When you're counting on your knife to perform in demanding conditions, every detail matters. That's why we offer our blades with two exceptional coating options: Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) and Cerakote. Both deliver serious performance benefits, but understanding their differences helps you choose the right tool for your specific needs.

What Makes a Great Blade Coating?

A quality blade coating does more than just look good. It needs to protect your investment from corrosion, reduce friction during cutting tasks, and hold up to whatever abuse you throw at it. Whether you're field dressing game in November rain or cutting through salt-soaked rope on a fishing boat, your coating needs to work as hard as you do.

Diamond-Like Carbon: The Extreme Performance Option

DLC isn't just marketing speak — this coating genuinely transforms the surface of your blade. Through a high-tech vapor deposition process, we apply a layer of carbon that shares some properties with actual diamonds. The result? A surface that's incredibly hard (up to 5000 Vickers hardness) and slick enough to slice through materials with noticeably less resistance.

What really sets DLC apart is its molecular bond with the steel. This isn't a coating that sits on top of your blade — it becomes part of the blade itself. That means no chipping, no peeling, and no wearing through to bare steel, even after years of hard use. The deep black finish also eliminates any tactical concerns about light reflection.

For those who demand absolute peak performance, DLC offers something special: that buttery-smooth cutting feel that makes tough jobs feel easier. When you're breaking down a whole elk or working through a pile of wet cardboard, that reduced friction translates to less fatigue and more precise cuts.

Cerakote: The Proven Protector

Cerakote has earned its reputation through millions of hours in the field. This ceramic-based coating provides outstanding corrosion resistance and comes in a range of colors to match your preferences or requirements. Originally developed for firearms, Cerakote brings that same bomb-proof protection to knife blades.

The application process involves careful surface preparation followed by spray application and heat curing. The result is a uniform coating that bonds tightly to the steel, creating a barrier against moisture, chemicals, and wear. Cerakote excels in marine environments and anywhere corrosion resistance is paramount.

One advantage of Cerakote is its versatility. Need a specific color for agency requirements? Cerakote can do that. Want to match your knife to other gear? No problem. This flexibility, combined with proven performance, makes Cerakote a solid choice for many users.

Making the Right Choice

Both coatings will protect your blade and enhance its performance — the question is which one aligns better with your priorities.

Choose DLC when:

• Maximum edge performance is critical

• You want the slickest possible cutting action

• Extreme hardness and wear resistance matter most

• You prefer the tactical advantage of a non-reflective black finish

Choose Cerakote when:

• Color options are important for your application

• You need proven corrosion resistance at a lower price point

• You want a coating with an extensive track record

• Versatility matters more than absolute peak performance

The Bottom Line

We don't offer any coatings we wouldn't trust on our own knives. Both DLC and Cerakote represent serious technology applied by skilled American craftsmen. DLC pushes the boundaries of what's possible in surface hardness and cutting performance, while Cerakote delivers proven protection that's earned the trust of professionals worldwide.

Your knife is a tool that needs to work when everything else fails. Choose the coating that matches how you'll use it, and you'll have a blade that performs at its peak for generations.

Have questions about which coating is right for your needs? Drop us a line. We're a small American family business, and we actually answer our emails. We'd rather help you get the right knife the first time than sell you something that doesn't fit your requirements.

Because at the end of the day, the best knife is the one that does exactly what you need it to do.