recommended.
Highest quality blades
This is my 4th TBS knife and I got this one for my wife who never really looks after her tools so the high quality stainless steel and micarta scales give me piece of mind that this will last well and need less intervention from me. The two blades styles are great for fine work and more agressive work for the gardening and willow weaving this will be used for mostly.
As always, a fantastic tool that I know will last well beyond us.
Two blades in one knife.
I knew it would be good as it cost £££, I didn't think it would be so good I would be tempted to not use it. It is awesome for an EDC pocket knife - I ordered the optional belt case to get better value and free post and would recommend it just to carry as the knife has some weight and a hefty feel in the hand, Quality and strength all thru from tight fitting blades to the overall finish of the steel and side plates. The visual appearance is impressive perfection, so glad I bought it after looking at it on-line for ages before I took the plunge. Would definitely recommend to anyone who desires the best EDC. One shortfall and I understand why is the missing lanyard ring. So buy the Boar single blade if it is important, which blade though? Heck get one of each and a glass display case and drool, they are that good.