An Unsung Hero: Quantum of Solace’s Hidden Blade

The CRKT Sting is one of my favorite EDC items, and it appears in a blink and you’ll definitely miss it moment in one of my favorite Bond films, Quantum of Solace. In this blog, I will share exactly how I modified the sheath in order to carry it just like Bond. For the past two years I have found this modification to be incredibly functional and concealable. I have walked a handful of people through the process via the DMs on Instagram, and I thought it was finally time to better describe the modifications and give my two cents on the knife as well!

Finding the Knife

A little backstory: In college I was getting frustrated that I had limited access to defensive tools due to rules and regulations. I had lost my preferred folding knife in the last move from campus to home, and so I began looking for a blade that could fill the role as a daily defensive companion, and well as an occasional tool as needed. It didn’t take long for me to do what I always did when I needed something new: that is, refer to the Bond franchise and all of the wonderful tools issued by Q Branch to fulfill my needs.

I promise this serendipitous moment I am about to recall is entirely true!

So, here I was, determined to find a new blade, and I decided to watch Quantum of Solace. I was intently focused on the movie, and lazily scrolling on my phone here and there looking for something to fill my need. Suddenly, I saw it, the CRKT Sting. Literally, in the same day I decided to finally bunker down and find a knife, Quantum delivered the immediate answer.

To say I saw the knife is really not fair. I saw the incredibly brief moment where Bond pulls the knife and sheath from his waistband to hand it over to MI6, in the moments after Fields’ body is discovered. We see Bond flippantly holding the knife in the air, and then it gets at once wrenched from his hands. In the elevator fight that quickly follows (my preference over the Captain America one, with all respect given to Marvel) 007 recovers the knife and uses it to cut his bonds.

The next few hours were spent online, searching forums trying to determine the exact make/model of this knife. After finally feeling confident that it was in fact the Sting, I found the SKU number and immediately sent it over to my friends in purchasing at Frontier Justice for order.

How to Modify the CRKT Sting for Daily Carry

When the Sting arrived, I noticed that the sheath was nothing like Bond’s. The back was covered in a myriad of straps meant for ankle or horizontal small of back carry, while Bond’s had none of these options, and was clearly carried inside the waistband, and vertically. Regardless, I was set on carrying the knife like Bond, so I fell back on a childhood of the A-Team, MacGyver, and Q Branch, and began modifying the sheath to best suit my needs.

Step 1: Lose the Straps

First thing’s first. The straps meant for ankle carry were super easy to remove, and they just fed through two Velcro straps on the back (these two are the ones meant for small of back carry). Once I got those two out of the way, I proceeded to cut the two Velcro straps (which run horizontally across the back of the sheath) off at the base on either side. After that, I burned the excess down and fused it as much as possible with a lighter. As the backside of the sheath is what runs against your body, be sure to fuse whatever you can’t trim off with a lighter. It makes it so much more comfortable; I can assure you.

Step 2: The Clip

The sheath sans straps is really the screen accurate look. It’s clear to me from my **many** viewing of Quantum that they most likely jammed it into Craig’s waistband just so he could pull it out and give it to the MI6 agent with M. It became very clear to me that the prop master was unfortunately not nearly as concerned about the practical application of this kit as I, the obsessive sophomore in college (at the time) was. This did little to deter me, however. As I mentioned above, I grew up with BA Baracus and Desmond Llewelyn’s Q—I wanted to make this work! So, I found this fantastic piece of equipment on the sales floor at work (Frontier Justice) called the UltiClip. At the time it was the only one offered, but now for reference the model I purchased is called “The Classic.”

These clips are meant to replace the oversized polymer clips that come with the majority of the kydex holsters on the market. The larger clips frequently make concealment very difficult, as they print under a variety of clothing. Printing, as a reminder, is when the outline of the firearm or holster is noticeably visible from underneath the piece of clothing meant to conceal it. Rather defeats the idea of “concealed” carry. Anyway, the folks over at UltiClip had the amazing idea to produce an ultra thin and low visibility metal clip to take the place of these burdensome polymer ones.

As I wanted this knife to be a deep carry and incredibly concealed item, this product leapt out at me. Unfortunately, the clip was designed to attach with a screw, like the original clip it would be replacing on the holster, and the CRKT Sting sheath had no such connection point. So, I modified the clip too.

Step 3: Modifying & Attaching the Clip

Using a sanding wheel, I cut the UltiClip off just before its ridge, rounding it off on either side. I then used some sandpaper to take any rough edges off. Next I had to attach it.

I initially had a variety of ideas, including JB Weld, brackets or superglue, but found the simplest idea of all to also be the most practical and functional. Using the blade of the knife, I separated the nylon exterior from the front of the sheath, creating an opening just enough to wiggle the clip into. Sheer friction alone has held my clip steadfastly in place over the past two plus years.

Carrying the Sting

When I am carrying the PPK on the appendix, I carry the Sting inside the waistband at my 9 o’clock. I selected my weak side so that, in the event of having my dominant hand pinned, I could still potentially draw the blade with my left hand to create distance. When I am carrying in my shoulder holster, and the gun is on my left side, or when I am unable to carry a firearm due to where I am, I place the Sting on my strong side, at the three o’clock position.

As the knife is perfectly straight, it happens to conceal perfectly in these positions. I have carried it underneath a tucked in, extra slim fit Charles Tyrwhitt white dress shirt, without a jacket, on numerous occasions without incident. No matter the time of year or attire, it works so well. I’ve hiked, ran, and gone through my daily routines for the past two years with this knife literally right at my side!

The CRKT Sting: My Favorite Blade

Overall, I can’t say enough good things about this knife. It’s a simple, durable, and fantastic daily companion. If you’re interested in wrapping the handle, check out this video by my friend Ray of the Bond Armory! I have yet to add anything to mine as I want to keep the profile of the handle as minimal as possible. However, the next one that stumbles across my path may very well get that modification as well!

I hope this guide has been helpful, if I ever do get another CRKT Sting, I will go through and produce How-To images for this blog as well. I made these modifications years prior to ever even considering Commando Bond after all!