A place for me to review the various rugged, nifty and needful kit that I've accumulated, for every-day preparedness in the event of accident, disaster or world-shifting end-times Apocalypse, be it zombies, triffids or Mayan divide-by-zero errors.
DJ Urbanovsky, the knife and axe-maker extraordinaire behind American Kami has had some great successes recently, two more of his knives have been put into production by Boker (check them out here) . I have had the pleasure of fooling around with a couple of the American Kami blades, in my tactical kitchen knife, the Super Colubris, and the Boker Mid-Tech Colubris which was part of a pass-around review. He is a maker of fine, dangerous and finely crafted blades, and recently, he's been making daggers. Pondering these as he grinds, fits and finishes these, he had some thoughts, which he was good enough to share:
Since I am in the middle of assembling a ton of them as I type this, one of my thoughts on daggers: So, obviously most people tend to look at a dagger and think "That right there is some man-killing-as-shit," or that it is a single purpose design and good for nothing other than making holes in bad guys.
So, know your local laws, and collect, train with and use the tools that best meet your needs and applications. Thanks again to Mr Urbanovsky,and be sure to check out his work!
The traditional kiridashi knife is small and very portable blade from Japan, with a chisel grind and a sharp point, used as a general-purpose utility knife. These knives are carving/utility knives have their roots in woodworking. The name, kiridashi literally translates to “carve out” which would seem to support this origin. Regardless, they are found in many facets of traditional and contemporary Japanese culture being used in a variety of activities from everyday tasks like sharpening pencils to gardening.
They are often made with a handle wrap and sometimes scales and a scabbard, but are just as likely to be a single piece of steel.
The SAR kiridashi's are all one-offs, that Spencer builds from reclaimed stock left over from his other projects. Waste not, want not, and perfect philosophy for the creation of a kiridashi. The riddle of steel rings in his ears.
Crafted from an offcut of CPM3V and is heat treated to a hardness of "dead nuts" 60HRC according to Spencer.
It's also sharpened to a razor blade edge along both its main cutting edge and to a very sturdy and substantial point. The geometry of the SAR kiridashi is is very similar to a scalpel and being one piece CPM3V its 165mm length it weighs only 30g, very dense and very good in the hand. With two holes drilled in the head of the blade for a mass reducing effect and three grip-enhancing drilled notched behind the head, and another in the tail end as a lanyard hole.
Worked over in the SAR workshop, you can easily use it knowing that you are using a high quality product. You'd never know it was a one off recovered from workshop scrap. In keeping with the kiridashi's main purpose originally to be used as a craft knife, I wanted to show off it's practical application and the single, flat ground chisel edge which just works a treat as a wood whittling tool.
The blade can
put it to many different uses. Here are some practical
examples: general cutting, gardening, cutting zip ties, deburring and
drilling holes, self defense, survival tool, the uses are almost
innumerable. Anything you could want from a heavily over-engineered craft-knife. The SAR kiridashi's are set with a cord-wrap on the handle for enhanced grip on the thin metal spine, and come with a kydex scabbard along with a bead-chain necklace for neck-knife wear.
Bear in mind that these are all hand-crafted, heat treated and sharpened in what is essentially a one-man shop, along with Spencer's philanthropic work in conjunction with the Run Rangers Run charity, in creating his Inglorious Bastards knives, re-purposed from antique files, so his time is hard to come by and the runs are small. Keep an eye out and be on the lookout for new knives such as the Kingfisher's that are coming out...
I love keychain tools, I have quite a bundle in my pocket, so much so that I don't even keep my KEYS on my keychain. One thing I like is to carry a blade to add to my utility, so having a safe, secure and stealthy cutter like the Gerber Daily Carry Hook Knife really adds to my lifesaving potential, in the form of a reliable, easily stowed in my pocket. I added this to my keychain of mini tools, and it's been a very useful addition.
Gerber's idea behind the stainless steel hook blade is simple; it's an ultra-stealthy cutting tool that lives stealthily on a keychain and can be quickly deployed to quickly cut yourself out of a piece of clothing, seatbelt or other safety strap, or do the same for a loved one, or a battle buddy, if you should you ever find yourself in a rough spot. I've also found a number of day to day uses for the little knife. There are plenty of other ways to use a safety knife on a ring.
Using the ring at home, I put it to use opening boxes of goodies and dreaded utility bills. I cut ribbon, opened snack-packs and trimmed tags out of clothes. Out bush I've used it for cutting costs and fishing line, and opened up vacuum sealed food. I even used it to cut long grass for some little weaving craft jobs I was showing off to Tactical Baby and Triceratops Girl with.
At just over 2" long, it's innocuous and barely stands out on my keychain, the cutting edge is secured neatly in the hook, which in turn is stowed away in a small hard nylon friction lock scabbard, with a keychain loop to secure it. I gave one to each of my partners for Giftmas, and they went directly into handbags. One reported that they often found the blade loose in the bag, having come unstuck from its scabbard. A little alarming, but more from a loss perspective rather than risk of accidentally cutting things.
The ring is copper lined, which is a nice accent, and go feels good around the finger, and there are rounded crenellations on the back to give a good thumb lock on it when you are getting ready to do the cutting. The angles all work nicely to allow you to put some real power into the cut. My favourite test materials of paracord and cable-ties, neither of which offered much trouble, singly but due to the small size of the ring and its hook, you wouldn't want to load it up as heavily as you might with a full size rescue hook like the Gerber Crisis Hook. It's easily comparable in cutting power with the Benchmade Figure 5 Cutter
Since it's a pocket sized tool, I don't expect it to be for heavy use, rather for "I just need to cut this little thing, but right now" moments, especially if they are in delicate situations.
I had a package arrive from First Tactical with two items, their very fancy and vicious looking Medium Duty Light, and this very substantial folding blade, the Diamondback Knife in tanto tip.
I've finally gotten my hands on one of the much desired Hardcore Hardware Australia ASOT-01's for my very own, as part of my Giftmas haul, and I'm finally getting around to telling you about it, now that I have had it in my grabby-hands for a little while. I had covered this blade after it came out in a Wish-Lust piece, as well as getting to pay with one again at the SSAA SHOT show.
The distinct bevelled ring design of the ASOT-01 enhances the tool's accessibility and comfort, making it exceptionally fast and easy to draw. The ring is very comfortable, and the inwards scalloping wasn't at all troublesome as I had thought it might have been. The ring, much like that of the SOCP also enables transition to a rifle or hand-gun with no disconnection between the tool and firearm.
That scalloped thumb recess at the top of the ring supports a positive grip and for the application of downward force, opening cans of whoop-ass and the like.
Unique to the ASOT-01 is its "live edge identifier" knob at three quarters along the length of the handle. This enables the user to quickly identify the position of the single-sided cutting edge by feel. Good for in the dark, or when your blade is obscured. I really liked this feature, it made for a fast steady draw as well as keeping it firmly in the right orientation.
The personalised mounting provided with the ASOT is based on the ambidextrous kydex sheath it comes with along with Tek-Lok and Molle-Lok mounting options. Customised for vertical, horizontal or angled wear the mounting is further expanded by the provision of eyelet holes along both sides of the sheath to facilitate alternative attachment to the body or gear with paracord, cable ties or the like.
With its low profile design which allows the tool to be sandwiched on or behind magazine/accessory pouches, or horizontally along the belt line to maintain optimum concealment and retention. However, the sheath adds considerable width, which limits where you can place it somewhat, but not so much as to be impossible.
Made from 6mm (0.236") D2 tool steel stock, it can withstand some substantial impact without loss of sharpness. Halfway down the sharp edge, serrations have been cut into the blade to aid in the performance for more demanding cutting tasks.
The blade is 100 mm (3.93") long, with an overall length of 198 mm (7.79") and 27 mm (1.06") wide. When its its widest, it's 40 mm (1.57") wide. The blade with it's G10 handles weighs in at 120 g (0.26 lb) which is not bad for the size it is. The D2 steel is thick, and dense, but the very narrow throat and ringed end.
In its friction locked sheath, its 205 mm (8.07") long, and 60 mm (2.36") wide and weighs in at 160 g (0.35 lb). Again, the width makes it much more like a belt knife rather than the dagger effect of the SOCP.
The ASOT-01 is a non-prohibited design, single edged but ready to grind down on the back side of the blade, something the guys at Platatac have told me that Operational Operators Operating have been known to do. As always with this kind of knife, please check your local State laws in relation to knife ownership and carry.
[EDIT - 26/2/2016] The good folks at Hardcore Hardware Australia dropped me a line with several words of caution, and I'm only too happy to agree with them -
"Josh, we do not advocate the re-grinding of our tools; such practices void HHA’s warranty. What you are suggesting in your review in this regard also constitutes a breach of Victoria State Law; I would be inclined to re-think this approach. Thank you in advance for your co-operation. HHA"
I'd rather touch-up a paining in a gallery with a crayon than re-grind one of their blades myself, it's nerve-wracking enough to sharpen them right.
Following up from my recent review of the ZU Bladeworx FFSA knife loaned to me by a friend, I wanted to do this second blade he was kind enough to sling my way, the equally interesting HHA Razorback CQC. I'm a big fan of the chunky and no-nonsense badassness of the Hardcore Hardware designs, especially the LFK blades that my partner Omega and I both have an example of as well as the TWI pen that is in my EDC.
It was really interesting to see what HHA are calling their "first signature blade in the fighting arts genre," but I'll give it the same caveat that I gave the FFSA, this kind of knife is not the kind of tool I've trained and sparred with in the limited knife-fighting training I have done, but I'm happy to tell you that it is certainly an impressive piece of steel.
Featuring the same 6mm (0.236") thick, full tang, D2 tool steel blade,
as all the HHA blades this back-swept, double re-curved blade features
two hollow ground faces on the sharp edge, and another on the spine of
the blade.
HHA report that it is engineered for
slashing, thrusting and trapping, and designed for the same type of the reverse grip as might be used in Arnis (but again, it's not my martial field of expertise).
The combination of live and non-live edges however makes the Razorback
gives you the opportunity for both both offensive and defensive techniques. For expanding on those blunt force, defensive striking and less-than-lethal applications,
the Razorback also has an extended glass breaker, strike/hammer pommel, in keeping with their other designs.
A large finger notch is devised to ensure a secure grip to increase
weapon retention substantially, and I found it rested in the edge of the hand really nicely in that reverse grip.
The knife is 235 mm (9.25") overall, with 115 mm (4.52") of that being the blade, and is 368 g (0.81 lb) of hungry steel and G10.
To reduce grip weight and optimize balance, both the tang and handle scales
have been skeletonized, with a cavity in the handle which could easily double as a
hidden storage space for emergency items. However, those scales are secured
with Torx screw all steel fittings, so you might find it difficult to pull of a Jason Bourne style recovery without that particular driver.
I found the backwards sweep of the blade a little difficult to adjust to, mostly because I wasn't sure of the arcs it was offering me, but it certainly felt good in the hand whilst moving it around. I imagine in a practiced set of hands it would be extremely dangerous. When held in a forwards grip, the blade was no less dangerous feeling, and I certainly didn't have any trouble cutting with it, though I didn't care for the broad double-recurve of the edge and handle combination. No fault of the knife, it's just engineered the way I like a knife to be.
With its ambidextrous Kydex sheath, with a
Tek-Lok belt mounting system it can be customised in vertical,
horizontal or angled positions to suit your rig, or even lashed via eyelets. It also comes paired with a BlueGun style HIVIZ blue trainer, which matches the blade in weight at 369 g (0.81 lb), but with thoroughly safe edges and points. I'd have no qualms training with it, and letting enthusiastic people pretend to do me harm whilst getting better at using the real thing. All in all, the Razorback is a substantial, solid, scary-looking and well thought out blade, that just isn't right for me.
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. Dwyerbegan
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.
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.
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.
My good friend Spencer of SAR Global Tool put me in touch with a maker-buddy of his, Jeff Busboom of JM Boom Concepts who has a nice eating tool which has just come onto the market. This is the Tritensil.
The Tritensil is made from food grade Nylon 66 which is the same material that Cordura fabrics are spun from, which means that it is not only light weight but virtually indestructible in normal use. These 17cm (6 3/5") long utensils which are 3cm (1 1/4") wide at the head, and 2cm (3/4") wide shaft it seems to be a bit wide in the hand, but comfortably so, at only 20g (0.7oz). Thats a lot of utensil for not much mass.
Tritensil provides the full capabilities of a fork, spoon and knife in a two piece set. Not only are the fork tines protected from damage while nesting inside
the spoon bowl but the very clever design keeps the two Tritensil
pieces snuggly secured to each other, eliminating the tell-tale clink-clank of metal cutlery as well as minimizing the chance of loss.
The spoon/knife portion has ridges along the outside edges when then ride along the internal rails of the fork to for a surprisingly secure combo. The fork tines can stick out a little, but are protected from the twisting/, snagging dangers that plastic-wear often suffers from in packs.
The interlocking design also allows the Tritensil to be configured into
an extended Spork by flipping it around an slotting them together, almost doubling the overall useable length for those
times you may find yourself eating out of a pouch. No more sticky hands and you plumb the depths of a mylar redoubt.
I also like not having to put a utensil down when eating, so doubling it over like this allows you to eat unmolested without dropping your eating tools in the dirt.
The eating tools are equipped with a 4" ruler, as well as a hole for either a lanyard or a slit ring to retain it. The width of the Tritensil makes it ideal to slip into a PALS/MOLLE channel.
The knife will cut steak, the Tritensil will stack and store, its basically a full set of plastic cutlery that will have you covered. When you compare it to even a set such as the Mountain Design Alpha set, it's really a good step up.
For back-country, deepest darkest forests, cliff-side or crowded and sneaky-handed hospital break-rooms meals, you wont go wrong with a set of Tritensil's.
