We’re big fans of MKC’s Blackfoot Blade, a lightweight and compact hunting knife that’s powerful enough to field dress an elk completely. It’s a great addition to anyone’s hunting stash. With its blackout and black-and-green color schemes, it’s also one intimidating knife. In case you want the same function with a bit less of the menacing vibes, you may want to check out the Forloh Blackfoot Blade, a special edition sold exclusively by the hunting apparel outfit.
That’s right, it’s a Forloh-branded version of MKC’s backcountry blade that won’t make you look like a dyed-in-the-wool, veteran hunter who only cracks a smile after he takes down the biggest moose this side of the county. Instead, it’s clad in a more approachable colorway – you know, the kind that the novice hunter in your group is carrying, so you can’t get mad at him when he messes up a hunt that you’ve been setting up all morning. That way, you get to enjoy all the benefits of MKC’s hunting essential without looking like you’re supposed to know what you’re doing. Because… let’s face it… you don’t.
The Forloh Blackfoot Blade has the same construction as the standard MKC variant. As such, you get a blade cut in 52100 high-carbon ball bearing steel that’s been cryogenically heat-treated to provide the perfect balance of toughness and edge retention. That blade is able to perform durably while being thinner than your typical hunting blade, which allows it to be easily sharpened even with a small stone. In fact, the outfit claims, the edge can be maintained even by novice knife owners, with very little specialized skills necessary. While it doesn’t get the murdered-out finish of the original knives, it still gets a parkerized black finish that should help minimize any rust and glare.
As we said, it uses a thin blade, which is one of the reasons why it’s able to tip the scales at a light weight of 2.9 ounces. The tang also has two hollows cut into the center of the handle section, which makes it even lighter. Aside from the reduced heft, those hollows provide a place for the epoxy to bond the steel and the handle material, which make them doubly functional.
The Forloh Blackfoot Blade measures 7.75 inches long, with the blade taking up 3.5 inches of that length. It uses G10 scales for the handle that have been bonded to the steel using epoxy and further secured in place with screws, so the handle won’t be coming off easily. A Kydex sheath with a quick-attach loop is included with the knife, so you can easily attach it to your belt to keep it within easy reach in the field. The loop on the sheath can be moved to different positions, by the way (there are five holes), so you can adjust it as you need, depending on how you want to carry the knife. They also offer an optional tech lock for even more versatile mounting options.
The Forloh Blackfoot Blade is available now, priced at $300.