Birds of Prey:

Birds of Prey:

Most people regard birds of prey with a sense of awe and majesty. The sight of several Bald Eagles circling above our house, gracefully wheeling their way through the sky, looking for food, affected me that way.
In September of 2008 I had the great pleasure of meeting and spending time with the legendary knife maker, Shiva Ki. After escorting me past his guard dogs he offered me a chair in his living room. The first thing to catch my eye was looking back at me. It was a small hawk sitting on a perch. I was thrilled, but the hawk seemed less pleased with my company. Shiva mollified it with a piece of raw chicken while we conversed.
Shiva and I talked about many things ranging from our time in Vietnam to race cars, his dune buggy project, and of course knifemaking. Shiva had over fifty blades laying around in one stage of completion or another. He handed me knife after knife for my inspection. Looking sideways at me he said, "You are one of the few people I have met who did not put their hands all over the blades." His knives are impressive and I will talk more about them in another blog. But let us get back to birds of prey and how they relate to knife fighting.
Shiva told me that even though birds like these are used for hunting small game they will not persevere if their prey puts up too much of a struggle. Despite their tremendously powerful claws, they are keenly aware of the fragile nature of their wings. Break too many feathers and a creature of flight suddenly becomes a pedestrian, and fair game for other predators. Therefore, if the intended victim becomes too fractious, or resists too much, the raptor will desist and move on. Now do you see the value in this thread of conversation? Can you see the immediate parallels?
We were talking about birds, but I was thinking about predators in general, and I suspect so was Shiva. How might this information affect you and your self-defense? I have another example. When we bought our first home we needed more furniture to fill out the rooms. An estate auction just down the road offered many nice pieces of antique furniture. When I arrived I could pretty easily pick out the dealers. It occurred to me the biggest difference between myself and a dealer was they needed to make a profit on everything they bought. Having done my research ahead of time I had a good idea of the prices dealers charged. All I had to do was "persevere" in my bidding to the point that they could no longer make a good profit and they would drop out. My strategy worked and I got every piece of furniture that I wanted. Can you see the parallel here too?
If you make the stakes too high, if you resist violently enough, then the cost of winning becomes too great for the hawk, the dealer, or the street predator. You must make the risk too high for him to continue. Acquiesce just a little, concede even the smallest bit of ground and you are dead meat! These signs of defeat are what the predator looks for. They are the indicators he needs to increase his attack and achieve victory. A predator cannot afford to be injured or expend too much time in the struggle. Each second that passes increases his chance of exposure or injury. Fight back! Many times police nab the criminal at the hospital when he seeks treatment for his injuries. Tell-tale marks of the struggle brand him and make him suspect to hospital staff. His injuries provide evidence against him during his arrest and subsequent trial.
I am not a lawyer and I do not offer legal counsel and although I am a priest I will not presume to offer unasked for spiritual advice. I realize the moral and legal problems associated with fighting back and the concepts of force continuum and the use of equal force. If you hold back, if you do not retaliate explosively with all of the means at your disposal, it will most likely result in your death. I could be more diplomatic about that I suppose, but I would not be doing you any favors. The hash reality is that when your life is on the line and no one is going to be there to back you up, you have to do what it takes to survive. Too many politically correct writers are saying that fighting back, which is what we are talking about, may only land you in prison. That is a sad commentary on the American justice system but it should in no way deter you from doing whatever you need to do to survive.

Beauty & Aesthetics

Beauty and Aesthetics:

When I talk about knives I tend to use the word aesthetics a lot, maybe too much. Usually I am talking about aesthetics in the positive sense because I refuse to buy a knife that is without. As comedian Fred Sanford once said, " Beauty may only be skin deep, but ugly goes clear to the bone." Unlike human beings, which may be unbeautiful outside and beautiful inside, ugly knives tend to be ugly inside and out.
"All beauties contain, like all possible phenomena, something eternal and something transitory,—something absolute and something particular. Absolute and eternal beauty does not exist, or rather it is only an abstraction skimmed from the common surface of different sorts of beauty. The particular element of each beauty comes from the emotions, and as we each have our own particular emotions, so we have our beauty." - Charles Baudelaire
Since discovering Bill Malloy’s "MastersmithS" website I visit it quite regularly. Of all the high end custom knives one in particular caught my attention. Singularly plain, a slender fighting knife by Michael Rader appealed to my ideal of beauty. This knife seemed to be teasing me, when month after month it remained unsold. Finally when I could not stand it anymore I bought it from Bill. When I asked him why he felt it didn’t sell he said that it lacked "all the bells and whistles" of a newer and fancier Rader knife. That got me to thinking and I went online and looked at some of Michael Rader’s new work. As expected, it is very good, but I did not see anything that I found more appealing than this elegant fighter.

If you are looking for something special in a custom knife, high art or pure fighter, contact Bill. Good knives, Good man!!

www.beautiifulblades.com
403 East 58th Street
NY, NY 10022
ph. 1 877 8knives

Cuts Both Ways

Cuts Both Ways:

I was reading an article on concealed carry of firearms by Massad Ayoob when an interesting thought occurred to me. I quote Ayoob, "When the defender does not know when the attack will come, the only reasonable expectation of safety lies in being always armed." Certainly this makes a lot of sense, at least to anyone not of the Liberal party mentality. This reinforces what we preach about carrying a knife that is easily accessed and that you are completely familiar with. But besides being "always armed," something else came to mind. Again quoting Ayoob, " Understand that criminals do not fear guns. They are, after all, an armed subculture themselves. What they fear is the resolutely armed man or woman who points that gun at them. Criminals are predators, and their stock in trade is their ability to read people and body language."
Every knife or martial arts instructor will tell you that if you get into a knife fight expect to get cut. Based on Ayoob’s article, and a conversation I had with Shiva Ki, I believe that these predators also fear the person "resolutely armed" with a knife. If you get drawn into a knife fight they can expect to get cut as well. This puts a whole new face on knife defense. Remember the old adage of the samurai that says, in a duel you have only a one in three chance of surviving. It does not say surviving unscathed either. Consider the title of our new book, When Two Tigers Fight, one will be killed and the other maimed. I submit that there are not a lot of muggers or rapists who are willing to face those odds or take that chance.
The key word is resolute. You must be unwavering in your willingness to defend yourself or as Ayoob says, "The person who is unwilling to do so will, in the moment of truth, communicate that vacillation to the hardened criminal." Such a revelation will be your undoing. One final thought on combat from General Patton, "No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." Make your attacker pay for his indiscretion.

Quality Knives

Knives From Aceh:

We have had a lot of false starts trying to establish a business with our friends in Indonesia. It is always difficult dealing with people half way around the world whom you have never met. Somehow I instinctively knew that I could trust Zola Octanoviar (his friends refer to him as simply Noviar) to do business with.
Because of his insistence on improving the quality of Indonesian products, Noviar had to eventually look outside of the original Noesantaraa organization (see our earlier blogs). His renewed search for a knifemaker willing and capable of rising to or meeting our expectations led him to the remote workshop of an Aceh knifemaker. Having been embroiled in a struggle for independence for many hundreds of years, the peoples of Indonesia and the Aceh region are no strangers to fighting and the use of weapons. A people who have fought hand to hand against the Dutch, British, and Japanese are more likely to produce high quality, functional arms than are people elsewhere who are busy catering to the tourist trade.
These photos show the first few knives from this new maker. Unknown to me, Noviar had set aside one of the cranked handle rencong as a personal gift. I bought the teardrop shape handled rencong on auction at Ebay. Many rencong are very small, more miniature sized than true fighting knife size. The smaller knife illustrated is an older original purchased a couple years ago. Both of the new knives have sufficient blade length to provide a lively self-defense. Keeping in mind that these knives come from a tropical region, where minimal layers of clothing are worn year round you will recognize the efficacy of these medium sized knives. The handles and sheaths are fashioned from Buffalo horn and the workmanship and polish is second to none.
Quality shows, and these new knives emanate first class quality. If we can keep this relationship going we will be able to provide you with the finest rencong available anywhere. Keep your fingers crossed.
A brief history of Aceh is available here online. http://www.etan.org/estafeta/01/winter/6aceh.htm
You cannot help but applaud the resiliency and determination of the peoples of the archipelago and their long enduring struggle for freedom. For a limited time we will be offering our stock of earlier karambit at a slight discount to make room for the items from this new maker. Check out our sale at http://www.whiteshadowsecurity.com/

A Chicken in Every Pot

Michael Maniord, Knifemaker:

Can you imagine a man who wants to build inexpensive knives? No I couldn’t either until I bought a knife from Michael Maniord. I bought one of Michael’s Karambit off Ebay and waited for it to arrive. A few days led into a week and I got an email saying, "I am not happy with the knife, if you can wait a week I’ll do another one." Sure I could wait another week and another email came saying if I wanted the first knife he would sell it to me for basically the cost of the materials. If I did not want it that was OK too. Well I have been in that same situation and screwed up a project before, come on who hasn’t?
I was out of town when the package arrived. It didn’t take me long to rip it open. I am like a kid at Christmas with every new knife. Well I looked at the "bad one" first. It was a bit rough and the grind lines had some waviness. Then I looked at the second one and it was much better. This was certainly a knife I would not be ashamed to carry into a tough spot and use hard, knowing it could take the heat. I’m sure the other one is just as tough just not as refined. The overall design is very good. The proportions and aesthetics are as good as anyone else. The handle sculpting made me think of a skeletal finger with bony joints but it fits my hand just fine. There are coarse grind marks on the edge bevels but the edge is very sharp. That is a plus since I am tired of makers whose expensive custom knives are delivered dull. This knife will definitely rip and tear.
Included were three sheaths, a kydex sheath for each knife, plus a leather one. Now how many custom knifemakers do you know who would do that? I emailed back and forth with Michael and got a feel for his moral fiber, his philosophy on life and his work ethic. It was very refreshing! He said he hated the pressure that goes along with selling high dollar knives and he worries that his work will not meet the expectations of the big price tag knife buyers. His principal concern is making a good, solid, using knife. Secondly he wants them priced where the average person feels they can afford one. (At his prices most people I know could afford two.) Most of all he said he wants the recognition of building that good knife at a good price point. With a touch of humor Michael said he wanted to be the "Walmart™" of knife makers. In this day of $1500-4000 knives he has established his own blue-collar niche. Hey I am not going to argue.
I have watched over the past year as Michael’s quality and eye for design have improved. What I saw prompted me to buy that first knife. What I have heard will prompt me to buy again. I suggest that that you check his website and spend some money wisely. If you want a no-frills quality knife then buy a knife from Michael and go out and use the heck out of it. I bet that you will get more use out of it than all of the safe-queens that you spent thousands of dollars on. It’ll make him happy and keep him busy building more of those affordable knives.

http://maniordknives.com/

Storm Clouds

Here We Go:

The wheels of justice grind slowly but inexorably. At least one court in Texas has now declared AO (assisted opening) knives illegal, classifying them as switchblades. Maybe I am too simple minded, but I have said before that no weapon should be illegal to own. Commit an illegal act with it and you should be put in jail. Injure another person without just cause and you should be punished. These should be the laws of the land, but they are not. Oh sure, superficially they are. But all laws today are up for "broad interpretation." This simply means they are not laws if you have the right lawyer or the necessary amount of political, financial, or celebrity clout. Some people will say that it has always been this way. They are probably right, but the disparity between the rights of the privileged, and the rest of us, have never been so "in our face" before.
I am going to keep this blog very short so that you can spend your time reading the coming one about pre-meditated self-defense. This blog just makes a good, albeit discouraging intro. Read these blogs and see if you think I’m over the edge, or whether we should be concerned. I face the next few years with an inexplicable dread and a lingering trepidation that I cannot put my finger on. It’s the same feeling I get in my gut just before a violent thunderstorm breaks or bad news arrives. Chalk it up to animal instinct, or my social maladjustment, but folks, there is a storm brewing in America and the dark clouds are already gathering.

For Gwynne

In my lifetime I have been blessed with many excellent teachers. They range from parents, grandparents, and one uncle in particular, to those who were not blood relatives but who played a serious role in my education. Now I am not talking about the three Rs, or primary and secondary education. My focus here is on those who taught me right from wrong, good from bad, and instilled in me a sense of values, ethics, and morals. Yes I know, most of these ideals are frightfully out of vogue right now, especially in our Capital.

Some of my teachers have shared incredible wisdom and esoteric knowledge with me. Through nuance and inference they have tried to help me remember that which cannot be taught. Sometimes it has taken root and other times I have been dreadfully dull and slow-witted. To those patient teachers I apologize.

One of the people who has taught me the most is my junior by nearly forty years, 34 to be more precise. It is an amazing awakening when someone who is part and parcel of your blood and body can remind you of what you once believed, who can stir those same emotions you once felt at that same age. Without consciously trying to live vicariously I tap into this reservoir of myself, now past, of my long spent youth, and enjoy the fruits. If there is a fountain of youth, a wellspring of immortality then this is it. There is a wonderful nostalgic melancholy in allowing oneself to slip from the role of teacher into that of listener and even student. This alone might be the slender golden thread that growing older offer us. If we are astute enough to see it and hold on to it, very delicately, like touching butterfly’s wings, ever so lightly………lovingly.....

Many of you will wonder what the heck I am talking about. That’s OK. All of my blogs don’t have to hit you over the head with a scathing product review or a rant on the daily news. Sometimes they need to be more gentle and abstruse. As I write this I am listening to the soundtrack of "Crouching Tiger, Sleeping Dragon." Surely music soothes the soul but it does many more things than that. At Yagyu kai keiko in NYC last weekend one of my old training partners reminded me that time slips away as do people.

Know what you have, when you have it, AWAKEN.

"Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water. The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken. Although its light is wide and great, the moon is reflected even in a puddle an inch wide. The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass."- Dogen.

Stag and Steel

Stag and Steel

There are certain things that fit the laws of nature, even if man sometimes has his hand in it. One of these natural fits is the mating of stag and steel. Nowhere is this combination more pleasing to the eye than in the creation of a fine European Cuttoe or an American Bowie knife. Each of the knives in this photo is one man’s vision of how best to achieve a harmonious blend and in the process provide a functional fighting knife. There is nothing superfluous about these knives. They are bare bones, un-engraved, with minimal decorative file work, and unencumbered with gaudy gems or reconstituted stone or coral.
Many people have a clear definition of what constitutes a "true" Bowie. The factors I consider necessary are simple, a 7 inch, single edged blade as a minimum. It may or may not have a guard. The guard may be single or double branched. The blade could be a clip point or spear point. The back swedge may or may not be sharpened. Seems like a lot of knives could fit this definition but there is something special that separates a Bowie from other fighting knives. Something intangible and yet unmistakable about a Bowie knife. Most of these knives have been bought not only for their collectors interest but also for illustration in our second book. Some of them will be sold once the photos are all taken and the text finalized. Most of them will find a home here for as long as I am here.
The knives in the group photo are a mixed bag of hand forged and stock removal types.
The debate about whether a forged knife is superior to a stock removal knife is moot, if appearance is all you are concerned with. I am not saying that buying a knife based solely on looks is good or bad either, we all have different criteria that shape our choices in life. It just so happens that two of my favorite fighting knives are hand forged Bowies. There are things that a man with a hammer can do to steel, that a man with only a grinder cannot, and if you want to know the difference you should read more about the forging process.
The Bowie illustrated separately was forged by Journeyman Smith Dennis Riley. I saw it on Ebay and could not bear the thought of not owning it. That is a very hedonistic thing to say but its true. I used the "Buy it Now" option and never gave it a second thought. When I first removed the knife from its wrapping I thought, gee its kind of small. But when I held it next to my Cold Steel Trailmaster™ I realized it was perhaps only 3/8" shorter. I am going to write another blog about the comparison and the inherent beauty of a properly made custom Bowie knife versus even a high quality factory knife like the Trailmaster™. So for now I will just let you enjoy the photos as you head off to check out Dennis Riley’s website.

http://www.rileycustomknives.com/

New Old Book Service

Hi Friends,

We are adding a new service on our website. My two greatest loves are edged weapons and books. The obvious marriage is a love of books on edged weapons. Therefore, I am scouring the internet to bring you hardbound and/or original copies of the classic knife fighting texts by the masters: Fairbairn, Styers, Biddle, and Cassidy. We all know there are cheap reprints available but there is a nostalgia or certain pleasure in owning early or original copies. (On occasion a copy signed by the owner is found.) If you are looking for a unique gift or a copy for yourself then check our website to see what is available. Remember that many of these are over 60 years old and not easy to find. We will price them according to the price we have to pay. We know that many of you enjoy the same things we do and our desire is to connect the right people with the right products. Many of these books are timeless and priceless views into the not so distant past when men at arms struggled hand to hand with other enemies and fought in other wars.

XSF, Yes or No?

XSF, Yes or No?

Not long after starting the Chisel Tip project the Beshara XSF-1 knife showed up on the market. Well that was disappointing because here I was working on a new concept and this knife threatened to preempt it. I waffled back and forth like a politician, should I buy an XSF-1 or not. The Titanium ones looked very cool but the price was a bit staggering. As time passed I just forgot about it.

One day I was cruising Ebay and came across a used, like-new, Beshara dagger complete with the original box. The opening bid was reasonable and I bid that, plus a small margin. At auctions end I was the winning bidder. As luck would have it the knife showed up while I was out of town on business.

Conceptually, the knife is extremely interesting! One of the first things I noticed is that it is made in the USA. The workmanship is very good, and other than the typical modern tricked-out sheath I am generally impressed. Remember though what I always say. A knife has only two functions, to cut and to stab. If it can’t perform those two functions it serves as a very short, ineffective club.

Well, this particular XSF-1 does not XCL when it comes to cutting. Despite the brightly honed edges it refuses to even cut post-it notepaper. No, I am not surprised, because the blade bevels are way too steep to permit the forming of any sort of edge. I hope that it will perform better at stabbing. Because of the thickness of the blade, and the fact that only half as much material is ground away during the shaping process, the knife ends up blade heavy, but incredibly strong.

If you were to purchase an XSF-1 knife with the intent of using it in UDT or EOD work I am confident it would be more than suitable for any prying tasks. The short serration on the model I bought also cut somewhat effectively. For any serious cutting chores like rope etc., I would suggest buying the version with the four inch serration. To be honest, our experimental Chisel Tip F/S knives perform much better at cutting and stabbing. If you are looking for a readily available, reasonably priced, multi-functional, serious combat dagger then I would suggest looking into an Ek Knife. In fact I have a new Ek F/S model on order right now and when it arrives it will be the next knife reviewed. Over the years I have purchased many Ek Knives and I have never been disappointed. I am not saying that I am disappointed in the XSF-1, nor am I surprised. It is what it is, and what it is not, is a fighting knife.

Smith's Gun Shop

Smith's Gun Shop

I keep writing blogs that I do not post. They tend to be more about moral issues than knives and swords. I have bought several knives since my last review of cutlery but my mind keeps gravitating back to other topics. One reader suggested I was too blunt and he was probably right. So I will try to remain on track with this review.

Yesterday I went wandering in a Mall in Corpus Christi, Texas. I happened to be here for work and in my spare time I have tried to hit all of the gun and knife shops. A long drive to a shop called "Mac’s Knife and Gun" was fruitless. Despite a lot of signs on the highway, when I knocked on the door, there was no sign of Mac.

By accident I found Smith’s Gunshop located right in the Padre/Staples Mall. Phil Smith is a very pleasant man originally from Pennsylvania and he has a shop full of rifles. Weatherbys, Remingtons, and Rugers line his gun cases along with numerous handguns. I was amazed to see several shelves stocked with Weatherby ammo. At $50 a box you don’t normally find a shop that keeps a lot of it on hand. When I mentioned how surprised I was to find a gun shop in a mall he said he was told they might be the only one left in the nation. The walls are lined with beautiful mounts of deer, antelope, gazelle, and a full mount of a cougar. Phil said he had hunted all over the world. In one case Phil has a large selection of antique Winchester lever guns. There were also several display cases with knives of various makes. We talked for a while and I bought a Glock 17 magazine. I also decided to buy a Benchmade 710 McHenry & Williams folder he had. This is one of my favorite Benchmade knives and my old one is getting pretty weary. I looked at the price tag of $165 and immediately wondered what it would sell for on the internet. Just as quickly, his comment, "the only one left in the nation" ran through my mind. I cannot imagine the cost of store rent and insurance in a mall. I might have bought this same knife for less on the WWW. Maybe my purchase will not make any difference in paying Phil’s rent because he seems to be doing a good business. But you know what, I walked out with the knife in my hand and I felt better about the purchase. I am not even going to look at what I might have saved. I’m happy with my knife and the fact that I met and spent time with Phil Smith in Corpus Christi, Texas. If you ever get down this way stop in and see him. Spend some time talking old guns, history, or Revolutionary War with him. If you’re looking for a top of the line hunting rifle or a quality knife spend some money with him too. I bet you walk out feeling better for it. Maybe the next time I have to come to Corpus Christi I won't complain as much.

New Web Site

Check it Out

http://www.whiteshadowsecurity.com/

I have written several new blogs but before I post them I want to tell all of our regular friends and new visitors to the blog about our exciting news. We have our website up and running. There are some things we will be changing and improving but basically it is functional and ready to serve your needs.

We will be offering several services as our business gets established.

As always we are blade focused and offer our books and mini-manuals for sale. We have a diverse selection of swords and knives for sale. Need training in the use of a katana or a fighting knife, knife defense or offense? We can help you out there as well. Gwynne has nearly completed her training with ESI and is looking for work in the field of Executive Protection. Do you have concerns about violence in your work environment or your site security plan? Contact us for a review of your site, facilities, and procedures. Then there is our service called blade search.

If you are tired of waiting a week for an auction to close and then getting sniped just four seconds from the end, so are we! Come look at our site. If you’re tired of putting in a high bid and then wondering if you’re bidding against the seller or one of his friends, come see what we might have that interests you. Check out the knives and swords we have listed, if you like something buy it without the waiting and the angst of bidding and losing. Your purchase ships USPS in the next day or two. Its that simple. If you need better photos email us and we’ll oblige. In the end you know what you’re getting and exactly how much you’re paying with no nasty surprises. Remember the last auction when your bid rocketed from something comfortable to the max in seconds.

Another thing, we will always tell you where a product is made! For example, we are trying to limit our purchases and sales of Chinese goods but if we find something of truly excellent value for your dollar, like the Hanwei Forge Paul Chen swords, then we carry and sell them at prices well below full retail.

Also check out our new page dedicated to high quality Indonesian knives. Still can’t find exactly what you want, ask us to find it for you. Our finder’s fee is a modest 10% over our actual costs, plus shipping.
If you are on active duty or an affiliate of ESI ask us about a discount. While you are on our website please follow some of the links to our friends whose products we endorse. Remember, if you don't see what you're looking for let us know how we may be of service to you. This is not just a business, it’s also our passion. http://www.whiteshadowsecurity.com/

Customer Service?

Customer Service?

Commitment to quality and customer satisfaction are paramount. These are grand sounding precepts, but are they hollow words? I mentioned on a recent blog that I had renewed my interest in target and tactical shooting. As part of that effort I decided to make the investment and buy a really good spotting scope. My old Tasco scope is good out to about 75 yards and then begins to get fuzzy. Given that it was purchased for under $40 I cannot really badmouth it. Now that I am looking to shoot out to 400 yards I needed something better.

Searching around I decided on a new "in the plastic‘ American Made spotting scope for a mere $245. Now this was a huge jump compared to the Tasco and what I consider a major investment for something used to look at bullet holes is paper. The scope is from a very renowned maker, in the business for over a hundred years. How could I go wrong? When the box arrived (undamaged, no dents, or dings) I tore it open and found inside a very nice hard shell case surrounded by styrofoam. The case was factory sealed in a clear plastic. Once I had removed the plastic and removed the scope I anxiously set it up on the tripod and removed the front lens cover. I unscrewed the rear eyepiece cover and, and, and the damned thing would not come off. It just spun around and round but would not come off. I called the customer service number and asked the man on the other end whether there was some secret to removing the hard plastic cover. I could tell by his response that he figured I was an idiot. No there was no secret. He said to send it back and they would check it out.

Off to the post office I go with the box, styrofoam packing, nice hard shell case, and my new spotting scope. Remember this is only an hour after it had arrived. No shooting today. Instead I pay the postal clerk almost $30 to insure and ship my new scope back to the maker, clear across the continent. A week goes by and I call to see if it had been received. No one had any idea what I was talking about. I had emailed a scanned copy of the postal receipt and requested reimbursement for the shipping. No scope, no one knew who I was, or what my problem was. I waited about four more days and called again. Still no sign of my scope. About two and a half weeks go by and the scope shows back up at my door with the simple notation enclosed, "repaired broken eyepiece." Now this scope was inside a soft cover, packed in the hardshell case, surrounded by closed cell foam, and packed in a cardboard box protected by styrofoam. There were no marks on the plastic protective cover. The eyepiece had to be broken before it was ever placed in the soft case. Also included was a short questionnaire about my satisfaction with the service, which I politely filled out and returned with the still new warranty card. When I sent follow-up emails about the shipping I was contacted by someone who said they had no record of this problem. Once that disconnect was resolved the company representative offered to substitute an item for my shipping expenses. Well there is almost nothing available from this company that fits in the "Under $30" category. So I finally said please just send me the money. No can do! It seems their commitment to customer satisfaction hit a major bump in the road. Cash refunds are not part of their policy. I wish I had known about their aversion to cash when I bought the scope. I might have offered a litter of kittens, several nice sized goldfish, or maybe even a polished rock that I picked up in Scotland in lieu of cash payment. You know, I could get into this barter system.

Well I do have the scope back and if it ever breaks I will probably chuck it in the river and buy a cheap Japanese or Chinese import to replace it. I am sure their customer service would be better. Sure is a nice hard shell case though. I might keep the case and keep my polished rock in there. If you want to know who provided this great service drop me an email, or better yet, offer me a litter of kittens, or a polished rock. I might be in the mood to trade. ghdave2@hotmail.com

Give a Knife, Save a Life

Give a Knife:

Those of you who read our book, The Rhythm of One, know about my bad experience in Vietnam with less than ideal combat knives. For example, I bought a Pilot’s Survival knife that was only moderately sharp and it preferred to stay that way. Then I took an M-3 bayonet and tried to make it into a fighting knife. It looked great but would not cut melted butter.

In 1968 it was inconceivable to me that an industrialized nation like the US would send its men off to war without a decent knife. Well fast forward forty years and you will find that things have not changed. The only difference is the fighting men are wading in sand not rice paddies. I have seen all sorts of organizations dedicated to sending candy, scarves, and toiletries to men in the Far East and it’s probably just a personal thing, but I would rather do without my favorite cologne than be without a fighting knife.

Tom Sotis of AMOK! http://www.edgedweaponsolutions.com/ sent an email asking for donations of fighting knives to send to Iraq. I doubt if anyone reading this blog remembers a similar WW-II request asking people to donate knives to the Brits. You see the Brits, in their infinite wisdom, listened to their liberal politicians and confiscated, or made illegal, almost all of the knives in England. When war broke out the "Home Guard" were busy making knives out of large nails, screwdrivers, and files. The slogan back then was "Give a knife, save a life," and Americans responded generously with thousands of knives.

Having personally experienced the bureaucracy of the military I am well aware of their phobias regarding men carrying personal edged weapons. However, knowing their thinking and understanding it is not the same thing. Why would they advertise that we have the best-trained and equipped fighting men in the world and not trust them to carry a fighting knife? It just boggles my mind! How can you entrust a young man or woman with operating a predator drone or a Blackhawk gunship and then confiscate their knife as an illegal weapon?

Ah well, some things never change. So, getting back to Tom’s email, I decided to answer the call. We had a few knives that were destined for our Used Knife page on the website and I decided that for the little income they would generate I would prefer to see them being carried by our brave men and women who stand in harms way. You can check on our website http://www.whiteshadowsecurity.com/ and see a photo of the knives under the "tried and true" category. If you have a few knives, or even one knife, that you want to donate please contact Tom Sotis at his email address, sotis@knifefighting.com or myself at ghdave2@hotmail.com . Come on, Give a knife, save a life.

The Way of the Sword

The Way of the Sword:

There are innumerable references in the Asian martial arts to the way of the sword, but few to firearms. One of my favorite firearms quotes comes from Kensei Musashi Miyamoto. "From within castle walls the gun is unexcelled, but once swords cross, it is of no use at all."
Another of my favorite quotes comes from Chairman Mao, who said, "Power flows from the muzzle of a gun." So you might ask, if I like these quotes why did I stop practicing with guns and their associated power. I cannot explain why I fell out of infatuation with firearms, it just happened.

Almost twenty years ago I eschewed the way of the gun for the way of the sword. It is hard for me to believe that it has been that long. Sorting through old files in our garage I came across targets marked: "40-90 @100 yards for group," "45-70 @ 200 yards, duplex load," and "28-30 breech-seated." Reading these semi-cryptic notes brought back fond memories of shooting with the ASSRA (American Single Shot Rifle Assoc.). Most of the targets are dated from 1987 to 1990.
In a more genteel era during the 1880-90s men spent Sunday afternoons at local ranges shooting guns like these. Dressed in three piece suits with tweed vests they enjoyed comparing rifles and shooting off hand at 100 and 200 yards. Schuetzen matches were popular during this renaissance of shooting sports in this great country. The shooters were not considered some lunatic fringe element, who posed a threat to our national security. They were not criminals or drug dealers. They were wealthy gentlemen and professionals, and everyday blue-collar workers. Shooting was a sport that appealed to men and boys of all ages. This was a day and age where boys 12-13 years old went out back with single shot 22 rifles and plinked at tin cans or targets and maybe shot rats in the local dump. This Golden Age of firearms manufacturing lasted from the late 1880s until WW-I. The competition for market presence was as strong as the competition on the shooting range. Firms like Remington, Sharps, Ballard, Maynard, Stevens, and Winchester built specialized off-hand and bench-rest target rifles. The designs were elegant, uniquely distinctive, and highly innovative. Many were destined to become timeless classics. Today some of these rifles have been lovingly reproduced in very small quantities.

Following the Great War, strong anti-German sentiment, and an overwhelming distaste for anything related to shooting or killing, spelled the end of what was known as the Schuetzen era. Those Schuetzen rifles, designed for and used solely in target matches, are for many gun aficionados, incomparable examples of the rifle builder’s art. No matter how precisely they shoot, modern rifles with their shapeless synthetic stocks will never satisfy the basic aesthetic needs and desire for beauty that figured woods and case colored actions fulfill. Because of my daughter’s interest in shooting I have reconnected with shooting.

Thanks Gwynne for giving back to me the pleasure that owning and shooting a finely-made rifle offers. Thank you to those long departed makers of single shot rifles for creating the best rifles possible, regardless of the cost or time it took to build them. I hope you will enjoy the photos of these classic rifles descended from a distant and golden age.

Steven Tedford, Custom Knifemaker:

A couple years ago I bought two custom knives from a fairly new Canadian knifemaker. Steven Tedford was just getting his business, Fireborne Swords, established when I saw one of his Bowies on Ebay. No sooner had I won the bid on that knife than I found another of Steven’s knives up for bid. I liked the looks of that knife even better. I ended up owning both of them. The Bowie was a nice knife. The other knife, that he called the Willow Leaf Fighter, resembles a small kukri. It is more graceful than many kukri and It quickly became a permanent part of my collection. In fact, once our second book is finished, you will find both of these knives and the new ones illustrated in it.
The real reason for writing this blog is that recently Steven sent out an emailing with photos of three new knives he had for sale. They instantly caught my attention! I emailed him and he made me a generous offer if I bought them as a set. I thought about it for a day or two and decided to buy them. Based on the photos I was confident they would be of equal quality to the previous knives.

When they arrived I tore into the package and discovered that I was wrong about the quality. These knives were visibly superior in fit and finish to his earlier knives. The first thing I noted was his signature on the blades. It is prominent and in a very artistic script. In fact that was only the first indication of his new level of artistry. Steven’s past knives had nice lines, these have perfect lines! The design elements of blade curvature and handle shape, the ratio of blade length to width, and handle to blade all seemed to flow effortlessly, creating an integrated piece of art. Having built many custom rifles I know that the difference between nice lines and perfect lines was not guaranteed by just putting in a few man hours. It is a long hard road of trial and error. This sort of artistry demands many late nights with cups of coffee and pencil in hand. It often results in nothing more than wads of sketches tossed into a wastebasket or littering the floor. Despite all the hard work, if you do not have that spark of artist in you, you may never create knives like this.
So now I have a conundrum, a real dilemma. I told my wife that I bought these knives to sell. Now that I’ve seen and held them I’m not sure that I will be able to do that. You see a collector is just another type of merchant, one who can’t or won’t sell anything. He’s also a man who spends a lot of time in the doghouse. Do you have a knife you would like built? Check out Steven’s website and contact him with your ideas. Talk to him, send him a sketch. Go ahead, I’ve got some room left in the dog house. We’ll compare knives, drink whisky, and stay up late barking at the moon. Check his work out at: http://www.tedfordknivesandswords.com/

Boker Plus Rampage

Boker Rampage™

The Boker Rampage is the inexpensive commercial version of the RJ Martin knife of the same name. The Boker version does not have the grooved blade that has become an RJ Martin hallmark. The 4 ¾ inch blade is nicely ground from 5mm thick 440-C stainless and it is razor sharp. As you know, I reserve this title for only those knives that truly are razor sharp, not every knife that simply cuts paper. The overall blade shape reminds me of a Rhino with its nose out of joint. There are few blade profiles that are more aggressive than this one. It is a complex grind and Boker has done a nice job.
The handle is less inspiring. Hogged out of micarta, it has the distinct look of a Cub Scout project carved with a dull jack knife in ten minutes or less. It has the potential to be ergonomic but whoever designed it was apparently unfamiliar with how the human hand is shaped. It fits my hand like the new airplane seats fit my body. The grooved thumb ramp should have been higher, so that the thumb rested naturally on it rather than having to be pressed down onto it. The notches roughed out for your forefinger are left too clunky and there are sharp corners just dying to be rounded off. The handle is barely long enough to accommodate my rather small hand. Anyone with big hands need not apply.
The sheath is your typical, thermo-plastic, kydex wanna-be, construct with the ubiquitous Tech-Lok. For some reason there is no retention capacity with this particular sheath. Maybe mine is unusually loose in the sheath, but right now, if I tip it up the knife will fall right out.
Overall the knife is a Plus in the Boker™ line despite the awful handles. I had similar complaints with my Boker Smatchet too. I have to wonder if Boker’s design folks don’t know how a knife is supposed to be held. If the Rampage were scaled up just a bit, like a 7inch blade and 4.5 inch handle, it would be a fantastic fighting knife! I am sure that before too long my Rampage is going to have the handles reshaped or replaced. It is too nice a blade to leave the handles as they are. A little research will find one of these knives for a hundred dollars or less. In that price range it is worth buying.

Filling Emptiness, crossing the bridge

Filling Emptiness, Crossing the Bridge

If you have read our book you will know that I am fairly skeptical of all the people in the martial arts running around with all sorts of titles attached to their names. I have read many of their books and watched a lot of their DVDs or VHS tapes. While it is impossible to learn an art from a book or a DVD, it is possible to get an idea of a person’s intent and their abilities. A man who bought our book said there are two reasons to write a book: to tell something, or to sell something. Gratefully he placed out book in the telling category. This past weekend I watched the latestDVD by a man I consider one of the few real-deals in the knife world. After watching the DVD "Crossing the Bridge" I and came away with an even deeper appreciation of the man and what he had to tell.
Of all the people teaching the bladed arts there is one who has fully committed his life to teaching the art and telling the truth. Master at Arms James A. Keating stands head and shoulders above the crowd. While I have never had the honor of training with Master Keating I have (through various media) watched him explore the diversity of bladed arts from Asian to American and everything in between. What truly makes him a master is his ability to draw them all together, demonstrate the commonalities, and teach conceptually. Master Keating has managed to raise the perception of the knife fighter from the sordid world of thugs, muggers, and salivating pseudo instructors to a more noble art preaching self-restraint over self aggrandizement, awareness of the moral and legal constraints, and promoting defense over offense. In the process you also find, almost subliminally, that your technical skills improve.
I am sure that some of the other instructors out there could cut me to pieces and consider that proof of their superiority. That would still not convince me that they know anything about the art itself, only about violence, and their willingness to inflict more violence than I am. Master Keating’s latest DVD on Crossing the Bridge is what prompted me to write this blog. As he says in the opening, this is not a DVD about techniques, it is one about thinking. Then he goes on from there to break down the concepts of distance, angles, and timing and make it all seem so obvious. This DVD is a masterpiece! In the DVD Master Keating talks about adhering, bridging, and emptiness. These are elements from the warrior arts of the ancient masters literally "bridging" several centuries. When was the last time your instructor, or the instructor on your latest DVD, talked about emptiness? Musashi sama and Munenori sama understood and taught these concepts and ideals. The classes held by our late beloved sensei Yagyu Nobuharu taught these concepts. These are the teachings that transform violence for violence’ sake into a nobler art, and through enlightenment convert the back-stabbing drunken knifer to a thoughtful warrior.
Master Keating has a depth and breadth of martial vocabulary and knowledge that I have not seen in anyone since Donn Draeger. A deep bow and a thank you to Master James A. Keating for the sacrifices he has made in his life to write the books, teach the classes, and make the DVDs that have something profound to tell rather than just something to sell. working with James is Mark Davies from Scotland, a friend and Comtech Instructor certified by James keating .

Chisel Tips

Chisel Tips

One of my favorite old-wives tales is that during WW-II men who were issued commando knives purposely broke off the needle-like tips. This was done to prevent the knife from lodging in bone and getting stuck during a thrust, so one story goes. The other tale is this modification was to prevent the accidental bending or breaking of the tip which would make the knife useless. I have owned two WW-II knives that had the tips broken and sharpened across the blade, not re-pointed. Unfortunately I re-pointed them using a whetstone. Over a period of time I wondered why they did not reshape the point to return the knife more to its original look. This, coupled with the purchase of a Razel, made me wonder if those soldiers knew something about stabbing and cutting that I did not. I asked my good friends Brent Sandow and Peter Parkinson, both of Auckland, NZ, to build me a "chisel-tip" version of the Fairbairn Sykes commando knife. Due to a misunderstanding I ended up with two different blade profiles. One is the standard double bevel with four flats (knife on right). The other knife has a yari-ground blade with three flats (knife on left).
I asked Peter to build me a "mule", a bare bones test knife. What I received were two fully finished knives in tactical black. These are beautiful knives, ser. number 002 and 002A. When I showed them to Gwynne she said with a smile, "Looks like two broken knives to me." My test medium for the stabbing test was a stack of clean corrugated cardboard. I had no idea how far the knives would penetrate so I stacked the cardboard about 9 inches deep. I did not contrive any sophisticated machine to apply an even force so the results may not be accurate to the mm but they repeated in kind, from knife to knife. Using old fashioned arm-power I tried to drive the knives into the stack with equal force, pretty much as hard as I possibly could. I performed the tests three times and averaged the results. The mil-spec coating showed no signs of damage or scuffing.
As a control, and for comparison, I also tested a new Linder 3rd Pattern knife to represent a modern factory-made adaptation of the F/S.
Here are the final results from the stabbing tests performed on the stack of corrugated cardboard with four different knives.

Linder 3rd pattern style with 3mm blade avg. 81mm

Parkinson 1st Pattern style with 6mm yari style chisel tip 81mm

Parkinson 1st Pattern style with 6mm double ground chisel tip 65mm

Parkinson damascus 1st Pattern with 6mm double ground std tip 60mm

Knives in photos

Damascus knife far left, Linder, Yari, Std chisel tip

I was surprised at the difference in penetration between the Parkinson yari ground vs double ground blade. The yari-ground blade penetrated the deepest and was also the best cutting blade despite the very steep bevels. The Linder blade being only 3mm thick, versus 6mm for the Parkinson knives, pretty much insured it would cut better. I also expected it to out-penetrate all of the Parkinson knives. As you can see it was matched by the yari blade.

My standard test cutting medium, pool noodles, was used for the cutting part of the experiment. The biggest variable in the cutting tests, with the Parkinson knives, was not blade style or thickness but sharpness. The sharpness of the Parkinson knives varied from blade to blade and edge to edge. I suppose this is due to them being hand ground. I should have checked the edges before test cutting but my primary concern was penetration. Keep in mind that William Fairbairn originally designed these knives with penetration in mind not fileting fish. As an additional side note I would mention that out of over 100 original WW-II F/S fighting knives that I own, less that 10% were sharpened at all!

Conclusions: The thinner blade on the Linder will definitely take a finer edge, as would any thin bladed knife. I did not try it, but I expect that test results of an HG Long or a J Nowill and Sons F/S would be comparable to the Parkinson knives without the blade strength and elegance of a Parkinson knife. Perhaps at a later date I can test a broader range of manufacturer’s products. In fact I have two of the new Solingen-made F/S on order right now. Once they come maybe I will expand on my tests.
I would not want to trust my life to a 3mm thick blade in combat no matter how good it cuts! Next test I will spend a little more time sharpening the Parkinson knives. Did I learn anything useful? There is another Yari-ground, chisel-tipped, 1st pattern on order from Peter and Brent right now. I am convinced they are beneficial improvements to one of the world’s great knife designs. With all due respect, I wonder what W.E. Fairbairn would think?

2008 Starts out with a bang!

2008 starts out with a bang!

I was more than elated when Mark Davies nominated the Decker-Sandow Cobra as one of his favorite knives of 2007! http://www.tacticaledge.co.uk/instructional_articles.asp
This is terrific recognition from a man who knows what he is talking about. In addition we had some exciting accolades for the Rhythm of One from Mike Barnett, noted martial artist and designer of the Sabit knife.
What were my favorite Knives of 2007? I think I can narrow it down to maybe five knives. My choices are not in any order of preference. They are pictured in order; a Peter Parkinson damascus Fairbairn Sykes, James Coogler Dragon damascus karambit, Gary Braburn Hira Zukuri tanto, Mark Terrill Hangnail (plural) karambits, and the Mike Barnett designed, Coogler built Sabit. Wow what a load of great knives. This list doesn’t even include some very special Indonesian knives from Zola Octanoviar and three very nice Kukhri from Kukhri-House, Nepal.
The NEW news is that we are in the early stages of setting up a business. It will be established under the name White Shadow LLC. Most of the people mentioned above will be featured on our new website as providers of world class fighting knives. Through this business venture we plan to sell limited quantities of their knives on consignment, as well as our books. We are also set up to sell the products from CAS Hanwei including their complete line of arms and armor. Along with sales of products we will be offering our own knife defense seminars and perhaps hosting other instructors. One of my 2008 projects is to finalize the first MIK Modern Indonesian Knife and have it produced by Noviar and friends. It will be some variation of a Rencong. If you have any design you would like to see produced, contact me with your ideas and we’ll explore the possibilities of having it built by one of these fine knife makers.
We have sold more copies of the Rhythm of One in more countries around the world. People are reading this blog and saying "What you say makes sense." They want to read more and are buying our book. The many positive reviews of the Rhythm of One have convinced us it is worth dusting off and refreshing the book with better photos, a traditional binding, and pursuing a real publisher. We have sold over 60 copies, which is 59 more than I ever expected. I am reformatting it and re-editing it in preparation for the new photos. Gwynne has new software and will help put it all together. This is not going to happen instantly because of the number of photos we need to shoot. Our second book When Two Tigers Fight, is still progressing, slowly but steadily. Once I have finished the photos for this book I am going to have a massive knife sale to recoup some of my financial investment. Many of the knives that I bought to review are great knives but just not my cup of tea. So in the coming months watch for some good knives at good prices.
There will be blogs forthcoming on the testing of the Chisel tip F/S knives and also critiques of tactical folders, karambits, and my favorite choices. I expect to also have some blogs displaying the newly ordered karambits and other knives from Noviar. Noviar is forging ahead with his own enterprise, having built a belt grinder and adapted many of the suggestions that Gary Bradburn offered for improving the quality of the knives from Indonesia. Noviar has also been directly involved in the final polishing and prepping of the knives before they are shipped, making sure they are the best quality possible, always moving forward.
So 2008 promises to be an exciting year and we hope you will continue to follow our blog and support our new business, our favorite knife makers and friends.