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Knives by Nuge hit the scene a few years back with a variety of fixed blades designed for hard outdoor use, including hunting, fishing, bushcraft, and general wilderness survival tasks. Knives by Nuge owner and bladesmith Tom Nugent incorporates his personal passions for the great outdoors and former profession as a police officer into each design to create highly functional purpose-driven knives. Combining his thoughtful design process with a meticulous eye for detail and dedication to constantly improving his products led to early success with his well-known Wicket model.
While the Wicket remains a popular and versatile knife for outdoor, hunting, and EDC use, Nugent’s own experiences using his Wicket XL when hunting led to the creation of the latest Knives by Nuge models, the Bruin and the Cub.
The Cub retains the design features that drive the performance of the Bruin, but in a compact form factor.
Origins of the Bruin
As Nugent tells it, he was processing a deer using one of his personal Wicket XL’s, and it was doing a good job. However, at times, he wished he had a longer and slightly narrower blade. For the average joe, that may have simply been a passing thought. But for Nugent it was something that burned in his brain for the rest of the trip. If he was looking for a better experience while processing game, then chances are his customers would be too. Upon his return from the trip, Nugent set out into his small New Jersey shop to bring his idea to life.
Taking some inspiration from the handle of one discontinued model and the blade shape of another, Nugent came up with a sketch and fired up his belt grinders to create the first prototype of what would eventually become the Bruin.
Both the Bruin and Cub ship with leather sheaths made by Badger Claw Outfitters. The Bruin is made for belt carry, while the Cub is made for pocket carry.
Prototype Testing
Testing begins with Nugent using the knife not just for its intended purpose but for all kinds of EDC and outdoor tasks. The Bruin was to be an excellent option for hunters and fishers, but he wanted to ensure that it was a functional all-around user. The second phase of testing involved having a group of trusted professionals use the knife. I was fortunate enough to be a part of this group and honored to play a small role in bringing an excellent knife to the market. The result of our testing of the original Bruin prototype brought about some minor changes in blade length and changes in the handle design. Quite a few of us also mentioned that the design would make a great bushcraft knife if it had a Scandi grind.
The DCC clip on the Cub sheath allows comfortable and secure pocket carry similar to a folding pocketknife.
The Final Model
The result of over 18 months of development, prototyping, and testing was the finalized Bruin being offered in both a saber grind geared toward hunting and general use, and a Scandi grind for those looking for a more dedicated woods knife. The finalized version of the Bruin featured a 3.75-inch blade with an overall length of 8.25 inches. Nugent opted to utilize premium CPM-3V blade steel for its incredible durability and edge retention.
Like all outdoor-oriented Nuge knives, the Bruin has a 90-degree spine for striking ferrocerium rods and performing general scraping tasks. The standard handle scale options include assorted Micarta or G10 options for positive grip retention and durability, though several one-offs with unique and exotic handle materials pop up from time to time.
The Bruin is an adventure ready do-all adventure knife.
From Bruin to Cub
During the testing process some of the finalized Bruin prototypes had custom-made Kydex sheaths. While the Bruin does fit in the pockets of tactical or outdoor-oriented pants, it is a bit unwieldy for EDC carry, but what if the Bruin was smaller?
For those unfamiliar with archaic middle Dutch, the word “bruin” means brown, but it is most associated with the name of a bear in folklore. With that, Nugent decided the natural name for a smaller Bruin would be the Cub.
Like its larger predecessor, the Cub experienced an intensive process of brainstorming, prototyping, and testing. While this ran slightly shorter at around 12 months, shrinking a knife is a lot easier than it sounds. Shortening the blade is one thing, but keeping the same ergonomic feel on a smaller handle requires significant testing and tweaking to ensure it remains comfortable in different-sized hands and maintains the same feel in use.
The Cub made its debut at Blade Show Atlanta 2025, with positive reception from both Knives by Nuge regulars and those passing by the booth and seeing Nugent’s knives for the first time.
The Cub fits in well with any EDC lineup due to a compact form factor and versatile design.
A Versatile Outdoor Tool
I have been using a Scandi grind version of the Bruin for many months now as one of my primary outdoor knives. As one would expect with a Scandi, the Bruin does an amazing job in wood processing tasks. The Scandi blade bites into wood, making it easy to remove both large and small amounts during carving tasks. The contoured G10 handle scales offer great grip in wet or dry conditions and combined with the 3.5-inch blade make detailed work quite manageable.
Recently, I attended an event with iconic knife designer and jungle guide Joe Flowers. During the event, Flowers guided me through performing some knife-related wilderness survival tasks with the Bruin, and I found the 3/32 inch CPM-3V blade to be ideal for performing tasks like batoning, snapcutting saplings, and harvesting fatwood.
Unlike many production knives, the Bruin features a hand-ground 90-degree spine, which makes striking ferro rods easy, which in turn makes the essential wilderness survival skill of fire starting using natural materials much easier.
Nugent with his prototype Sheepsfoot Cub. (Photo by Reuben Bolieu)
The EDC Option
Performance-wise the Bruin can absolutely handle all your day-to-day tasks like cutting open boxes, piercing that annoying hard plastic packaging that some electronics come in, or slicing your apple at lunchtime. But at 8.25 inches you may find your coworkers and local soccer moms giving you some sideways glances in urban and suburban environments. Of course, that is where the Cub comes in.
Starting from an EDC perspective, the Cub differentiates itself from its larger predecessor in a few ways. First, the overall size is 1.25 inches smaller than the Bruin, and the blade is a whole inch less. From an EDC standpoint, most people will not miss the extra inch of blade found on the Bruin. Many may even find the smaller Cub easier to manipulate for general EDC tasks.
This will make you look a little less like John Rambo when you are using it in public. The Cub also differentiates itself in carry method. While the Bruin comes with a leather belt sheath, the Cub ships with a leather Pocket Sheath. Although a belt sheath is convenient for carry and accessibility in the woods, it tends to stand out at your local ice cream parlor. Carrying a smaller fixed blade in your pocket, it is far easier to be discreet and conceal to avoid unwanted attention.
The two grinds currently available for the Bruin and Cub are Scandi and saber. The Scandi grind is ideal for processing wood and bushcraft tasks, while the saber grind is a great all-around performer.
Scandi vs. Saber Grind
It is commonly known that a Scandi grind is great for wood processing, making it a favorite among bushcrafters. Then, there are those who state Scandi grinds do not perform well in other tasks that require slicing capabilities like game processing, food preparation, and many general EDC tasks. I’m here to tell you that generations of Scandinavian people would disagree with the naysayers, and so do I.
One of the main concerns people have with Scandi grinds is that they tend to have a sharp and toothy, yet somewhat fragile edge, which could absolutely impact the ability to slice and lead to edge damage in certain situations. To combat this, many production knives add a secondary micro bevel to increase edge stability, and one could argue that these grinds are not true Scandi grinds anymore. Knives by Nuge takes a slightly different approach. Instead of adding a secondary micro bevel with a belt sander, Nugent uses a powered leather strop to provide a bit more edge stability while preserving the very sharp edges of traditional Scandi grinds. I’m not here to argue the benefits of either method, but I can say that I have used my Bruin to process both plants and animals, prep camp meals, and just general use in the kitchen during my initial testing, and it performs well in all tasks.
In outdoor use, the Cub is easier to manipulate and control in finer carving tasks and more detailed plant and animal processing tasks. The blade stock is the same across both models, so I wouldn’t expect to see any difference in durability. However, you may find yourself missing that extra inch of blade when processing large animals and batoning wood.
For long-term hard-use tasks, I found the larger handle of the Bruin to cause less hand fatigue, but that is in no way saying that the handle of the Cub is uncomfortable. In regular use, both knives are comfortably ergonomic, provide great grip, and have no hot spots that I could identify.
The saber grind is more than capable of processing wood, but it will perform better in slicing tasks found in game processing and most EDC tasks. Neither grind is inherently better; it just depends on the intended use. For most people, the saber grind will be a better option for EDC and hunting and the Scandi will perform better for bushcraft and carving tasks.
Nugent and his girlfriend, Lauren, are the people behind Knives by Nuge. While Nugent is making knives Lauren is managing customer service, running the laser engraver, and boxing up orders.
Closing Thoughts
Should you get a Cub or Bruin? This really depends on what you are looking for in a knife. If you want a solid EDC knife with significant outdoor chops, the Cub is a great choice. If you are looking for a dedicated midsized outdoor do-all knife, the Bruin is the clear winner. My opinion: If you are an avid outdoors person, you should get both.
I really enjoy working with both knives alone but found that they complement each other very well in outdoor situations. When foraging, processing wood, or prepping a woodland meal, the Bruin is an excellent workhorse for the harder-use tasks, and the Cub really shines when doing more detailed work. This sentiment is echoed by my hunting-oriented associates who have tested both models when processing a kill. They mention relying on the Bruin for its longer reach and the using Cub for areas of the animal where more precise cuts are needed.
The Knives by Nuge Bruin and Cub are both excellent examples of knife designs that come from an experienced knife user. They both pack features that make them an ideal choice for avid outdoors people, but the sized-down Cub allows for double duty as an EDC knife.
Nugent executes his designs well by incorporating premium materials and exceptional fit and finish on every one of his knives. The Wicket family may currently reign as king in the Knives by Nuge lineup, but the sleek design and utilitarian performance of the Bruin and Cub may soon rise to the same level of prestige.
Sparks fly while Tom Nugent is grinding one of his handmade knives.
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Editor's Note: This article has been modified from its original version for the web.