American Kami

S

showmetheammo

Joined
Oct 17, 2009
Messages
21
Hey, I've been looking into them, and i was wondering if anyone has had any experience with the American Kami line of Hawks, or any of his other axes for that matter. I'm looking for something to use for chopping and other camp chores mainly (it's weapon functionality comes second. honestly, any sharp object is a weapon) and was hoping someone could shed some light on this for me. I just can't get over how badass all his stuff is. Thanks.
 
DJ uses 1095 pretty exclusively I believe. His designs are innovative, however I don't care for his single edge bevels. His 'hawks are built using G10 and the 'hawk heads being bolted together using a large version of what's called a sex bolt. I'm not sure, and I don't want to speak out of turn, if the G10 and bolt design is strong enough for laborious use of a 'hawk.

I think for the money he charges, there are better options. Single bevel blades strike me in a wrong way. I know there are other makers that use this technique, such as Horton on a few of his knives.

I'd recommend signing up with vector001 for one of his modified CS hawks instead, and save a couple dollars.
 
I'll man up and say my last comment was pretty dumb but I still don't care for the designs and still stand by the rest of my post

i would recommend against any hawk or axe that has a hollow chisel grind for hard use but do not know of his quality
for the price of one of those you could get 2 vec hawks or an rmj or a vtac
 
Last edited:
Interesting designs. I'm not fond of the whole chisel grind thing though. As with the others, I'd advise you getting a RMJ or Vec.
 
There are many good makers out there such as even the small maker Guild Knives & Tools. They make some things that are crazy like the Baton-hawk which has tested out quite well. The designs are well tested in the field and are made to be seriously used.
 
I'm DJ Urbanovsky, the guy behind American Kami.

Those of you who had kind things to say, thanks very much. I'm glad that you dig what I'm doing, and if you don't own or use one of my blades, I'd hope that you at least enjoy looking at pics of them.

To the naysayers:

All of my stuff is built for real world use. I've got over a thousand blades in service around the world. In the last five years I have had exactly two knives come back to me for repairs. Two. I think that record speaks for itself. I have never had an axe come back. Trust me, they're plenty strong. I don't field product without testing the shit out of it first. That would be irresponsible.

Calebklyne: You wouldn't walk up to my table at Bladeshow and say that to my face, so don't say it here. It's insulting.

You don't have to like what I do, and what I build isn't for everyone. There are plenty of other excellent makers out there who will build stuff you might like, and I'd be happy to recommend some of them to any of you. But you DO need to shitcan the disrespectful comments.

I make a handmade product from scratch out of USA made materials. There is no comparison between my product and Cold Steel, regardless of who modified it. If you want something special that's made to use and that's as unique to you as your own fingerprint, and you want to know who made it, I'd be happy to build it for you. If you want a soulless hunk of shit that's made in China out of steel from god knows where, by a company that steals other people's intellectual property and engages in socially irresponsible marketing practices, buy Cold Steel. Personally, I prefer to buy from people that I like and respect.
 
manghu67 said:
I'm DJ Urbanovsky, the guy behind American Kami.

Those of you who had kind things to say, thanks very much. I'm glad that you dig what I'm doing, and if you don't own or use one of my blades, I'd hope that you at least enjoy looking at pics of them.

To the naysayers:

All of my stuff is built for real world use. I've got over a thousand blades in service around the world. In the last five years I have had exactly two knives come back to me for repairs. Two. I think that record speaks for itself. I have never had an axe come back. Trust me, they're plenty strong. I don't field product without testing the shit out of it first. That would be irresponsible.

Calebklyne: You wouldn't walk up to my table at Bladeshow and say that to my face, so don't say it here. It's insulting.

You don't have to like what I do, and what I build isn't for everyone. There are plenty of other excellent makers out there who will build stuff you might like, and I'd be happy to recommend some of them to any of you. But you DO need to shitcan the disrespectful comments.

I make a handmade product from scratch out of USA made materials. There is no comparison between my product and Cold Steel, regardless of who modified it. If you want something special that's made to use and that's as unique to you as your own fingerprint, and you want to know who made it, I'd be happy to build it for you. If you want a soulless hunk of shit that's made in China out of steel from god knows where, by a company that steals other people's intellectual property and engages in socially irresponsible marketing practices, buy Cold Steel. Personally, I prefer to buy from people that I like and respect.
Click to expand...

Oh SNAP!

Don't hold back man. Tell us how you really feel.

:D ;)
 
manghu67 said:
I'm DJ Urbanovsky, the guy behind American Kami.


Calebklyne: You wouldn't walk up to my table at Bladeshow and say that to my face, so don't say it here. It's insulting.

But you DO need to shitcan the disrespectful comments.

I make a handmade product from scratch out of USA made materials. There is no comparison between my product and Cold Steel, regardless of who modified it. If you want something special that's made to use and that's as unique to you as your own fingerprint, and you want to know who made it, I'd be happy to build it for you. If you want a soulless hunk of shit that's made in China out of steel from god knows where, by a company that steals other people's intellectual property and engages in socially irresponsible marketing practices, buy Cold Steel. Personally, I prefer to buy from people that I like and respect.
Click to expand...

Funny how you don't mind insulting Vec right after lecturing someone else about it.
 
coyotebc said:
Funny how you don't mind insulting Vec right after lecturing someone else about it.
Click to expand...

Wow... That's ALL you got out of everything I just said? Well then, allow me to retort:

Actually, what I'm doing is speaking truth about Cold Steel, not insulting someone who modifies their product. I said:

1) Made in China.

2) Where's the steel come from? We don't know.

3) The company steals other people's intellectual property.

Great business model right there.

If you like Vec's work, whomever he might be, then by all means, support him and buy his stuff. But don't expect me to sit here and wave a fan banner for Cold Steel because that shit ain't happening. Why don't you buy a fucking Estwing and send THAT to Vec to have him mod it instead? I think that's a much better choice than Cold Steel.
 
Last edited:
manghu67 said:
Wow... That's ALL you got out of everything I just said? Well then, allow me to retort:

Actually, what I'm doing is speaking truth about Cold Steel, not insulting someone who modifies their product. I said:

1) Made in China.

2) Where's the steel come from? We don't know.

3) The company steals other people's intellectual property.

Great business model right there.

If you like Vec's work, whomever he might be, then by all means, support him and buy his stuff. But don't expect me to sit here and wave a fan banner for Cold Steel because that shit ain't happening. Why don't you buy a fucking Estwing and send THAT to Vec to have him mod it instead? I think that's a much better choice than Cold Steel.
Click to expand...

DJ, let me start off by saying that I've always liked your designs (especially the riot spear), and I hate chisel grinds! I mean that as a compliment. If I had the extra cash, I would own several of your blades.

But, I do have to ask if all the profanity is necessary. One or two people don't like the designs; big deal. You can't please everybody. ;)
 
I tried looking up Guild Knives & Tools but couldn't locate a site...

Anybody help me out on this one...???


Thanks!
 
J.Davey said:
DJ, let me start off by saying that I've always liked your designs (especially the riot spear), and I hate chisel grinds! I mean that as a compliment. If I had the extra cash, I would own several of your blades.

But, I do have to ask if all the profanity is necessary. One or two people don't like the designs; big deal. You can't please everybody. ;)
Click to expand...

I'm in agreement here. I love the look of your stuff although it's out of my price range (poor college student with a baby and a horse) though I dislike the chisel grinds and I'm a bit turned off by the vehemence and profanity. If you're trying to take the high road then that approach hurts your case a little. :o
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top