Gentleman’s Knife – Ocaso Solstice Review

I’m giving away a brand new Solstice knife to a random winner that enters. This giveaway will end on Friday, May 12 at 6:00 AM EST. There are multiple ways to enter the giveaway.
Enter the giveaway at www.SurviveDoomsday.com/Solstice.

Do you have a knife for every occasion? Is your knife collection complete? Most men are missing one knife in their batch of blades. Do you have a gentleman’s knife?

• You have your everyday carry knife for all-purpose use.
• You’ve got your father’s or your grandfather’s old Buck folding knife. It makes you feel like an old timer when you’re in the woods with your lever action 30-30.
• You’ve got your ultra serious combat survival knife. It keeps you ready for World War Three.
• You’ve got your full tang bushcraft knife. It’s perfect for whittling sticks.
• You’ve got your butter knife for… butter.
• You’ve got your heavy duty chef knife. You use this when you’re trying to fancy yourself a Tick-Tock cooking master.
• You even have a butterfly knife for when you want to play ninja.

You have a knife for virtually every occasion, but what do you take with you when your wife says, “Honey, let’s go out on the town”? Do you have an EDC knife when you need a dress formal for a business meeting? What about a wedding? These knives I mentioned don’t work for formal attire. What do you take when you need to dress to impress?

This article is, in part, a transcript from my video on this very subject. If you’d rather watch than read, see below:

Everyday Carry + Style = Gentleman’s Knife

Speaking strictly from a prepper perspective, there is a greater need for a simple EDC knife and basic bushcraft/survival knife than there is for a gentleman’s knife. Two knives, one in each of those categories, will cover almost every need one could encounter. However, many EDC knives are not designed for fashion, so that makes them an odd pairing for the man who dresses in a suit most days of the week. For him, and EDC knife should probably be a gentleman’s knife.

The gentleman’s knife dates back to the Victorian era when refined men use these tools to showcase their elegance and sophistication. Most men were carrying a pocket knife to sharpen pencils, file nails, and even for eating as silverware was not as common then as it is today. The wealthier men then began looking for something that could match their style. Everyday carry + style = gentleman’s knife. This is why Ocaso refers to the Solstice as “elevated everyday carry.”

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Beyond suit-wearing men, knife collectors often branch out into these knives once they’ve covered other categories of knives. That also makes these knives a great gift ideas for the man that’s hard to buy for.

To be clear, men, your lady also needs a knife. See our article on the Best Pocket Knives for Women.

Ocaso Solstice Review

The Solstice from Ocaso is one of the more stylish gentleman’s knives out there – in my opinion. If you haven’t heard of Ocasa before, it’s because it’s a newer company. I hadn’t heard of them either until I met the founder at Shot Show and included the interview in my video on the most interesting knives at Shot Show 2023.

The Solstice seems to be Ocaso’s standard offering knife, their “anchor” knife if you will.

Designer

Andrew Demko designed The Solstice. He’s well-known in knife design circles and he’s behind Demko Knives. He began his knifemaking career by forging chisels in 1988. Cold Steel, a company known by most knife collectors, picked him up and with them he designed the Tri-Ad Lock, Scorpion Lock, and Shark-Lock. Their team includes Mike Wallace, another well-known knifemaker.

Specifications

The Solstice comes in four different designs:

• carbon fiber handle with satin blade
• carbon fiber handle with black blade
• satin titanium handle with satin blade (my favorite)
• black titanium handle with black blade

The Solstice specifications:

They ship in a triangular shaped box and include a cloth sleeve for storage. The knife is constructed using a liner lock, stainless steel caged bearings, and it comes with an ambidextrous pocket clip, so all of you southpaws out there won’t feel “left” out.

Pricing

“Style” does not necessarily have to mean “expensive.” You don’t have to be a rich prepper to afford The Solstice – or some other gentleman’s knife. The Solstice is priced by model type: $210 for the carbon fiber models and $230-$245 for the titanium models. Those prices are as of the writing of this article. This puts The Solstice price on par with many other, higher-end EDC knives.

A Cut Above

What are your thoughts on The Solstice or some other gentleman’s knife? Do you own one? Do you consider them unnecessary? Sounds off in the comments if you have experience with knives of this caliber.