The Ultimate EDC Fixed Blade...The Index

Many designs and even more 3D prints in, I have got a design that I am ready to take to the next step...steel. I couldn't have made it to this point without the feedback from the community and so excited to make a metal prototype. There still might be some small design changes but the look and feel are perfect for me.

Since my last update, I have modified the grip based on multiple people's feedback. I made sure to talk to people with small hands, large hands, female, and male. The curvatures and multiple grip options work for everyone. I have increased the thickness to 5mm which matches the thickness of my pry bar, The Traveler. There were some modifications done to the openings to allow for a full size and mini pocket clip and finally knife jimping was added in two locations for multiple grip options.

I would like to thank my fellow Boilermaker for the name The Index. It is a simple, yet elegant name which matches my design style perfectly. Next, I need to pick a steel and I am between M390, S35VN, and 154CM. Not sure raw material costs so some additional research is needed but my goal is for a high, to higher-end steel.

While working on making a functional prototype I will start the design for the blade cover. I have some ideas in mind and will start prototyping it soon. It needs to be removable with one hand, provide robust blade protection, and of course look awesome.

Please continue sharing your feedback on the blog, though my email (GondekEDC@gmail.com), or through Instagram. I'll keep everyone updated as the process continues.

Everyday Carry Fixed Blade Update 2

I have been hard at work trying different designs to see what works and what doesn't. Based on the feedback from my last post I removed the tanto blade from the running. While there was some positive feedback for it, there was much more for the other two options.

After trying to improve the hole and shank designs I found the sweet spot on the hole blade. It just felt so much better in my hand than the other and I knew that was going to be it. I made multiple prototypes to further refine the grip as well as update the design. Below is where I am today with the design.

I borrowed some of the design aspects of the other style I was working on to reduce weight and skeletonize the blade. What I plan on refining is the location of the openings to allow for a short and long pocket clip to work (lefty and right carry!). I just love pocket clips and couldn't imagine having an EDC item without one.

The next steps are going to be fine-tuning the grip for different sized hands, work on the grind design, pick the steel, give it a better name, and finally design the blade cover. As always I am all for feedback and input. Feel free to comment here or shoot me an email at GondekEDC@gmail.com.

Everyday Carry Fixed Blade Update

I have been playing with many ideas for EDC fixed blades and narrowed it down to three that I was happy with. They are all very different from each other, but I like where they are going. I will only be taking one to the finish line right now and look for help from the community to choose. These are very preliminary designs and expect much finesse in the final design.

The first I am going to call the hole (first on the left). A huge pro for this knife is that you get significantly more blade length without sacrificing how you hold the knife. The blade length is pretty close to the Spyderco Para 3 which is crazy for a 5" fixed blade knife. The con is that the hole forces a wider blade which will make it less EDC friendly.

Option two in the center, which my wife calls the shank, is a small but mightly knife design. The main pros of this design are the great feel in the hand, non-threatening design, and still the robustness of a fixed blade. If I continue with this design I will work on getting more blade length as I feel that is the main con of this style.

Last but not least is option three. I'll call it the cleaver for now and personally it is my least favorite of the three. I wanted to make something with a little more tactical look to it while still keeping it EDC friendly. The tanto blade is less than ideal to sharpen (my opinion) but it looks awesome. I see the aggressive nature of this blade as it's the main downfall since I am trying to make a fixed blade knife that doesn't look too threatening.

With these three options out there I ask for feedback on which one you like the most and why. Also, please note these designs are very preliminary and I will be modifying the look and feel of them. My goal was to make three prototype concepts, pick one, and then finalize it. Thanks so much for the support and feedback on this new adventure. Shoot me an email (gondekedc@gmail.com) or respond to this post with your thoughts.