Emperor Bushcraft Knife, D2 Steel, 1/4" Thickness

Constructed of a quarter inch thick slab of D2, the Emperor is a hefty bushcraft knife that's bad ass — well deserving of the space in the middle. This example stands at an overall length of 12-3/8" with an effective blade length of 7". Because all Flightless Forge knives are hand made, there is some variance from piece to piece.



The Emperor is the design that started me on my knife making journey, and it's the sum total of all of the features I like from several of my camp knives all rolled into one and, how shall I phrase this? Significantly upscaled. This includes a broad flat ground blade starting a 1/4" thick, terminating in a durable axelike edge grind. There's a huge choil at the base of the edge about the size of a US quarter, which is big enough to get even a gloved index finger into. This combined with the rear thumb ramp provides a confident and intuitive grip.



The handle is 3D printed in ABS for heat and impact resistance. It's not Micarta, G-10, or wood. This is the Emperor's party trick: Unlike its peers, the scales are easily dismounted. Three hollow 10mm bolts secure the handle to the tang and allow cordage to be passed through and can be undone with a 5mm Allen key. Fear no breakage, scratches, or scuffs — If you mess up your handles, they're easily replaced.

For some added visual appeal, I typically insert several color changes into the print, which in keeping with tradition around here is a manual and labor intensive process because I do not have a fancy printer with an automatic filament changer. A set of striking green bands accent the otherwise black scales and, if you ask me, look boss as all hell.



This matches the included Kydex sheath, which has a groovy topographic map inspired pattern that is, alas, not quite exactly the same shade of green but it's pretty damn close. Given that the Emperor is my baby, I'm sure I'll forever be messing with the details, tuning, improving, and coming out with new cosmetic designs. Watch this space; more style options will surely be available soon.

The sheath is Tek-Lok compatible, and includes a 4" webbing belt strap which hangs the knife just below the hip. You'd better make sure you have a pair of pants with belt loops spaced far apart enough for this!



There can only be one Emperor with serial number 1. Okay, okay, it follows that there will only be one with number 2, and 3, and so on. But you know what I'm getting at.



Think how rad you'll look with the Emperor on your belt. There's no guarantee it'll give you any better luck with the ladies at the campsite, but it's worth a shot, right?