We often feature new knives crafted by giants of the knife industry, from Benchmade to Zero Tolerance. However, we're also always on the lookout for cool designs from up-and-coming knife-makers — some pretty interesting cutting tools can come out of these small workshops, even if they don't have access to exotic materials and millions of dollars in CNC machines. So, when a friend recently showed us an angular handmade neck knife called the Angry Frog, we wanted to know more.

The Angry Frog was crafted by Brian Cornett, the man behind Devil Dog Designs (abbreviated as D3). Brian, a Marine veteran now living in McKinney, Texas, tells us that the idea of designing knives has appealed to him since childhood. His grandfather gave him an old Case Sod Buster, and he quickly began taking an interest in cutting tools. Many years later, after learning to customize some knives he already owned, Brian started making knives from scratch in 2012.

Since each Angry Frog is made by hand, Brian often comes up with unique limited-production textures and finishes.

We asked Brian how he came up with the Angry Frog design, and he explained:

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“I wanted to design some sort of defense tool that was edged, had a secure grip, was small, and was easy to carry or conceal. So, I started sketching and sketching. I had some ideas of what I wanted to do, and came to a basic design for the first “Angry Frog”. It didn't look like the current design — see the pictures below with knife maker Darrell Ralph at my first knife show. Successful knife makers like him, Todd Begg, and Ernest Emerson influenced me, and still do to this day.”

Left: Brian with one of his inspirations, knife designer Darrell Ralph of DDR and DGT. Right: Early Angry Frog...

Brian continued, “After coming up with a design and before hitting the grinder, I wanted to have a proper name for the knife. Bouncing names around in my head, I settled on “Angry Frog”. The origin of the name comes from a shower curtain, of all places. My wife and I had a white shower curtain with Japanese kanji script characters printed on it, and in each corner is the kanji for “love”. She has always said the symbol reminded her of an angry frog — a fitting name for my very first design.”

This unusual name does seem appropriate for Brian's aggressive design, which blends elements of a knuckle duster and a push dagger. Each D3 Angry Frog is cut from tough 52100 high-carbon steel, and features a deep chisel-ground main bevel finished with a two-sided edge grind. Two large holes accommodate the user's index and middle fingers, while a smaller hole provides room for a lanyard. There are also contours and jimping along the butt and spine for added comfort and control.

Brian has made the Angry Frog in a variety of different finishes and textures, from simple stonewashed to hammered, milled, anodized, and acid-etched. Each comes with a fitted Kydex sheath, which can be mounted on a belt, or strung from a lanyard or bead chain as a neck knife. Pricing varies depending on finish, but we've generally seen them going for $100 to $120.

An assortment of the finishes Brian has come up with for the Angry Frog.

To learn more about the Angry Frog and other Devil Dog Designs blades, or to purchase one of your own, contact Brian on Instagram or visit the D3 Facebook page. You can also email him directly at devildogdesign@tx.rr.com.

Written by Patrick McCarthy