Airkat Knives?

J

JTC

Joined
Dec 22, 2002
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1,398
I was checking out Triple Aught Designs website www.tadgear.com and came across the Airkat Apache. I think it looks totally awesome. It said it was sold but did'nt give an idea of the price. Any of you guys have any experiemce with this knife or Airkat in general? I did a search and the company that makes the Tyler T-grip has some info on them but no prices or availability. Also I tried www.airkat.com and it says web site not responding. Thanks alot!:)
 
I think that the Airkat knives that I have seen are afflicted with abysmally bad design. Their construction seems OK.
 
Local shop had some(least, pretty sure they were airkats, and look like pics), and I did not like them at all. May be well made, but personally I didn't like the designs at all. Just not my cup of tea.
 
I don't like the excessive "ditch-grind" wandering all over the blade, but I like the desing quite a bit. damn nifty, "survivaly" knives get me every time. :D

I hope TAD doesn't mind, but here's the pic from www.tadgear.com:
apache.jpg
 
...the design and concepts are very good. The sheaths are supposed to be benchmark quality in the biz and from what I can see of the knives, they look sound. I like the novel spine design and the sheaths, with their accessories, are exceptional. The thumb screws for the handle are pretty well though out. I like the knives although the price scares me. The knives have a good rep in the LEO and tactical community although they are not well known to civilians, from what I have read. Cheers.
 
Airkat's stink....just in the last few years have they become even worthy still way to over priced.

I live in OKC and Dwaine used to buy knives from a knife shop here off of macarthur cheap china and tawian models then grind the markings off and reshape them camo coat them or powder coat them and sell them off as his own....

Now he just buys finished tempered bar stock from Texas knifemakers supply... I was ordering some handle spacing material and the lady said "hey do you know dwaine carillo?"
I said I knew him from around....and she told me he gets all of his metal finished and just cuts them out, shapes them on an upright lathe then slaps handles on them and sells them off to suckers....Of course this is just what I was told I do not know this first hand....

I have played with some of his knives at a gun store in OKC and the sales manager says he sales one or two a year. I have a gunshow buddy that traded a shotgun for a three knife set he used to carry called the wolfpack and two of the knives broke when he went deer hunting and was skinning a buck.

His newer knives are 1/4" thick if I wanted something that thick I would carry a hatchett. they have to be tough at that thickness.

Terriable in the hand balance is off. for my tastes....

The design is like something out of blade runner or star wars....

I just find them to be cumbersome.... It is a shame dwaine does not sell his sheath alone without the knife.... the sheath is nice but the knives are crap IMHO.

I did just see one of his kives go on ebay for $55.00 sheath and all.....

bummer for the poor sucker who spent $700.00 on it originally.....

Of course these are my personal opionions.
 
If you just have to...The store in OKC is Outdoor America they have a large supply of Airkat's. Ask for Big John.
Phone # is 405-789-0051
 
They are cool to look at. Other than that, I think there is a lot of gimmick involved. Oh yeah, and the blades look just a teeny bit on the wide side. :p
 
I have Dwaines Wolf Pack 3 knife hunting set, very well made and the one blade I used so far performed very well. Innovative designs and would fit many situations very well. Many of my non knife collecting buddies like it also!
 
mike413 said:
Airkat's stink....just in the last few years have they become even worthy still way to over priced.

I live in OKC and Dwaine used to buy knives from a knife shop here off of macarthur cheap china and tawian models then grind the markings off and reshape them camo coat them or powder coat them and sell them off as his own....

Now he just buys finished tempered bar stock from Texas knifemakers supply... I was ordering some handle spacing material and the lady said "hey do you know dwaine carillo?"
I said I knew him from around....and she told me he gets all of his metal finished and just cuts them out, shapes them on an upright lathe then slaps handles on them and sells them off to suckers....Of course this is just what I was told I do not know this first hand....

I have played with some of his knives at a gun store in OKC and the sales manager says he sales one or two a year. I have a gunshow buddy that traded a shotgun for a three knife set he used to carry called the wolfpack and two of the knives broke when he went deer hunting and was skinning a buck.

His newer knives are 1/4" thick if I wanted something that thick I would carry a hatchett. they have to be tough at that thickness.

Terriable in the hand balance is off. for my tastes....

The design is like something out of blade runner or star wars....

I just find them to be cumbersome.... It is a shame dwaine does not sell his sheath alone without the knife.... the sheath is nice but the knives are crap IMHO.

I did just see one of his kives go on ebay for $55.00 sheath and all.....

bummer for the poor sucker who spent $700.00 on it originally.....

Of course these are my personal opionions.
Click to expand...

Nothing like a very entertaining post after a long day in the shop. Next time you see an Airkat on Ebay please shoot me an Email, I'll gladly be the next sucker. I find it totally amazing that he can do all that milling in hardened steel :confused: I do the exact same thing with Talonite, I guess that says something about how I make knives as well :eek: I need to come by this place more often. You never know what you'll learn :D
 
Don't be mislead by people that personally don't like Dwayne, I lived in that area, and happen to know that the company in general has sold more than enought pieces to keep itself afloat. The prices are a little high for someone that is not as well known as they need to be to ask $300 a knife, but these are well made pieces, and the designs are solid, as well as the construction.
They are somewhat unique to the market, and if you want a knife that's not copied from another maker or stamped off a sheet, they are worth it.
 
I tried www.airkat.com and it says web site not responding.
Click to expand...
Here is the correct website for Airkat Knives. http://www.airkatknives.com

Airkat's stink....just in the last few years have they become even worthy still way to over priced.
Click to expand...
To MIKE 413. Well...they may stink to you, but they are a great seller for me. Every customer who receives one from me calls to thank me and then asks for Dwaine's phone number to thank him too.
Certainly, these knives (and the UKON LC1 APACHE SURVIVAL RIG) are a bit unconventional, but that is what makes this whole game fun- right?

From my dealer angle, I have enjoyed my business relationship with Dwaine and cannot want to meet him one day soon. He is very personable on the phone and keeps his word to the letter. So far, he has delivered every order that I have placed with him on time and the quality is always there.

Dwaine’s (Airkat's) products are very desirable. A recent Joel Pirela designed version of the knife called the “Sur-vital” sold out in days- I wish I could have had more.
Dwaine is pushing himself to make innovative upgrades to the knives all the time.

To MIKE 413- this is a public forum and you have every right to make your feelings known- I can only attest to the fact that the knives are in demand, sell very well, are made very well and the customers are very happy.

Take care all….

Neil
 
Tater Tot White said:
The prices are a little high for someone that is not as well known as they need to be to ask $300
Click to expand...

$300 is a lot to charge for a handmade knife? Granted it looks like the guy is extensively using a mill/lathe, but it looks like a lot of work goes into them. Just about every maker I know (popular and less-popular) are living on incomes that are only a hair over minimum wage. Bottom line: Mr. Carrillo is selling these knives at $300-$400, so aparently they ARE worth that much.
:confused:
 
I think they look extremely heavy duty and well made. The chainsaw teeth aren't my thing, but I would buy one of the saw-less models in a heartbeat. His sheaths also look to be the best I've seen for a survival blade. And if Pirella is designing with him, I doubt he's someone who is filing off Pakistani blades and selling them as his own. :barf:
 
What the hell are you guys talking about when you say $300? Everywhere I look, the AirKats have two prices - $550.00 for the 12 and 13, $650 for the 11 and 14 models. What am I missing? Even discounted they would be well over $400... you talking used or what?

http://www.airkatknives.com/index.php
 
I was never ever saying anything bad about dwaine as a person.... he is a great guy....

I just think his knives are ugly, overpriced, very gimicky,
heavy, and not of the best quailty....

He has some good ideas and a lot of his ideas are borrowed....

But he is a nice guy as a person...

As for Outdoor America that store is **** since it is no longer Fred Bakers.... My dad and I used to goto Fred Bakers all of the time... to buy guns ammo etc... but since the name change the store is unpleasent, the staff is rude, They treat you like you do not matter....
I they were doing a better job all of these new gunstores would not be opening up in droves and doing very well....

I am sure you sell a lot of his knives....

from a dealer point of view this is good....

But then again wal-mart sells a lot of crap as well.... Just because something sells well does not mean it is worth a damn...

In my previous post all I knew was second hand information....

I am not a knife maker nor do I claim to be one....
But I have owned an airkat breifly that was given to me....

It was one of his older blades... camo coated.... it broke rather fast....

I am not one to spend my hard earned money on a knife from a guy in his garage....

I would rather take $650.00 and buy a proven Randall even a used one before I would buy an airkat...

They are $650.00 tent stakes or maybe an expensive boat anchor.....

Like I said before the sheath is the only decent item he produces and from what I understand they are even sub contracted out now.... besides I met a guy here in OKC that has made a sheath that is almost identical to the airkat design since 1987 long before airkat but he is a leathersmith not a knifemaker ....(another borrowed idea???? who knows, who cares)

PT Barnum said it best "A sucker is born every minute"
 
I like Airkat knives very much and have two in my collection (Traded the white Scarab). They are both users and very well made.
I own many high end knives like Randall, Jimmy Lile and Busse and the Airkat knives are in the same league. Trust me:thumbup:

I work as a deep sea diver and use my tripwire top side (one the ship) to cut rope and strip wire and other deck tasks. The size of the knife is perfect. You can wear gloves and still open and use the knife. The clip is titanium and very strong so that the knife stays where you keep it. Once lost a Spiderco rescue due to a weak clip.

Anyway buy Dwaines knives the are not made from tempered steel the milling on a knife lke the Apache would not be possible to do on tempered steel.
The frame lock on the Tripwire is like on the Strider SmF and SnG.

Just my five cents

Cheers,

André

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