Tactical Knives

RECOMMENDED = TOPS KNIVES

SHOT SHOW 2009

Watch more YouTube videos on AOL Video

MIDWEST GUN EXCHANGE

KERSHAW TITANIUM - JEWELED

JEWELED KERSHAW AND SPYDERCO

KERSHAW

"TARANI KARAMBIT"

BENCHMADE MODEL 740

THESE COLD STEEL FOLDERS ARE BEAUTIFUL

NEW FENIX TACTICAL FLASHLIGHT

BENCHMADE GRIPTILLIAN - RECOMMENDED

Benchmade Model 556 Mini-Griptillian

www.coldsteel.com

SPYDERCO KARAMBIT FOLDER

THE KARAMBIT

www.coldsteel.com

DO NOT BUY "SOG" KNIVES

"SOG" ARC LOCK KNIVES

DO NOT BUY "SOG" KNIVES

DO NOT BUY ANY SOG KNIVES

Cold Steel

Spyderco Jeweled Folders

Benchmade Knives

SPYDERCO KNIVES

www.coldsteel.com

Benchmade 610 RUKUS

NEW CRKT KNIFE

Benchmade Knives

CRKT Knives

Selecting a Tactical Knife

SPYDERCO

SOG Vision

www.coldsteel.com

www.camillusknives.com

www.coldsteel.com

www.coldsteel.com

Cold Steel Polymer Knives

KARAMBIT

Swiss Card

C.S. Steel Tiger

www.spyderco.com

Cold Steel "VOYAGER"

www.coldsteel.com

www.coldsteel.com

www.coldsteel.com

www.coldsteel.com

www.coldsteel.com

www.coldsteel.com

www.coldsteel.com

www.coldsteel.com

http://www.folders-r-us.org/full_tests.htm

http://defensetech.org/

www.defensereview.com

www.defensereview.com

Hideaway Knife

Helpful Information

Damascus Steel

Switchblade Knives

Machete

Tactical Knives

RECOMMENDED = TOPS KNIVES

SHOT SHOW 2009

Watch more YouTube videos on AOL Video

RECOMMENDED

MIDWEST GUN EXCHANGE

KERSHAW TITANIUM - JEWELED

JEWELED KERSHAW AND SPYDERCO

KERSHAW

"TARANI KARAMBIT"

BENCHMADE MODEL 740

THESE COLD STEEL FOLDERS ARE BEAUTIFUL

NEW FENIX TACTICAL FLASHLIGHT

BENCHMADE GRIPTILLIAN - RECOMMENDED

Benchmade Model 556 Mini-Griptillian

www.coldsteel.com

SPYDERCO KARAMBIT FOLDER

THE KARAMBIT

www.coldsteel.com

DO NOT BUY "SOG" KNIVES

"SOG" ARC LOCK KNIVES

DO NOT BUY "SOG" KNIVES

DO NOT BUY ANY SOG KNIVES

Cold Steel

Spyderco Jeweled Folders

Benchmade Knives

SPYDERCO KNIVES

www.coldsteel.com

Benchmade 610 RUKUS

NEW CRKT KNIFE

Benchmade Knives

CRKT Knives

Selecting a Tactical Knife

SPYDERCO

SOG Vision

www.coldsteel.com

www.camillusknives.com

www.coldsteel.com

www.coldsteel.com

Cold Steel Polymer Knives

KARAMBIT

Swiss Card

C.S. Steel Tiger

www.spyderco.com

Cold Steel "VOYAGER"

www.coldsteel.com

www.coldsteel.com

www.coldsteel.com

www.coldsteel.com

www.coldsteel.com

www.coldsteel.com

www.coldsteel.com

www.coldsteel.com

http://www.folders-r-us.org/full_tests.htm

http://defensetech.org/

www.defensereview.com

www.defensereview.com

Hideaway Knife

Helpful Information

Damascus Steel

Switchblade Knives

Machete

SpyderFly Rainbow ~ B01RB

Ocelot ~ C74
New!

Poliwog ~ C98
New!

SpyderFly Rainbow ~ B01RB

Ocelot ~ C74New!

Poliwog ~ C98New!

Ocelot ~ C74
New!

Poliwog ~ C98
New!

Please Select:

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2009-11-12T07:22:00.000-08:00

TOPS KNIVES IN IDAHO MAKE SUPERB KNIVES AND THEY HAVE A GREAT MANY MODELS TO CHOOSE FROM...

http://www.topsknives.com/

2009-01-30T08:01:00.000-08:00

CRKT KNIVES

BENCHMADE KNIVES

After the success of our M16 Special Forces series, we received requests from professional knife users in the military and law enforcement for the larger “Big Dog” size with a more versatile blade shape. We talked to the designer of the series, retired Sergeant Major and Knifemakers’ Guild member Kit Carson, and the M21™ special forces series is the result.

The blade is similar in shape to the Carson M21, but with the addition of a second Carson Flipper on top, resulting in a true hilt. The blade grind is a deep-bellied spear point with a Combined Razor-Sharp and Triple-Point™ Serrated edge on the M21-14SF model.

In addition to the original model with InterFrame build and aluminum scales, for 2008 we’re offering this knife as the M21-14SFG with InterFrame build, G10 scales, and our exclusive patented(1) Veff™ Serrations. We use premium blade steel on both models. A black titanium nitride blade coating protects against corrosion and gives a low-reflectance finish.

The series features our patented(2) AutoLAWKS™ safety, which provides fully automatic actuation. It immediately turns the folder into a fixed blade when the blade is opened and locked. The safety still allows the quick and smooth one-hand opening and closing that our Carson series is known for. The ambidextrous thumb studs with checkered surfaces provide instant access.

M21™-14SF Aluminum. Our production aluminum frame SFs are based on Kit Carson’s custom designs, with contoured handles of textured, black, hard anodized 6061 T6 aluminum, with a perimeter radius. Stainless steel locking liners with friction grooves give positive locking. Blade steel is AUS 8 stainless.

M21™-14SFG G10. Our new model features a stainless steel InterFrame build with black G10 scales. Many operators prefer G10 because of its aggressive texture, light weight, and insulating properties in very hot and cold conditions. Now you have a choice. Blade steel is 8Cr14 stainless.

All knives in this series are equipped with clip options that allow four-position carry on belts or webbing— tip up, tip down, left or right. (Caution: These knives are not designed for tip-up in-pocket carry.)

The M21-14SF series is a true advance in tactical locking liner folders, and is today an even better value.

• Click for AutoLAWKS Operating Tips, including one-hand closing.

• About the Knife Designer • About the Blade Steel

2008-10-16T06:17:00.000-07:00

NOT RECOMMENDED - IN MY OPINION FINISH ON HANDLE IS POOR AT BEST - THERE ARE BETTER KNIVES FOR THE MONEY SUCH AS "BENCHMADE" AND "COLD STEEL" , ETC.

NOT RECOMMENDED - THERE ARE BETTER OPTIONS AND SOURCES TO BUY FROM AND SPEND YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY - "MY OPINION ONLY"

MIDWEST GUN EXCHANGE

2516 LINCOLNWAY WEST
MISHAWAKA, IN 46544
INDIANA

2008-08-11T08:54:00.001-07:00

LEFT CLICK TO ENLARGE

2008-08-03T13:03:00.000-07:00

JEWELED KNIVES BY TEDDY JACOBSON

LEFT CLICK TO ENLARGE

2008-07-23T09:01:00.000-07:00

KERSHAW KEN ONION TYRADE

2008-06-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

RECOMMENDED

2008-05-13T07:57:00.000-07:00

BENCHMADE 740 "LUM" DESIGN - RECOMMENDED

You just might need to take a second look, the Dèjávoo is eye catching. Combining form and function, we have teamed up with Bob Lum to create a powerful design cutting tools. The Dèjávoo goes round-hole for openers, is well balanced, and has high bevels for cutting utility. Premium components such as fully contoured G10 handle scales, phosphor bronze washers, titanium locking-liners and S30V blade steel are found in both sizes. You will only think you have seen this before...

•Ergonomic Handle Design

•Round Thumb-Hole Opener

•Ultra-Premium Blade Steel

This Series has made to order configurations (Min 20pcs), which are 740S, 740BK. Please contact your local dealer/distributor to inquire about placing the minimum order.

Two Sizes Available (See also the Model 745 Mini-Dèjávoo™)

Press Release 4/05/07

Country of origin: USA

	Blade Length: 3.95" Blade Thickness: 0.125" Blade Material: S30V Premium Steel Blade Hardness: 58-60HRC Blade Style: High Ground Utility; Ambidextrous Weight: 4.10oz.		Clip: Tip Down, Removable, Black Lock Mechanism: Modified Locking-Liner Overall Length: 9.12" Closed Length: 5.17" Sheath Material: Sold Separately Class: Blue

	See Also > Model 550 - Griptilian® (Pardue) [Discontinued] > The Blue Box™ (Tool Kit w/ Bits & Driver) > Folder Pouch Sheath > Model 707 - Sequel® (McHenry & Williams) > Model 426 - Hybrid® (Snody) [Discontinued] > BlueLube™ & Cleaner > Model 745 - Mini-Dejavoo™ (Bob Lum)		Find More > Modified Locking-Liner Mechanism Knives > High Ground Utility; Ambidextrous Blade Knives > Blue Class Knives > Backpacker > Camping > Current Production > Emergency/Fire/Rescue > General Outdoor (No Listings) > GSA Advantage > Law Enforcement > Military > Shooting/Hunting

2007-12-14T09:00:00.000-08:00

2007-11-27T15:32:00.001-08:00

FENIX TACTICAL FLASH LIGHT - RECOMMENDED
HIGH AND LOW LIGHT SETTINGS

www.fenix-store.com

PHONE = 678 608 0308

2007-10-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

Specs

Blade Steel	440C
Length Blade	3.45"
Blade Thickness	.12" 3.0mm
Hardness	58-60
Edge Type	PlainEdge Sheep-foot
Handle Material	Zytel
Length Closed	4.62" 11.73cm
Length Overall	8.07" 20.50cm
Weight	3.250z 92g

Description

The Benchmade Model 556 Mini-Griptillian is a Pardue design. It has a 2.91 inch
plain edge, satin finish drop point blade of 440C stainless steel, hardened to
58-60 HRC.. It's overall length is 6.78 inches, and closed it measures 3.87
inches. It weighs 2.56 oz. The locking mechanism is the patented AXIS lock that
is exclusive to Benchmade. The knife can be opened and closed by one hand, and
either hand can be used. Closing the knife does not require putting flesh in the
way of the closing blade, as a liner lock does. A thumb stud attached to the
blade gives a place for the thumb to push on to open the knife. A reversible
steel carry clip can secure the knife in a pocket or waistband.

Blade

Initially, I had a negative bias toward the Model 556 Mini-Griptillian because
the blade steel is 440C. The bias may have its genesis in seeing steels like ATS
34 and 154 CM in higher quality knives and in more knives, and thinking that
440C was relegated to less expensive knives. My bias had no merit. The Model 556
Mini-Griptillian was the sharpest knife I've ever opened. Sharpness is difficult
to quantify, but let me say this. The blade was sharp enough to catch on the
hair of my head.

I test a knife for sharpness first by seeing if the edge will dig in to my
thumbnail. I lay the edge gently on the thumbnail with the blade ninety degrees
to the surface and attempt to move the blade in a direction perpendicular to the
axis of the knife. If the blade catches the nail, and gives some resistance to
movement, the blade is pretty sharp. I then test the edge on my hair.

If it will grab hair on my head when I gently tap the hair with the knife edge
at about a ninety (90) degree angle to the surface of the head, going with the
grain of the hair, the knife is sharp enough to shave hair. Many knives can do
this, but the Model 556 Mini-Griptillian was did it with the least force of any
knife I've tried this with. The knife cut through corrugated cardboard like a
utility knive blade. The blade sharpened easily with several strokes of my
preferred sharpener, the Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker. The satin finish is
nice. Not too reflective, not too dull.

Scales

The scales on the knife are of a hard plastic. I have no further information on
its composition. The scales have a molded, non-slip raised diamond pattern. The
spine of the scales have shallow cuts as does the back of the blade in the area
where the thumb would be placed to add downward cutting force. These shallow
cuts make it less likely for the thumb to slip when working with a wet
conditions. The scales are attached to the stainless body by small TORX screws.
The shape of the knife fills my medium sized hands comfortably.

Variations

The Mini-Griptillian series knife is available in blue, green, purple, yellow
and black scales. The bright colors make finding the knife a bit easier. The
blade is available in a modified sheepsfoot blade and an oval thumb hole for
opening, or the drop point with a thumb stud opener. Either choice of blade is
available with a plain edge or combo-edge which is the blade about one-third
serrated near the pivot point. Some Mini-Griptillians are available with a BT2
proprietary black Telfon® coating for additional corrosion protection and
increased lubricity.

Impressions

The Mini-Griptillian is not a light-weight knife at 2.56 oz or as it feels in
the hand. It's not a knife that I personally would choose to carry all day,
every day. I tried carrying all day using the carry clip in my back pocket, and
though I had no problems with it making me uncomfortable, there were times it
felt bulky. But there are advantages to the larger size.

The Griptillian is a good size and shape for extended work. It large enough to
grip and hold easily. The blade is thick and deep enough to take more abuse than
a folder should bear. What is interesting, the blade is heavy enough so that the
blade can be opened with a flick of the wrist. This takes a bit of practice. One
has to hold the AXIS lock back, flick the wrist and let the AXIS lock go in just
the right sequence. It's and impressive move, and you couldn't do it with a
light blade with less mass. The friction at the blade pivot can be adjusted with
a TORX screwdriver, so if one doesn't like this feature a bit more tension will
make it hard to open the knife and with less tension, the blade will flash out
like a snake strike.

The carry clip is proportioned to the knife and is easily clipped to the pants
pocket or back pocket. Because the carry clip presses against the raised diamond
pattern of the scales, the knive is very secure when the clip is used. There
was no discernable lateral movement between the blade and the handle in either
the open or closed positions.

I think because of its size and heft the Mini-Griptillian is a fine work knife.
A knife used often and hard through the day, a knife is used more often than it
is carried in the pocket. If I needed a knife carry more than work, I'd opt for
a smaller knife. There is a parallel in the shotgun world. A target shotgun is
generally heavier and longer than a field or hunting gun. A field gun is
generally lighter and shorter. The target gun is shot more than it is carried
and the field gun is carried more than it is shot. Each gun has the
characteristics that suit its function.

When I handle most Benchmade knives, I'm always impressed by the way they feel
when opening or closing them. What comes to mind is that handling a Benchmade
gives the same impression as handling a good break open shotgun or a fine
camera. Benchmade knives operate with a smoothness and precision that I find
only in the better pocket knives. That is the best reason for why I like
Benchmade knives.

The Benchmade Model 556 Mini-Griptillian rates five (5) checks.

At a list price of $85, the Benchmade Model 556 Mini-Griptillian is a high value
item so we add the Shotgun Report Best Buy rating.

More information can be found at: www.benchmade.com

2007-08-25T10:09:00.000-07:00

www.coldsteel.com

Designed by Lynn C. Thompson, the Talwar™ blends the sleek style of the east with the dynamic technology of the west. Using a Titanium frame as a foundation, the pistol grip handle features highly polished black linen micarta slabs with deeply carved finger grooves that allow it to settle naturally in one’s hand for maximum control. And its curved shape allows for reverse, or palm reinforced gripping techniques. Additionally, a hard-hitting ball shaped pommel enhances the Talwar’s™ versatility. Made from mirror polished stainless steel, it can be used as a striking tool to deliver blows to bony areas, nerve centers, and other soft targets. It can also serve as a secondary grasping point, allowing its user to extend his reach by as much as three inches.

The Talwar’s™ lock is designed to adhere to Cold Steel’s most stringent standards of quality, with a state of the art rocker lock that’s peerless in the knife industry. It features extra strong springs, super tight tolerances, world class machining, as well as some extra promising refinements that can only be called “trade secrets.” These features, we believe, make it superior to any other lock on the market.

To keep your pocket sword secure and close at hand and ready for action, the Talwar™ is aided by dual mirror polished pocket clips for ambidextrous operation and a unique removable thumb plate. The thumb plate allows the knife to be opened as it is drawn from one’s pocket by snagging it on the edge of the pocket seam. It can also be used like a thumb-stud for one-handed opening operation.

Specifications: Blade: 3 3/4"
Overall: 9 1/2"
Thick: 4mm
Weight: 7.6 oz.
Steel: VG-1 San Mai III®

2007-07-22T12:22:00.000-07:00

The Karambit's claw-shaped curved blade originated centuries ago in Indonesia and was used primarily to cut crops, today it is considered a self protection tool.

Knives steeped in tradition of their homelands are finding their way to the American knife buying public. They offer an exotic menu of designs, shapes and innovation. Custom Knifemaker Warren Thomas has collaborated with Spyderco to produce a folding Karambit. Fully stainless steel, the arc of the curved blade carries through to the handle ending in an index-finger ring allowing the blade to be swung into a range of gripping positions. The blade is 2 1/8" and double flat-ground out of VG-10 steel with the one-hand-open Spyderco hole.

Made of burnished stainless steel, the handle has thumb recess guiding the thumb over the 13mm hole for swift blade deployment. With an affirmative click, the blade locks open by means of a Chris Reeve style integral liner lock. A multi-positional metal clip carries tip-up and both left or right-handed.

TOP JEWELED FOLDER IS A SPYDERCO KARAMBIT

BOTTOM JEWELED FOLDER IS SPYDERCO POLICE MODEL FOLDER

Specifications:
Blade Steel:		VG-10
Blade Thickness:		3/32" - 2.5mm
Clip:		Stainless Steel
Diam. Blade Hole:		1/2" - 13mm
Edge Type:		Plain Edge
Handle Material:		Stainless Steel
Hardness:		59-60
Length Closed:		5 1/16" - 128mm
Length Cutting Edge:		1 13/16" - 47m
Length Overall:		5" - 127mm
Weight:		5.1oz

2007-07-10T07:02:00.000-07:00

What is a Karambit ?
by Steve Tarani

The Ancient Karambit

The Karambit (pronounced kah-rahm-bit) is a remarkable utility knife that was born in the Indonesian archipelago with roots in Malaysia and the Philippines. Akin to the Swiss Army knife of today, this was the "pocket knife" of ancient villagers. This extraordinary little personal tool was first documented to be carried around the early 11^th century AD and to this very day can be seen in various remote locations throughout the Indonesian islands, parts of Malaysia and the Southern Philippine islands. To learn more about the history of the Karambit, click here.

Although rumored to have been brought to America around the late 1800's, the Karambit was "officially" introduced to the United States sometime in the late 1950's and made popular, especially with martial artists, through the late 1970's and 1980's. Virtually unknown in the secular community, by the mid-1990's it was predominantly recognized as a martial arts training element derived from the heritage of Indonesian Pencak Silat, Malaysian Bursilat and Filipino Kali.

The predominant uses of the Karambit in ancient times were similar to the uses of the European pocket knife: field work, including cutting twine or rope; chopping fruits and vegetables; and, in some rare cases, as an exceptional personal safety knife.

The Karambit as a Modern Utility Knife

In modern times, this utility tool still performs the same functions as its distant ancestor for such daily chores as opening packages, cutting rope, leather work, home repair, yard work, etc., and outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, construction work (shaping carpet, drywall and other building materials), mountaineering, hiking, etc., and is additionally recognized as a training tool for interested martial artists for its personal-safety value.

The modern Karambit, its design and practical operation were developed by renowned Karambit authority Steve Tarani as a result of the demands of his many students. Specifically designed for the rigors of modern application, this versatile utility knife and personal-safety tool is a remarkable combination of ancient marvel and modern technology.

The modern Karambit is available in many shapes and sizes. More importantly, the method of operation of a Karambit as both a utility knife and as a personal-safety tool are what set it head and shoulders above any other edged tool. The modern Karambit functions as three tools in one - a utility knife, a martial-arts training implement and an option for personal defense.

As a utility knife it is superior to other blades as a result of a remarkable safety feature - a finger loop which prevents the blade from slipping in your hand when in use. This significantly drops the number of "cut yourself" injuries, as the blade is secured to your finger just like a pair of scissors in order that it does not slip and cut your hand. This especially comes in handy when it's freezing cold outside or if you're underwater, in the rain, in the snow or all of the above!

The Karambit as a Martial Arts Implement

As a martial-arts implement, it is an extraordinary ancient artifact that permits the accomplished practitioner grace, style and freedom of creative movement. Very much akin to dance-like movements, the true art of the Karambit is like ballet.

The Karambit as a Personal Safety Tool

Lastly, sometimes used for personal defense, the Karambit is an outstanding tool that provides the experienced operator with both the superiority of a quality utility blade and an unparalleled martial arts implement. This allows far more control of your attacker in a life-or-death altercation and provides far more options for escape and personal protection than any regular pocket knife.

The traditional Karambit is a fixed blade and was made popular in the US by numerous demonstrations across the country by Guro Dan Inosanto, Pendekar Herman Suwanda and Jagabaya Steve Tarani. Over the many years of inquiries by various knife companies and interested individuals, Steve Tarani introduced the concept of a folding Karambit to various knife-making companies. Today, as a result of this introduction, the market bears two configurations of this remarkable utility blade - a fixed blade Karambit and a folding blade Karambit.

2007-05-18T12:45:00.001-07:00



KUDU	AK-47	GUNSITE SERIES	VOYAGER SERIES



VAQUERO SERIES	SCIMITAR	RECON 1	TI-LITE



TRIPLE ACTION	LAND/SEA RESCUE	ULTIMATE HUNTER	BLACK SABLE



BLACK TALON	CALEDONIAN EDGE	HATAMOTO	THE SPECTRE



TALWAR FOLDER

2007-02-23T13:35:00.000-08:00

I am totally disgusted with the SOG Knife company in Lynnwood,

Washington. I have written about his products for a while now and it

seems the owner just does not care about you or his product. THERE

ARE FAR BETTER CHOICES TO SPEND YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY

ON THAN SOG KNIVES. I see no point in buying anything SOG puts

their name on, if you need a tactical knife you have the option of buying

a premium COLD STEEL or BENCHMADE knife, where they care about

their customers. This guy at SOG thinks hes doing you a big favor by

letting you buy his product. I suggest you stay away from SOG and

look else where. THE VERY BEST KNIFE FOR THE MONEY IS THE

COLD STEEL RECON "1" and the lock will endure hundreds of pounds,

this Recon 1 will never close on your fingers and its superb for south

paws.

Teddy...

Any questions you can email me through my website.

2007-02-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

I HAVE BEEN VERY UNHAPPY WITH THE SOG ARC LOCK KNIVES AS THEY DO NOT IN MY OPINION HAVE TOTAL COSISTANT BLADE LOCK UP.

HERE IS WHAT I FOUND, WHEN TAKING APART ONE OF THEIR ARC LOCK FOLDING KNIVES THE TWO SPRINGS THEY USE FOR THIS SYSTEM ARE VERY INFERIOR AS THEY ARE WEAK AND DO NOT OFFER CONSISTANT STRENGTH TO LOCK UP THE BLADE SO IT IS NOT LOOSE. THE SOG SPRINGS ARE POOR AT BEST.

THE BENCHMADE AXIS LOCK SYSTEM AND THE COLD STEEL SIMILAR SYSTEM AS INCORPORATED ON THEIR RECON 1 AND AK47 FOLDERS ARE FAR SUPERIOR THAN THE SOG ARC LOCK.

I HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH SPRINGS ALL MY LIFE ON HANDGUNS AND THIS ERROR COMES WHEN A COMPANY IS MORE INTERESTED IN PROFIT MARGIN. WHEN A COMPANY OR SPRING COMPANY USES MUSIC WIRE IT IS PURCHASED IN PRE HEAT TREATED LOTS THAT VARY FROM LOT TO LOT.

COMPANIES PAY PENNIES FOR THESE SPRINGS. IF THEY WERE TO BUY A CHROME SILICONE WIRE SPRING THAT IS CORRECTLY HEAT TREATED IT WOULD COST THEM MUCH MORE MONEY AND THEIR PROFIT MARGIN WOULD GO DOWN BUT YOU WOULD HAVE A MUCH BETTER FOLDING KNIFE.

THIS IS A RESULT OF MY DETAILED STUDY OF NOT ONLY SPRINGS IN ALL HANDGUNS BUT IN KNIVES.

TO SUM UP AT THIS POINT IN TIME I WOULD NOT BUY ANOTHER "SOG" KNIFE BECAUSE THEY HAVE CUT CORNERS AND THE WOMAN IN WARRANTY INSULTED ME BEFORE SHE HUNG UP ON ME.

NOW YOU MAY UNDERSTAND MY FRUSTRATION AND THE OWNER OF THE COMPANY NEVER CALLED ME AND THE ONLY THING THESE COMPANY OWNERS EVER UNDERSTAND IS WHEN THEY NO LONGER MAKE THE MONEY THEY USED TO.

ITS LIKE WHEN A POLICEMEN GIVES SOME ONE A HARD TIME OR EVEN GIVES THAT PERSON A STREET ADJUSTMENT WITH HIS NIGHTSTICK AS WAS DONE YEARS AGO, IT NEVER HURT THE PERP' AS MUCH AS TAKING HIM TO COURT AND WHEN THE JUDGE FINED HIM AND TOOK MONEY OUT OF HIS OR HER POCKET.

THIS IS THE REAL WORLD. IF YOU WANT THE BEST FOLDERS FOR THE MONEY BUY A COLD STEEL RECON 1 OR A BENCHMADE GRIPTILLIAN.

2007-02-09T07:08:00.000-08:00

DO NOT BUY "SOG" KNIVES, THERE ARE MUCH

BETTER CHOICES. IN MY OPINION THE "SOG"

WARRANTY DEPT. IS A JOKE. I BELIEVE THAT

COLD STEEL AND BENCHMADE ARE FAR SUPERIOR

PRODUCTS.

Teddy

www.actionsbyt.com

2007-01-29T09:53:00.000-08:00

DO NOT EVER BUY SOG KNIVES. THEY ARE NOT

WELL MADE AND THE PEOPLE AT

SOG IN LYNNWOOD WASHINGTON.

ARE RUDE AND HOSTILE. ESPECIALLY THE

WOMAN IN WARRANTY, SHES BAD NEWS.

ANY QUESTIONS CALL ME AT 281 565 6977.

THIS WILL ALSO BE POSTED ON ALL MY OTHER

BLOGGERS OF WHICH THERE ARE

ABOUT 9.

Teddy

www.actionsbyt.com

.........................................................
BEST KNIFE THERE IS ANYWHERE FOR THE $$$ _ BUY COLD STEEL RECON 1

Cold Steel® is famous for raising the bar in the knife industry and our Recon 1® tactical folders are setting a standard that’s hard to beat. Why? Because they are as tough as nails and will cut like a chain saw! Every facet of their construction has been over engineered to make them as strong, durable and effective as humanly possible. The blades are made out of AUS 8A stainless steel that’s been vacuum heat treated and sub zero quenched, and the handles feature G-10 laminate scales, massively reinforced by heat treated steel liners and five locking bolts. To compliment their super tough blades and handles, they each feature our revolutionary Ultra Lock™ (patent pending), which practically precludes lock failure. To compliment their tactical mission we have given each blade a tough black Teflon® finish. Our testing has shown this coating or finish offers three major advantages for use on tactical blades. The first is; it is highly resistant to scratches and abrasions while keeping rust at bay. The second is; it eliminates glare and light reflections which may give its user away. The third is; it’s a superior lubricant, which causes the blade to slip through even tough material with markedly less friction. This means you can cut deeper and far longer than with a non-Teflon® coated blade.

To make the Recon 1® as easy to carry as possible, we have equipped each knife with a small, extra strong pocket clip. This clip is completely ambidextrous so lefties take note. What’s more, its diminutive size doesn’t abrade and irritate the palm under protracted use like a larger clip would.

Specifications:
Weight: 5.6 oz.
Blade Thick: 9/64" (3.5mm)
Blade Length: 4"
Handle: 5 1/3" long. G-10
Steel: AUS 8A Stainless
Overall Length: 9 1/3" Black Teflon¨ Finish
Sheath: Ultra Lock™ with Ambidextrous Stainless Pocket Clip

2007-01-24T08:11:00.000-08:00

Specifications: Blade: 3 1/2"
Overall: 9 1/4"
Thick: 4mm
Weight: 6.6 oz.
Steel: AUS 8A w/ Black Teflon®
Handle: G-10

2006-12-17T10:44:00.000-08:00

2006-11-13T13:28:00.000-08:00

• Custom Grade Detailing

• Machine Contoured Handles

• Polished Blade Finish

• Titanium Back Spacer

	Blade Length: 3.12" Blade Thickness: 0.100" Blade Material: D2 Tool Steel Blade Hardness: 59-61HRC Blade Style: Modified Drop-Point; Ambidextrous Dual Thumb-Studs Weight: 2.26oz.		Clip: Reversible, Silver, Tip-Up Lock Mechanism: AXIS Overall Length: 7.28" Closed Length: 4.16" Sheath Material: Sold Separately Class: Blue

	See Also > Model 921 - Switchback™ (Osborne) > Model 940 - (Osborne) > Folder Pouch Sheath > Model 960CFP - (Osborne)		Find More > AXIS Mechanism Knives > Modified Drop-Point; Ambidextrous Dual Thumb-Studs Blade Knives > Blue Class Knives > All Products > Backpacker > Camping > General Outdoor > Gift/Jewelry > Shooting/Hunting

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960RED

Plain Edge/ Blue Anodized Titanium Backspacer/ Red Anodized Aluminum Handle Scales with Black G10 Inlay/ Ambidextrous Dual Thumb-Studs

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	Retail Price:	$200.00

Back-ordered

960SRED

ComboEdge®/ Blue Anodized Titanium Backspacer/ Red Anodized Aluminum Handle Scales with Black G10 Inlay/ Ambidextrous Dual Thumb-Studs

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	Retail Price:	$200.00

Discontinued. Please try the Dealer Locator >>

960SLV

Plain Edge/ Purple Anodized Titanium Backspacer/ Silver Anodized Aluminum Handle Scales with Black G10 Inlay/ Ambidextrous Dual Thumb-Studs

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	Retail Price:	$200.00

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960-400

Plain Edge/ Black Anodized Aluminum Handle Scales/ Silver G10 Inlays/ Ambidextrous Dual Thumb-Studs/ Limited Edition 200 PCS

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2006-10-30T06:16:00.000-08:00

click to enlarge

MSRP $121.95

length overall	9 3/4" (248 mm)	blade length	4 1/8" (105 mm)	blade steel	440C
length closed	6" (152 mm)	cutting edge	3 11/16" (94 mm)	weight	5.8 oz (165 g)
hole diameter	1/2" (13 mm)	blade thickness	1/8" (2.5 mm)	handle material	Stainless Steel

The spyder swallowed the fly. The SpyderFly infuses traditional Balisong (or Butterfly) knife elements with innovative Spyderco features- setting the new standard in Balisong knives. Balis are all about swinging, sometimes called doing the dance. Our new Rainbow SpyderFly is a kaleidoscope of color when swinging in the hand.

Eric Glesser, the designer of the SpyderFly, incorporates Spyderco's Trademark Round Hole into both handles. The holes position the thumb and fingers (pinching either side of the handle) for superb control while indexing/rotating and enhancing fluidity of the swing. Contours and valleys lining the handle offer friction resistance keeping The Fly firmly in grip while maneuvering. A spring-loaded locking lever attaches to either handle for left- or right-hand use and locks the blade closed (but not open) for safe carry inside a pocket. Squeezing the handles together releases the lock's lever. The 4-1/8" (105mm) blade is PlainEdged, hollow-ground and sharpened on one side only. Straight down the center of the blade, a dagger grind balances out both sides of the knife, again designed for smoother and even swinging. Manipulating the wire pocket clip to either handle or either side of the knife sets it up for a variety of carry options and draw positions. The SpyderFly links all that is utilitarian in a traditional Balisong with innovative features you've come to expect from Spyderco.

2006-10-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

TI-LITE (TITANIUM HANDLES)

Reminiscent of 1950's styled switchblades, our Ti-Lite™ tactical folders, echo the swift lines of memorable classics. Legal to carry almost everywhere, the AUS 8A Stainless steel blades feature razor sharp edges and sturdy, needle sharp points. The handles, made of forged Titanium, are available with our original finish or with our new polished, blue anodized finish. They have been CNC milled for a visually appealing look, and for maximum strength and safety, we have equipped our Ti-Lites™ with full length Titanium leaf spring locks (proven, in our tests, to hold 100 lbs). For ease of carry, the Ti-Lites™ come equipped with a small, unobtrusive steel pocket clip. We are grateful to custom knife maker, Phil Boguszewski, for his design influence and help in the creation of the Ti-Lites.™

The Zytel® Handled Ti-Lites™

Custom quality folding knives, especially those manufactured with Titanium handles and Titanium leaf spring locks are undeniably strong, lightweight, and beautiful to look at, but they’re also quite expensive. We know that many of our customers love the look of our Ti-Lites™ but find the prices a little steep. So we have created some very affordable alternatives. The Zytel® Ti-Lite™ with a 4 inch blade mimics the look of its more expensive counterparts almost exactly, and our model that features a six inch blade is a completely unique Ti-Lite,™ virtually in a class by itself. Instead of Titanium, we used 43% glass filled Zytel® for the handles and high quality stainless steel for the leaf spring lock and liners. The results are extraordinarily lightweight knives that are remarkably strong, sharp and good looking, at a price almost everyone can afford.

2006-09-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

You knew it was only a matter of time… a Blackwood design with the power of AXIS! The Rukus is big on form and function with plenty of size to take it all in. Its two-part handle assembly is machine contoured in every direction to easily satisfy any grip. The monolithic blade is big on utility, with a low drag flat grind to keep you on edge. So if you’re big on performance, the Rukus is worth the weight!

• One-Hand Ambidextrous Function

• Profiled Handle Shape for Solid Grip

• Full Drop-Point Blade Geometry

• Movable Carry-Clip

The 610 Rukus™ garnered the award for American Made Knife of the Year...

	Blade Length: 4.25" Blade Thickness: 0.150" Blade Material: S30V Stainless Steel Blade Hardness: 58-60HRC Blade Style: Utility Drop-Point; Ambidextrous Dual Thumb-Studs Weight: 7.70oz.		Clip: Black, Reversible, Tip-Up Lock Mechanism: AXIS Overall Length: 10.12" Closed Length: 5.95" Sheath Material: No Sheath Class: Blue

	See Also > Model 710 - (McHenry & Williams) > Model 630 - Skirmish® (Blackwood)		Find More > AXIS Mechanism Knives > Utility Drop-Point; Ambidextrous Dual Thumb-Studs Blade Knives > Blue Class Knives > All Products > Camping > Gener ng/Huntin

2006-09-27T08:31:00.000-07:00

Features a 2.50 in. blade of 420J2 steel steel with black coating, and a 3.12 in. red Zytel/Kraton handle. Comes omplete with pocket clip.

2006-09-27T07:32:00.000-07:00

• Custom Grade Detailing

• Machine Contoured Handles

• Polished Blade Finish

• Titanium Back Spacer

	Blade Length: 3.12" Blade Thickness: 0.100" Blade Material: D2 Tool Steel Blade Hardness: 59-61HRC Blade Style: Modified Drop-Point; Ambidextrous Dual Thumb-Studs Weight: 2.26oz.		Clip: Reversible, Silver, Tip-Up Lock Mechanism: AXIS Overall Length: 7.28" Closed Length: 4.16" Sheath Material: Sold Separately Class: Blue

	See Also > Model 921 - Switchback™ (Osborne) > Model 940 - (Osborne) > Folder Pouch Sheath > Model 960CFP - (Osborne)		Find More > AXIS Mechanism Knives > Modified Drop-Point; Ambidextrous Dual Thumb-Studs Blade Knives > Blue Class Knives > All Products > Backpacker > Camping > General Outdoor > Gift/Jewelry > Shooting/Hunting

2006-09-23T08:02:00.000-07:00

We were delighted when internationally known Japanese knifemaker and American Knifemakers’ Guild member Koji Hara agreed to design a personal knife for CRKT. Koji is noted for his custom folders in exotic materials, and is especially known for his carving of the handle material into a classic terraced landscape that he calls his “Air-Step” design. Our goal was to apply Koji’s remarkable design sense to a small personal folder which could incorporate our patented* OutBurst™ assisted opening mechanism.

Logically, we called this first CRKT Koji Hara series Ichi™, Japanese for “one.”

For rigidity and strength, we used our InterFrame open build, with two 420J2 stainless steel liners. In a first for CRKT, we created layered injection-molded scales of Kraton® and Zytel®, the latter with Koji’s terraced Air-Step design. The result is a small knife that gives good grip, fits the hand nicely, and is truly functional for a variety of work tasks.

The handle tapers neatly into a modified drop point pen blade with a high-hollow grind made of high-carbon stainless steel. An ambidextrous thumb disk allows easy one-hand opening.

The Ichi is available in two color schemes: The bright version has a bead-blast blade, frame, and clip with gray Zytel scale inserts and black fasteners. The black-out version features a black titanium nitride blade coating, black Zytel inserts, black hardware and black Teflon®-plated clip. If desired, the stainless steel clips are easily removed.

Each model is available in conventional non-assisted opening models, or with our patented* OutBurst assisted opening mechanism, which instantly springs the blade fully open after you have opened the blade 30 degrees. Both have bronze and Teflon® bearings at the adjustable blade pivot for smooth, fast action.

Most of us can’t carry a Koji Hara custom collectable daily, but the Ichi is a friendly and affordable reminder of one of Japan’s premier custom knifemakers.

Red Koji Hara Ichi. At mid-year, we also introduced special Ichi models, OutBurst assisted and non-assisted, with black titanium nitride-coated blades, black bolsters and red scales. These are very hot little knives.

2006-09-21T07:31:00.001-07:00

I thought it would be a good idea to explain to you what criteria I use for selecting a tactical knife. I am left handed but I live in a right handed world and I can not change that, so my considerations are somewhat different than the average right handed person.

A Tactical knife should have about a 4 inch blade and in Texas where I now live the legal limit is 5.5 inch. Most knives are somewhat hard to open with your weak hand, I have learned to open most any folder with my right hand but its still very awkward.

I have owned many liner lock folders in years past but there are only 2 that I can trust at this time so that they will not close on your fingers and ruin your day. One is the CRKT brand and the model is the M16 which has a dual lock. I have complete faith in this liner lock and these knives are made in Taiwan and sell for a very reasonable price.

The other liner lock folders I trust are the new super premium folders made by Cold Steel. These are expensive folders that retail for about $400.00 and are worth every penny in my opinion. Some models like the "SPECTRE" can only be opened with the right hand which leaves me out. These top of the line folders are in demand and are hard to get at this time. The best way to get one is to pre order them, they are made in Seki, Japan.

The easyiest knives to open with one hand are the Benchmade Axis folders that are superb. Another easy to open knife are the Spyderco knives with the large hole in the blade. SOG makes a very superior knife with an Axis lock that is similar to the Benchmade, it is called the SOG Vision model and is top rated and runs about $200.00 and this is a modified Tanto blade. I think this is the best SOG knife made which also comes from Seki, Japan.

A lot depends on how you want to carry your knife as the better folders have an option of re arranging the pocket clip. I am very open minded but my knives are carried on the right side because being left handed I must keep my Glock pistol on my left side. If I can not open a knife with my weaker right hand I will not carry that knife.

The line of Spyderco knives are very good, but the main problem I have is the flat stainless steel handles are too slipery. I often jewel the entire handle to give it some texture. This is not an easy job and I prefer to buy something like a G10 laminate as the handle material.

I have tried all kinds of different locks on these folders. A lock back knife is very good as on the Cold Steel Voyager. I have a few with a frame lock and have very little faith in it but its better than a liner lock. Its not always how much you spend to get a knife.

There are no sharper knives than Cold Steel because its all in the tempering and the heat treating process. Cold Steel has got it down to a science and if its sharp you want, look no futher as Cold Steel is it. They are not near as easy to open using one hand as a Spyderco or the CRKT or the SOG Arc Lock or some of the assisted opening knives.

I try and find a compromise. For a lefty like me the Axis or Arc lock or the Spyderco knives are easiest to open with one hand. Spyderco has now come out with a ball lock that is very good, and their knives are priced right and they are razor sharp. Microtech uses a liner lock and they look strong but the thought is always in my mind, will it close on my fingers if there is lots of stress on the blade.

Masters of Defense make good knives but they do not have the razor edge like a Cold Steel knife in my opinion. I no longer buy Emerson knives. The selection of steel in your blade is very important. CRKT uses a lot of AUS-8 steel which is good and Benchmade uses D2 steel in a few select models which holds a good edge. The knives that come from Seki, Japan are usually made with ATS-34 premium steel. The American equal to that steel is 154 CM.

I personally always check the steel the folder is made of before I purchase it. Remember the higher the carbon content the sharper you will be able to get it but the down side it will not be as corrosion resistant. When Chromium is added to the steel it becomes corrosion resistant. All good knife manufacturers will tell you what the blade steel is on their fact sheet.

IF A KNIFE BLADE IN NOT HEAT TREATED PROPERLY IT WILL NEVER HOLD AN EDGE.

I hope this condensed information will help you in your selection process. Its very important to have a top rated knife because your very life depends on it. You can not have enough knives. You should all have a good quality neck knife also.

Thanks for reading my commentary.

Teddy

2006-09-18T07:36:00.000-07:00

click to enlarge

MSRP $199.95

length overall	7 9/16" (192 mm)	blade length	3 1/4" (83 mm)	blade steel	VG-10
length closed	4 7/16" (113 mm)	cutting edge	2 5/8" (67 mm)	weight	4.1 oz (116 g)
hole diameter	1/2" (13 mm)	blade thickness	1/8" (3 mm)	handle material	G-10

In reality, knives made specifically for hunting get used for cutting much more than just what you bag. It holds equally true that generic outdoor knives often find their way into the hands of the hunter field-dressing their success. The Ocelot seamlessly covers both bases crossing from sport to field and back. The blade’s drop-point tip is thick at the end and its curved full-belly makes short work of both hunting and field chores. It’s constructed with cobalt enriched VG-10 that stays sharper longer in the field where sharpness matters most. Various spots on the hollow-ground blade are textured: At the base of the spine, along the finger choil area and again behind the Spyderco Round Hole. This texturing offers tactical resistance when in contact with the thumb or index finger optimizing grip and providing slip resistance when cutting and caping. The ergonomic G-10 handle is machined with paw prints (pugs) housing full steel liners inside. An ambidextrous tip-up or tip-down clip offers multiple carry options. Centered mid-spine, a back lock features a David Boye dent, minimizing the opportunity to inadvertently release the lock while forcefully gripping the knife. A thong or lanyard can be strung through the steel lined lanyard hole for backup attachment when using the knife in water or brush. Available with PlainEdge or CombinationEdge blade.

2006-09-08T15:10:00.000-07:00

More Images

3.75" ATS-34 folding knife
Super strong Arc-lock
Reversible low carry pocket clip
Military/LE usage

The winner of Blade Magazine's 1999 "Imported Knife-of-the-Year," the SOG Vision is a knife that looks like it was made for the Jetsons! This captivating knife has a radically faceted, high-tech blade that rotates out of a space-age titanium handle. The Vision is more than just a futuristic face, it is also a modern mover with the inclusion of our new, supersonic Arc-Lock™.

The Arc-Lock™ sets a new standard in tactical engineering. It has all of the attributes knife designers relentlessly search for, but rarely find.

Strength: Arc-Lock™ surpassed standard holding capacity in independent lab tests.
Speed: Action provides fast and smooth one-handed opening.
Safety: Positive closing feature ensures that the blade securely stays within the handle when closed.
Ambidexterity: Blade can be comfortably accessed with either hand.
Durability: Arc-Lock™ is self-adjusting for long-term, optimal performance.

The Vision's titanium handle has superior strength and is highly corrosion resistant. It is also extremely lightweight, making it a comfortable knife to carry. A reversible clip allows both righties and lefties to carry the Vision conveniently in pocket or pack.

Vision	SV68	Dual Thumb Stud Titanium Handle Satin Finished Blade
Blade Length	3.75" x .120"
Overall Length	8.37"
Weight	4 oz
Steel	ATS-34, Rc 58-60
Handle	Titanium Scales, Stainless steel liners
Price	$234.00


X-Ray Vision	Mini X-Ray Vision

2006-08-24T13:01:00.000-07:00

The Spike, designed by Barry Dawson, is a weapon pared down to its bare essentials. Its thick, narrow blade is distal tapered and flat ground to a zero edge. This creates a unique cross section that facilitates both penetration of the tip and cutting power previously unknown in such a thick, narrow blade. The integral handle of the spike compliments its minimalist theme. It has been carefully shaped out of solid steel, wrapped with cord and had all of its sharp edges "melted" so they don't irritate the hand. Each spike comes with a sturdy Secure-Ex sheath and steel bead lanyard so you can wear it around your neck or lash it to a "D" ring, fanny pack, or other gear.

Specifications:
Blade Thick: 7/32"
Blade Length: 4 1/2"
Handle: 4" Cord Wrapped
Overall length: 8 1/4"
Weight: 5.6 oz
Steel: 420 Sub Zero Quench

2006-08-19T08:05:00.000-07:00

Camillus : Assisted Opening Series

Camillus DOMINATOR™ • The new leader of the tactical knife market.

Camillus DOMINATOR™

The all-new Darrel Ralph designed Dominator is destined to be the new leader of the tactical knife market. The Dominator combines the best features of current custom tactical folders with its flipper-actuated, assisted opening ROBO mechanism, Titanium frame lock design, and ergonomic handle shape for a sure grip even when wet. The slim Titanium handles are the rugged base for the strongest lock of any knife in its class. The 3.65” S30V clip point blade is perfect for the military or LE user seeking the toughest, fastest tactical folder made.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Blade: 3.65" S30V flat ground clip point
Carry Method: Pocket Clip
Thickness: .125"
Handle: Titanium Frame Lock w/ bead blast finish
Carry Method: Pocket Clip

Read about the designer
Darrel Ralph

DOMINATOR ™ :: #CU2447
MSRP $259.99

2006-08-15T05:52:00.000-07:00

The Urban Dart™ is our rendition of a similar knife the late Bob Engnath designed over twenty years ago. With elegantly simple lines and an economy of purpose, the Urban Dart™ is reminiscent of our Spike® series but with a few differences. The blade represents a huge advance for Cold Steel in knife making technology. We have spent literally years trying to find a way to satisfactorily manufacture this type of blade. Ultimately our factory in Japan developed a method to drop forge successfully the triangular cross section this knife required. With the addition of precision hollow grinding, superlative polishing, and highly skilled hand sharpening, we were able to produce at last this lethally wicked blade. The simple teardrop shaped Kraton® handle is small and thin. It gives extra traction to the fingers and protects the palm when the knife is used like a push knife or when using palm reinforced grip styles. The Urban Dart™ comes with a Secure-Ex® sheath and steel bead lanyard chain so it can be easily worn as a neck knife or be tucked, taped, or lashed just about anywhere.

Specifications:
Blade: 5 3/4"
Overall: 8"
Weight: 3.3oz.
Thick: 7.5mm
Steel: AUS 8A Stainless
Kraton® handle.

2006-08-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

If you have been looking for a classy walking stick that's just at home at the opera as it is on a stroll through the urban jungle, look no further. Our new City Stick fits in at just about any social situation and is just as functional as it is good looking. Its glossy black shaft is made out of eleven layers of fiberglass and, in our horrific impact tests, proved to be unbreakable. For eye appeal, it's topped with a mirror polished "head" made of 300 series stainless steel that's highly resistant to rusting and just about begs for your custom engraving. To keep you from slipping on the mean streets and cracked sidewalks, each City Stick is capped with a thick rubber ferrule that looks good and gives excellent traction.

Skull Head City Stick
This new version of our City Stick is sure to grab attention wherever you take it. Styled after earlier walking sticks, its finely chiseled skull-head motif is meant to be confrontational and is sure to provoke conversation among those who stop to admire it. And, like all Cold Steel products, it can be relied upon in a pinch. Cast out of thick-walled stainless steel utilizing the lost wax process, it will last a lifetime and serve you well in all of life’s adventures.



STAINLESS HEAD CITY STICK Specifications: Weight: 20.5 oz. Overall Length: 37 3/8" Diameter Base (approx.): 1 1/16" Diameter Head (approx.): 1 11/16" 91ST Quantity:		SKULL HEAD CITY STICK Specifications: Weight: 20.5 oz. Overall Length: 37 5/8" Diameter Base (approx.): 1 1/16" Diameter Head (approx.): 1 11/16" 91STS Quantity:

2006-08-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

Black as a moonless night, silent as the grave, and totally undetectable…these are the qualities that make up our new lightweight Nightshade™ series. Most are detailed reproductions of existing Cold Steel favorites and some are new designs representing the newest trends in high-tech, covert construction. Made from Grivory™— the latest in fiberglass reinforced plastic, and stronger than even the super tough Zytel® we have used in earlier models— they are UV and heat stabilized, making them impervious to the elements.

One of the most unique features of these knives is their handles. They are made from deeply checkered Kraton that has been molded directly to the blade tangs. The use of Kraton in knife handles is a Cold Steel innovation that dates back to the early 1980’s. It has been readily copied by most of our competitors because it offers a superior, slightly tacky gripping surface that is unaffected by heat, cold, or moisture. It never rusts, warps, cracks or splits even in the most extreme environments.

Our Nightshade™ knives are light enough to be tied, tucked, or taped just about anywhere on one’s person. And, since they are impervious to heat, cold, moisture and extreme weather they are a natural to hide both inside and outside your house. They can be hidden virtually everywhere from the hedges and flowerpots in your yard, to the refrigerator, bookshelves, and closets in your house. Keep one in every room of the house, from the laundry room to the bathroom shower! With violent home invasions on the rise a strategically placed Nightshade™ could save the day, and even your life.

2006-08-04T14:18:00.000-07:00

2006-08-02T14:26:00.000-07:00


Item:	VN56906
Description:	Victorinox SwissCard Hunter Green Clam. Measures 3 1/4" x 2 1/8". Hunter green plastic card with logo. Tools include knife with small blade/letter opener, scissors, mini ruler, straight pin, toothpick, nail file with screwdriver tip, tweezers and pressurized ball point pen. Clam packed.
Country of Origin:	SWITZERLAND

2006-07-31T08:26:00.000-07:00

Cold Steel has always contended that the Karambit is a specialized style of knife with unique but limited uses. It is also, however, quite popular. So, in response to the many requests from our customers, and with the help of custom knife maker, Steven Likarich, we proudly introduce the Steel Tiger®, our interpretation of this ancient Indonesian knife. It possesses all the best features of the classic Karambit and unites them with modern styling and materials, and, best of all; we’ve kept it very affordable. The broadly curved AUS 8A stainless blade is beautifully polished, taper ground, and vacuum heat-treated and sub zero quenched, for maximum strength, cutting power and edge retention. But it’s the grip that really distinguishes it from the competition. Designed for comfort, strength and ease of use, it features a tough Grivory® core that encapsulates the tang, emerging as the bolster/thumbshelf and distinctive finger ring. This core is then overmolded with Kraton®, which yields more to hand pressure than Grivory, and, in turn, creates a superb, non-slip grip. For safety, convenience and quick access, the Steel Tiger® comes with a sturdy Secure-Ex® sheath that you can lash to your gear or retain on your person via the removable boot/belt clip.

Specifications:
Weight: 5.4 oz.
Blade: 5"
Thick: 5mm
Overall: 9 3/4"
Handle: Kraton® & Grivory®
Sheath: Secure-Ex®
Steel: AUS 8A Stainless

2006-07-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

click to enlarge

MSRP $149.95

length overall	5 5/8" (143 mm)	blade length	2 5/16" (59 mm)	blade steel	VG-10
length closed	3 3/8" (86 mm)	cutting edge	1 7/8" (48 mm)	weight	4.1 oz (116 g)
hole diameter	15/32" (12 mm)	blade thickness	1/8" (3 mm)	handle material	STAINLESS STEEL

A pollywog represents metamorphosis in the animal kingdom, adapting and changing its form to survive in its environment. The same principle applies here. The Spyderco Poliwog CLIPIT thrives in a small-knife-friendly environment while keeping the features necessary to excel in a harsh, heavy cutting and performance setting. Its distinctive opened-ended Ball Bearing Lock™ exposes the knife’s inner workings for easy cleaning and rates as one of Spyderco’s highest strength locking mechanisms. Pulling back on the ball unlocks the blade ambidextrously from either side of the knife. The hand settles on the curved handle positioning the index finger into a choil that optimizes control and generates less fatigue and pressure on the hand during cutting. Made from VG-10, the blade has a hollow-ground edge with a weight reducing swedge-grind extending mid-spine to the tip. It is available PlainEdged. Its ambidextrous wire-tension pocket clip sets the Poliwog tip-up in the pocket.

2006-07-21T07:25:00.000-07:00

Due to their light weight and convenience, Zytel handled lockbacks have gained enormous popularity over heavier, traditional lockbacks with their metal bolsters and wooden scale handles. Cold Steel’s Voyager Series is the new generation of these ultra-light knives and are sure to be the standard by which others are judged for years to come!

The Voyager Series are made from the same premium stainless steel that goes into our famous Tanto. They feature precision milled and hand fitted parts with extra stiff springs. This provides a lock that is safer and stronger than most traditional folders. The blades are extremely wide and ground thin at the edge for tremendous shearing potential. This thin edge allows us to hone the blade to astounding sharpness. Plus, the cutting surface is continuously curved along its entire length for the most efficient possible slicing action. Because of the high carbon content in the stainless steel, you’ll find that the sharpness really lasts a surprisingly long time. If you like serrations, you’ll really appreciate Cold Steel’s exclusive pattern. It offers the aggressive ripping action of serrated teeth, but with a twist. Their design features groups of very small teeth separated by wide, shallow arcs. This results in the benefits of both a plain and a serrated edge, so that the knife still cuts smoothly through almost any material.

The Voyager Series offers all the advantages of the latest in lockback construction technology including lightening-quick one-handed opening, light weight and strength, yet without the necessity for unsightly humps or holes in the blade. The result is an appealing look with very modern styling. Every detail has been designed for maximum performance from the reinforced pivot pin and integral clip, to the grooved thumb shelf on the back of the knife for extra traction. Plus, the handle offers a superbly comfortable non-slip grip and houses the blade in a sleek, super-light package that can be carried all day without effort.

As tools, these lightweight, super sharp knives are appropriate in almost any environment from hunting and camping, to hiking and general utility chores. They can also readily fill specialty functions such as a boat or river knife, a chute knife or demanding police/survival/rescue applications.

2006-07-20T07:30:00.000-07:00

Your friends may turn a pronounced shade of green—with envy that is—the first time you snap open your new Black Sable™ and they start eyeing that magnificent mirror polished blade. Of course, they’ll plead with you to hand it over for closer inspection and of course they’ll immediately want to know where they can get one of their own. We all like to be in the spotlight now and then and when you’re the proud owner of a Cold Steel® Black Sable™, not only will you have a finely crafted folder; you’ll also have bragging rights that will last for years.

Consider the blade—made of hollow ground San Mai III® stainless steel and hand polished to a mirror shine—even the most jaded eyes will find it fascinating. But a Cold Steel® blade is more than just homage to style, this blade has enough substance to be frightfully effective. Every feature from its curved, upswept shape to its acute, reinforced point has been judiciously chosen to maximize cutting and piercing power. Just running your thumb over its razor sharp edge will tell you this is something to be reckoned with.

But no folder can stand on the merits of its blade alone. That’s why Cold Steel® spared no expense or effort in making sure every other component corresponds to the blade in quality and performance. The distinctively shaped, pistol grip handle features a Titanium frame overlaid with highly polished black Micarta scales and forged Titanium bolsters that have been matched together and bolted inseparably to the frame with the latest high tech fasteners.

To protect the fingers from the unintentional closure of the blade, the Black Sable™ has been fitted with Cold Steel’s® state of the art “rocker” lock. A highly refined locking mechanism, perfected by Cold Steel® over the last eighteen years, that relies on extra strong springs, super close tolerances and other secret refinements to make it equal, if not superior, in strength, to any other lock on the market.

For carrying and operating convenience, the Black Sable™ comes complete with dual, mirror polished pocket clips (for ambidextrous operation), and double thumb studs for rapid deployment.

Specifications:
Blade Thick: 1/8"
Blade Length: 4"
Handle: 5 7/8" long polished Micarta w/titanium bolsters
Overall length: 9 7/8"
Weight: 8.4 oz
Steel: Mirror polished San Mai III®
Polished Stainless Steel Pocket Clip

2006-07-19T13:14:00.000-07:00

The Vaquero® Series folders all feature our distinctive “S-Curve” clip point blade style. They are precision flat ground to form a long, shallow “V” shaped cross section. This is ideal for shearing through thick, fibrous materials such as manila rope, cable, hose, belts, etc. The serrated edges form a sinuous double curve. This means that whatever material is struck with the inward curving portion of the edge (near the hand) will automatically force the remaining curved edge entirely through. These strong, handsome folders deliver an unequalled fit and finish. They are carefully machined and hand fitted by master craftsmen who take great pride in their work. Feel the power of the massively strong locking mechanisms as you thumb one of these blades open. The deeply checkered, and ergonomically designed Zytel® handles are cleverly reinforced with enough rigidity, strength, and toughness to virtually last a lifetime. Double thumb studs on each side of the razor sharp blade allow you to open these folders with either hand in the blink of an eye. For convenience, a black stainless steel pocket clip is included. This allows for safe and secure carry in any environment. The series is available in four sizes, the largest being the six inch Vaquero® Grande, and the smallest featuring a three inch blade. Overall, the Vaqueros® represent an outstanding package of strength and workmanship, with singular good looks that give these knives a pronounced air of authority.


		VAQUERO GRANDE Specifications: Weight: 6.4 oz. Blade Thick: 3.5 mm Blade Length: 6" Steel: AUS 8A Stainless Steel Overall Length:13 1/4" Zytel handle and black stainless steel pocket clip

2006-07-18T09:32:00.000-07:00

In 1947, Mikhail Kalashnikov, the legendary Russian gun designer, created the AK-47 assault rifle. Eventually adopted by the Red Army in 1949, it became famous as the “People’s Rifle”. Such renown was not unwarranted, as it was utterly reliable, rugged, simple to operate and maintain, economical, and effective at reasonable ranges. This weapon, and all it represents became the inspiration for our newest heavy-duty tactical knife, the AK-47™ folder. Designed by Andrew Demko, the AK-47™ possesses all of the attributes of its namesake, and perhaps a few more. Built for hard and rugged use, the AK-47™’s handle is made with thick aircraft grade aluminum scales that are bolted to steel liners, this creates a robust grip that is remarkably tough, rigid, and incomparably strong. The grip is also equipped with a unique pommel. Made of Grivory®, the pommel features two lanyard holes, and can serve as a “less than lethal” percussion tool in a self-defense situation. The hollow ground blade has been honed by hand until it reaches levels of sharpness only seen on a surgeon’s scalpel. It’s made from Japanese AUS 8A Stainless steel, then vacuum heat treated, and sub zero quenched to make it as tough and rugged as humanly possible. To complement such an exceptional blade, we have equipped the AK-47™ with our Ultra Lock® locking mechanism. With our latest refinements and testing, this lock has proven itself to be equal, perhaps even superior, to any other lock on the market in terms of strength and shock resistance. Finally, to assure easy access, and swift operation, the AK-47™ comes with an ambidextrous pocket clip and our new patented thumb plate. The thumb plate has a dual purpose, it allows the knife to be drawn and quickly opened by snagging it on the edge of a pocket or it can be used like a conventional thumb stud for easy one-handed opening.

Specifications:
Blade: 3 1/2"
Overall: 9 1/4"
Thick: 4mm
Weight: 7.6 oz.
Steel: AUS 8A Stainless
Handle: Bead Blasted Aluminum

2006-07-17T05:20:00.000-07:00

Inspiration for this new tactical folder came from custom knife maker Barry Dawson’s neck knife design. That knife featured a slender blade, and a thick spine with a zero ground edge and a skeletonized handle. It was such a compelling concept that we created our own line of knives based upon Barry’s original design, the “Spike™” series. Now we’ve produced a new folding variation on that theme that we call the Spectre™.

The blade evokes Barry’s original ideas, but is enhanced by a mirror polished surface and is styled with our own Talon point, a blade style which offers absolutely ferocious ripping, cutting and slashing power without compromising the point’s ability to be used for piercing.

The Spectre™ is extremely light with a lean profile that fits the hand exceptionally well while offering a good solid grip. It has solid Titanium liners to give its understructure superior strength and the impressive black Micarta scales and polished Titanium bolsters give it a sophisticated exterior. Its so stunningly handsome, you’ll be constantly looking for excuses to lift it out of your pocket to just to show it off.

For safety and convenience the Spectre™ features our peerless leaf spring locking mechanism. Several years of testing and subtle improvements in construction have made this one of the safest and most reliable locks available at any price.

For even greater versatility and usefulness, we have outfitted the Spectre™ with a slim, yet stylish, pocket clip and thumb stud so you can clip it to the pocket of thin, light weight trousers or a coat pocket and open it in a flash when needed.

Specifications:
Blade Thick: 5mm
Blade Length: 4"
Handle: 4 3/4" long polished Micarta w/titanium bolsters
Overall length: 8 3/4"
Weight: 3 oz
Steel: Mirror Polished San Mai III®
Polished Stainless Steel Pocket Clip

2006-07-16T08:21:00.000-07:00

In feudal Japan one of the most highly coveted titles among a lord’s high-ranking retainers was “Hatamoto”. The fortunate Samurai on who this distinctive honor was bestowed was allowed immediate access to his lord, day and night, and was deemed trustworthy enough to wear his sword in his lord’s presence.

Like its namesake, the Hatamoto™ was designed to be a knife worthy of great respect and trust. A knife you will treasure for years and one you can bet your life on in a pinch. The blade has been precision hollow ground out of our famous San Mai III® stainless, 25% stronger than any other stainless steel in the world. For piercing power it features a modified tanto point (first popularized by Lynn Thompson in the early 1980’s). It pierces like a dagger yet remains remarkably resistant to bending or breaking. For cutting power, the edge is subtlety curved and ground thin and honed to razor keenness so it will “bite” with even moderate pressure and deliver dramatically deep, gaping cuts with full power blows.

To have this remarkable blade come alive in your hand we have crafted a simple yet highly efficient handle that will accommodate a wide variety of grip styles. For strength, rigidity and security, we have resolutely insisted on thick Titanium liners for the frame and overlaid them with high friction G-10 scales that have been reinforced by forged Titanium bolsters. All handle components have been bolted together with the latest in high strength fasteners to form one homogenous unit of great strength and moderate weight.

Lock strength is absolutely critical in a knife like the Hatamoto™, that’s why we have equipped it with the most reliable leaf spring locking mechanism on the market. Made of Titanium and fitted to extremely close tolerances it has proven almost impervious to the stress and shock that would destroy a lesser knife costing even three or four times as much.

Quick access and convenient carry are also attributes of the finest tactical folders so we have outfitted the Hatamoto™ with a sleek yet effective pocket clip and thumb stud for lightning fast opening.

Specifications:
Blade Thick: 4mm
Blade Length: 4"
Handle: 5" long G-10 w/titanium bolsters
Overall length: 9"
Weight: 6.3 oz
Steel: San Mai III®
Polished Stainless Steel Pocket Clip

2006-07-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

For almost a decade, Cold Steel® offered a small, wicked looking, boot knife called the Culloden®. It was based on the traditional Scottish “Black Knife” or “Skean Dhu”, as it was more commonly referred to, in Gaelic, the ancient language of Scotland.

For the dawning years of this century, however, we have created an entirely new tactical folder, that takes some of its design cues from the ancient Skean Dhu.

Our new Caledonian Edge™ features a number of modern variations and refinements on its older predecessor. The blade is made from virtually unbreakable San Mai III® laminated stainless, and, like the original Skean Dhu, features a thin, acutely pointed tip that’s as sharp as the proverbial needle. It glides effortlessly through even the most puncture resistant materials. Additionally, its precisely and carefully hollow ground blade has been honed so sharp, it will shave hair from your arm just as if you were using a straight razor.

The traditional jimping seen on the Skean Dhu of old has been retained and provides an aggressive, non-slip platform for one’s thumb and forefinger, allowing for better control when using the blade to cut or pierce.

The Caledonian Edge’s™ handle sports a palm-hugging profile and a relatively thin cross section that augments its covert qualities. It’s flat enough to resist rolling or twisting in one’s palm yet comfortable enough to accommodate a wide range of gripping styles. A perfect blend of strength and beauty, it features a superstructure of attractive, highly polished, black Micarta scales and custom Titanium bolsters that are bolted, utilizing the latest in high-tech fasteners, to a strong, yet lightweight Titanium liner substructure.

The Caledonian Edge’s™ leaf spring locking mechanism will protect your fingers from its sharp edge. It’s made from Titanium and is hand fitted to the closest tolerances possible. It has proved incredibly tough and reliable even when exposed to our most brutal tests.

For discreet carry and immediate access, the Caledonian Edge™ comes with a brightly polished stainless steel pocket clip and thumb stud on the blade. This arrangement allows a wide variety of carry options as well as lightning quick one handed opening.

Specifications:
Blade Thick: 4mm
Blade Length: 4 1/4"
Handle: 5 1/16" long polished Micarta w/titanium bolsters
Overall length: 9 5/16"
Weight: 5.8 oz
Steel: San Mai III®
Polished Stainless Steel Pocket Clip

2006-07-14T15:27:00.000-07:00

Have you ever dreamed of being able to harness the cutting and piercing power of a sword and distill it down into a folder small enough to fit into your pocket? That’s the essence of our new pocket sword, the Talwar™. Like Saladin’s legendary sword, it will cut, slash, and pierce with astonishing effectiveness. Notice the blade, it’s hollow ground from VG-1 San Mai III®, honed to razor sharpness and wickedly curved to facilitate the deadly draw cut. Additionally, it ends in a needle sharp, yet remarkably sturdy, point so it pierces as well as cuts. Designed by Lynn C. Thompson, the Talwar™ blends the sleek style of the east with the dynamic technology of the west. Using a Titanium frame as a foundation, the pistol grip handle features highly polished black linen micarta slabs with deeply carved finger grooves that allow it to settle naturally in one’s hand for maximum control. And its curved shape allows for reverse, or palm reinforced gripping techniques. Additionally, a hard-hitting ball shaped pommel enhances the Talwar’s™ versatility. Made from mirror polished stainless steel, it can be used as a striking tool to deliver blows to bony areas, nerve centers, and other soft targets. It can also serve as a secondary grasping point, allowing its user to extend his reach by as much as three inches. The Talwar’s™ lock is designed to adhere to Cold Steel’s most stringent standards of quality, with a state of the art rocker lock that’s peerless in the knife industry. It features extra strong springs, super tight tolerances, world class machining, as well as some extra promising refinements that can only be called “trade secrets.” These features, we believe, make it superior to any other lock on the market. To keep your pocket sword secure and close at hand and ready for action, the Talwar™ is aided by dual mirror polished pocket clips for ambidextrous operation and a unique removable thumb plate. The thumb plate allows the knife to be opened as it is drawn from one’s pocket by snagging it on the edge of the pocket seam. It can also be used like a thumb-stud for one-handed opening operation.

Specifications: Blade: 3 3/4"
Overall: 9 1/2"
Thick: 4mm
Weight: 7.6 oz.
Steel: VG-1 San Mai III®

2006-07-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

When you purchase one of our new Black Talon™ tactical folders there’s a phrase you’ll start hearing more and more: “Man, that’s one mean looking knife!”

The Black Talon™ is indeed an awe inspiring, ferocious looking knife. It’s efficient both coming and going and will rip, cut, or slash through just about any obstacle or material you put in its path. This is because of its needle sharp, talon-like point, and its sinuously curved blade. The blade is made from our own exclusive San Mai III® stainless steel so you know it will hold an edge for a long time and will rarely require re-sharpening.

The elegantly simple grip of this all-out cutting blade is strong and sturdy. It features a robust Titanium frame, which supports the forged Titanium bolsters and highly textured G-10 scales. The well built, yet highly refined, Titanium leaf spring lock will protect one’s fingers from the Black Talon’s™ razor sharp edge. This lock, in our tests, has proved itself peerless when it comes to withstanding great shock and stress.

For instant access, the Black Talon™ has a uniquely shaped thumb hole cut into the blade making it a snap to open with either hand. And for convenience and security there is a compact pocket clip and a steel lined lanyard hole. The clip is removable, so it can accommodate left and right-handed users alike.

Specifications:
Blade Thick: 4mm
Blade Length: 4"
Handle: 5 1/4" long G-10 w/titanium bolsters
Overall length: 9 1/4"
Weight: 6.6 oz
Steel: San Mai III®
Polished Stainless Steel Pocket Clip

2006-05-11T13:53:00.000-07:00

http://www.folders-r-us.org/full_tests.htm

In this section of the site, you will find tests of tactical folders. In order for this feature to become a reality, we have to rely on manufacturers cooperation, so please do not blame us if the knives you have asked us to evaluate (for example the Sebenzas), are not included here. We do contact the manufacturers and ask for the knives you specify, but not all of them respond positively.

All tests will open in a new window. Close that window to return here. At the end of each test, you will find a link through which you can send us your opinion about that particular knife. In that way, visitors can read not only our opinion, but yours as well.

If you are a knife manufacturer or reseller and you wish to see one of your products being tested here, in our "Knife Tests", please contact either

me or

William Grasso.

Test Date	To visit the manufacturer's site, click here.	To read our test click here.	Picture of knife tested
February 2006		Masters Of Defense 875
October 2005		Benchmade Stryker 910
October 2005		Camillus Heat
June 2004		Benchmade Presidio 520 SBT
May 2004		Spyderco Delica Lightweight
February 2004		Pro Hunter and Mouse 2
January 2004		CRKT M1-13K
January 2004		Benchmade Griptilian 550
November 2003		Spyderco Chinook C63
September 2003		Microtech Lightfoot LCC
July 2003		Karambit Journeyman by Tarani
July 2003		Karambit Masters by Tarani
Apr. 2003		Camillus CUDA EDC
Jan. 2003		Masters of Defense 'Trident'
Nov. 2002		Masters of Defense 'Tempest'
Sept. 2002		CRKT M16-03Z

We would like to thank the above manufacturers for their support and commitment. It is not everyday that you meet someone who trusts his products enough to volunteerly submit them for testing. We sincerely appreciate their help.

The following knives are scheduled to be tested:

CRKT M16-02Z
MoD CQD Mark I

Stay tuned, tests will be published here on a bi-monthly basis

2006-03-28T07:38:00.000-08:00

Chameleon Weapons Defy Detection

Since 9/11, all kinds of new technologies and new techniques have popped up for detecting concealed weapons.

But they won’t catch everything; far from it. Last week I talked to Anthony Taylor, managing partner of an outfit which makes weapons which can be hidden in plain sight. You can be looking right at one without realizing what it is.

One type is the exact size and shape of a credit card, except that two of the edges are lethally sharp. It's made of G10 laminate, an ultra-hard material normally employed for circuit boards. You need a diamond file to get an edge on it.

Taylor suggests that the card could easily be camouflaged as an ID card or one of the many other bits of plastic that clutter up the average wallet. Each weapon is individually handmade so they can be tailored to the user’s requirements.

Another configuration is a stabbing weapon which is indistinguishable from a pen. This one is made from melamine fiber, and can sit snugly inside a Bic casing. You would only find out it was not the real thing if you tried to write with it. It's sharpened with a blade edge at the tip which Defense Review describes as “scary sharp.”

I asked about more elaborate weapons. If modern synthetic materials are strong and hard enough to make a knife out of, how about a gun, like the non-metallic gun assembled by John Malkovich’s assassin character in In the Line Of Fire? According to one gun magazine, the CIA has had a ceramic handgun firing caseless non-metallic ammo for years.

Taylor certainly doesn’t rule out such a weapon, but points out the obvious flaw: how do you disguise it? Even a ceramic gun still looks like a gun, and anyone patting you down will find it. (James Bond fans might remember the golden gun used by Scaramanga which broke down into a fountain pen, cigarette case and lighter, but this is pure Hollywood fantasy)

In the real world, Taylor is more interested in supplying something that undercover narcotics agents can carry as a last-ditch weapon. In that sort of situation it can make the difference between life and death. And if you’re thinking of buying one, you should know that he only sells to law-enforcement and government agencies. This policy has him cost a lot of business, but being from a law-enforcement background himself, Taylor is not about to help the other side.

Of course there could be someone out there manufacturing chameleon weapons for the bad guys. That’s why some of Taylor’s business is with the various government agencies both in the US and in other countries whose job it is to detect such things, and who want to see the state of the art.

So how do you prevent someone from taking this sort of weapon through security checks? “Take everything off them and examine every item individually,” advises Taylor. “That’s the only reliable way.”

-- David Hambling

PS My book Weapons Grade is coming out in paperback next week! More later.UPDATE 12:28 AM: The FBI's extensive Guide to Concealable Weapons has 89 pages of weapons intended to get through security. These are generally variations of a knifeblade concealed in a pen, comb or a cross - and most of them are pretty obvious on X-ray.

March 27, 2006 12:20 AM Homeland Security Discuss

2006-02-15T07:17:00.001-08:00

Non-Magnetic/Non-Detectable Synthetic Edged and Pointed Weapons for Covert OpsPosted on Wednesday, February 08 @ 03:01:41 PST by davidc by David Cranedavid@defensereview.com

Awhile back, DefenseReview reported about a firm manufacturing non-magnetic/non-detectable synthetic edged weapons and pointed weapons (i.e. slicing and stabbing weapons) for clandestine carry and covert use by government, military, and law enforcement (LE) personnel.

These weapons can be carried literally anywhere on the person and, because of their materials and configurations, are very unlikely to be detected by even highly-trained personnel. These weapons are camouflaged, in that they look like look like--and can be carried like—ordinary items that most people carry with them every day, and they’re totally invisible to metal detectors.

One of the products being offered is a slicing weapon that’s the same size and shape as a credit card, but it is sharpened on several sides. This “concealed card” synthetic edged weapon has been recently updated with new materials and grind profiles—product-improved, if you will—in response to feedback the company has received from military and law enforcement personnel worldwide.

One version of the card is...made from G10 laminate with a Rockwell hardness of 110 on the Rockwell “M” scale. The other version is made from Melamine laminate, which contains fibers that creates a jagged cutting edge when sharpened/ground. Rockwell hardness for this material is 120 on the Rockwell “M” scale. Both cards are described by the company as “super hard”, and are .031 (.031”) inches thick.

Government, military, and law enforcement personnel who wish to purchase the card will need to specify whether they are right-handed or left-handed, because there is a “Right Handed Card” and “Left Handed Card”. Whichever you choose, the card is hand-sharpened (hand-ground) using a diamond file across the entire top (short end). If you’re holding the Right Handed Card with the sharpened short side up, the entire left side of the card is sharpened.

The Left Handed Card is sharpened on the opposite long side. The card weapons can be re-sharpened with a lady’s diamond nail file following the same bevel.

These cards won’t cut paper, but they will cut your skin “with no problem” and, according to the company, "could become your very best friend in an emergency situation."

A 5-inch bookmark-style weapon is also available with a sharpened, semi-round end.
The company also makes non-magnetic/non-detectable synthetic pointed weapons. Here’s what we said about them in a previous piece:
"The last two items are clandestine stabbing weapons, and they're very cool and handy. One is 5.5" long, looks just like a certain kind of inexpensive pen, and can be carried in a shirt or jacket pocket.

Very unobtrusive. This item is scary sharp. The point looks like an ice pick-type circular point, but it's actually sharpened with a blade edge at the very tip. I'm guessing this is to aid it in penetrating protective clothing like body armor. The last item is a similar configuration, but it's thinner, slightly longer at roughly 5.75" and can be carried in a pocket or taped somewhere hidden on your clothing or body.

It's also made out of a different color (darker) material. Like the "pen", it's also scary sharp. Both items can be sharpened with a diamond file, just like the rest."

DefRev recommends that you read that article, which explores the potential uses of these synthetic stabbing weapons.

Without going into specifics about how we’ve tested them, let’s just say that Defense Review has successfully carried all of these synthetic weapons through checkpoints manned by screening personnel, metal detectors, and X-Ray machines with no problem whatsoever. They were apparently undetectable on those occasions.

That’s all we’re going to say on that. So, they work in that regard. Fortunately, we’ve never had to employ them for any type of anti-personnel use, so we can’t attest to their efficacy in that regard.
Since they’re made by hand, each weapon is unique.

No two weapons are identical. They appear to be perfectly designed for their intended use. Small, lightweight, undetectable (especially by metal detectors), impervious to the elements, and camouflaged as everyday items, they are a covert operator’s last line of defense—potentially life-saving tools.

Because they're virtually undetectable (or at least extremely difficult to detect) by even experienced screening personnel utilizing sophisticated screening technology, these covert/clandestine synthetic weapons are only available to verified government, military, and law enforcement personnel. If you would like to inquire about pricing or availability for any of the weapons described, you can contact Anthony Taylor by phone at 203-733-6030, or via email at act_408@yahoo.com.
Click here to read DefRev's previous article on this synthetic weapons technology, titled Advanced Synthetic Edged and Pointed Weapons for Clandestined Carry: Reloaded.

2006-02-15T07:17:00.000-08:00

2006-01-17T14:42:00.000-08:00

http://www.hideawayknife.com/main.php

http://www.hideawayknife.com/faq.php

Frequently Asked Questions

1) This knife looks very different. What is it like to use?

Hold either hand up, fingers relaxed, with the back of your hand towards you. Put your thumb along the side. If you were wearing your HideAway, your thumb would now be along the thumb ramp, and the metal capsule would be around your 2 fingers. My buddy Seth calls this an "inverted grip". The blade would be above your fingers like a claw coming out of the back of your fingers.

Now, you can then do other things with your HideAway on without dropping it. You can hold a flashlight, hold a gun, hit with a palm strike, grab onto something for balance, or even swim. One person put his on and typed for 15 minutes when he first received it ;-). Another person sent me an email how it's the fastest DVD security tape removal tool in existence, because didn't have to keep putting it down and picking it back up between cuts.

Deployment is a quick yank. See "Sheaths" for feedback on deployment times and carry methods.
Day-to-day in your favorite carry method, it is light enough to forget about it until you need it.

With this knife, your wrist does not have to be canted at a weakened off angle to hold the knife straight out like it does with almost every other knife. Your wrist can stay in an inline, locked position when using your HideAway.

This one is tough to explain, but it seems that it would be more difficult to accidentally cut myself with a HideAway. This is because of the way you grip most knives vs the HideAway. For example, to accidentally cut inwards, you would have to do the equivalent of hitting yourself with the back of your fingers. Of course with humans, all variations of accidents are possible or probable. It's just harder to make a mistake with that orientation vs a normal knife edge coming out of the side of your palm.

2) Why did you design this knife?

a) Because I could find no knife with a small enough overall size that was also easily deployable and retainable. I know I could probably not deploy a folding knife in a high stress situation. It is fun to practice opening folding knives. However, I don't want to rely on being able to do that in a high stress situation. I also wanted a knife retainable to the extent that if I were hit and my hand had to relax, the edge would not drop.

b) Because I wanted a knife that would make me want to keep it close by and accessible within seconds always. A lot of SD-minded people talk about their weapons but reality is very few would really have something handy enough if they needed it.
Why is this, when being unprepared and getting hurt is so awful? Some people underestimate just how bad things can get. This happens for very logical reasons - breathing too much climate-controlled air, living in a suburban womb of safety, or being saturated by Hollywood's sanitized portrayals of violence. Others do not underestimate how bad it can get, but they also find that carrying a weapon constantly and consistently to be very challenging.

Life is already full of a lot of challenges. I wanted this knife to make it much easier to be prepared for those times when an extra edge could make a big difference. And of course for when you are fishing or gardening or climbing, and it would be really convenient to hold on to something else at the same time when you need to cut something.

"Quickly accessible" means hidden in plain sight. Independent of what I was wearing, I wanted quick accessibility to the knife. Behind my ID badge, under a collar, inside a pocket, inside a waistband. As a customer who is an orthopedic surgeon said, "This knife passes the 5 second test. You forget it is there after 5 seconds."
Read "The Concept" and "A Cut Above" for more on why I have spent so much time evolving this knife and carrying systems for it.

3) What are the HideAway's specs?

Materials are either the new S30V stainless steel or 6AL4V Titanium. I have started a waiting list for Stellite HideAways, which will be custom-ground by Mick Strider. I will require a deposit for Stellites since the material is so incredibly expensive. Introducing another process variation complicates things for me a lot, but some people are complete Stellite addicts and have been asking for it for a while. Mick was interested in doing Stellite HideAways, so I finally said OK!

All HideAways are ground on both sides. I decided against chisel grind (ground on 1 side only) after reading and talking with lots of folks and doing some cutting tests on cardboard with both.

I now offer Tungston Diamond-Like-Carbon (DLC) coating by Bodycote in North Carolina. The first DLC-coated Midnight HideAways have shipped and folks seem to really like the DLC. I'm offering these for only $10 more.

Hardness maven Paul Bos heat treats all my S30V.
Edge length varies some based on size, who grinds them, etc. I want to keep the straights under 2" in length. The blade length of some of the curvys and hybrids are almost all b>over 2" though because of the curves, so if that poses a legal boundary keep that in mind.

Originally I picked this blade length because it fit within the Fibonacci ratio for optimum strength, and also because there are many other very popular self-defense knives with a 1.5-2.0" blade length. I figured since so many people carried them, they all couldn't be wrong. I did my own non-scientific testing to validate that, since that line of reasoning doesn't always pan out. It did in this case.

I could go bigger and stay within my design boundary of the Fibonacci ratio, but for the intent of this knife, bigger is definitely not better. Even slightly bigger pushes the form factor beyond that which can be concealed behind an ID badge, under a lapel, easily on a keychain, in a pocket, without thinking twice about. With the HideAway's form factor, you get the most blade with the most concealability and retention that exists.

I also feel that bigger is unnecessary because of the testing I did on meat (rump roast, ribs, etc.) I am not very strong. I have no martial arts background. I have taken tons of firearms training (my HK rocks), and am much more comfortable and skilled now with guns than knives. A 1.6" straight HideAway made cuts clear to the board that had a 3" thick piece of rump roast nailed to it. How can this be? I wondered that myself when the blade hit wood and I stuck a ruler into the meat. I did not expect that. It's called flesh compression.

The important things are this:

1) Have a weapon. (~ 95% of all people don't)
(feel free to ignore 1) if you are the Incredible Hulk and are always going to be stronger and faster than someone trying to hurt you.

2) Have it accessible within seconds (most of remaining 5% don't)

3) Train with the weapon (still less of the 5% don't)

4) If the other person is faster or stronger and you sustain a hard blow, don't drop the weapon in either use or deployment. (etc...)
A blade length difference of 0.5" has not yet appeared on the list of what is important in saving your life.

I enjoyed illustrating this point to a police officer and my shooting buddy for Thursday night IPSC-type drills. I ran into him off-duty at the supermarket. Before he knew what was happening, I had frisked him and tapped the inside of his ankles with my foot. (I'm sure he could have stopped me if he had wanted to.) But my point was: He was not carrying his big Glock or any gun. I was carrying my J-frame .38 UtB. So of course I told him, "That's OK, you can call 911 while I take the door."

4) Can I order a sheath with my trainer?

Definitely.

5) How can I pay?

With almost any credit card or PayPal. PayPal does my credit card processing. So you will see their name pop up, but that doesn't mean you have to pay via PayPal, it just means they are going to process your credit card transaction. You'll need just a username and password to pay via credit card; not a funded PayPal account.

6) When do I pay?

When you receive an email from me, which will be after the knife is complete but before sheathing. I'm not comfortable taking any money before the knife is complete because the custom knife-making time frame is too unpredictable. Sheathing is custom and takes 4-6 weeks. (All HideAways include a custom neck sheath, aka a "bikini sheath".) Occasionally people flake-out and never pay. That's the downside of accepting reservations from people I don't know. I need to know if someone is going to flake out before sheathing happens because then I lose less.

7) I see that my knife is at sheathing. What is its status?

When I send your knife for sheathing, it is typically in a batch with 25 others. It will have a label on it with the sheaths that you have paid for. Most people seem to order 2-3 sheaths, so that is 70+ sheaths. As described above, every sheath is custom-fit to your HideAway. Sheathing takes 4-6 weeks. There's never been a knife lost yet! If I haven't received a knife back in 6 weeks, I would ask my sheathmaker to re-measure each one to make sure it is yours to help locate it.

But so far that's not been needed! Please be patient. These "little beasts", as folks who try to sheath them affectionately refer to them, are difficult and time-consuming to sheath relative to other knives.Sheathing is one of the most expensive, most time-consuming, and most unpredictable part of my process. I stay on the verge of wanting to offer only 1 sheath, because it is such a pain to track and make sure that when everything gets sent back to me, that each HideAway has the right sheaths.

However, I know that having many options for carry that fit into your life makes it easy to always be prepared. Therefore, I keep working on more options. Someone really needs to invent something better than Kydex, because the thermoforming process per knife takes wayyyy too long. But right now, that's the best option.

8) Do you accept money orders?

Yes, with a $3 fee, but I really really really prefer credit card or PayPal payment. Why would I have this preference when online payment has a transaction fee that I have to pay? Because payment by money order ends out costing me a lot more. Why?

- I travel a lot and have someone handle my mailing out and picking up of mail. I pay for each additional trip to the bank to deposit something.
- Money orders are very error prone. People don't remember to include shipping cost, or make it out to the wrong payee, or don't follow the instructions on the online form and never email me a copy so I don't have a record of what was paid for online. They end out costing me so much more time in fixing the errors.

9) Do you accept personal checks?

No.

10) Will paying in advance help speed up my order?

No. I have let some people pay in advance who wanted to hedge against unfavorable fluctuations in the dollar vs their currency, or to help maintain marital bliss ("Honey, after next week, I promise I won't spent more money on knives!"), or people who just admitted they weren't great at budgeting and wanted to make sure they could pay me. If this is the case I definitely appreciate the honesty and am OK with taking money in advance, because by the time your HideAway is finished, I have already paid a lot of bills to get it there!

11) Do you ship internationally?

Yes - via USPS Global Express and Global Priority. They pass it off to DHL in many countries. It takes forever to fill out those customs forms in triplicate. Most international purchasers are interested in my knife for use as a Fishing Knife, so that is how I label it on the customs forms. Many thanks to the creative Barry Neubauer for creation of the cool fish logo with just the right attitude. On the Fish's side is a little FS. I am also including a FREE sample of a rubber fishing worm with all international shipments while supplies last.

Logo on Intl forms

Free sample Power worm while supplies lastIf you are ordering from outside the US, I definitely need your phone number for the customs form. If you are inside the US, it is optional, but has been useful for quick clarifications on sheathing. Can US customers get a worm too? Noooooooo, please understand that the worm is for my International customers only since this type of Power Worm can be very difficult to obtain outside the US.

12) What is the status of my order?

Check out "My Order Status". I spent a lot of time making that for you to use. People really like checking their dots! I get emails almost immediately when they change with people saying "Hey my dots moved!" Movement of your status dot will definitely be non-linear. Kind of like my gas tank indicator, which for the first half of the tank moves 1:1 with distance, but then for the second half of the tank seems to move much more quickly.

13) Hey - my order status doesn't show the knife that I have on order!

Now grasshopper, this is because you aren't "logged in" under the same email address that placed the order. What is written next to the Greetings word? Is this your correct email address? If not, you need to click on the "I am not... [your email]" link to log in as you. 100% of the time so far this has been the cause. I need to make that more obvious on the screen, but am not sure how to do that.

14) How long will it take for my knife to be done?

That varies a lot. A couple people have had

I always get extra (non-reserved) knives from makers. When I do, I send an email to everyone with a reservation whose size matches the one available but who have a different knife reserved. So far these emails have taken up all extras, but I'm hoping to have some available in inventory soon.

But remember, the fastest way to get a HideAway is to reserve a Straight and specify "Any Artist". It's stabby, trivial to sharpen, and great for both utility and SD functions.

15) I wear my HideAway every day, and want to get my wife one for her birthday. How can I discretely get her HideAway measurement?

Wow, you have me stumped on that one. "Honey, I think your fingers are looking a little unusual. Can I see what your 2-finger circumference is?" (Have a better idea? I'll post it! :-)
OK, this idea just in (July 2, 2004) from Anthony Perez, with a small amount of editing by me: "Hey, honey, I was reading in Modern Woman that a leading indicator for future osteoporosis in women can be inferred by a certain ratio.

Let me get the circumference of your index and middle fingers, held together, of your dominant hands....just because I love you SOOOO much. ::kisskisskiss:: "

16) Do you ever sleep?

Not much. I work full time, travel often for work in the US and beyond, and for another year or so, starting in September, I'll be in grad school trying to complete a degree that was interrupted.
However, I am online lots and very interested in your feedback and thoughts. I generally respond to email within several days whether I am here or overseas, and try to get completely caught up over the weekend.

How are the HideAways selling?
Well.
At first I was very convinced that this design was something that not many people would be interested in, because in the design process I ended out not following most of the advice I was given by people who knew lots more about knives than me, and because it took a long time to find a knife maker interested in making it. (Thanks to my buddy SouthNarc for referring me to the talented Mickey Yurco who made the first one from my garage CNC milled "green soap" prototype.) I finally just said, "Screw it. I'm making this for myself."

Also because it is so unconventional, I didn't think traditional knife folks would like it. It seems like a lot of traditional knife folks do like it. Knife connoisseurs seem to order 3: a double-edge straight, a hybrid or a curvy, and a titanium.

It's a total thrill to have so many people ordering them and receiving them and to hear the feedback from when someone first gets their HideAway. Please read "Customer Feedback" for detailed reviews.
Financially I would not call it a huge success because margins are very low per knife because of cost variability between batches. The per-knife cost for something is always reasonable.

But the batch fees can make one HideAway cost double the next. For example, the batch fee for vibratory tumbling is $400 to run the monster machine for 8 hours, whether I do 1 or 300 at a time. Thank goodness I'm not depending on this to pay the rent! If I factored my time into this I'd definitely be in the negative.

My favorite part has been working with the finishing artists, hearing feedback from customers, especially their first impressions, and talking with them about their ideas for how it can be used or other sheathing options. I am lucky that the best of the best have taken an interest in my knife. They are incredible men and have added a lot of joy to this project.

My least favorite part has been the several people who have never paid, and getting things ready for shipment out. For non-knives, the 13-year-old son of the woman who handles my mail is helping me with order fulfillment. The politics of the knife industry is also like walking in a field full of land mines. You think you are walking on green grass, and boom. I have little patience, no time, and no mental energy for that.

Thankfully my very wise collaborators try to steer me away from the landmines. As the adorable Jerry Hossom counseled me, "[FrontSight], it's great that you approach everything from a different angle. But the next time you have an epiphany, please call me first."
I'm going to keep doing this as long as it stays more fun than grind. I finally have my 7, which is what I really wanted to begin with.

Also, most of the people whom I know and really wanted to order one have done that and their orders are in the pipeline.

17) What's next?

I'm focused on sheathing. The state of sheathing today is very dissatisfying to me. If the purpose of a sheath is to protect the human from the edge and the tip, and to make it ready for deployment, why does a sheath have to add so much bulk and weight. There should be something better.

Lastly, I have designed something related to facilitating weapons deployment. A manufacturer built the prototype, and the prototype worked perfectly. My unofficial HideAway advisory board members were all thumbs-up on the concept. Ken Onion and attorney Bill from Pittsburgh gave me advice on how to approach the patent process. This is not specific to the HideAway, but all current HideAway owners will be able to take advantage of it immediately.

Right now I am looking for a different manufacturer to mass produce it. The first one became spooked when they learned that what I had designed could be used by law-enforcement.

The latest addition to the Sheaths models offered is the "Bro Clip". Essentially, this is a suspender clip with a FANG on it. Much more secure than your traditional suspender clips. I had been using these with sheaths for bra-attachment. My sheathmaker Ken Brock figured out a way to make the Bra Clip something that wouldn't need a separate sheath for it.

This makes it much lower cost, and attaches on to any Bikini sheath! I was trying to think of a more masculine sounding, since you XY's might be squeamish about ordering something called with the word Bra in it (but one deputy sherriff already did!!). Ken suggested we call it a "Bro Clip." Ken hereby gets 5 points for that quip and demonstration of wit.

Thank you for your interest in my knife.

2005-12-16T15:45:00.000-08:00

THE KNIFE CENTER PRESENTS

A Glossary of Knife Terms

To help you in your understanding as you browse through the KnifeCenter of the Internet, we offer this glossary. It is not yet complete and will grow through time to include diagrams and pictures as well as lots more words. If there is a particular word, phrase or anything that you don't understand here, please feel free to e-mail us and we will try to explain what we can. We wish to thank Dexter Ewing for his help on this page.

I. Handle Materials
STAG derived from naturally shed deer antlers. When exposed to open flame, stag takes on that slightly burnt look. Very elegant material for pocketknives.

BONE derived from naturally deceased animals. Bone is usually given a surface texture, most commonly in the forms of pickbone and jigged bone. Bone can be dyed to achieve bright colors (e.g. green, blue, and black). This is the most common handle material for pocketknives.

G-10 a fiberglass based laminate. Layers of fiberglass cloth are soaked in resin and are compressed and baked. The resulting material is very hard, lightweight, and strong. Surface texture is added in the form of checkering. G-10 is an ideal material for tactical folders because of its ruggedness and lightweight. It is usually available in black.

MICARTA the most common form is linen micarta. Similar construction as G-10. The layers of linen cloths are soaked in a phoenolic resin. The end product is a material that is lightweight, strong, as well as having a touch of class (thus dressier than G-10). Micarta has no surface texture, it is extremely smooth to the touch. It is a material that requires hand labor, which translates into a higher priced knife. Micarta is a relatively soft material that can be scratched if not treated properly.

CARBON FIBER composed of thin strands of carbon, tightly woven in a weave pattern, that are set in resin. It is a highly futuristic looking material with a definite "ahhhh" factor. Of all the lightweight synthetic handle materials, carbon fiber is perhaps the strongest. The main visual attraction of this material is the ability of the carbon strands to reflect light, making the weave pattern highly visible. Carbon fiber is also a labor-intensive material that results in a rather pricey knife.

ZYTEL®Du Pont developed this thermoplastic material. Of all synthetic materials, ZYTEL® is the least expensive to produce, which explains the abundance of work knives that have this material. It is unbreakable: resists impact and abrasions. ZYTEL® has a slight surface texture, but knife companies using this material will add additional, more aggressive surface texture to augment this slight texture.

TITANIUM a nonferrous metal alloy, the most common form of titanium is 6AL/4V: 6% aluminum, 4% vanadium, and 90% pure titanium. This is a lightweight metal alloy that offers unsurpassed corrosion resistance of any metal. It has a warm "grip you back" feel and can be finished either by anodizing or bead blasting. Aside from handles, titanium is also used as liner materials for locking liner knives for it is a rather "springy" metal.

ALUMINUM just like titanium, aluminum is also a nonferrous metal. Commonly used as handles, aluminum gives the knife a solid feel, without the extra weight. The most common form of aluminum is T6-6061, a heat treatable grade. The most common finishing process for aluminum is anodizing.

ANODIZATION an electrochemical process which adds color to titanium, which is especially conducive to this coloring process. Depending on the voltage used, colors can vary (high voltage = dark color, low voltage = light color).

BEAD BLASTING a process by which steel, aluminum, and titanium are finished. Bead blasting is commonly found on tactical folders and fixed blades, for it provides a 100% subdued, non-glare finish.

II BLADE STEELS
1) AUS-8 (also referred to as 8A) (some text courtesy of Cold Steel, Inc.)- The words "stainless steel" are misleading, because, in fact all steel will stain or show discoloration if left in adverse conditions for a sufficient time. Steel is made "stainless" by adding Chromium and reducing its Carbon content during the smelting process.

Some authorities claim that there is a serious performance trade off with stainless steel: As the Chrome increases and the Carbon decreases, the steel be comes more "stainless". But it also becomes more and more difficult to sharpen and, some claim, the edge-holding potential is seriously impaired. We have found that most stainless steel blades are as sharp as other material blades and hold the edge longer.

AUS 8A is a high carbon, low chromium stainless steel that has proven, over time, to be a very good compromise between toughness, strength, edge holding and resistance to corrosion.

2) ATS-34 - premium grade of stainless steel used by most custom knifemakers and upper echelon factory knives. It is Japanese steel, owned by Hitachi Steels. The American made equivalent of ATS-34 is 154CM, a steel popularized by renowned maker Bob Loveless.

3) GIN-1 (formerly known as G2) - another low cost steel, but slightly softer than AUS-8.

4) CPM-T440V - sometimes touted as the "super steel", it outlasts all stainless steels on the market today. It is, however, harder to resharpen (due to its unprecedented edge retention). But the tradeoff is that you do not have to sharpen as frequently. CPM-T440V is widely used by custom knifemakers and is slowly finding its way into high-end factory knives.

5) SAN MAI III - (text courtesy of Cold Steel, Inc.) An expensive, traditional style Japanese laminate. Hard, high carbon stainless forms the core and edge of the blade, while two layers of tough, spring tempered stainless support and strengthen it. The resulting blade possesses the best qualities of both types of steel.This laminate is 25% stronger than the incredibly tough AUS 8A stainless . The telltale sign of genuine San Mai III is a thin line near the edge that runs the entire length of the blade. This line is created in the grinding process as the layers of steel in the blade are exposed. The distance the line is from the edge varies from knife to knife because every piece of San Mai III steel is unique.Like AUS 8A stainless, San Mai III is treated in modern, precise conveyor furnaces and subjected to a sub zero post hardening process. This improves the microstructure of the steel by eliminating retained austenite. The resulting blades are more elastic and have better edge holding characteristics than standard stainless steels.

6) 420J2 - (text courtesy of Cold Steel, Inc.) Due to its low carbon high chromium content this steel is an excellent choice for making tough (bends instead of breaking), shock absorbing knife blades with excel lent resistance to corrosion and moderate edge holding ability. It is an ideal candidate for knife blades that will be subject to a wide variety of environmental conditions including high temperature, humidity, and airborne corrosives such as salt in a marine environment.

This extreme resistance to corrosion via its high chrome content also makes it a perfect choice for knife blades which are carried close to the body or in a pocket and blades which will receive little or no care or maintenance

Carbon V (From Cold Steel, Inc.) - An exclusive carbon alloy steel, formulated and extensively treated to achieve exceptional properties. Carbon V was developed and refined by using both metallurgical and performance testing. Blades were subjected to the "Cold Steel Challenge" as a practical test, and then they were sectioned, so that their microstructure could be examined. In this way we arrived at the optimum steel AND the optimum heat treatment sequence to bring out the best in the steel.

Cold Steel buys large quantities of premium high carbon cutlery steel with small amounts of elemental alloys added in the smelting stage. These elements enhance the blade's performance in edge holding and elasticity. The steel is then rolled to their exact specifications to establish optimum grain refinement and blades are blanked to take full advantage of the grain direction in the steel.

The blanks are heated in molten salt, quenched in premium oil and tempered in controlled ovens. Then they are ground. The new blades are then subjected to expert heat treatment, involving rigidly controlled austenizing temperatures, precisely defined soak times, proper selection of quenching medium and carefully monitored tempering times and temperatures. This heat treatment sequence results in blades which duplicate and often exceed the properties of the most expensive custom forgings.

Premium U.S. High Carbon (from Cold Steel, Inc.)- Cold Steel's Premium Carbon Steel is used in a variety of our low cost highly functional knives. Chemical content and microstructure from the mill is specified by Cold Steel and each lot is subjected to the same metallurgical examination before being used in production as our world famous Carbon V.

The Steel is a very clean,fine grained material with a high carbon content for toughness and response to heat treatment. Cold Steel has designed a special heat treatment for this material which maximizes toughness in combination with more than acceptable edge holding ability, resulting in a blade which will satisfy even the most discriminating user.

III LOCKING MECHANISMS
1) LOCKING LINER - this particular locking system was refined by knifemaker Michael Walker. The actual locking mechanism is incorporated in the liner of the handle, hence the name. If there is a metal sheet inside the handle material, it is called a liner.

With a locking liner, opening the blade will allow this metal will flex over and butt against the base of the blade inside the handle, locking it open. Moving this liner aside will release this lock allowing the blade to close. Disengagement of the lock is performed with the thumb, allowing for one handed, hassle free action. Locking liners are commonly found on tactical folders, both production and custom.

2) LOCKBACK - this style of lock has a spring-loaded locking bar with a tooth at the end. The tooth falls into the notch cut into the blade tang and is held there under the spring tension. A cut out in the handle spine houses the release for the lock. These locks generally require 2 hands to unlock and close.

IV BLADE GRINDS
1) HOLLOW GRIND the most common grind, found on the majority of custom and production pieces. Hollow ground blades have a thin edge that continues upwards, and is the grind is produced on both sides of the blade. Since the cutting edge is relatively thin, there is very little drag when cutting.

Examples of knives with hollow ground blades: Spyderco Howard Viele C42 and Kershaw Ti-ATS-34.

2) FLAT GRIND Flat grinds are characterized by the tapering of the blade from the spine down to the cutting edge. This style of grind is also referred to as a "V" grind, since the cross section of this grind resembles that letter. The chisel grind, a popular style for tactical blades, is a variation of the flat grind. On a chisel round blade, it is ground on one side, and on the other it is not.

These blades are easier to sharpen, because you sharpen one side only. Example of a knife with a chisel ground blade would be the Benchmade 970 Ernest Emerson CQC7. Examples of knives with a flat grind are the Benchmade Mel Pardue 850 and Spyderco's C36 Military model.

3) CONCAVE GRIND Similar to the flat grind in that the blade tapers from the spine to the cutting edge, except the taper lines are arcs instead of straight lines.

4) CONVEX GRIND Similar to the flat grind in that the blade tapers from the spine to the cutting edge, except the taper lines are arcs extending outward instead of inward as in the convex grind above or straight lines. If you picture a pumpkin seed, you will get a good idea of what the cross sectional view of this grind is like. Noted custom knife maker Bill Moran is credited for bringing the convex grind into the focus of knife making.

2005-10-28T18:25:00.000-07:00

Development of Damascus steel

When forming a batch of steel, impurities are added to control the properties of the resulting alloy. In general, notably during the era of Damascus steel, one could produce an alloy that was strong and brittle at one extreme by adding up to 2% carbon, or soft and malleable at the other, with about 0.5% carbon. The problem for a swordsmith is that the best steel should be both strong and malleable—strong to hold an edge once sharpened, but malleable so it would not break when hitting other metal in combat. This was not possible with normal processes.
Metalsmiths in India perhaps as early as 300 BC (although more likely 200 AD) developed a new technique known as wootz steel that produced a high-carbon steel of unusually high purity. Glass was added to a mixture of iron and charcoal and then heated. The technique propagated very slowly though the world, reaching modern-day Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan around 900, and then the Middle East around 1000.

This process was further refined, either using locally produced steels, or by re-working wootz purchased from India. The exact process remains unknown, but allowed carbides to precipitate out as micro particles arranged in sheets or bands within the body of a blade. The carbides are far harder than the steel, allowing the swordsmith to make an edge centered on one of the carbide bands and thus very strong, while the sword as a whole remained flexible as in normal steels. The banded carbide precipitates appear in the blade as a beautiful swirling patterning, apparently the origin of the term damask.

Loss of the technique

For reasons that are not entirely clear, the process was then lost to the Middle-Eastern metalsmiths around 1600 CE, and has been eagerly sought by many since that time. The Russian bulat steel has many similar properties, at least in nature if not in process. Recently various groups have claimed to have recreated the process, though even they admit they cannot be certain how it was originally created. Verhoeven et. al (1998) believe that the key is controlled thermal cycling (10-20 heating/cooling repetitions between room temperature and about 100 °C below the austenitizing temperature) after the initial forging; a somewhat different technique was proposed by Wadsworth and Sherby (1980; also 2001).

For some time, it was believed that Damascus steel was made in a similar fashion to what is known as pattern welding, a sword making technique that was widely used in Europe and Japan. Pattern welding is a mechanical process that lays up strips of material which are then pounded together, or folded, as in Japanese practice. If the blade is then etched in acid the layering below the surface is revealed, the patterns being similar to that of Damascus steel. For some time this similarity was used to dismiss Damascus as yet another pattern-welded steel, but modern metallurgy demonstrated this to be wrong.
It has also long been argued that the raw material for Damascus steel swords was imported from India, because India was the only known center of crucible-fired steels like wootz.

However this too proved wrong when the furnaces in Turkmenistan were discovered, demonstrating at least that the technique was moving out from India. There appears to be no reason to suspect that similar metal factories were not built in Damascus, although if this were the case their later disappearance requires explanation. However, if Alfred Pendray's work is correct, several key impurities that appear to give damascus steel its properties point to particular ores available in India.

Another common myth is that Crusaders introduced the term to Europe after meeting it in combat. However several historical studies have demonstrated that the term did not appear in English until the 16th century.

Even the name itself remains somewhat controversial. Although it would seem obvious that it refers to swords built in Damascus, there are several equally likely sources. One is the Arabic word damas for water, referring to the surface pattern that looks like turbulent water. Another potential source is the swordsmith himself, the author al-Beruni refers to swords made by a man he names Damasqui. Finally another author, al-Kindi, refers to swords made in Damascus as Damascene.

This word has often been employed as an epithet in various legends in Eastern Europe ("Sabya Damaskinya" meaning "Damascene sword"), of which perhaps the most known are Bulgarian and Serbian ones of Krali Marko, a historical figure in nowaday Macedonia in the late 14th century.
So, even after 1000 years, Damascus steel remains something of a mystery.

Types of Damascus

The original Damascus was a steel type now called wootz. Until the techniques were rediscovered in the 1980s by Alfred Pendray, it was widely believed that nobody knew exactly how this was made, though a very similar material was made by the Stanford team of Oleg Sherby and Jeff Wadsworth. Pendray's recreation of the traditional process involves putting iron and several other ingredients in a clay crucible and heating them until they meld together. Other recent metallurgical work, both in Russia and the United States, may have created new pathways to this marvelous material.

Pattern welded steel is commonly known today as Damascus, although this is historically incorrect. Pattern weld Damascus is made out of several types of steel and iron slices, which are then welded together to form a billet. The patterns vary depending on what the smith does to the billet. The billet is drawn out and folded until the desired number of layers are formed. Japanese katana were made with this method. Also kris or keris swords of Indonesia were made of pattern weld.

Another material similar to Pattern weld is mokume-gane. Mokume is made of the softer metals, like gold, silver, and copper. It is made in much the same way as pattern weld Damascus, and is used for rings, tsubas (the guard on a katana), and knife bolsters. The name mokume-gane means "wood eye", referring to the pattern of the metals, which looks like wood grain. It was first made by the Japanese.
Some ancient shotgun barrels (usually on double barreled guns) were formed from forged wires. This leaves a visible wire pattern in the barrel and such are referred to as "Damascus Barrels".

2005-10-13T15:30:00.000-07:00

SWITCHBLADE LEGACY

by Bernard Levine (c)1990

published in KNIFE WORLD August 1990

http://www.knife-expert.com/

AUGUST 12, 1958, a date that has faded into obscurity, the
Congress of the United States enacted Public Law 85-623, an
"act to prohibit the introduction, or manufacture for
introduction, into interstate commerce of switchblade knives,
and for other purposes," and sent it on to President
Eisenhower for his signature. Under this act, "The term
'switchblade knife' meant any knife having a blade which
opens automatically --

(1) by hand pressure applied to a button or other device in
the handle of the knife, or

(2) by operation of inertia, gravity, or both."
The maximum penalty for each violation of this law was a
$2,000 fine and five years in jail.
It is not within the constitutional authority of the United
States to ban manufacture or possession of a class of item,
although the individual states have almost unlimited
authority to do so. What the federal government may do,
according to Article I, Section VIII, Clause 3 of the
Constitution, is "To regulate commerce with foreign nations,
and among the several States, and with the Indian tribes."
Using the authority of this "Interstate Commerce" clause,
Congress did the very next thing to banning switchblade
knives.

In 1958 only two American companies still made
switchblades: Imperial and Colonial. Both were then in
Providence, Rhode Island, and so telling them that they could
not make switchblades for sale in interstate commerce was
effectively the same as telling them not to make switchblades
at all.

Up until 1954, Schrade-Walden in upstate New York had been
the leading manufacturer of switchblades. That year the state
of New York had banned their manufacture and sale, so
Imperial, the parent company of Schrade-Walden, had taken
over the firm's switchblade production.

The George Schrade Knife Co. of Connecticut had also been a
major domestic supplier of switchblades. This firm was sold
to Boker of New Jersey in 1956 (George Schrade had died in
1940). However both New Jersey and Connecticut banned
switchblades shortly after New York had done so, and thus
only the two Providence firms were still in the switchblade
business in 1958.

THE DEBATES
The debate in Congress over the bills to ban switchblades
from interstate congress (in 1958 there were four versions in
the House and one in the Senate) had the surreal quality
inevitable when immoral men put on a public show of enforcing
morality. As in the present debate over "assault" rifles,
Congressmen, media tycoons, and big-city police chiefs
indulged in hysterical fits of fabricated sensationalism.

Faced with this onslaught in 1958, most reasonable men kept
silent and went along, out of fear of being labeled "pro-
criminal." Even the National Rifle Association knuckled
under, then still believing in the power of appeasement.
To its credit, the Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA)
spoke out against the proposed ban, recognizing it both as
unreasonable in itself, and as setting a dangerous precedent
for additional bans.

IWLA Conservation Director J. W. Penfold
wrote, "Many of our State divisions and local chapters have
firmly resisted State or municipal legislation which would
restrict ownership and use of sporting arms in efforts to
control the ownership of weapons by thugs. Generally I
believe our membership does not believe that such legislation
would achieve its objective but would hinder and thwart the
law-abiding citizens in his use of arms for sporting
purposes..."

Not surprisingly, supporters of the ban later quoted a few
lines of Penfold's letter out of context, in order to convey
the false impression that the IWLA supported the ban.
New York State Senator Frank J. Pino of Brooklyn had a glib
rebuttal for the sportsman angle. He testified, "Actually,
these knives are, I would say inherently dangerous, they have
only one purpose. They are just deadly. They are lethal
weapons, and they are suited for crime, that is all they are
suited for. So that the sportsmen really have nothing
substantial to complain about. But they do complain. It is an
emotional thing with them, somehow.

"I know we have had their complaints, too, in connection
with a bill which I have had in the legislature to limit the
sale of ammunition in the city of New York...
"This is a problem that we have in all of the big cities.
And it is a question of weighing the conveniences of a group
against the welfare and the health and the lives of many,
many people. That is all it is."

No, Senator Pino, it is a question of rights versus
tyranny. Your arguments are the same ones used to justify
concentration camps. They "inconvenience" a group, to promote
the "welfare" of the tyrannical majority.

WORDS OF WISDOM
The only prominent public agencies with the courage to
oppose the anti-switchblade measure were the two that would
be charged with enforcing it: the Department of Justice and
the Department of Commerce. They argued that the measure
would be both costly to the government and burdensome to law-
abiding citizens, yet it would accomplish no useful purpose.
Moreover, it would extend the powers of the federal
government into areas that had hitherto been the exclusive
domain of the states. They were joined in their opposition by
the Bureau of the Budget.

Deputy Attorney General William P. Rogers wrote, "The
Department of Justice is unable to recommend enactment of
this legislation.

"The committee may wish to consider whether the problem to
which this legislation is addressed is one properly within
the police powers of the various States. As you know, Federal
law now prohibits the interstate transportation of certain
inherently dangerous articles such as dynamite and
nitroglycerin on carriers also transporting passengers. The
instant measures would extend the doctrine upon which such
prohibitions are based by prohibiting the transportation of a
single item which is not inherently dangerous but requires
the introduction of a wrongful human element to make it so.

"Switchblade knives in the hands of criminals are, of
course, potentially dangerous weapons. However, since they
serve useful and even essential purposes in the hands of
persons such as sportsmen, shipping clerks, and others
engaged in lawful pursuits, the committee may deem it
preferable that they be regulated at the State rather than
the Federal level."

Secretary of Commerce Sinclair Weeks wrote, "The general
intent of these legislative proposals appears to be to
improve crime prevention by control of the use of the
switchblade knife as a weapon of assault. This approach gives
rise to certain objections. One is that, at best, it is an
indirect approach which addresses itself to only one of many
implements useable by an assailant. This casts doubt upon the
resulting effectiveness in the reduction of crime in relation
to its enforcement problems...

"While this proposed legislation recognizes that there are
legitimate uses that have need for switchblade knives, the
exemptions would appear to assume that the most significant
of these uses lie in Government activities. To us, this
ignores the needs of those who derive and augment their
livelihood from the 'outdoor' pursuits of hunting, fishing,
trapping, and of the country's sportsmen, and many others. In
our opinion there are sufficient of these that their needs
must be considered."

The Department of Defense, by contrast, pusillanimously
endorsed the ban, but only on condition that it be declared
exempt itself. It was, as were all other local, state, and
federal government agencies.

THE CRUSADERS
Oddly, most of the backers of the anti-switchblade bills
agreed with Secretary Weeks that prohibiting switchblades
would accomplish little in the way of curtailing crime. They
readily admitted that their measure was largely symbolic.
Being politicians, however, they knew that empty but highly
visible symbolic acts garner far more votes than low-profile
but effective reforms. They also knew that it was politically
safer to criminalize the actions of a couple of small
manufacturers, rather than to punish the juvenile delinquency
of the children of some of their constituents.

The most persistent advocate of a switchblade ban was
Representative James J. Delaney of New York City, author of
the first federal anti-switchblade bill back in 1954. That
first effort never made it out of committee.

In his testimony before the House commerce committee on
April 17, 1958, Delaney stated, "Every day our newspapers
report numerous muggings and attacks, most of them involving
knives. Can we sit by complacently and ignore the bloodshed
in our streets?
Doing away with switchblades will not be a
cure-all for the crime wave sweeping the Nation, but it will
remove one of the favorite weapons of our juvenile and
criminal element.
"... it was not until about 1949 or 1950 that these things
came into common usage. In the gathering of juvenile gangs
and clans, nearly every one of them has a switchblade. It is
a ritual with some of them to carry switchblades. It is not
only the boys, but I was surprised to find that a great
number of the girls carry them also."

Congressman Delaney's mind was made up, so it probably
would have been pointless to confuse him with the facts.
Switchblades came into common use in the United States, not
around 1950 as he stated, but around 1850. After the turn of
the century, thanks to the inventive genius of George Schrade
(and the "protection" of the Tariff Acts of 1891 and 1897),
American made switchblades of all sizes became popular and
commonplace.

Another backer of the ban had an even more creative view of
history than Delaney. U.S. Senator Frederick G. Payne of
Maine asked a witness, "Isn't it true that that type of
knife, switchblade knife, in its several different forms, was
developed, actually, abroad, and was developed by the so-
called scum, if you want to call it, or the group who are
always involved in crime?" The witness, New York State
Justice John E. Cone, co-founder of the Committee to Ban
Teen-Age Weapons, enthusiastically agreed.

The most outspoken proponent of a ban chose a sexual
metaphor to express his anxieties. Representative Sidney R.
Yates of Illinois testified, "Vicious fantasies of
omnipotence, idolatry... barbaric and sadistic atrocities,
and monstrous violations of accepted values spring from the
cult of the weapon and the switchblade knife is included in
this.

"Minus switchblade knives and the distorted feeling of
power they beget -- power that is swaggering, reckless, and
itching to express itself in violence -- our delinquent
adolescents would be shorn of one of their most potent means
of incitement to crime."

WHICH KIND OF REPUBLIC?
So how could the United States of America, the land of the
free and the home of the brave, have sunk so low as to submit
to these demagogues, to feel obligated to "save" its citizens
from an everyday item sold here regularly for the past
hundred years, and in common use for the past fifty? The
answer can be found in the most basic philosophical
underpinnings of our country.

From its establishment in 1789, the American republic
itself, as well as its promises of Life, Liberty, and the
Pursuit of Happiness, have meant different things to
different of its citizens. The most important of these
differences can be traced to two fundamentally different and
largely irreconcilable philosophical outlooks.
Two centuries ago, these differences were widely recognized
and understood, because they very nearly prevented the
Constitutional Convention from reaching any conclusion at
all. Today the differences are just as deep, and just as
pervasive, but most of us tend to see them only in regard to
specific contemporary issues, rather than as more general
matters of philosophy.

The conflicts over such divisive
issues as abortion, gun control, drug prohibition,
affirmative action, environmental protection, and industrial
policy can never be settled by reasoned debate, because the
adherents to each side of these issues do not share a common
philosophy. Instead the resolution of these issues will be
dictated, unsatisfactorily to all, by the naked exercise of
political power: the tyranny of popular or Congressional
majorities inflamed by media hysteria, or the arbitrary
absolutism of the courts.

The two irreconcilable views of the nature of our republic
that underlie these issues today have been a part of the
republic since the beginning. A clear exposition of these two
views is set forth by University of Alabama professor Forrest
McDonald in his 1985 book, Novus Ordo Seclorum, The
Intellectual Origins of the Constitution. On pages 70-74 he
explains the differences between what he calls puritanical
republicanism, on the one hand, and agrarian republicanism,
on the other. First, however, he elucidates their common
ground.

He says that in a true republic, a system of "rule by the
public," the vital principle is public virtue (from virtus,
manly strength). In Professor McDonald's words, public virtue
"entailed firmness, courage, endurance, industry, frugal
living, strength, and above all, unremitting devotion to the
weal of the public's corporate self, the community of
virtuous men. It was at once individualistic and communal:
individualistic in that no member of the public could be
dependent upon any other and still be reckoned a member of
the public; communal in that every man gave himself totally
to the good of the public as a whole. If public virtue
declined, the republic declined, and if it declined too far,
the republic died.

"Philosophical historians had worked out a regular life
cycle, or more properly death cycle, of republics. Manhood
gave way to effeminacy, republican liberty to licentiousness.
Licentiousness, in turn, degenerated into anarchy, and
anarchy inevitably led to tyranny." Thus far did the two
republican philosophies agree.

"What distinguished puritanical republicanism from the
agrarian variety was that the former sought a moral solution
to the problem of the mortality of republics (make better
people), whereas the latter believed in a socioeconomic-
political solution (make better arrangements).

"Almost nothing was outside the purview of puritanical
republican government, for every matter that might in any way
contribute to strengthening or weakening the virtue of the
public was a thing of concern to the public -- a res publica
-- and it was subject to regulation by the public. [Puritan]
Republican liberty was totalitarian: one was free to to do
that, and only that, which was in the interest of the public,
the liberty of the individual being subsumed in the freedom
or independence of his political community."

This totalitarian view of a fragile and tottering republic,
one that would be undermined by the slightest private
indiscretion, one that could only be preserved by an
aggressive policing of every individual's private morality in
every minute particular, predominated in Puritan New England,
especially Massachusetts. It also found favor in the areas of
the South, especially parts of Virginia, where the
evangelical Great Awakening took hold. Most southerners,
however, adhered to the agrarian view of republicanism.

In the agrarian view, again quoting McDonald, "Virtue meant
manliness, and manliness meant independence... the
necessary independence could be had only if a man owned
enough land, unencumbered by debts or other obligations, to
provide himself and his family with all their material needs;
and this independence... was in the last analysis measured
by his ability to bear arms and use them in his own
quarrels... In sum, ownership of the land begat independence,
independence begat virtue, and virtue begat republican
liberty... In the southern scheme of things, private virtue,
in the rigorous sense in which it was defined by the Yankees,
was unnecessary to the maintenance of republican liberty. The
arch agrarian John Taylor of Caroline [1753-1824] put it
succinctly: 'The more a nation depends for its liberty on the
qualities of individuals, the less likely it is to retain it.

By expecting public good from private virtue, we expose
ourselves to public evils from private vices.'"
If Taylor were to return today, he would nod sagely at our
drug "crisis" and say, "end the prohibition and you will end
the crisis." The puritans among us (currently a majority,
especially in the mass media) would gasp with horror, and
predict the imminent demise of our republic.

McDonald continues, "Agrarian republicanism was therefore
essentially negative in the focus of its militance: it
demanded vigilance only in regard to certain kinds of men and
institutions which, as its adherents viewed history, had
proved inimical or fatal to liberty... standing armies,
priests, bishops, aristocrats, luxury, excises, speculators,
jobbers, paper shufflers, monopolists, bloodsuckers, and
monocrats..."

Agrarian republicans, in theory anyway, viewed their
republic as well-founded and durable. The puritan view of a
fragile and tottering republic baffled them. Private
morality, or a lack thereof, simply had no effect on an
agrarian republic's overall vitality. The only kind of
behavior that could endanger their republic was a calculated
self-serving attack on one of its fundamental institutions:
private property, equality before the law, free markets, the
right to keep and bear arms.

Puritan republicans, by contrast, view every sin, indeed
every temptation to sin, as dire threats to their republic.
Their response in every case is simple and direct. First ban
the sin. Then, just to be on the safe side, ban the
temptation, too.

This is not at all a left-versus-right issue. Militant
puritans dominate the extremes on both sides. Those on the
right who would ban abortion and those on the left who would
ban hand guns both aspire to a puritan police state that will
regulate the behavior of their neighbors and themselves --
although puritan leaders often exempt themselves from their
own rules.

An agrarian, by contrast, might say, "if you oppose
abortion, don't have one; if you oppose hand guns, don't own
one; if you oppose drugs, don't use them. He is willing to
live and let live, unless someone attacks him or his
republic.

PHILOSOPHY IN PRACTICE
In the 1950s, America's puritan republican zeal, ever
watchful for temptation and sin, turned its basilisk gaze on
to pocketknives. The 1950s, a time of happy nostalgia for
people too young to remember the decade, saw the almost
unchallenged dominance of the puritan outlook. That was a
time when the fortunes of the agrarian viewpoint had fallen
so low that hardly a single public figure North or South
dared to espouse it.

There is a fascinating double standard in puritanism, an
unwritten rule that the enforcers of private morality are
exempt from its strictures. This applies equally to private
life (such as J. Edgar Hoover's homosexuality or John F.
Kennedy's adultery) and to public pronouncements. Today the
proponents of "assault" rifle and hand gun bans simply make
up their statistics (see my letter citing examples in the
October 1989 American Rifleman, page 18), and their
predecessors did the same thing about switchblades in the
1950s.

As early as 1953, Representative Delaney "made a 1-man
review and addressed inquiries to the police heads of some 40
of our largest and medium-sized cities. The response
established beyond doubt that switchblades are commonly
involved in crimes in smaller cities, as well as in the
metropolitan areas."

In 1957 and 1958, similar "surveys" were undertaken by
Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver for the Senate Judiciary
Committee's Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency.
These surveys asked police chiefs for hard data on
switchblades used in crimes, especially juvenile crimes.
Not quite half of the chiefs responded, furnishing the
coon-skin-capped crime buster overall crime statistics, total
juvenile arrest statistics, and enthusiastic letters of
support assuring the senator that switchblade knives were no
doubt involved in practically all of these tens of thousands
of incidents.

Kefauver quoted excerpts from some of these
letters, happily oblivious to their irony.
San Francisco police chief Francis J. Ahern wrote "'... a
substantial amount of our juvenile crimes of violence involve
the use of this type of knife.' He further stated that since
the enactment of a local ordinance, the use of such knives in
crimes has diminished."

San Francisco sure was lucky to have such law-abiding
violent criminals.
Senator Kefauver may have had no sense of irony, but at
least he knew a little more knife history than his colleagues
on Capitol Hill.

He remarked toward the close of his
statement, "Invented by George Schrade in 1898 [actually
1892], the pushbutton opening knife was a useful article
produced on a limited scale."
Half a page earlier in the same statement, Kefauver quoted
Boston police chief James F. Daley as having written, "...
these weapons are specifically designed as a vicious
insidious weapon of assault, and can be devoted to no
legitimate use in the everyday life of law-abiding citizens."
Having no sense of irony did not worry the crusading
senator, and neither did having no data. He stated, "The
following statistics give a general indication of the
increase in the use of weapons by juveniles. Although no
statistics are available as to the ratio of these switchblade
knives and stilettos to other weapons, it is believed to be
substantial:

"In New York City in 1956, there was an increase of 92.1
percent of those under 16 arrested for the possession of
dangerous weapons, one of the most common kind being the
switchblade knife; and also in New York 36.9 [percent] of the
felonious assaults, many involving use of switchblade knives,
were committed by those under 16. On the national level, 29.6
percent of the total arrested for carrying dangerous weapons
was attributable to young persons under the age of 18. A more
shocking and striking figure is that 43.2 percent of the
total robberies committed in the United States last year were
by persons under 21 years of age. A switchblade knife is very
often part of the perpetrator's equipment in a robbery."
If Senator Kefauver had lived longer (he died in 1963), he
might have become a writer for Saturday Night Live, or else a
co-author of the classic work, How to Lie with Statistics.

Only one police chief in the country had the professional
integrity and poor political judgement to compile actual
statistics on switchblades. This was W. E. Parker, the acting
chief of the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department. That
Lt. Col. Parker was a career policeman, rather than a
political appointee, probably accounted for his naive
indiscretion.

Parker reported that in the entire year 1956, a total of 15
switchblade knives were used in assaults and robberies in
Kansas City (just over one per month). An additional 80
switchblades were taken from suspects booked for
investigation of crimes (well under two per week).
"In addition," he wrote, "there were 10 to 12 cases in
which these knives were used by one juvenile to take money
from another [less than one per month], and during the same
period there were 6 cases of cuttings [one every two months]
as well as several cases where knives were thrown by one
juvenile at another." In a city of nearly half a million
population, these three dozen switchblade crimes,
misdemeanors, and incidents of horseplay in one year hardly
constituted a crime wave, let alone a crisis.

These lonely facts from Kansas City did not interest the
Congress. They found much more fascinating the lurid
sensationalist stories and editorials in Life magazine, the
Saturday Evening Post, many daily newspapers, and even on
radio and television "news."

These articles were timed to coincide with the
congressional switchblade hearings. They were calculated to
convince frightened credulous puritans in and out of congress
that the country was awash in blood from frenetic waves of
juvenile switchblade violence -- that the republic was
tottering. Congressman Yates said, "newspapers and magazines
are filled with descriptions of gang fights, holdups and
stabbings, committed by teenagers, and running through almost
all such stories is the switchblade knife. The gruesome
similarity in detail related by these stories is relieved
only by the horror that each one reflects individually... The
switchblade knife has become the symbol, as well as the
weapon, of the teen-age gang."

As news reporting this material was a travesty, even more
luridly overblown than firearms stories are today. As
propaganda, however, these articles passed the only important
test. They worked.

*** END ***
http://www.knife-expert.com/

2005-09-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

Machete

The machete (International Phonetic Alphabet: is a cleaver-like tool that looks like a very large knife. The blade is typically 50–60 cm (18–24 in) long. In the English language, an equivalent term is matchet.

Since the 1950s, most modern factory-made machetes are of very simple construction, consisting of a blade and full-length tang punched from a single piece of flat steel plate of uniform thickness (and thus lack a primary grind), and a simple grip of two plates of wood or plastic bolted or rivetted together around the tang. Finally, one side is ground down to an edge — although some are made so cheaply that the purchaser is expected to finish the sharpening.

These machetes are usually provided with a simple cord loop as a sort of lanyard, and a canvas scabbard — although in some regions where machetes are commonly used tools, the users may make decorative leather scabbards for them.

The machete is normally used to cut through thick vegetation such as sugar cane or jungle undergrowth (the lack of a primary grind makes the machete much less effective on woody vegetation), but it can also be used as an offensive weapon. Machetes were the primary weapon used by the Interahamwe militias in the Rwandan Genocide, as well as the signature tool/weapon of the Haitian Tonton Macoute.

The machete was also one of the most common weapons during the Cuban Independence War. Freed slaves by Carlos Manuel de Céspedes agreed to fight against Spain, where their only weapons were the very tool they used to cut the sugar cane in the La De Majagua plantation.

Some tropical countries have a name for the blow of a machete; the Spanish machetazo is sometimes used in English.

In Trinidad, to hit someone with the flat of the blade is termed planass.
The modern machete is very similar to some forms of the medieval falchion (a type of sword), differing mainly in the lack of a guard and a simpler hilt.

The panga (a Swahili word) is a variant used in East Africa, with a broader blade and a squared off tip. In the Philippines, the bolo is a very similar tool, but with the blade swelling just before the tip to make the knife even more tip-heavy for chopping.

This was also used during the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish, and later a signature weapon of guerillas in the Philippine American War.

Other similar tools include the parang and the golok (from Malaysia and Indonesia); however, these tend to have shorter, thicker blades with a primary grind, and are more effective on woody vegetation.

The Nepalese kukri is a curved blade which is often used for similar tasks.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machete"

I have a list of some of the best out there for the best results on a buget. Hopefully this post will help out anyone out there. I'll start with the cheaper and work my way up. Also I will start with the smaller fixed blades and work my way up the line.

So we will cover all the bases.First all the knives I mention here are ones I have and have tested in the wilderness and in the urban wilds! I would not give you faulty info or a made up story on a product I have no knowlage about.

1) Cold steel SRK(survival, rescue knife. This knife is 10-1/2" long clip point blade with a 1" wide blade and is 3-16th's thick. It is made of high carbon steel that they call carbon V(5) It had a black coating on the blade to stop rust and oxidation. The edge is exposed so it has to be oiled.I have so far used this knife to carve a 12lb turkey for the soup pot and chop up celery, carrats, mushrooms and oinion's. This goes to show it does well in food prep work in the field. I have debarked a few saplings with it as well and chopped small saplings and delimbed said saplings. All in all so far it is a good utility knife to have along on a hiking trip. I have heard many other survivalest like myself rave about this knife. As for the price, one can be had for a bit over $50 off the internet.

2) Another Cold Steel UWK(urban warfare knife) This one is patterned after the old veitnam SOG. It is made of 420 stainless and has been sub zero quenched. 11-1/4" OAL, about an inch in width. Being a military type knife it has it's limitations in the wilderness. But with some mods like I have made it will do alot better as a utilty/survival knife. I have chopped with it but it is lite in the ass so It takes a bit more effert to get the job done. As for cutting, not a problem CS knives are made to cut like hell. So for food prep and light wood work it is a decent knife and built well. It can be had on the internet for around $60.00

3) How about the good old Ka-Bar USMC fighting utility knife? Great knife. But still a military knife. 12" OAL, 1-1/4" wide and thin.Cuts well and chops ok. I have also modified this knife to cut better and you have much better control over this blade. I would use this as an utility/fighting type knife in the woods. I have owned it for some time and love it. This knife can be had for $45.00

4) One more Ka-Bar knife. It is the 12-1/2" tanto. A hell of a strong blade design here. The tanto tip will go through a car door and not even get pissed off!! So for piercing it takes the medal. Not a bad survival knife at all. It could also be conciderd a military type knife though and has limits. The tanto tip is usefull in the woods. It could be had for about $60-70.

5) Ontario Knives are some of the best priced and best survival knives made today. The first one is my TAK-1. It is 10" OAL with a drop point blade of 1095 High Carbon Steel About an 1-1/4" wide. The blade has great belly for slicing flesh and wood carving is a breeze. This is a great knife and for about $60 you can't go wrong.

Disclaimer: This commentary as well as all my commentaries contains some of my personal opinions only and some portions are copied and pasted from a public domain.

TI-LITE (ORIG. MODEL)

Specifications:
Weight: 4.6 oz.
Blade Thick: 1/8" (3mm)
Blade Length: 4"
Handle: 4 3/4" long. Titanium
Steel: AUS 8A Stainless Steel
Overall Length: 8 3/4"
Stainless Pocket/Belt Clip

26S Quantity:

BLUE ANODIZED TI-LITE

Specifications:
Weight: 4.6 oz.
Blade Thick: 1/8" (3mm)
Blade Length: 4"
Handle: 4 3/4" long. Anodized Titainium
Steel: AUS 8A
Overall Length: 8 3/4"
Stainless Pocket/Belt Clip

26SB Quantity:

TI-LITE WITH ZYTEL HANDLE

Specifications:
Weight: 3.5 oz.
Blade Thick: 1/8" (3mm)
Blade Length: 4"
Handle: 4 3/4" long. Zytel®
Steel: AUS 8A
Overall Length: 8 3/4"
Stainless Pocket/Belt Clip

26SP Quantity:

6" TI-LITE WITH ZYTEL HANDLE

Specifications:
Weight: 6.8 oz.
Blade Thick: 4mm
Blade Length: 6"
Handle: 7" long. Zytel®
Steel: AUS 8A Stainless
Overall Length: 13"
Stainless Pocket/Belt Clip

26SXP Quantity: