KTSM News – Rough Edge EDC: A gentleman’s carry? Work knife? How about a little of both

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – Is it a gentleman’s carry? A work knife?

Or a combination of the two?

Those questions popped into my mind when I took my first look at the RoseCraft Blades EasTenn.

The EasTenn is the last one in a box of modern knives that were sent to me earlier this year by the Tennessee-based company.

Note: They provided the knives to look at and review but there were no restrictions on what I could say.

RoseCraft Blades EasTenn closed up is nearly all black with a pop of orange around the pivot. Photo by Dave Burge/KTSM

Let’s take a look at the eighth and final offering from that box of knives.

First off, the knife’s name of EasTenn stands for East Tennessee, which is a homage to where the company is located.

Now to the knife.

So I don’t keep you in suspense, here is my verdict on those questions I asked at the top of this column.

This knife is a little of both. It feels like a nice work EDC knife with a gentleman’s vibe to it.

The first thing that really pops out are the black G10 handles that have a slight bow to them.

The G10 is so well done that it almost looks and feels like micarta with some “waves” or “grains” clearly visible in the handles.

The bow isn’t as pronounced as the Bowfin, profiled earlier, but it does make this knife fit comfortably in hand.

It is nearly all black when folded up, except for a pop of orange around the pivot and the steel button lock. That really gives this knife a distinct look – all black with a little pop of color.

RoseCraft Blades EasTenn with its blade deployed. You can clearly see the pop of orange around the pivot and the two-tone blade. Photo by Dave Burge/KTSM

Even the folded-down blade is black, but there is a surprise in store when you open the knife up.

The modified RPM9 drop-point blade is two-toned – part black-coated and part satin.

Overall, the knife has an understated but classy look to it.

It has two deployment methods – a front flipper and the button lock itself.

I am normally not a front flipper fan, but this knife just seems to have it down. The front flipper is super simple and intuitive.

Using the button lock also makes for a smooth method of opening and closing this knife.

Other features include a reversible pocket clip and a hidden lanyard hole.

Let’s take a look at some numbers. The blade is 3.2 inches long. The knife is 4.3 inches long when closed, 7.5 inches when open and weighs 4.4 ounces, giving this knife some heft.

After taking a look at eight RoseCraft moderns over the first half of this year, I have to say their modern offerings are highly underrated and fly under the radar with knife collectors.