Ace of Blades Apparel is a blade-themed apparel company that offers high-quality, American-made clothing with one-of-a-kind designs that allow the knife enthusiast to express their love for edged weapons. Ace of Blades Apparel was started in 2014 by two full-time Law Enforcement Officers, Mark McCool Jr. and Ruben Meneses, who both had a passion for knives. After looking at all of the gun-themed apparel companies and realizing that there were no apparel companies out there that catered to the knife culture, they decided to change that by starting their own blade-themed apparel company.
The next logical progression for a company that markets to the knife culture would be to integrate an actual knife into their clothing. Enter the Ace of Blades Knife Club Hoodie! This industry first incorporates a lightweight, non-metallic knife & sheath into the front pocket of an extremely comfortable hoodie, a combination that will ensure you are both armed and stylish at all times.
At the start of this project, Mark McCool contacted me to ask if I could recommend a knifemaker to do a non-metallic knife for their hoodie. Without hesitation, one of the first knifemakers to come to mind was Travis Wilson at TW Brands Gear. Travis is the only person I know who exclusively makes non-metallic knives, and he does it well. I put McCool in contact with Watson, and the rest is history. I guess you could say I was the matchmaker in this relationship.
The KC hoodie incorporates the TW Brands Gear Tag knife into the front hand-warmer pocket using a split hook and loop attachment point at the top of the pocket. This allows the sheath to be securely mounted in either a left or right-handed configuration. This location places the knife at your fingertips whenever your hands are casually resting inside the pocket.
The Tag is a small, four-inch knife with an inch-and-a-half blade length. The accompanying sheath consists of rivetless molded Kydex with a wraparound hook and loop material for mounting to the attachment point inside the sweatshirt. The knife and sheath combination weighs less than one ounce (0.8oz), making its presence virtually unnoticeable to the wearer.
As with all TW Brands Gear knives, the Tag is manufactured out of layers of fiberglass and epoxy resin compressed under enormous pressure and heat. The material is very light, but strong, stable, and water resistant. The knife takes and holds an edge surprisingly well. As should be expected, these types of knives are not suited for many of the cutting tasks of a traditional steel blade; however, non-metallic knives such as the Tag are not meant to replace your steel knife, but to provide a second layer of defense. The Tag can be sharpened using an emery board or a fine to extra-coarse diamond honing block.
The Tag is very ergonomic and a fine product by itself, but pair it with the KC hoodie and you have a match made in heaven. The black Ace of Blades hoodie with its contrasting white discharge printed artwork will make any knife fanatic proud to be part of the “club.” The artwork on the back is a spinoff of the patch template popular with many motorcycle clubs, so it is sure to turn some heads your way.
If you are looking for a concealed blade carry option for when the weather is a little brisk, the Ace of Blades Knife Club Hoodie is an excellent option. The Knife Club Hoodie with the Tag knife included retails for $90. You can also visit Ace of Blades Apparel to check out their other knife-themed apparel items. Also, be sure to give them a follow on Instagram and like them on Facebook.
Photo Credits: Chad McBroom
