Showing posts with label steel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label steel. Show all posts

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Wish-Lust: Dwyer Custom Goods knives


I had a good opportunity come my way in regards to some news to share with you all. 
I just got a bundle of pictures and data from a press release from the knifemaking powerhouse of  Dwyer Custom Goods.

Dwyer Custom Goods will be represented at SHOT Show 2016 next week, so it's a perfect time to get to know a very fancy maker.


In particular DCG would like to invite members of the media and discerning custom knife aficionados to come and visit with the "better half" of the Dwyer Custom Goods custom team: Sheila Anders-Stronegger (or as you might better understand: Dwyer Household-6 Actual). 

Mrs. Dwyer began her knife apprenticeship with Duane Dwyer, Mick Strider and other notables in the custom knife making community in 2009 after a career as a model and on television. In 2013 she began building her blades on her own and is now releasing a number of her own designs.
Sheila's knives are all built by hand, from the profiling to the grind. All are smaller than other Dwyer Custom and Strider Knives, and while suitable for a male to carry and fight with, they have an undeniably feminine influence. Her focus is predominantly on the small and concealable.
“I build knives to be beautiful,” says Sheila, whose favourite steels to work with are Damascus and SM-100, “but nasty and dangerous too…a concealable, hard use, capable tool.” I couldn't agree more. As you may have gathered, I much prefer a small quick blade over a big blade, unless I then progress to short swords.
Mrs. Dwyer is passionate about building knives, particularly with regard learning from the artisans around her.
“I started by doing grunt jobs at the shop,” she says. “I’ve done blasting and polishing, the surface grinder and every other machine in the place. That’s how you get there, you start at the ground level and evolve. I love looking at true craftsmanship. I love to learn from other knife makers; how to improve a lock or a way to perfect a finish technique. It brings me joy to learn.”
As you can see, although the learning continues – as it should with any artisan – Mrs. Dwyer’s knives are meticulously crafted and worthy of bearing the DCG name.
Dwyer Custom Goods will be collocated with the Strider Knife booth at the show, though the Dwyers and their staff will frequently be roaming the floor visiting other knife makers and catching up with friends and acquaintances in the industry.

For more  information, or to make an appointment to speak with Mrs. Dwyer, e-mail Dwyer Custom Goods at DDCustomGoods@live.com as her blades are certainly both elegant and deadly looking. Artisinal metalwork just took a step up.

I've gutted to miss yet another US SHOT Show, but have a bunch of friends who are on their way, so look forwards to a detailed brief.






Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Review: ZU Bladeworx - Floro Fighting Systems Knife


As first seen on Breach Bang & Clear....

One of my good friends let me know, ll beaming smiles and swagger, that he had landed a beauty of a knife, in the ZU Bladeworx Floro Fighting Systems Knife, and was kind enough to lend it, and its accompanying trainer, for me to put together a review. Now, I'm a firm believer in having the right tool for the job, and also in having a fine, rugged and dependable blade to hand when the need arises. As it turns out, I had already been eyeing off one of the other ZU Bladeworx knives, so this was an excellent opportunity.

The Floro Fighting Systems is a system of edged weapon combat and defence that is reported to be not only simple to learn, but one of the most effective systems of self defence available today. I've not had the pleasure to attend any of their training, but the friend of mine who lent me the blade suggests they are fully legitimate.

Billed as efficient, direct and immediate, FFS is one of the very few styles that is still based on the blade, and is used by civilians and members of the military, and law enforcement agencies worldwide.

Reported to have over 30 years of experience, Floro has instructed internationally: US Special Forces, Korean Special Forces, various SWAT teams, and the New Zealand Police and nationally members of the Australian Federal Police and Military have individually sought private instruction. So, it seems the FFSK comes from a pretty grounded fighting system, so you'd expect their blade to back that up.

The blade itself is a karambit style knife, blended with a far straighter blade shape than those of the 5.11 Tactical Tarani CUB or the HHA-LFK01 far more like the Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife.
The FFSK is 235mm (9.25") long, 100mm (4.5") of which is double edged, hollow ground blade. The blade comes to a very severe point. A deep fuller ground into the middle of the blade lends rigidity as well as dropping the weight.  Be very aware of the legal ramifications of your knife ownership and carry ramifications.

The 10mm (0.4") thick blade is cut from a single billet of A2 steel which has been double tempered and cryo treated to a RC58 hardness. The blade itself has been ground down to be 6.5mm (0.25") thick and a couple of holes have been drilled in the handle both to reduce weight and to add lashing cords should they be desired. It weighs in at around 200g (7oz) which is (33% lighter than the other ZU knives, the Punisher and 14% lighter than the Ghost), so it's a lean, mean fighting machine, Cerakoted in sniper gray.

The large ring at the butt end of the knife, in keeping with traditional karambit design generally being for the index finger to fit through. This can be used not only to retain the knife, but also as an impact weapon, to add force to a punch or as a hammering attack.

I was told that the Floro fighting system has a lot of punching style strikes, which seems to fit nicely with the traditional butt-ring acting as a knuckle duster, and the forwards sweep of the blade presents the edges for slashing or stabbing strikes nicely.

The blade comes with a kydex sheath which includes a clipping belt loop, and offers a snug fit for the bade, and is adjustable for left or right hand draws, it is set up to wear horizontally.

This is the official knife of the Ray Floro Fighting Systems syllabus and ships frighteningly sharp, sharpened in-house by "Dirty Harry", with the blade being designed and built in Australia. Even though I am unfamiliar with this kind of knife style the blade is very nicely balanced in the hand, and certainly feels like something you don't want to mess with. I can't say I like the cant of the blade, personally, but I can certainly see the intent behind it.

One other thing that I was both surprised and concerned about was that the accompanying trainer is really quite sharp. The Benchmade SOCB CQB trainer was weighted exactly the way the live-edge blade was made, but was fully blunted for some pretty serious full-speed stabbing and slashing action. The ZU trainer only weighs 60g, made of anodised aluminium but is every bit as pointy as the live-edge blade. I wouldn't want to do any training with this any faster than I would with the live blade.  I'll leave that to Grand Masters and Jedi alike.

That all said, this is a fine knife and it certainly appears to be very purposefully designed, bearing the ZU Bladeworx "sterile" appearance and no-frills rugged design. If you're likely to be using a Filipino inspired style of knife combat, you might well be interested in this blade.


Thursday, December 31, 2015

Review: ZU Bladeworx - Mekanik


I got in touch with the fine and fierce minds at ZU Bladeworx, who are based in Rouse Hill, NSW, after seeing some of their handywork on one of the groups I frequent on FaceBook, and was delighted after making introductions and inquiries after one of their fine blades to be sent this particular piece, right before Giftmas.

These pretty-much local bladesmiths have a very straightforward approach when it comes to making stabby steel: make it simple, make it elegant and this they have done in this piece, the Mekanik.

Being 100% made in Australia, and  machined from a solid billet of 15mm thick A2 steel (very similar to another tool-steel, cryodur 2363 is the steel from Germany). The handle is 9mm thick (0.35")  and the blade is 6.5mm thick (0.25") and weighs a meaty 110g (3.9oz) for its mere 174mm (6 7/8") length. 

Given its A2 construction, its no surprise that it has a skeletonised handle, and an additional pair of holes drilled to keep the weight down, as well as fullers ground into the sides of the blade as well as along the spine.
 Double tempered then cryonically treatment to a Rc58-59 hardness, it has been black oxide finished and shipped "sterile" (no blade markings)  to keep a spartan presentation. 

The Kydex sheath is done in house  and fits like a glove. plenty of attachment grommets and with the addition of the paracord lanyard, it can be easily drawn even though the scabbard comes up along deeply up the handle.

Jimping along the back and front and butt of the handle gives a really solid grip, in even some mango and/or fish slime covered tasks. The front finger groove allows you to take a very firm and stable grip. The edges are all smoothly finished, keeping you from giving yourself a grazing when making sudden, vigorous use of the knife.

One of the things I really liked about the design was the gradient between blade and handle, working down from a nicely wide grip, to a serious, no-nonsense 65mm long blade. 


Sharpened by "Dirty Harry", the blade is a compound grind with deep fullers. The main edge of the blade is machine hollowground with flat grind tip. the A2 steel holds a good edge and will be one of my first attempts at old-fashioned stropping for a razor finish.

When gripped neatly in the hand, the butt fits just outside the heel of my palm, and I have had not a worry with my hand sliding forwards whilst cutting, slicing or stabbing with it. 

ZU reports that the Mekanik is in use with several deployed Aussie soldiers (infantry and SF) via private purchase, so if you're deployed out somewhere unpleasant, keep an eye out for it on a steely-eyed digger with or without a beard. I'm really impressed with it and fancy it a keeper, either for plate-carrier or battle-belt wear. The broad flat scabbard makes it a bit too awkward for boot-wear, but don't let that stop you.

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Review: FireCone


This is an awesome little fire-starter that I have backed on Kickstarter, and was lucky enough to receive a prototype to share my thoughts on.

The FireCone is a tunable alcohol burner that is operable for starting fires, igniting barbeques, emergency heating, or just holding a candle in style. It will burn a bunch of different liquid fuels; alcohol gel, 70% isopropyl alcohol, BioEthanol, Methanol, and denatured alcohol (methylated spirits).

The principle of the thing is that there are two pieces, the base and the cone. Liquid fuel is added to the base, and when lit, convection and conductive heat act to continually vaporise and drive the fire. The scalloped notches in both the base and the cone allow the operator to adjust the amount of air that feed inside the cone, allowing the FireCone to be tuned, just as you would a Bunsen Burner.

The internal cavity is the primary fuel reservoir but the external ring also works well, it holds around 30mL of fuel in total. The cone and the base are both textured, which both aids the wicking properties but also gives better surface area for gripping and moving it around when adjusting the flame. The cone part can even be inverted to offer even more burning surface area, but this eliminates the very specifically engineered convection currents you get when it is in its "volcano" configuration.

Here's some wood pyrochemistry for you: Wood ignites at between 190oC (374oF) and 260oC (500oF) by producing volatile gases. Around 590oC (1,100F), the volatile gases ignite when mixed with oxygen. The more oxygen a fire gets, the cleaner and hotter it burns, which is where the venting of the FireCone come in to effect.

As wood reduces to charcoal the temperature potential increases and some of the best wood stoves achieve temperatures up to 1095oC (2,000oF). As a woodstove starter the Firecone has been designed to survive those temperatures.

There are four metal options of the FireCone, bronze and titanium, investment cast in Oregon, and a high-carbon cast steel and a stainless steel model, cast in Korea. the fine investment cast detail (like a map of Oregon, the lettering on the bottom and just the quality of the finish and its unprecedented durability make it something worth admiring as art, as well as being super functional.

The biggest difference between stainless and carbon models is the rusting. Carbon models will develop a surface rust in an oxidized reddish brown pattern, whereas stainless doesn’t rust. There is always the fear with stainless steel that it could get brittle after many fire cycles, but the testers and manufacturers haven't been able to break one, nor could I.


They have been left in woodfires fire at least 50 times, run over by a truck, and then hit with a 35 ton wood splitter. Apparently with a little wire brush work or rub it in the sand the patina finish is incredible, I look forwards to seeing that myself…. but the carbon model will form surface rust. I'm going to season mine as I would any of my cast iron cookware. It may smoke a bit when I start them, but it will be cleaner to store.


Designed as a virtually indestructible alcohol burner that is tunable to start fires or make heat without smoke, soot or ash, he FireCone certainly lives up to all expectations. The fact that the adjustable inlet ports that provide tuning of the flame to various fuels and burning conditions is a real delight, and gives you considerably more control over your fire, without sacrificing the superb robustness of a two part cast metal tool. I'd barely even count it as "moving parts" as far as maintenance goes. Even with the base alone you get great utility but don't get a tunable flame. I can see it working as a base to cook off, and when inverted, the cone part might just be stable enough to use as a trivet.


As if you need to ask, why a titanium option? Being relatively light when compared to steel, it will heat up faster, and doesn't rust. Titanium withstands more heat and is more thermally stable than steel, which means if you expect to us it in arctic conditions it won't break, whereas carbon or stainless steel can become brittle and runs the risk of shattering.

Bronze is an age old, thermally stable, dense and hard material, making it perfect for rugged camp gear, but it's heavy. The four options break down into the following weights: bronze 780g (1.72lbs), the carbon and stainless (420ASTM) steels 710g (1.58lbs) and titanium a mere 400g (0.89lbs).

A couple of notes. Fire is hot, fire burns. Liquid fuels can slosh, spill and run. Running fire is bad. Always us caution with a liquid fuel and don't explode. Once it's been going the FireCone really heats up and retains that heat, so be advised when you've had it going and want to re-fuel it. The same vaporisation effect that makes it burn so cleanly, also works again t you when refuelling. Depending on your liquid-fuel, the conditions are in and the fuel wood you are trying to light, you may need to do a top up to get a really good burn going, so be aware, and be safe.




I've had a lot of fun trying mine out, burning methylated spirits mostly, but I also tried it out with a slosh of my Overproof (52%) Captain Morgan's dark spiced rum, which burnt with a delightful smell and cheerful light, but with the expected "why is the rum gone?" regrets. I started a little fire with it with no problems, and it certainly lives up to expectations.








Monday, November 23, 2015

Review: Fishbones - Gravity Hook (production)

Production on the left, prototype on the right
I covered the original release of the prototype Gravity Hook back in March, when the prototype was sent my way by the guys from FishBones. Not long ago the final production version of the Gravity Hook arrived, with some improvements.

The Gravity Hook is a combination grappling hook, and gravity claw. (Here's their promotional video...) By removing the middle cross-bar the more than serviceable grappling hook can be quickly converted into a claw-machine like grabbing claw. The clever design allows you to swap between these two features in just moments.
Production on the right, prototype on the left

The whole assembly weighs around 360g in its stainless steel configuration, a complete assembly includes 3 links, 3 "hammers", a cross hook, and hardware, in bolts and self-locking nuts.

One of the production improvements is the notches cut into the throat of the hammer, these allow the cross hook to seat much more securely that in the prototype, where it was held in place solely via the notch cut into top of the cross hooks. 

Production on the right, prototype on the left
The stainless Gravity Hook is made out of 1/8" thick 304 stainless steel and all of the Gravity Hooks hardware hardware is also stainless. When the hook is fully open, the 1.5" mouth will hold over 165lbs when biting into a 2x4.

When fitted, the cross hooks set in the jaws of the hammers, the Gravity Hook up as a quite effective grapple. The jaws are held in place and stopped from opening the by the twin o-rings which seat in a set of notches cut into the link pieces, and hold the jaws surprisingly tightly.

Production on the bottom, prototype on the top
 Given their design, any the pull on the tines of the hook only act to pull it further closed, the effect of the o-rings is really quite sufficient.

FishBones have suggested that an after market modification, drilling a hole in the middle of the hammer arms to fit a locking pin, for extra security, but so far, I haven't felt the need myself.

The bolts and locking nuts supplied with the production model are a much slimmer profile than the nuts and bolts I picked up at the hardware store, that was a big help.

The production version has nicely rounded notches cut into the links, where as the prototype version is rather a bit more rough making it rougher on and harder to remove the o-rings.
Production on the right, prototype on the left
One of the other backers of the Gravity hooks asked if they wanted to use it as a boat anchor for an inflatable lake boat, how they would dislodge it should it hook onto something on the bottom. Another backer suggested it could be set up with a failable style link like this  where if you pull hard enough the top link breaks and lets you pull the anchor from the bottom. A second way would be to use 2 ropes; one attached to the shackle, and the other looped through the claw to act as an emergency release in case the hook snags.


Here's me testing the grappling hook


Here's me testing the claw feature on a variety of dropped gear.


Two kinds of cross hook: plain and gear-tie batarang!
 You might ask "what makes it high performance?" well, this is probably a matter of its features:
  • It can be used either as a 2 or 4 pronged grappling hook.
  • In the claw mode it "bites" objects that might slip out of a grapnel.
  • Compact enough to be stowed on a back pack strap, by clamping the jaws over the strap and feeding the tail end through a loop
  • Can be dismantled into its base components for more compact storage. 
  • It's available in stainless steel, titanium or even non metalic Derlin.
There are also two options for the cross hooks, with the classic solid hook, as well as a version with cut-aways, both lightening the cross hook, and also offering a place to use it as a gear tie, not unlike the FishBones and Piranha gear ties these guys came to the front with. 

Ss, you have a very cool tool in the Gravity Hook, but what are its limits? Well, the Gravity Hook was specifically designed for retrieving. It has not been tested or certified to bear human weight. The makers strongly state that you should never use it in a situation where it's failure or dislodging might cause bodily harm or property damage. In a pinch though, it can certainly take a fairly hefty load: 
How do you get the Gravity Hook to release something whilst under tension?



Here's their testing underwater!


As well as being a really useful dropped-gear and treasure retrieving claw, and a sturdy and rugged grapple, the Gravity hook is also a really well made piece of engineering. I really appreciate its design and functionality. I've got a small CountyComm grapple, which is billed as a trip-wire clearer, but for bigger jobs, when you want to snag, yank and retrieve gear, or haul something you would do well with one of the FishBones Gravity hooks.

Better yet, the guys at FishBones have just launched a NEW project, the Gravity Hook XS, a pocket sized version, in just two-pronged format, on KickStarter. You should totally go check it out, and add some grabby, grapply goodness to your loadout.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Wish Lust: Kickstarter - Leveraxe


New Leveraxe - The Smart Axe Reimagined. Reinvented. Reborn.

Here's a last-minute plug for a very cool idea. I am a big, big fan of axes,part of my Viking heritage no doubt, and my favorite logsplitter is the Fiskars but I'd be willing to give it away if I managed to lay-hands on one of these weird looking axes, now being re-released on Kickstarter

About 20 years ago a 74-year-old Finnish inventor, Heikki Kärnä, began clearing trees to build a house, an arduous task that led to an obsession with improving on the tools he found at the local hardware store. He spent 15 years building numerous prototypes of his axe at a local steel workshop. Now the product is finally ready to be brought in front of wider public and ramp up the production capacity to take on its competitors. It's unique off-center head enables it to chop and split hardwood logs far easier, and faster than conventional symmetrical mauls and splitters. Check out this video...




Leveraxe took first steps to approach their market niche in the USA. Thus far the feedback from test users has been amazing and interest towards this invention had rapidly spread worldwide. Most importantly there have been no reported accidents with Leveraxe since they started selling their previous models. The popularity of these axes exploded once other bloggers began posting YouTube videos of Leveraxe in action, splitting hardwood. I'm late to the party, but it looks phenomenal.


The main purpose of their Kickstarter campaign is to introduce their product to the US market and find resources to invest in their own production tools.

The original version's handle is made of wood, whilst the new handle will be made of a polyamide, much like the Fiskars axes, which is characterized by high mechanical strength, stiffness and thermal resistance. Most futuristic about this part is that it is hollow inside, making the Leveraxe even more lighter which in turn helps to build up more speed when in action. Furthermore, this polyamide offers high toughness at low temperatures, fr those of you with sub-freezing winters as well as easy processing.

The new axe head will be made of a cast steel alloy, which enables us to produce more complicated products in one step but also offer excellent wear resistance in later use. With the upgrade, they will keep all the proven features of the original design (like the side hook, which clamps onto the log after the swing of the axe), and are even offering the axe in KickStarter Green.



Thus far Leveraxe has managed to make small production batches and distributed their invention in small quantities and have relied solely on receiving customer feedback for advertising purposes. However, to move on produce on a larger scale they require expensive production tooling which is why they have now taken the step to ask people to help them out through crowdfunding.

It's not a small investment, but it looks like it is built to last, and the sheer style of the thing makes it desirous beyond measure.  I want physics to do the work when I am splitting logs, and make all that time in high-school pay off. The payoff in reduced fatigue, jamming, bouncing or over-cutting risks alone would make it worthwhile for a serious wood-fire burner. If it weren't for the exorbitant shipping costs that big items are hit with to Australia, I'd be all over this. Only a few days left, get in quick!

Monday, August 3, 2015

Wish Lust: Bomber Paracord Keychains


I'm a big fan of paracord, not only as a rope for binding, tying, strapping, load-lifting and shoe-lacing, but also as a construction material.

I also love my Kickstarter community, and was contacted by Sarah Buckley of Bomber & Company who wanted me to look over their current project, the firestarter-paracord-bracelet-and-keychain set.

They offer two paracord items, a keychain, with a H&K style metal clip , a split ring keychain and 1.5m of paracord, woven in a Portugese Sinnet / Solomon Bar style construction, and most uniquely, includes a small bar of ferrocerium firestarter woven into the cord, it weighs a mear 35g so isn't going to add much to your load.

The bracelet is equipped with 3m of paracord, in a 19-22cm loop and offers the same firestarting capabilities as the keychain, swapping out the H&K clip for a steel washer to terminate one end, and the ferrocerium bar to "button" the bracelet closed. The washer becomes the striker for the firestarter. the bracelet weighs in at only 20g.

Due to popular demand, Bomber & Company are also bringing back the Bomber Barrel Duffle bag Set along with th Bracelet and Keychain rewards in this Kickstarter campaign.

The complete Bomber Set includes the original Bomber Barrel Duffle Bag, Mini Bomber Travel Kit, Bomber Survival Bracelet, and Bomber Survival Paracord Keychain.  Well worth the look-in.

All of the original tooling and pattern costs have been set up. Now, they're just in need of funding to get started on the new production runs.

I like the looks of the keychain, and bracelet, especially the inclusion of firestarting functionality. They certainly look like an easy and unobtrusive way to keep some in your person, and are totally waterproof.

Keep your eyes on Bomber & Company, they may be small, but I think they'll be coming up with more products as interest grows.



Monday, July 27, 2015

Review: BokerPlus - Automat Kalashnikov 11 knife

This is one of the few folders I have in my collection, and it was one that I got on a whim, and sort of never put into high rotation. However, it has some features and aspects I thought I'd share, AND it is the one that I am stocking my Bug-Out-Jar kits with.


I have two other folders in my collection, my EDC CRKT K.I.S.S. , my other Boker, the 343 Scalpel folder or my trusty old Shelham clasp knife . None of these are as chunky as the BokerPlus AK 11

The sturdy handle features textured solid billet aluminium scales over the liner lock frame. Normally I don't go in for flashy looking scales, but I overlooked these this time because of the functionality of the thumb flipper and the strap cutter.

It is a liner-lock style folder, with both the liner, and the lock being stainless steel. The blade itself  is a black coated, 440C stainless steel tanto tip. The integrated seatbelt cutter in the hilt is built into the folder side, rather than the spine side, so can't be accidentally deployed unless the main blade is already out.
The steel frame also ends in a lanyard hole and glass breaker pommel even more functionality. With an overall length of 20cm (8"), with 8cm (3.3") being the blade and 12cm (4.7")being handle, and with it's all-metal construction, weighing in at 185g (6.5oz) the knife is a very solid tool in the hand.

The thumb-flipper on the spine becomes a nice finger guard when deployed, and the crenelations on both the spine of the blade and scales gives a positive grip, even on its all-metal frame. The bullet shaped inset on the back of the blade gives you a secondary flipping point, if the back thumb-flipper isn't your thing.

The action of of the locking mechanism, which is locked in place but the liner, also has a tension bar inside the scale. This, in conjunction with the thumb-flipper, gives you an assisted deployment of the blade. Check local regulations where you live restrict that kind of thing. Know your local laws

The release is really snappy, and will open the blade all the way in a moment. Great for single handed use, or in an emergency when fine-motor skills are at a premium.

I tried out the blade and the strap cutter on some 1" webbing. The blade worked really well, but the hook-cutter needed some getting used to as it is a single straight edge rather than a hook like on the Gerber Crisis Hook

This is a solid, and well put together blade, and I think its well suited to sitting as a backup blade, which is why I wanted to have it in the Bug-Out-Jars.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Review: Hardcore Hardware Australia - LFK-05

It was my birthday recently, and I was lucky enough to receive (from my mother, no less) this very nice piece from Hardcore Hardware Australia. This is a first because as far as I can recall, this is the first weapon gift I've received from her in all my 39 years. I guess she thinks I'm mature enough for cutting implements now...

I gifted Omega a HHA LFK01 knife for her birthday a couple of years ago, and it has featured as an accessory for numerous outings and adventures, be it wilderness or as a playtool for clubs that would give Mr Grey reason to pause. However, it took some time for me to get a HHA blade to call my very own, so I'm very leased to show off this, the newly released LFK-05.

I did a Sneak Peek piece on the new series, and their badder brother, the ASOT-01.

The LFK Series tools are designed primarily as overt carry, easy to reach back-up knives. These aren't thigh-sized jungle-slashers, these are close in and personal tools for when you need something small, shard and hardy.

Made from the same 6mm (0.23") D2 tool steel, as the original LFK-01,  with full tang construction  and a robust Teflon coating the blade isn't wrapped with paracord as previous HHA blades but is instead
nonslip, ergonomically carved , G10 handle scales offering a positive and comfortable grip, and are secured with Torx screw.

The neck of the blade features a grove for your leading (or little finger, if you are reverse gripping) and the spine features a broad sweep of jimping for secure thumb pressure. The spear point design offers exceptional strength, yet allows optimal maneuverability and edge-on geometry.

You can see the pronounced glass-breaker point at the rear end, which also features a lanyard hole as well as full beveling to remove any sharp corners.  Weighing in at 171g (0.37lb), this little knife only measures 172mm (6.77") in overall length, 70mm (2.75") of which is blade. The whole piece is only 45mm (1.77") at its widest.

Due to its size and weight, the LFK is an ideal choice where space on an assault platform may be limited, on a belt where bigger blades might be "too much knife". These heavy-duty blades also bridge the gap where full-sized, fixed blade knives may be unmanageable, and a folder a poor compromise. I prefer fixed blades to folders in most situations, and having a small fixed blade is something I find desirable.
I put up the LFK-05 against the LFK-01 here, as well as the comparably small but chunky MSM001 KA-BAR knife.

The blade is treated to a rather stiff

58 – 60 HRC which, thanks to the tool-tough D2 steel should put this in good stead for any task you care to throw at it.
 

The LFK-05 is friction locked in a smartly moulded Kydex ambidextrous sheath. A set of eyelets around the edge of the sheath allows it to be fitted with a Tek-Lok™ mounting system for belt carry, which can be customised in vertical or horizontal positions. 

Those eyelet holes along both sides of the sheath facilitates alternative attachment to the body or gear via paracord or cable ties, although I've found the friction lock too secure to work as a neck-knife, without wanting to give myself whip-lash. 
One thing I've found is that the fat-body G10 scale handle is not quite right for my bare hand, the gaps for finger grips and the finger grip at the neck don't quite mesh, just due tot the size of my hand. When gloved this is less noticeable, but something to note.  I didn't have this issue with the cord-wrapped LFK-01, however, it is not a big enough problem for me not to love it. 

This is a rugged knife, nicely sized for belt wear, and fitting to any number of spaces on a harness, pack or where-ever you might find yourself in the need of a solid blade in a little package.

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