Wandering around the internet one day I came across a very neat little Kriss (keris) by Richard Derespina. Unfortunately it was already sold and no more were available.
Having bought karambits from Richard I emailed him and asked about the production status of this design. He was so busy with custom karambit orders it looked like I had a long wait ahead of me.
Lo and behold a few days ago I got an email from Rich and one of the items for sale was a Kriss with a kydex sheath just like I wanted. It took me all of five minutes to email back and ask him if it was still available. He replied that it was and the deal was sealed. Since it was the July Fourth Weekend he couldn’t get it mailed out that day but within 5 days I had the knife in my sweaty little hand.
Ground out of ¼ inch thick steel it is a wicked blade. The grind lines on this 5 inch blade are absolutely perfect from side to side, no easy task on a Kriss. Considering the steep bevels required by this double grind, the blade is quite sharp. Certainly a Kriss is intended more for thrusting, than cutting, but a sharp edge is always nice to have. It feels almost weightless. Maybe because the full thickness of the steel under the handle slabs balances the knife far back in the hand. G-10 handles are nicely grooved and held in place with two countersunk fasteners. Now I am thinking how neat would it be to have a similar knife but with an eight inch blade. Rich is ready to make it. All I have to do is give him the word and a small pile of money. (Rich's prices are very reasonable for the quality of his work)
Lo and behold a few days ago I got an email from Rich and one of the items for sale was a Kriss with a kydex sheath just like I wanted. It took me all of five minutes to email back and ask him if it was still available. He replied that it was and the deal was sealed. Since it was the July Fourth Weekend he couldn’t get it mailed out that day but within 5 days I had the knife in my sweaty little hand.
Ground out of ¼ inch thick steel it is a wicked blade. The grind lines on this 5 inch blade are absolutely perfect from side to side, no easy task on a Kriss. Considering the steep bevels required by this double grind, the blade is quite sharp. Certainly a Kriss is intended more for thrusting, than cutting, but a sharp edge is always nice to have. It feels almost weightless. Maybe because the full thickness of the steel under the handle slabs balances the knife far back in the hand. G-10 handles are nicely grooved and held in place with two countersunk fasteners. Now I am thinking how neat would it be to have a similar knife but with an eight inch blade. Rich is ready to make it. All I have to do is give him the word and a small pile of money. (Rich's prices are very reasonable for the quality of his work)
To own a truly tactical, functional Keris has always been a passion of mine. As most of you know traditional Keris, like the one in the photo, are seldom sharp, usually have rounded tips, and the handles just push onto a very tiny rat-tail tang. Not exactly what one would consider the best traits for a fighting knife. 
Rich always makes really neat stuff and this Kriss is just one more example of his exceptional knife making skills. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go look for that pile of money for a bigger kriss. 
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