New Purchase...What do you look for?

[travis quaas]

For everyone,

There are plenty of things to look for in a Martial Blade Craft knife. I was wondering if you "professionals" and non-professionals would list at least 5 things you look for in a new purchase. Sure would help me out!



I have already looked in Mr. Janich's website www.martialbladecraft.com. He goes into depth about the journey to making the Ronin. A lot of info could apply in looking for a good MBC knife. But, I was hoping for your opinions! Thanks in advance!



TQ

[mr. v]

Hi, Travis--

Are they getting you into marketing up there now, or what? Heard there might be an opening. . .!

Seriously, you'll get a lot of good feedback here--including, as you know, from Mike Janich himself. In the meantime, I highly recommend Mike's "Fighting Folders" video (Joyce'll loan you a copy if you ask nicely!). Before getting into techniques or drills he does a nice job of explaining self-protection knife attributes and carry options.

Hopefully the rest of the video will look somewhat familiar from our "back yard" training days in the Spyderco lot.

Glad to see you're hanging in there!

Tell everyone 'hi',
Vince

[travis quaas]

Vince,
I was wondering if I would hear from you. Drop me a line (no...seriously, DROP ME A LINE)!

Mr. Janich has been nice enough to answer all my questions in ways I would have never thought of. I imagine that is the reason I keep on asking him questions. The feedback of everyone here has been wonderful. I reviewed the "Fighting Folders" video last week. I loved it. It reminds me of the exercises you put me through in the "back lot".

Any possibility that you have July 18-20 free? I'll be there helping out Mr. J (definitely not with the class). I'm just assisting in taking care of the customers! Justin will be there too! Can you make it? For a short visit? Let me know. Shoot me an e-mail or give me a call on my cell phone. Justin has it. Hope all is well with you. We all miss the glaring bald head of yours!

TQ

(No...really, Drop me a frickin' line buddy)

[mr. v]

Travis--
I don't mean to take your thread too far off-topic, but to answer your question: yes, I'm planning on taking the July MBC series. Or at least the Sat.-Sun. portion. I'm pretty much a regular there.

Now to get back on topic for ya. . .I look for 2 qualities in a MBC knife--a grippy end and a pointy end. I like to hold the grippy end and swing the pointy end at people/critters who try to hurt me.

Hope that helps (ha)!

Vince
(I will email you. . .just sit tight)

[Clinton]

Hi,

There will be lots of more experienced people than me around who can answer this better, but let me start (in no particular order)... ;-)

1) Cost. Yes, this is a consideration, or we would all be carrying sebenzas or custom Emersons...

2) Lock strength and security. Up to a level, I would say that lock security is more important than strength. No percentage in having a lock that is rated for 900 pounds...only to have it unlatch because it is not compatible with the way you grip the knife...

3) carryability. If you don't like it, if it is too big, too small, too long, too short, too serrated, not serrated enough, too ugly, too pretty, too "whatever" and it doesn't get carried, then it is not going to be very useful...


4) Legality. Does it fit within the legislative climate where you work.

5) Access/open method. If you are going with a folder, then opening the sucker is a big issue. Think long and hard about this bit. Which leads to...

6) Folder or fixed? If fixed, you have to think more about size, some places have legal restrictions, and it takes more thought and effort to carry. The payoff is that you don't have to open it...

Clinton

When it comes to function(first), I tend to look for 2 things in particular.(sorry about the other 3)

One, if the piece is 'very' specific to one methodology, to the point where it is the proverbial 'master of one'. And there is few, if any other design out there that could do that one method/action better. And if I can adapt to that method or principle of action(s), then I'd seriously consider a purchase.

Second, if the design is so versatile it is the perfect example of 'jack of all trades', almost every grip position attainable, regardless of whether you think you would or wouldn't use it as such. And blade orientation that is also versatile to multiple or possibly all types of methods. Most likely I would then rely on price and aesthetic appeal to my tastes to purchase.

What proliferates most of the market seems to be things that hover between those two extremes, and if I purchase something like that, it was most likely for non-MBC use, or purchased soley on it's aesthetic appeal to me.

If it is for MBC intent, then I can sacrifice a little comfort/convenience for an optimal tool in that area.

take care,
Ken

[Jimd]

--The first thing about a knife is the looks...it has to look interesting enough to catch my eye and make me want to buy it.

With that said, I'd refuse to carry a knife for defense that just looks good but has bad qualities. I won't carry it simply based on looks.

--Blade design. It has to possess an aggressive cutting edge that works for self-defense (and usually utility, as well, since most of my knives are used for both).

--Handle comfort is another important aspect that I take into account.

--Cost is the deciding factor; there are loads of knives out there that I'd love to have, but they're just too darn expensive for me to realistically pursue. If I can't buy it, I can't use it!

Sniper -- One Shot, One Kill Email: ST8PEN01@aol.com

[Rex G]

I look for Spyderco Guntings and Ronins, MoD Hawks, Strider Karambits, and Blade-tech Karambits. There, that is five! <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0> Seriously? The knife must fit my hand, be well-constructed, and be thoughtfully designed. Bram Frank, Michael Janich, Graciela Casillas, and Steve Tarani know a few things about good design. Spyderco is lucky to be collaborating with two of them, and of course Spyderco knows a few things about good construction. OOPS! I almost forgot the Civilian, a most excellent back-up blade.

Edited by - Rex G on 6/25/2003 12:28:22 AM

[Qship]

I am not a fan of pure MBC knives. The double edged, fixed blade Gerber MKI and MKII are very good MBC knives, but they are hard to conceal, and of very little use either as a survival knife or as a utility knife.

A well balanced bowie is a better compromise, but it is almost a short sword.

I don't carry either.

For something I will carry on a daily basis, my first concern is whether it is legal to carry concealed. A knife is to keep you out of trouble, not to land you in jail on a class 1 felony charge.

My second concern is durability. I do not want the knife to break. In a folder, I want the blade to lock like a bank vault.

My third concern is ergonomics. Does the knife feel good? Is it balanced? Does it have a clip in the right place? Will it hang up on my clothing? Will the blade go where I intend it to go? Can I get a good grip on the handle? How well does the handle absorb impact? Is my hand likely to slide forward on to the edge? Can I spin the knife -- not that I intend to go from standard grip to reverse grip in a fight, but a knife's ability to spin in the hand is a fair indicator of how easy it will be to re-grip the knife if one's grip is disturbed. Does it have sufficient punyo for butt strikes?

My forth concern is blade and edge geometry, how well the knife cuts in its intended mode. Geometry is a balance between the ability to cut and durability. I am utterly at a loss to understand how the Ronin can cut as well as it does, and be as strong as it is. My best guess is that Mr. Janich has a blood pact with a tribe of renegade elvish bladesmiths who heat treat Ronins in dragon's breath under a full moon. Mr. Glesser probably has a clever cover story, but I'm sticking with my theory.

My fifth concern is fit and finish. A good design, badly executed, will not be satisfactory.

My sixth concern is steel. There is always a balance between edge holding, shock resistance, ease of sharpening, edge quality, rust resistance and cost. Very good steel is hard to make, and it costs extra. It is also harder to work, and it wears out tools faster. It costs more to fabricate.

I like ATS-34, 154CM, and their close cousins, because they are very strong, resist rusting, and hold an edge very well. If I were going into the field, I would want something softer, something I could sharpen on a rock if I lost my small diamond sharpener. For MBC use, in a civilian environment, almost any good steel will work just fine. It only has to last for a few cuts, after which it goes to an evidence locker, then to the trial, then to the crusher.

I carry a lightly modified Native as a backup, on my left side. I carry an unmodified Janich designed Tempest on my right side.

I buy MBC knives designed by Mike Janich. He knows more than I do and he always gets it right.

I want a Yojimbo.

Qship

[Joe Talmadge]

Insightful posts! My list:

- Legality: self explanatory

- Carryability: I have a number of great MBCs that I never carry, and they're not helping me by sitting at home. Carryability speaks to handle length, handle thickness, and clip placement. If any of those are off too far, it becomes uncarryable to me.

- Lock: A well-executed lock that is reliable is a very top priority. There are certain lock formats I don't think are applicable at all to defensive knives, due to their difficulty in consistently manufacturing them in a reliable manner. Whatever the lock, it has to be solid, and make it through my tests.

- Handle: Handle security is the number #1 issue. I care about comfort, but for strictly defensive use, that's not a high issue. Ditto ability to use in multiple grips, great for EDC, not as important for defensive use for me since I currently use just a single grip.

- Opening mechanism: has to be easy to hit and reliable. Holes work best for me, then spine-mounted disks, then studs.

- Blade: Weird that this only showed up at the bottom of the list. But, think about the properties? Blade steel? Frankly, as long as the steel is strong enough that the blade doesn't snap or edge turn too easily, steel doesn't really matter all that much. Does anyone really think having a 6A blade versus an S90V blade will really make the difference? That said, since this is a carry knife, I like it to have good steel regardless. And what about blade shape? Well okay, I don't want a sheepsfoot, but frankly even that could be fearsome. Any number of formats, from spear point to drop point to clip point to wharncliffe to tanto to modifications of all the above will work out just fine. Blade length? Well yeah, but that's a function of what I can carry legally and how big the handle of this particular knife is (minimum of 3&quot; preferred).

Overall, it has to be put together well and all the parts have to come together.

Edited by - Joe Talmadge on 7/1/2003 6:37:04 PM

[samosaurus]

Form, fit, function, reliability and cost... <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>

sam

"Just when I thought I was out... They pull me back in.."