In This Article
Gahagan Customs is owned by Kyle Gahagan an ABS Journeyman Smith, US Army Veteran, and lifelong outdoorsman. Gahagan’s passion for knife making took root in his youth where he would shape various materials into functional tools and began to train with knife makers to hone his skills. Years later after serving in Afghanistan and Iraq with the US Army’s 1st Ranger Battalion Gahagan settled in North Carolina with his wife and rekindled his knife making hobby in his garage. What started as a hobby became a full-time business that is Gahagan Customs. In addition to running his own knife business, Gahagan founded Resilience Forge, an organization that helps provide community and a sense of purpose for Veterans through learning the skills to shape metal into functional tools.
Gahagan’s fixed blade designs are versatile covering compact everyday carry designs, robust outdoor knives, and functional tactical knives. Regardless of which style you are looking for Gahagan’s life experience and passion for thoughtful and functional designs is evident in every knife he makes. Gahagan design ethos is centered in making knives that fist a specific need or solves a problem the person carrying it may have – Gahagan’s Warrior Edge Series is a definitive product of his design ideals. The Warrior Edge Series currently has three models with common design elements.
Ground Branch Tactical Knife
Gahagan designed The Ground Branch Tactical Knife (GBT) in collaboration with Jospeh Teti a Special Operations Veteran with over 20 years of professional experience. One look at the GBT and it is evident that this knife was designed as a functional tactical knife for military and law enforcement use. The GBT comes in at 10 inches over all with 4.76-inch blade finding functional in-between size a compact EDC knife and a full-sized field knife. Though smaller and lighter when compared to a typical field knife the GBT packs many of the same combat and utility features found in its larger counter parts.
The GBT is made from a single piece of .16-inch 80CRV2 high carbon steel ensuring durability in hard use or high stress tasks. The blade offers plenty of functional cutting edge and the blade tip and top swedge ensure optimal piercing performance. The top of the blade offers a serrated portion that can be used to cut through fibrous materials including rope and seatbelts if needed. Behind the serrated area is a nice sized “thumb ramp” that can be used to provide control when performing more detailed tasks. The rear portion of the blade offers guards on both the top and the bottom to ensure your hand isn’t accidentally slipping onto the blade during use.
The handle is contoured and features textured micarta handles ensuring durability and grip even when wet. The rear of the hand offers a textured striking area that doubles as a retention point in some grip styles. The contoured handle feels good in the hand with or without gloves.
The kydex sheath has excellent retention but provides a smooth draw. The sheath offers a textured area that allows you to push your thumb down on making blade draw easier and serves as a reminder that that is the top of the blade, so you know exactly where your edge is when unsheathing the knife. The Sheath is configured to accept numerous attachment point options that allow versatility in carry style.
Spec Sheet
- Overall Length: 10″
- Blade Length: 4.76″
- Blade Thickness: .16″
- Overall Weight: 6.49 oz
- Blade Steel: 80CRV2
- Handle Material: Canvas Micarta
- Sheath: Black Retention Sheath
- Manufactured: Made in the USA
Combat Applications Group Knife
The Combat Applications Group Knife retains many of the features that make the GBT shine with some distinctive design changes. The CAG comes in at 10.5 inches overall and features a 5 3/8th inch Wharncliffe blade.
Wharncliffe style blades provide a straight cutting edge and a fine tip. The Wharncliffe fine tip allows for more precise cutting in detailed applications and has excellent piercing capabilities. The sloping of the Wharncliffe blade provides some tip reinforcement combined with tough 80CRV2 steel makes it durable for tactical applications. The straight edge of the Wharncliffe may not be ideal for angled slicing tasks or processing game, it does perform very well for cutting, carving, and slicing on flat surfaces. The straight edge is also easier to sharpen compared to blades with a prominent belly.
In addition to the longer Wharncliffe blade the CAG also offers a few more handle material options including a variety of micarta and G10 colors. Like the GBT, the CAB knife has serrations on the spine, blade guards, textured striking surface on the handle, and a versatile kydex sheath.
Spec Sheet
- Overall Length: 10.5″
- Blade Length: 5 3/8″
- Blade Thickness: .165″
- Overall Weight: 6.5 oz
- Blade Steel: 80CRV2
- Handle Material: Canvas Micarta or G10
- Sheath: Black Retention Sheath
- Manufactured: Made in the USA
Regimental Reconnaissance Company Knife
The Regimental Reconnaissance Company Knife (RCC) comes in at the same overall size as the GBT knife at 10 inches overall – the major difference is the RCC’s 5-inch tanto blade. The tanto provides an incredibly durable tip for piercing tasks and a strong angular blade. Tanto-style blades are almost exclusively used on tactical knives for their durability. Beyond combat applications Tanto blades can provide a host of utility functions. Tanto’s perform well in scraping and digging tasks. The reinforced tip can pierce hard or dense materials while reducing the likelihood of major blade damage this can include cans and car doors. The secondary edge is helpful in detail work and like the Wharncliffe tanto’s perform well in flat surface cutting. Best practices will tell you not to use a knife as a pry bar, but in a pinch, I’d use a tanto blade over other blade styles. The Tanto blade angles are also easy to sharpen in the field.
All the benefits to the tanto’s blade style are further enhanced by Gahagan’s use of tough 80CRV2 steel. Like the other knives in the Warriors Edge series the RCC has the blade guards, textured strike surface, textured handle scales, partially serrated spine, and versatile sheath.
Spec Sheet
- Overall Length: 10″
- Blade Length: 5″
- Blade Thickness: .165″
- Overall Weight: 6.62 oz
- Blade Steel: 80CRV2
- Handle Material: Canvas Micarta or G10
- Sheath: Black Retention Sheath
- Manufactured: Made in the USA
Final Thoughts
Gahagan’s Warriors Edge series offers the versatility of a full-sized tactical field knife in an easier to carry package. Ranging from 10 to 10.5 overall inches, none of these knives can be considered small but their slim design makes them easier to conceal if needed. The thick blade stock, durable 80CRV2 steel, and well thought feature set provides enough functionality to make any knife if the Warriors Edge series an excellent addition to your chest rig or plate carrier.
Each model in the series has its merits and choosing the right one for you truly depends on how you plan to use it. The GBT is likely the best choice for someone looking for a larger EDC fixed blade that can be used in the widest variety of situations. The CAG’s added half inch really makes the knife feel much larger and is a good option if you are looking for something that is closing in on the full-sized range. If hard use durability is what you are looking for the RCC and its strong tanto blade style will be a good option.
No matter which knife in the Warriors Edge Series you end up choosing you will have a versatile and durable tool designed by people who have seen some of the world’s harshest and most hostile environments – and these knives are built to get through it!
Read More
Don’t miss essential survival insights—sign up for Recoil Offgrid’s free newsletter today!
- ASP Defender Series Pepper Spray
- Garmont Tactical T8 Boots
- Prepping 101: Ultimate Guide to Survival and Emergency Preparedness
- Urban EDC
Check out our other publications on the web: Recoil | Gun Digest | Blade | RecoilTV | RECOILtv (YouTube)