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.