Knife of the Week: Knives by Nuge Wicket XL

Welcome to Knife of the Week! Each week the Offgrid Editorial Team will highlight one of their favorite knives. These will range from time tested classics to the newest cutting edge designs. You won’t find any glorified box openers here, each featured knife will be a purpose driven outdoor, bushcraft, survival, or tactical tool that is ready to work when you need it the most! This week’s feature is the Knives by Nuge Wicket XL.

The Knives by Nuge Primitive Wicket XL with G10 Handles and heat treat finish 80CRV2 High Carbon Steel

Knives By Nuge Wicket XL Specs

• Type: Outdoor/EDC
• Configuration: Compact Fixed Blade
• Blade Length: 3-inches
• Blade Grind: Scandi, Saber, or Full Flat Grind
• Blade Steel: Nitro-V, AEB-L, 80CRV2, and more.
• Handle Length: 3.5-Inches
• Handle Material: G10, Micarta, and Epoxy Jute Wrap
• Sheath: Kydex, Leather Pocket Sheath, and Leather Belt Sheath
• MSRP: $265-$345
• Manufactured in: USA

Full Flat Grind Custom Signature Series Wicket XL

Knives By Nuge Wicket XL Description

Knives by Nuge is owned by Tom Nugent and is run out of a small shop in the mountains of New Jersey. Tom specializes in making outdoor and self-defense fixed blades that are rooted in his experiences as a police officer and life-long hunter, fisherman, and lover of wild places. Every knife that comes from Knives by Nuge is either handmade by Tom himself or produced in the USA to his exacting standards.

The Wicket XL is an evolution of his breakout model the Wicket, which is a small neck knife. Tom’s customers loved the design and wanted a larger variant and so the Wicket XL was born! While still compact, the Wicket XL offers a full handle grip and a 3-inch blade making it ideal as a EDC fixed blade for daily tasks and an easy to carry outdoor knife.

Primitive Wicket XL with Jute Wrap

Subscribe Today and Save!

The Wicket XL has been made in a few different steel options with a common theme, they are all made from tough steel designed to take on hard use tasks while also being easy to sharpen in the field. Knives by Nuge offers the XL in either a scandi grind or a saber grind. In theory the scandi is ideal for bushcraft and other wood processing tasks while the saber makes a better hunting and game processing knife. In reality, either will work well for all these tasks thanks to Tom’s meticulous hand sharpened edges. There is also an increasingly uncommon flat grind variant for those looking to maximize slicing ability.

The handle scales on the Wicket XL have good variety including standard G10 and Micarta options, hand-textured G10 and Micarta, and even an epoxy soaked jute wrap for those who want to keep it slim as possible.

The available sheaths also have a lot of variety. A few options include a standard kydex sheath for scout carry and a kydex ambidextrous pocket sheath. For those looking for a more traditional sheath option there are also leather belt and pocket sheath available made by Badger Claw Outfitters.

From top to bottom: Wicket, Wicket XL, Big Boi

Overall, the Knives by Nuge is a great all around fixed blade. It feels great in the hand, built like a tank, and both the hand made and semi-production variants have high quality and fit and finish standards. From tackling every day cutting tasks around the yard or at work to being a reliable hunting, fishing, and bushcraft companion it is easy to see why the Wicket XL is such an in-demand knife! As mentioned earlier there is an ultra compact Wicket for those who love the design but need to be for discreet. There is also a full sized Big Boi if you are looking to do some serious outdoor work!

Check out the Wicket XL and the rest of the Knives by Nuge Line up Here!

Check Out these In-Depth Off Grid Knife Reviews

Blade Magazine

Need more Knife Content? Check out Blade Magazine for the latest and greatest knife news!

Written by Nick Italiano