The Evolution of the Cobra

A knife design is sometimes spontaneous and other times more evolutionary. Such is the case of the Cobra MkIII. What began as a seven-inch bladed fighting knife evolved into the current four-inch bladed self-defense knife you see here. Over time I have wrestled with my innate love of large knives versus the practicality of smaller knives. The Mk-III is the resolution of that quandary.

I initially designed a larger knife called the D~S #4 Fighting Knife. It combined my preference for both recurved and double-edged blades. My good friend Mike Sturman made this and several other variations. Armed with these prototypes I approached two major knife manufacturers here in Western, NY. It was a big disappointment when they both said that the design could not be ground with the machinery they had. To produce the knife would mean sacrificing many subtleties of the design. I decided not to go that route and for several years the design languished in my drawer.

As time went by I decided that maybe a knife with a seven-inch blade was not practical for anything other than combat use. The market had turned to combat folders, often with blades between three and one half, to four inches long. Obviously a folder when carried is only as long as its handle, a major advantage. The known drawbacks of a folder for defense are the necessity of opening it under stress, and the possibility that the locking mechanism or blade pivot can fail under pressure. One of the major stumbling blocks to carrying a fixed blade knife is that the overall length is partially dictated by the handle length. For example, a knife with a seven-inch blade is expected to have a handle five inches long for visual and ergonomic reasons. Another disadvantage of a fixed blade knife is the difficulty carrying it concealed, and the discomfort of having that long handle sticking in your ribs when you are seated.

So I determined to make a knife with a blade at least as long (or short) as most of the combat folders and combine it into the shortest fixed-blade package possible. I turned to the Indonesian punal for the handle shape. The punal or keris shaped handle was slightly modified to ensure that it fit in the user’s hand equally well in forward and reverse grip. Despite the handles short length there is adequate gripping area and there is a choil and thumb ramp to both orient the hand and prevent it from slipping onto the blade. Taking out a fresh sheet of paper I drew a straight line to represent where the point should lie and then scrunched up the D~S #4 blade to just over four inches. After several redesigns of the blade it is finally where I initially envisioned it. The MK-II was nearly perfect but it was ground from 6mm thick steel, which made the bevels on the blade steeper than I wanted, reducing the cutting ability somewhat. Because of this we went back to the excellent 5mm Sandvik Swedish steel. The final touch to the MK-III was the teeth on the back edge.

Once the teeth were added I realized that what I had created was a mini-Hobbit! I have always admired the REKAT[1] Hobbit, with only one exception, the shape of the guard almost forced you to use the knife in reverse grip. Not everyone is comfortable using the reverse grip and there are times it is not appropriate. On the other hand, although its blade is nearly a perfect size, the Pocket Hobbit has an awful handle design. The Cobra’s teeth are not intended for cutting parachute cords, seat belts, sawing wood, etc. They are designed to be used for trapping an opponent’s arm, allowing you to take control of his weapon. These trapping techniques are explained in detail in our first book[2] The Rhythm of One which is still available for purchase. The Cobra MK-III is one very powerful knife in a small package and there is no need to fumble about trying to open it under stress and it will not fail you under pressure. The Cobra is an excellent choice for your EDC (Every Day Carry) weapon. The cobra can he purchased with a choice of blade coatings and handle materials. Please contact me for more information and current availability and pricing. Look for the Cobra in an upcoming issue of Tactical Knives.


David Decker
White Shadow Dojo

[1] Round Eyes Knife and Tool; No longer in business.
[2] http://therhythmofone.blogspot.com/