Does anyone make a stainless Mamba?

FoxholeAtheist

FoxholeAtheist

Joined
Apr 7, 2003
Messages
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I've got this great fondness in my heart for the Blackjack Mamba. Admittedly, it was the first "real" knife that I ever bought, but it still appeals to me viscerally more than any of the knives I've bought since. The only problem with it (in my less-than-informed opinion) is that it's made of steel that seems to want to rust if you look at it sideways. I purchased a Mamba 7-L from a seller on Ebay a few years back, but it's just not the same; it's less curvy (the blade goes straight out from the handle and just bulges a little, as opposed to the original's swoopy curve) and at 1/8" thick, it just feels kind of.. flimsy. I've also looked at Kukris and they seem to go too far the other way, and look like bulging axe-wannabes. I guess in my heart of hearts what I'd like to see is a version of the old original Mamba made from something like Busse's INFI steel, with a lanyard hole, and possibly made from 3/16" instead of 1/4" steel... but that's unlikely to happen. So my question is.. does anyone make anything like a stainless full-sized Mamba?

Don't bother asking me what use I would have for such a thing as I really don't have one at this point, but it would be very useful in separating me from some of my money. :D

Oh, and if anyone has critiques of the Mamba based on blade shape and such, please tell me what's wrong with it before I get really crazy and commission someone to make me one of these!
 
According to Mike Stewart, the designer, there was a batch of about 300 Mambas that were ground in Japan from AUS-8 stainless steel and sent here for finishing. You might try looking for one of those, but the fixed blade mamba is hard to find in any type of steel. I've seen a few on ebay, but I think all of those were carbon steel versions. Another possibility is to get a carbon steel version and have it coated. Frankly, I don't think 5160 is that bad if you clean and oil it after use. The only exception would be a salt-water environment. Then I'd suggest something like Talonite.
 
Holy Old Thread, Batman! :eek:

Seriously, though, thanks for the info. I've thought a lot about various knife issues since posting this, and decided that I will probably stick with smaller blades. The Mamba is beautiful, but really kind of unwieldy for most tasks.
 
Blackjack didn't make any 1/8" thick Mambas except the folders.
Smith & Wesson is offering an almost 9" deeply recurved blade as part of their Search & Rescue line - black coated 440C.
 
I don't have a pair of calipers handy, but my Mamba 7L is (judged by using my drafting scale) .15" or so.
 
BlackjackFoldingKhukuri.jpg


Will a folding khukuri do?

n2s
 
Yah, just rechecked, and it's definitely not 3/16".

Esav, I saw that, drooled for a while, checked my account balance, wept, and closed the link.
 
Keep an eye on the sales forums and you may be able to find a slightly better deal. A.G. is not cheap.
 
Wow, I love that Evolution 1!!! That thing is soooo cool. Hmm, so many knives, so little money.

Thor
 
Well, that mamba doesn't make me weep. I've got one of the original big ones, and I've also got a 7L.

The original Mamba is still the most beautiful knife I've seen.
 
I guess I'm pretty lucky. My wife and parents bought me an Evolution I as an early Xmas present. I planned to use it for a camp knife, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. So I found a Blackjack Mamba on Ebay for $129. Mike Steward at Bark River is going to put a set of green micarta scales on it for me and that will become my using knife.
 
FoxholeAtheist,

i know what u mean about the Blackjack Mamba 7-L... it was my second real knife i purchased way back when. still have it with a modification to the screws that hold the grip, swapped the black plastic for some stainless steel screws to match the stainless blade. sweet blade. good luck in ur search...
 
The 7-L is 3/16".
This confirmed by Tom Carey of "the Blackjack knives Info Pages", http://www.blackjackknives.us/
He measured one of his own for me.
I've owned a couple in the past and that is what I remember also. The measurement should be taken at the tang - after grinding and polishing some
blades might be slightly thinner ahead of the tang.
 
averageguy said:
The 7-L is 3/16".
This confirmed by Tom Carey of "the Blackjack knives Info Pages", http://www.blackjackknives.us/
He measured one of his own for me.
I've owned a couple in the past and that is what I remember also. The measurement should be taken at the tang - after grinding and polishing some
blades might be slightly thinner ahead of the tang.
Click to expand...

Does this mean I have a 6' thick toothpick? :D
 
I guess I'll have to find some calipers, because this thing sure looks like .15 to me, and that's measured on the tang.

Or we could just arm wrestle. :D
 
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