The best knife oil for your fixed blade isn’t an oil at all — it’s blade wax.
Perhaps the biggest threat to a fixed blade is moisture, which is unavoidable when you’re out in the field. We all know moisture can lead to oxidation and rust — and not even blade oil can prevent that 100% of the time.
That’s why MKC developed our own Blade Wax. Compared to standard blade oil, MKC Blade Wax better shields your tools against the elements that eat away at metal. (We’ll explain how below.)
When you buy an MKC knife, you’re making a generations-long investment. Our Blade Wax keeps your blade from deteriorating so you can pass it along to your children and grandchildren. Simply put, it’s just another way we uphold our Generations® Promise.
What Sets Our Blade Wax Apart?
Not convinced MKC Blade Wax is better than your knife oil? Maybe the secrets behind our wax formula will change your mind.
When we set out to make a blade wax, our primary goal was to create a mixture that would prolong the life of a blade. We build our knives to last generations, after all — we should provide you with a way to maintain them.
The MKC Blade Wax formula is chock full of natural ingredients that protect your investment. The last thing you want is for your knife to degrade early in its life.
Top-Tier Ingredients
Our Blade Wax is made with beeswax from American beekeepers — our next batch as of this writing will come from North and South Dakota. We don’t import beeswax sight unseen. We interact with our beekeepers, watch how they harvest the wax, and make sure it isn’t done in a way that harms the bees.
Foreign beeswax is often cut with paraffin wax, which is odorless, tasteless, and colorless. It may be less expensive, but it’s not pure. At the end of the day, our goal is to manufacture the highest quality products rather than increase our profit margins. That’s why we make our products right here in the United States.
We also mix in top-tier organic carnauba wax. It’s a very hard wax compared to the softer beeswax (in its purest form, it’s known to be harder than concrete!), and it adds durability to our formula.
Our carrier oil is a fractionated coconut oil, as opposed to a cooking coconut oil. We refine it in a way that makes it last longer and ensures it won’t go rancid.
Adding vitamin E to the mix extends the life of our carrier oil. We add two types of vitamin E — a natural that’s as thick as molasses and a thinner synthetic. This way, you don’t have to clean your knife off at the beginning of every hunting season.
Finally, we include a bit of lemon oil. It adds a soothing, clean fragrance to the mixture and also provides the wax with antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. We’re careful not to add too much, because too much can be corrosive on metal — that’s how much thought we put into our formula.
Why Blade Wax Instead of Knife Oil?
Yes, the best knife oil for your blade is actually wax — MKC’s Blade Wax, to be specific.
But why?
As I mentioned earlier, our goal in creating our Blade Wax was to make a product that would last the longest time possible in the field, while also prolonging the life of a blade for as long as possible. Blade Wax was our answer. Whether you’re out in the field for just a day, or you’re out for weeks at a time, wax is a long-lasting substance that prolongs the life of both knife oil and any metal you apply it to.
Of course, you’ll get some protection with a knife oil mixture, but oil washes away much more easily on its own than it does when mixed with wax. Blade wax is a far more resilient product that maintains proper hydration without fail.
That’s why the best knife oil for your fixed blade is really a carefully constructed wax.
by Josh Smith, Master Bladesmith and Founder of Montana Knife Company
