EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – “A hobby with friends, not a business with customers.” Ohio-based knife retailer C. Risner Cutlery prominently displays those words on its website. Over the past several months, I have gotten to know the company’s owner Austin Jackson, a Marine Corps veteran and the grandson of company founder Clarence Risner. What is EDC? Here is a look at some daily carry item Austin is part of an online knife group, Saturday Knife Live, that is hosted and spearheaded by YouTuber Big Red EDC. Regular readers of this space know I am active in that group and consider JB, the creative force behind Big Red EDC, to be my main mentor in this hobby. A C. Risner Cutlery-branded Kentucky Holler Jack with a brown leather slip, also from C. Risner Cutlery. Photo by Dave Burge/KTSM Austin grew up around pocket knives and took over his grandfather’s knife business when he died in 2016. He has run it since then with a love for traditional knives but with a modern sensibility. Anyway, that’s a long-winded intro to this week’s column. I’ve made several smaller purchases from C. Risner Cutlery, which has a great website and even better website name, TraditionalPocketKnives.com. Last month, I broke down and made my first significant purchase from C. Risner Cutlery – a birthday present for myself.  Rough Edge EDC: RoseCraft balances function, craftsmanship What I ended up with was an exclusive C. Risner Cutlery-branded knife that Austin designed himself – called a Kentucky Holler Jack.  This knife comes in several different flavors, but what I picked out was one with yellow smooth bone handles. It also has a spearpoint blade, which I find to be a very handy and useful blade shape. Austin says his goal with his C. Risner-branded knives is to “offer unique high-quality knives that stand out in both design and function.” “I focus on traditional patterns with modern materials and craftsmanship, giving collectors and users something fresh yet timeless,” Austin says. A Kentucky Holler Jack from C. Risner Cutlery and a brown leather slip. Photo by Dave Burge/KTSM The Kentucky Holler Jack is a tribute to his grandfather, he said, and his grandfather's roots and connection to the Bluegrass State.  This knife is also Austin’s take on the classic one-bladed traditional jackknife, but using modern craftsmanship. The first thing you notice when you open it up – besides the nice box it comes in – are the beautiful yellow bone handles. Rough Edge EDC: Custom fixed blades from Red Beard combine art, function I tend to be a guy who likes earth tones when it comes to my knives. I’m definitely not a flashy knife kind of guy. But the yellow gives it a nostalgic feel. It reminds me of the old-school, yellow-delrin knives my grandfather carried around when I was a boy. I’ve been carrying this one around on and off since I got it late February. Anyway, this knife has a great fit and finish – beautiful smooth bone handles, immaculate back spring and bolsters and screws that are totally flush to the handle. One thing that really stands out about the design is a cutout into the handle – an area where you can easily “pinch” the blade and open it up, instead of using the long-pull nail nicks that are provided on each side of the blade. It just makes the knife so simple and easy to open up. Just love that. When the blade is deployed, that cutout ends up being a place where your third (ring) finger can rest perfectly. A Kentucky Holler Jack from C. Risner Cutlery with the box it came in and some decals. Photo by Dave Burge/KTSM Here are some other impressions: The walk and talk is great – snappy with a strong half-stop. The back part of the blade has some jimping where your thumb can rest when using the knife, giving you better control when making precise cuts. Rough Edge EDC: Olight leading way with ‘flat’ flashlights The knife is smaller than expected but it feels great in hand. It just works. When you choke up, my whole hand fits on this knife.  Here’s some numbers, though these hardly tell the story: The spearpoint blade is 2.5 inches long with a 2.25 cutting edge. The knife is 3.5 inches when closed, 6 inches when open and weighs 2.9 ounces. It was manufactured by Chinese knife maker QSP, which makes some fine knives under its own brand.  What Austin came up with in the Kentucky Holler Jack is a nearly flawless knife that combines tradition with a modern twist and flair.  As of this writing, the yellow-bone version of the knife is still available on the C. Risner Cutlery website and is listed for $110. It is also available with stag handles for $120. The versions made with abalone handles and red smooth bone handles are sold out.  I also purchased a “buck brown” leather slip from C. Risner Cutlery to carry this knife in. In total, I paid $140 for knife and slip. If you are a regular reader of this space, you know I am a budget knife guy and this is about three times what I normally spend on just one knife. To me, it was well worth the price and this knife and slip constitute a new and prized addition to my EDC and knife collection. Here is a link to the C. Risner Cutlery website, a link to the Kentucky Holler Jack and to a bit of history about the company.  Besides its exclusive C. Risner Cutlery-branded knives, the company also is a RoseCraft Blades dealer and sells more than a dozen other brands. Here are some YouTube channels on knives and EDC that I find informative. Big Red EDC Zach’s Stuff Uncommon EDC Baxters Blades “Tired Tiger” J.O. Ventures Outdoors Red Beard Knife and Tool Sanctified Leather Southern Knife Life Knife Delights The Cutting Edge (Formerly Last Chance Knives) HT’s EDC KnivesFAST Surviving the Daily OFather EDC HVAC Budget Pens and Pen Blades Moorlander EDC ...read more read less