Check out my September-0ct0ber 2009 blogs about cutting testing of different style blades. Two blogs with sketches
I bought this awesome little hawkbill knife from Channing Watson a couple weeks ago. I finally got down to the dojo to do some cutting tests. Pool noodles might not seem like an especially tough target, try them. If your cutting angle is incorrect the knife may just bump along the noodle. If you misjudge your approach the knife will just hook cut part way through the tube. Will it cut? I think the photos tell it all. The cuts that did not go clear through were my mistake by not gauging my distance quite right. Thrusts? Hell yes! It goes through targets like a light saber. The curvature of the blade precisely aligns the tip of the blade with the forearm allowing full power thrust without the danger of torquing or spraining your wrist.Channing gave me a little background bio that explains why his knife is more than just an attempt to be different. "We are escrima guys over here and I do try to make things cool looking while still remaining 100% useful. The idea behind that particular knife was to try to blend every day usefulness as a tool with good self defense ability, the longer "thumb groove" on the spine is there to give a resting place for the outside of the palm of the second hand during pressure cutting." This is a serious self-defense knife and I would not hesitate to stake my life on it.
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4 comments:
Wow that is great! I love how that knife looks - just a bad ass design. Great to hear it cuts as good as it looks.
I too have one of Channing's Hawkbill.. this is a great blade. And Guru Steve who owns the shop does a wonder sheath for this blade as well..
One of the knives in my collection I use and carry...
I was surprised to hear about its ease in penetrating with thrusts. Looks like it would make one helluva major wound on a thrust. OTOH, sounds like in slashing it may be a bit finicky, if it requires a close precision in the slash angle, and that sounds like a drawback, at least to someone who may not train very much with the knife. The other plus I see is that it looks more like a utilitarian knife than an "attack knife", so perhaps it is less likely to set off the "if you see something say something" pantswetters if you deploy it from its hiding place for some everyday purpose.
every knife has its own preferred, what I call approach, angle. The final act of cutting requires attention to what is called hasuji, dealing with body motion, arm motion and follow through. I did an extensive blog on this last year some time. Final word, it is a superb little knife. Evidently Guru Steve has been a great influence.
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