Rugged. Bold. Stout. These are but a few manly words that come to mind when browsing through the masterful blade work of Daniel Winkler Knives. These days, forged cutlery seems to be an oddity in the market due to mass production. However, Daniel Winker, master Bladesmith, has combined the traditional craft of metalwork & tradition and shaped a selection of blades that are unique, versatile, and spectacular in their own regards.

The blades, which have found their way on the consumer market such as the set of Last of the Mohicans and in teams from the United States and Allied Special Operations, are hand-forged and crafted based on an individual’s specifications and needs.

Quality and Design like No Other

The blades, forged by the hands of the Master Bladesmith (honored by the American Bladesmith Society), has seen its share of awards, including:

• 1998 – BLADE Magazine “Best Utility Hunter”
• 2002 – “Best of the West” Best Knifemaker
• 2009 – Most Innovative Design

The traditional blades, ones designed that you would happen across in the early America’s, use some of the most rugged materials available to a Bladesmith such as Damascus, Elk antler, rawhide, antique steel & patina, and even items like horse hair and beads for a flourish.

The types of blades that fall under the “traditional” label include:

• Belt knife
• Bowies
• Camp knife
• Hawks
• Hunters
• Patch knife

A second set of offers by Daniel take the tactical angle through a variety of belt, field, hunting, and military-grade knives, and onward to other blades such as rescue & stealth axes, tactical daggers, and a jungle knife perfect for cutting down large brush.

To put things into perspective: many of Daniel’s knives are in use by Naval Special Warfare Development Groups and other special forces – so if the military and those readily seeing combat rely on the blades by Daniel than you can rest assured they’re going to live up to your demands.
The simplicity of the design and features is what makes many individuals flock to the blades offered by Daniel; they strip the conventional, mass-produced feeling that so many knives have seem to adopt and brings it back to the true feeling of a sturdy, reliable, cutting tool.
Likewise, sheaths for the blades have been extensively field tested for practical use though many owners have made their own modes to accommodate their style.

Overall, the keen eye and commitment to high-quality materials under the control of Daniel’s talent has forged a series of knives that will not only have you doing a double take but will become the dream of any individual that needs a blade they can rely on.

Overview

Holding a knife can immediately swell emotions of the rugged outdoors even if you’re the city type. The blades are of high enough quality and design that they could be framed or used as a gift but the real value is their usage out in the wild – so keep that in mind while choosing your knife.

The blades, by Daniel, come at a hefty price but the level of workmanship that goes into each warrants the price especially when you need a reliable piece to get the job done. Availability, due to the extensive time to forge the blades and high demand for Daniel’s work, can be scarce so it’s important to get in touch through his website in order to know of the next available listing otherwise you could place a custom order for a unique blade to your specifications.

Father’s Day is just a week away, so this week we focused quite a bit on our Father’s Day Gift Guide. It’s one of the easier holidays to shop for as we mostly consider stuff we like as well, so there’s plenty of booze and gear, and Matt Byrd gave us his 10 best video games for dad. Of course there’s plenty more going on, so here’s some good stuff from the past week:

- In his review of “Prometheus,” David Medsker called it “the most gorgeous space monster movie you’ve ever seen” and he also gave it 3.5 stars.

- Meanwhile, “The Avengers” has had an incredible run at the box office. Read our review if you haven’t seen it yet.

- In the TV world, “Game of Thrones” wrapped up its second season on HBO. Read about the last episode in Nate Kreichman’s blog and you can catch up on all of our reviews and cast interviews on our new Game of Thrones Fan Hub. As this show is ending, “True Blood” returns for a new season which we hope is better than the last one . . .

- We also have to admit we have a thing for Callie Thorne (see her below). You’ll remember her as McNulty’s ex-wife in “The Wire,” but she really caught our attention as one of Hank Moody’s casual hookups in Season 4 of “Californication.” Now she stars in “Necessary Roughness” and Will Harris got to speak with her and other cast members as they start season two.

- We traveled to Nashville to test drive the all-new Nissan Altima, which should be a real winner in its category, and we also reviewed the 2013 Chevy Malibu Eco. This week we’ll be heading out to Utah to drive the new Ford Mustang on a track!

- In a much more serious article, Mike Furci gives some great advice on how to avoid cardiovascular disease.

- In a new playlist feature, Fitz & the Tantrums drummer John Wicks’ lists his favorite songs of the moment.

- Ever have a Corpse Reviver #2? Check out Bob Westal’s latest Drink of the Week selection.

Callie Thorne in “Necessary Roughness”

In honor of their victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl, we had the beautiful Bullz-Eye model Brittany Myers pose in a New Orleans Saints jersey to celebrate the victory.

Our sports editor Anthony Stalter predicted a New Orleans victory (I owe him a six pack) so hopefully you followed his advice and had reason to celebrate as well.

We have another photo of Brittany sporting her Saints jersey after the jump. Check back soon for more photos of Brittany in our Blast from the Past section as Paul Miller got some great photos of her next to an incredible Lamborghini.