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DIREKT from Boker and Chad Los Banos
A Self-Defense Review, by Sifu Dr. Jan L. Miller
I received from Boker USA a knife designed by Chad Los Banos called the DIREKT for review and evaluation. If someone asked me to describe this knife in a few words, I would call it a Tactical Folding Sub-Hilt Fighter. There are a few reviews done by others on Knife Forums that cover the specs and materials use to make this fine knife. Those reviews are done very well and I refer you to the Boker Sub-Forum on BladeForums.com for an in-depth overview for that information. I wish to concentrate on some of the Self-Defense aspects concerning this knife. For years now I have been asking on various manufactures knife forums for someone to design a Sub-hilt folding fighter. My requests have basically fallen on deaf ears but Chad Los Banos must be reading my posts. This is the type of design I have been thinking about for a long time. Chad Los Banos brings this design to life in a brilliant and creative design that will probably be copied by others for years to come.
When it comes to cutting, slashing and thrusting any knife with a blade could be used as a Self-Defense tool, but not all knives are designed with that specific intention. I call the DIREKT a Tactical Folding Sub-Hilt Fighter because it is a fine example of a Tactical Knife for persons who have trained with bladed weapons in the art of Self-Defense and those who are skilled in Defensive Tactics, who by job description might find themselves in harms way.
The DIREKT comes with a pocket clip that allows you the options by virtue of its four-way reversible clip to be carried with the tip pointing up or down. In many circles it might be considered a “Sin” to EDC a knife in the tip down position. I must admit 99% of the knives I carry are in the tip up position. As soon as I held this knife in my hand I realized its potential for Self-Defense in the tip down position. Let me explain some of the reasoning behind my decision to carry this knife in that fashion. Drawing the knife from the pocket into a hammer grip position with the large Carson Flipper facing forwards provides a few options where the knife could be used as a non-lethal tool for defending oneself. Realize that the length of the knife in a closed position measures very close to 5”. If you place your index finger under the Carson Flipper and your thumb on top of the angled portion of the handle you now have enough of the knife pommel protruding through the bottom of your hand to use for striking as one would use a Kubotan or small defensive stick. If the blade needed to be accessed from that position with a slight shifting of the hand the Carson flipper could be used with the index finger to open the blade so it would be facing upwards in hammer grip. Rotating the knife ¼ turn in the palm quickly would allow for a hammer grip position with the blade facing downwards. Another use from this position is to pinch your opponent’s fleshy areas trapping it between your index finger and the point of the Carson Flipper. This also proves to be a painful experience and gives new meaning to the words pain compliance. Another non-lethal use would be to shift the whole hand further down the handle, holding it at its base in Hammer Grip position. This allows one to actually strike with the steel portion of the Carson Flipper, without the risk of the knife opening as the palm of your hand will be closed over the blade preventing this from happening. Using the flipper to pin-point strikes to sensitive or hard areas of your opponent’s body could prove to be most painful and quite effective. Anytime one can use a potentially lethal device in a non-lethal manner effectively is a real plus in my book.
Whatever method you use to open this knife be it by using the Carson flipper, thumb studs or even using an inertia opening, The DIREKT will open fast and smooth. When the knife blade locks into the open position the flipper will protect the hand from moving forward onto the blade when you use strong thrusting techniques.
The Sub-hilt on the handle helps stabilize the knife in hand and allows one to apply pressure against it in a backwards motion tension as you apply dual pressure by pushing your thumb forward against the jimping on the top spine of the blade. Pushing forces forwards and backwards at the same time creates a dynamic tension for a very solid grip in the Filipino Grip position. This in turn makes it virtually impossible for someone to take this knife from you without the high risk of getting cut. The knife is also comfortable to use in an Ice Pick (pikal) Grip (blade facing forward) position.
The DIREKT is an impressive knife, built strong by Boker, designed by a Tactical Wizard, who understands what it takes to make a practical tactical fighting folder that will shine above the rest in its class. I tip my hat to the designer, Chad Los Banos, who once again amazes us with his brilliance.
All rights reserved
Not to be reproduced without the permission of the author
Sifu Dr. Jan L Miller
A Self-Defense Review, by Sifu Dr. Jan L. Miller
I received from Boker USA a knife designed by Chad Los Banos called the DIREKT for review and evaluation. If someone asked me to describe this knife in a few words, I would call it a Tactical Folding Sub-Hilt Fighter. There are a few reviews done by others on Knife Forums that cover the specs and materials use to make this fine knife. Those reviews are done very well and I refer you to the Boker Sub-Forum on BladeForums.com for an in-depth overview for that information. I wish to concentrate on some of the Self-Defense aspects concerning this knife. For years now I have been asking on various manufactures knife forums for someone to design a Sub-hilt folding fighter. My requests have basically fallen on deaf ears but Chad Los Banos must be reading my posts. This is the type of design I have been thinking about for a long time. Chad Los Banos brings this design to life in a brilliant and creative design that will probably be copied by others for years to come.
When it comes to cutting, slashing and thrusting any knife with a blade could be used as a Self-Defense tool, but not all knives are designed with that specific intention. I call the DIREKT a Tactical Folding Sub-Hilt Fighter because it is a fine example of a Tactical Knife for persons who have trained with bladed weapons in the art of Self-Defense and those who are skilled in Defensive Tactics, who by job description might find themselves in harms way.
The DIREKT comes with a pocket clip that allows you the options by virtue of its four-way reversible clip to be carried with the tip pointing up or down. In many circles it might be considered a “Sin” to EDC a knife in the tip down position. I must admit 99% of the knives I carry are in the tip up position. As soon as I held this knife in my hand I realized its potential for Self-Defense in the tip down position. Let me explain some of the reasoning behind my decision to carry this knife in that fashion. Drawing the knife from the pocket into a hammer grip position with the large Carson Flipper facing forwards provides a few options where the knife could be used as a non-lethal tool for defending oneself. Realize that the length of the knife in a closed position measures very close to 5”. If you place your index finger under the Carson Flipper and your thumb on top of the angled portion of the handle you now have enough of the knife pommel protruding through the bottom of your hand to use for striking as one would use a Kubotan or small defensive stick. If the blade needed to be accessed from that position with a slight shifting of the hand the Carson flipper could be used with the index finger to open the blade so it would be facing upwards in hammer grip. Rotating the knife ¼ turn in the palm quickly would allow for a hammer grip position with the blade facing downwards. Another use from this position is to pinch your opponent’s fleshy areas trapping it between your index finger and the point of the Carson Flipper. This also proves to be a painful experience and gives new meaning to the words pain compliance. Another non-lethal use would be to shift the whole hand further down the handle, holding it at its base in Hammer Grip position. This allows one to actually strike with the steel portion of the Carson Flipper, without the risk of the knife opening as the palm of your hand will be closed over the blade preventing this from happening. Using the flipper to pin-point strikes to sensitive or hard areas of your opponent’s body could prove to be most painful and quite effective. Anytime one can use a potentially lethal device in a non-lethal manner effectively is a real plus in my book.
Whatever method you use to open this knife be it by using the Carson flipper, thumb studs or even using an inertia opening, The DIREKT will open fast and smooth. When the knife blade locks into the open position the flipper will protect the hand from moving forward onto the blade when you use strong thrusting techniques.
The Sub-hilt on the handle helps stabilize the knife in hand and allows one to apply pressure against it in a backwards motion tension as you apply dual pressure by pushing your thumb forward against the jimping on the top spine of the blade. Pushing forces forwards and backwards at the same time creates a dynamic tension for a very solid grip in the Filipino Grip position. This in turn makes it virtually impossible for someone to take this knife from you without the high risk of getting cut. The knife is also comfortable to use in an Ice Pick (pikal) Grip (blade facing forward) position.
The DIREKT is an impressive knife, built strong by Boker, designed by a Tactical Wizard, who understands what it takes to make a practical tactical fighting folder that will shine above the rest in its class. I tip my hat to the designer, Chad Los Banos, who once again amazes us with his brilliance.
All rights reserved
Not to be reproduced without the permission of the author
Sifu Dr. Jan L Miller
Last edited:
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