New Gear Drop: The KA-BAR Elishewitz Pocket Tool Rethinks the Pocket Fixed Blade
Most “EDC fixed blade” talk defaults to the same handful of names. The KA-BAR Elishewitz Pocket Tool — E.P.T. for short — just landed, and it’s worth actually paying attention to, not filing under “yet another fixed blade.”
This is the latest collaboration between KA-BAR and knifemaker Allen Elishewitz, and it’s built around a genuinely different premise than most fixed blades that claim to be pocket-friendly: the sheath rides in your pocket with the blade fully covered, not on a belt. That’s the whole pitch, and the design backs it up.
The Real Numbers
- Steel: Drop-forged 425HC, drop point blade
- Blade length: 2.5″
- Weight: 3.2 oz
- Carry: Reversible loop-over-wire pocket clip, plus a finger ring on the butt end for grip and fast retrieval
- Price: $77.68, available now direct from KA-BAR
Why It’s Worth a Look
425HC isn’t the steel that wins internet arguments, but it’s tough, easy to sharpen in the field, and exactly what you want in a knife meant to actually get used rather than babied. The finger ring is the detail that sells it — a fixed blade that lives in your pocket needs a fast, secure draw, and a ring you can hook mid-motion beats fumbling for a handle every time.
At 3.2 oz, it disappears in a pocket the way a good fixed blade should. This isn’t a knife trying to replace your folder — it’s a genuinely different tool for the jobs a folder is slower at: quick cuts, no unlocking, no one-handed fumbling.
The Take
At under $80 for an Allen Elishewitz design, this earns a real look if pocket-carried fixed blades are already on your radar. It’s not trying to be your only knife — it’s trying to be the one you reach for when a folder is the wrong tool, and on the numbers alone, it does that job well.
