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Tactical Folding Knives

Folder 'models' can be viewed HERE

Do to new pricing Folders will be unavailable for custom orders until further notice- See "Prices Changing!"

SELF DEFENSE ISN'T PRETTY.   Neither are my tactical folders unless you percieve beauty in thoughtfull design and form following function.  Let's face it- the liklihood of needing a folding knife for self-defense isn't that great but if you do need a defensive tool you're going to really need it.  That means that you are going to need to have it with you and in a position from which it is easily deployed.  How pretty it is isn't going to be an issue.
There are a lot of fine handmade and production Tacticals out there, some of them very well designed.  But many 'tacticals' these days seem to sport a  thick but otherwise conventional blade with a black coating.  Features like ultra-thick, macho-looking blades with complex grinds, exotic materials and manly-looking over-engineered pivots are becoming the fashion.

Fortunately no one has ever accused me of being a slave to fashion.

My tactical folders are designed for people that are serious about their knives and serious about self-defense and martial arts.   Blade shapes are designed for maximum efficiency, handles are ergonomically designed for a comfortable and secure grip using either fore-hand or 'ice-pick' grips.  Blade steels are selected for maximum performance.  The 'half-frame' frame-lock construction uses a Ti 'half-frame' incorperating the lock and a G10 half-frame opposite providing a strong, light-weight knife.  The Ti half frame is covered with a thin G10 scale for greater comfort and to facilitate use in extreme weather conditions.  Clips are designed to hold the knife securely in a pocket but also to assist in deployment of the knife.
My experience in making and designing swords has taught me to value function and high performance and I bring thse same values to my tactical folders.  Does this mean that I won't tweak a design to make it look 'cooler?' Certainly not!  But I will never compromise function merely for the sake of form.


prototype BWTF

Many of my knives incorperate the 'Besh Wedge" (tm) point pioneered by Brent Beshara.  This flat, sharp point offers exceptional penetration and maximizes damage to the target.  In non-scientific comparisons this point penetrates more than twice as deeply into a variety of target media compared to a conventional drop point or spear-point blade and produces a wider wound-track as well. 

Why the 'Chisel Grind?"
I get asked this a lot and there are two very simple reasons.  It works and it's easier to make than a V-grind.  There is a third less simple reason; it's the only way to get a 'Besh Wedge' (tm) point.  Note that I use a 'proper' chisel grind with no secondary edge bevel.  Blades with a 'chisel grind' with a secondary edge to sharpen them simply don't work right- they have a greater tendency to push the edge sideways in the cut and the secondary bevel increases resistance.

Why 52100 and CPM3V for blade steels?
 I consulted some very smart people that use knives and these steels are what they recommended.  I reviewed the mechanical properties of these steels and tested them and they worked great.  No- they are not stainless so you'll have to maintain them.  If you live in an extraordinarily wet climate they can tarnish or rust.   If you aren't willing to put up with that and maintain them they probably aren't  the knives for you.  I have no plans to make stainless blades for folders at this time.

Why do they look... Odd?

TDFS prototype

There's a button that I have seen around that says, "Some times being weird just isn't enough."  Nothing that I make is weird just to be weird- every surface and curve is there for a purpose.  In the TFDS shown above the modified "Besh Wedge"(tm) point allows exceptional penetration and produces a wound track 1-1/2 inches wide.  The forward curve draws the knife deeper into the cut.  The angles of the handle bring the point into line perfectly in either over-or under-hand thrusts.  The expanded butt covers the sharpened back-edge and provides a well-shaped striking surface.  No matter how 'odd' the knife looks it's 'weird' for a reason.  So it is with all of my folders. 

Why aren't they as 'slick looking' as some other folders?
Most 'hand-made' folders these days have a lot of machine-made parts- liners, scales and blades are CNC laser or water jet cut then hand-ground, fitted and assembled.  There's nothing wrong- and a lot right- with this approach.  It provides more consistant dimensions, better repeatability and often a higher level of finish and helps keep prices down.  There's still enough hand-work in these knives that I am comfortable calling them 'hand -made.' It benifits the maker and the customer and is a great idea that I heartily endorse- for other people.  I may someday employ these techniques myself in fact.  For now it doesn't suit me.  I don't have the demand for the volumes of knives that these techniques require to be cost-efficient and frankly it's not where my passion is at this point.  I like to make each knife as an individual piece by hand operations.  I buy the pivots, screws, thumb studs and thrust bearings because I can't make these as good as the ones that I can readily buy.  If I reasonably could I'd make those too.   So- my folders don't look as 'slick' as some other products out there.  I also have to say that there are makers out there that do the same thing that I do and make slicker, prettier, very effective and nicer knives.  This is because they are better at it than I am and their prices usually reflect this.  My ego can deal with that and if you can afford them I heartily recommend buying from them.  My folders are purpose built the way that I like to make them and as well as I can make them because that's what makes me happy.  I hope it makes you happy too; but if not there are a lot of great guys and gals out there that can fill your wants and needs.  No hard feelings.

Care and Feeding
As with automobiles high performance has a price- and that price is maintenance and attention.  Screws loosen over time.  Non-stainless blades (like 52100 and CPM3V) can tarnish and even rust.  If you want to carry one of my folders you are going to have to pay attention to it.  If you want something that you can drop in your pocket and forget about buy a production folder.  I am always willing to do periodic tune-ups and repolishes; usually for the cost of shipping.  If anything goes seriously wrong again, no worries- your folder is warrantied against failures of workmanship and materials.  If it goes wrong through anything but obvious abuse I'll fix or replace it.  If you need to seriously abuse it to save your life or someone else's I'll fix or replace it if you can supply appropriate documentation of the incident. 

To sum it up my folders are not the prettiest, most exotic or most finely finished Tactical Folders that you can buy.  They are functional, thoughtfully designed and carefully engineered tools for utility and self defense provided at a reasonable cost.  Folders made the way I like them with no apologies.  If that has value to you I'll be happy to work with you to make you a folder that fits your needs