Some of us knife collecting addicts had a lively discussion on this topic. The original question was posed: “Why do people use cheap blades. I’m talking quality not price. Why do people use the knives that clearly wobble when locked, with mystery blade steel, dull as a rock… get what I’m saying? Why do they choose the knife. My friend is like this. He has very few even halfway decent knives.”

One answer was “because they do not know better and most people feel its insanity to pay $30-$300 for knife”

Another disagreed with knife elitists saying: “I carry a knife which costs 20 bucks, and they don’t advertise their steel, and it is just fine for 99% of what I need. I think you have no idea. I prefer to look at it this way – most folks cut with their knife – and carry one which is in their price range and does what they want it to do. You guys are an exception – caring about what steel your knife is made of is unique to your subset of people – I think you’re being unnecessarily harsh on folks who carry a knife – like you.”

In the end the consensus boiled down to one shared opinion: “the issue is not cheap vs. expensive, but well made for the user’s purpose versus poorly made. I picked up my every day carry knife for 23 bucks. That is a cheap knife, in my opinion, but a good quality tool for my purposes.”

I’ve purchased some cheap but well made folding knives from Safety Enforcement online website. They run from about $12.95 down to $8.95 and with their flat rate shipping fees I usually pick up 2 or 3 of them and the shipping charge stays the same. That’s a deal – they come sharp and for the price point they’re well made folders.

I have some very expensive knives in my collection but for everyday chores like opening cardboard boxes, cutting cords etc, they sure fit the bill!

When we find ourselves in any self defense scenario, the ability to move quickly, run or strike back is in some cases determined by training.  In others, simply being “physically fit” will help in assuring your of survival.

A physically fit person is usually more alert and avoids or responds to an attack better than the person who is not.  Being lethargic, grossly overweight or having poor muscle tone, will make you more susceptible to becoming injured or victimized in a violent crime.

Of course no one can dodge a bullet, but one can easily duck out of the way of a haymaker or rip themselves away from an attacker’s grip if they are fit and alert.

The more physically fit a person is, their reaction time and strength to perform any task is increased proportionately, thus enabling them to survive a physical encounter with greater assurance than one who is out of shape and has an apathetic mindset.

How many of us have decided that this year we will lose weight, quit smoking, build up some muscle?  Lots of folks have I’m sure, but getting started is the hardest part of any discipline.  Once begun, a fitness program of any type will have a snow-balling effect and build up momentum as time goes by.  Just get started!

Stew Smith is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, a former Navy SEAL, and author of several fitness and self defense books such as The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness, Maximum Fitness, and SWAT Workout. His books are available at Amazon and are all 4.5 and 5 star rated by customers who have purchased them.

Stew has released as a gift, in the first week of January, his 45 Day Beginner Plan.  Check it out and see how easy it to increase your energy and drop a few pounds.  Don’t forget his other books either.  If you go to Amazon online, just copy and paste the titles into the search box, or enter his name and you’ll find them!

I was on my way home and a State Highway Patrol cruiser came whizzing past me at a high rate of speed.  I wondered where he was heading in such a hurry?

I pulled into the driveway and came inside to find my wife on the phone with a family member who has a police scanner.  One of our local youths was killed in an auto accident, only minutes before.  No other details are known as of this post.  That’s where the police car was headed.

I pondered how painful this Christmas would be for the family of that youth who lost his life.  A terrible blow to be sure.  It gives one pause to consider how precious life is.

So, as I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, my hopes are that you’ll all be careful in your comings in and your  goings out.  Use common sense and defend your lives by being aware and not driving if you drink.  See you in 2010!

I sharpened my Benchmade 710D2 the other day and it was a new experience for me.  I’m not accustomed to sharpening re-curve blades, but my Spyderco Sharpmaker and strop was more than up to the task.

D2 is a high grade tool steel and will grind similar to S30V, maybe even a little faster it’s doubtful that you’ll see much difference.  The part you’ll see the difference with is when you pass the brown ceramic stones and start to polish. D2 seems to like a coarser edge better than a polished one, the edge will polish and get very sharp but you do a lot of burr chasing and the performance is no better than if you stopped around 1000 grit.

I began with the diamond rods corners and flats, then the brown, ending with the white ceramic rods.  I put a pencil under the Sharpmaker to get about a 22.5 degree primary bevel, since I like a finer, wider,  edge.  Next, I used the same rods as above at the 30 degree setting to obtain a secondary micro-bevel.   I moved on to the 40 degree setting and repeated again putting a 3rd micro-bevel on the edge. 

This consumed about a good hour but was well worth it as the knife was razor sharp but still just a little bit toothy.  I took a few minute break and took out my stop block which is a shaved, suede leather and soaked with just enough of the green stropping compound, like you get in the Bark River bars.  I then began to lightly strop the toothy D2 edge back and forth, paying attention to my strokes and not missing that re-curved area.  I probably hit it about 30 times per side, softly and letting the blade’s weight do the work.  On the last few passes, I lifted the spine up a bit to convex these bevels. I applied no pressure.

When you strop after sharpening, the slight give that the leather has, follows this multi-angle bevel you’ve applied and blends it into one.  What you end up with is a micro-convexed edge and it’s beautiful.  With my glasses on I could see no more gritty look to the edge, only a mirror like surface.  I had to get a magnifying glass to see the little spikes that the D2 steel retained.

Not bad at all - it shaved hair and cut the finest curly-q’s on a paper cutting test.  It’s no Spyderco edge, but for a hard use blade made of D2 tool steel, I’ll take it.  It’s way sharper than when I got it and better than any grind you’re going to see on a D2 production folding knife.  If you’re going to carry folding knives they’re much safer when they’re sharp!

Recently I discussed one of our Okinawan karate katas with a student, called Gojushiho (meaning 54 steps) which is a denomination of 108. I decided to do some research and I learned that it’s meaning had something to do with the number 108.  It’s said that all Buddhist temples have 108 steps, or walks of 2 sets of 54, or 3 sets of 36.  Interestingly they will be a denomination of 108. 

These 108 steps represent the 108 defilements, or character flaws which Buddhist practitioners try to identify and refine in their lives. These come later in the practice of Buddhism, after learning the Four Noble Truth and Eightfold path.  I will leave you, the reader to type 108 Defilements into a search engine and read them for yourself, since time and space don’t permit me the luxury of listing them all in this post.

Buddhism spread from India, to China and Okinawa / Japan.  The famous Shaolin Temple was Buddhist and the school of Shorin comes from the word Shaolin.  T’ai Chi Ch’uan has routines that consist of 108 movements.  There are also 108 major pressure points to be found in Chinese medicine.  Hmm?

Interestingly, Shorin Ryu karate portrays these ideas, embodied within the name of the kata.  It’s a curious propensity of Asian Martial Arts Masters, some also having been practitioners of Buddhism, to hide meanings within not only the application, or breakdown of a kata, but also right in your face – in this case the name of the kata Gojushiho, itself. 

This may be done to remind one of the Buddhist ancestral roots of the kata that they are performing and perhaps cause a student in future generations to pause and ask “What am I doing?  What exactly does this mean?”

I rotate my EDC folders and another of my favorites is the Benchmade 940 Osborne folding knife. It’s 4.47 inches closed with an Aluminum handle and a plain edge, reverse Tanto blade that’s 3.4 inches of razor sharp S30V premium steel.

With an overall length of 7.87 inches, this knife is very slim in profile and features a stylish design by Warren Osborne.
 
The anodized green handle is just a smidge chalky and feel very good in hand. It has a purple titanium spacer on the knife’s back with custom ridges – very cool – it changes color in the lighting.

The patented AXIS lock is a Benchmade feature that makes your knife easy to unlock while remaining bombshell tough. The 940 has a reversible pocket clip with dual thumbstuds for right and left hand users. This lightweight marvel weighs in at a mere 2.9 ounces!

The S30V blade is easy to keep razor sharp with just a few passes over a fine stone or a kit such as the Spyderco Sharpmaker. The trick is to touch them up before they get really dull.

I lubricate my folders with “Militec-1″ and Latama’s “Quick Release” here’s my system:

I heat the pivot joint with a blow dryer and apply two drops of Militec-1 on top and bottom. Next, I work the blade a dozen times with each side in the up position and wipe off any excess with a bit of cloth and Q-tips. This process is performed 3 consecutive 24 hour days.

After my 3 applications of Militec-1 with heat is completed and everything’s bone dry again, I use a couple of drops of Latama’s Quick Release. The Militec-1 lays down some sort of ultra-thin barrier of lubrication that bonds with the steel on a molecular level.  The Quick Release is just a super slick oil that lays on top of that barrier.

I love folding knives that are very fast on deployment and this has worked for me to date. I’m very happy with the results.  I enjoy maintaining my guns and knives, it’s a lot of fun and probably what keeps them looking and working like brand new!!

Today, we received another comment on our post featuring the RapeX anti-rape condom.  The name has been changed to Rape-aXe and apparently upon checking their site again, it’s been changed due to copyright issues on the name.

 I still can find no products available for purchase, just pictures, a frequently asked questions section and a “contact us” form??

The recurring remarks from that post that give me pause are from women actually, believing that in the end, they will not be able to stop the rapist.  I believe that some women are pre-conditioned to feel that they are helpless. 

I also get a lot of heat that women don’t want to carry a gun or go to a martial arts school and become a “black belt” to defend themselves.

Okay, I’m down with that ladies, really but if you didn’t read my September post Self Defense With Attitude, I think it’s time that I re-introduce you to Dr. Melissa Soalt, A.K.A “Dr. Ruthless”  hahhaha!!

You’re a lot tougher than you think girls, just watch the video of this little spit-fire in action and tell me you can’t put a hurt on a man if you need to!

It was a long time in coming but I managed to swing a sweet deal on a new Spyderco Police tactical folder. It has a VG10 grade, steel blade of almost 4.5 inches, housed in a fully steel lined grip with G10 scales (grips). 

This material is very sticky to the hand and doesn’t come dislodged from one’s hand easily. G10 is the newest and best scale material and makes Zytel and other polymers feel chintzy by comparison.

As an Eskrima / Escrima practitioner, I love the feel of a quality blade in my hand. After a firearm or a baton, the knife is your last “weapon” in a layered self defense carry package.

Of course, there are still martial arts skills behind the blade, but if you need the edge, then the Spyderco Police model affords you a formidable and lethal self defense option.

The knife comes with drilled out holes for left or right hand, tip-up or tip-down carry.  Spyderco’s signature, large 1/2 inch deployment hole in the blade is extremely easy to use by comparison to a thumb-stud.

Mine locks up tight in the vertical or horizontal directions like a bank vault. The blade is flat ground and wickedly, razor sharp.  It’s ideal for both slashing techniques and with the gimping on the blade and contoured G10 handle, very safe for hard thrusts as well.

Having such a long blade this knife affords plenty of room on the handle for use as an impact or kubotan striking device, whether open or closed.

Finally, it has a lock-back with a small depression to insure that a tight grip is not going to accidentally release the blade’s locking mechanism.  A very well made, safe knife for last ditch tactical self defense carry.  I love it, but then again I love all well made knives!

Recently I’ve been digging up all of my knives and getting them together for storage and rotation in EDC.

One my favorites, and no it’s not a Scarab or a  Sebenza – it’s a Cold Steel Ti-Lite!

Extremely lightweight in the Zytel grip and offering 4 inches of “scary sharp” blade, there’s a lot of good stuff to say about the Ti-Lite.

I prefer the Zytel grip since it’s lighter by far, is inexpensive and has a nice grain in the grip.  I only carry a knife for self defense and want a sure grip – if it’s summer and my hands are sweaty or if you hit bone it’s easier to hold onto.

It’s sexy looking – having a retro look of the Italian switchblade knife but using a sharply gimped quillion, it snags against the pocket and opens faster than any automatic knife I’ve ever used.

I made a few minor modifications to mine. I removed the pocket clip since I like to carry my folders inside my pockets and loathe the feeling of a pocket clip in my hand.

It still snags the pocket if I want and pops out.  It also opens via thumbstud and gravity with ease.  Just a flick of the wrist.

Next, I used a dremmel (carefully) and rounded all sharp edges on the hilt (when in the opened position) – it’s now super comfortable to hold with the thumb behind it and doesn’t dig into the thumb.  Plus, I lost nothing on pocket dragging to open it.

It’s a snap and takes about 10 – 15 minutes.  Just be sure to wrap a bit of electrical tape around it, to prevent any dings in the handle.

The 4″ blade Ti-Lite Zytel is my 2nd lightest tactical folder and will be getting it’s share of “carry time.”  One very impressive knife!