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A Rising Knife Brand Drops Its Most Refined and Capable EDC Folder Yet

Leveraging the competitive advantage of its long sharpening history, an Oregon-based newcomer ups the ante.

Close-up of a black and silver folding knife with a textured brown and black paracord handle.Work Sharp
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By Steve Mazzucchi

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Work Sharp only got into the knife manufacturing game a year ago, but it’s not exactly unfamiliar with bladed objects.

After all, the Ashland, Oregon company has spent the past half-century crafting top-notch sharpening tools, so they know a bit more than your average startup about the cutting edge.

Folding knife with a gray blade marked M390 and a black handle resting on a rusty metal surface.
The Madrone diverges from the RMX’s silhouette with a more dynamically shaped, slightly longer blade and a more angular and ergonomic handle.
Work Sharp

So on the heels of the excellent RMX Series comes an eye-popping new folder that’s equally all killer, no filler. 

Dubbed the Madrone, it is the most refined and capable EDC knife we have seen in some time.

Same grit, different day

While the brand built its rep on sharpeners, it is quickly approaching the point where it’s better known for its actual knives, and this slim keeper certainly adds fuel to that fire. 

Hand holding a folding knife with a silver blade and orange handle against a green leafy background.
With its shapely 4.4-inch handle, strategic choils and spine jimping, the Madrone offers as sure a grip as you can get.

Built in Oregon and named for a hardy regional tree, the Madrone comes out of the gate hot with a 3.25-inch clip point blade made of M390, a super steel prized for its potent edge retention and corrosion resistance.

Machined in-house from a single piece of billet aluminum, the integral handle is perhaps even more noteworthy. 

Three folding knives with silver blades and handles in black, blue, and orange, arranged on weathered wood.
The Madrone comes in three protective Cerakote-powered colors: Black, Blue Titanium and Copper Suede.
Work Sharp

Its one-piece nature keeps the overall weight low (3.3 ounces), spares it from unnecessary failure points and, together with a protective cerakote finish, ensures long-term durability.

Then there is the somewhat polarizing pièce de résistance. 

Hand holding a folding knife with a black handle and silver blade against a green leafy background.
A simple non-reversible deep-carry clip keeps the knife securely in your pocket.
Work Sharp

Most likely born of the brand’s faith in its fans to sharpen and maintain knives themselves, the Madrone mirrors the RMX’s hitherto unique ability to transform from a manual folder to a push-button automatic.

Of course, that part does not happen by itself: you must use the included components and some DIY know-how to make it happen.

Three folding knives with closed blades in blue, black, and orange handles resting on a textured dark surface with coiled brown rope.
The button lock makes one-handed deployment and retraction swift and smooth, no matter whether it is set up for manual or automatic action.
Work Sharp

That particular capability is not for everyone, which is probably why Work Sharp got back to basics with the RMX Thumb Stud, a fan-requested, more traditional take on an EDC folder.

But make no mistake about it: even if you only convert the Madrone once (or not at all), you’ve still got one heck of an EDC knife that will serve you well for years and years to come.

Availability and pricing

The Work Sharp Madrone will be available beginning today at 1 p.m. EST in Black, Copper Suede and Blue Titanium for $180.

About the Author:

Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone’s bike seat is at the proper height.

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