PRO'S PICK
Outdoor Edge RazorMax
By Dan Kidder Managing Editor
F
or most tasks, a folding knife will get the job done, from opening boxes to skinning out a deer. But for larger jobs, nothing beats the comfort and rock-solid stability of a fixed blade. For several years, knife users have been able to get the easy use of the Outdoor Edge Razor Safe replaceable blade system in a variety of folding models. Now, they can get that same ease of use in a fixed blade model and have the ability to quickly swap between 3.5-inch drop point blades and 5-inch fillet/ boning blades. The handle is made of a textured thermoplastic rubber, giving you a great gripping surface, even when the handle is slick with blood. A slight thumbrise with jimping provides excellent control for fine work and stability for serious work where significant pressure is required. A bottom quillion molded into the handle helps further guard against forward slippage and keeps your fingers away from the exceptionally sharp blade. This molding provides excellent ergonomics and comfort. Additionally, the TPR is durable and cleans off easily. The handle is available in both blaze orange and in black. The blades attach to a stiffener channel, which the blades slide into, so they have support on either side of the blade. This allows you to still flex the blade significantly without snapping it. Every blade has its snapping point, but I was able to get a good degree of flex without snapping this blade. A big factor in this is the stiffener, which is unique to Outdoor Edge replaceable knives and one of the reasons they are my choice for a replaceable blade. Changing the blades is just as easy as it is on their other Razor Safe Blade systems. Just press a button on the grip and pull the blade forward. To put the new blade in, just
28 November 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS
slide it between the stiffener in the channel and click it into the handle. The RazorMax gives you the versatility of the standard 3.5-inch drop point or the longer and springier 5-inch boning/fillet blade. The RazorMax comes with three of each blade, and replacement packs of blades are easily available and inexpensive. It also comes with a plastic clamshell BladeBox designed to hold a single blade, so when you take a blade out of the plastic vacuum packaging and remove the plastic blade guard, you have a safe way to store it, should you swap between the 3.5-inch and the 5-inch. The black handled knife comes with a black sheath, and the blaze orange handled knife comes with a Mossy Oak camo sheath. The sheath is a hybrid between a polymer sleeve that completely protects the blade and an out Nylon covering. There is also a removable blade pocket with a Velcro closure that can be strapped to the sheath for carrying spare blades and the BladeBox. The sheath is long enough to carry the RazorMax with either blade installed. The overall length of the RazorMax with the 3.5-inch blade installed is 8 inches and it is 9.5 inches with the 5-inch blade. The weight of just the knife is 2.6 ounces, and only 4.7 ounces with the sheath. There are some features of these knives that really make them ideal for game processing, but they also get used on the regular to open boxes. I will warn you that these blades are scalpel-sharp. They have also been used around the Sportsman’s News office to open some thumbs when we get a little careless and when they cut you, they cut you clear to the bone. Fortunately, they are very clean cuts and heal quickly and completely. Be cautious with them, and they will never be a problem. Toss a band-aid in the spare blade pouch in case you get a little careless. They are super easy to clean, and I frequently give them a rinse to remove loose blood, pop out the blade, and Scan this QR Code with toss them in the dishwasher. If you your smart phone to view don’t clean them right after use, you t h e S p o r t s m a n ' s N e w s may need a pair of pliers to tug out the YouTube Channel.
