Custom Bowie Knife $225 (plus actual cost of shipping and, if to Michigan, 6% sales tax unless you have a reseller's certificate of exemption). Normally $299.
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Blade Length: 6 7/16" to tip
Blade Thickness: 5 mm (approximately 3/16")
Total Length: 10 7/8"
Weight: 12.5 oz
Blade Material: D-2 Tool Steel HRC 58/59
Bolster Material: 304 Stainless Steel
Handle Scales: Black Laminated Stabilized Wood (Pakkawood/Dymondwood stuff)
Finish: Satin
Tang: Full Tang
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Handmade custom knife, by J. Modell and K. Ali (has Modell Design LLC logo). Modell designed it, Ali did the heavy lifting and finishing, and Modell did the final finishing. All measurements and weights approximate.
See Sensei Israel's video review of the Hornet! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s4kI5Ap03Y
The Hornet is a working knife for serious users who know quality. The blade is made out of D-2 tool steel, regarded by some of the best custom knife makers as the finest carbon steel for knife blades. D-2 is sometimes referred to as "semi-stainless" due to a high chromium content. It is durable, tough and holds a fine edge. This blade has been professionally heat treated by a third-party specialist firm.
D-2 can sharpened using a diamond or saphire impregnated ceramic sharpening hone, don't bother with anything less. It takes far longer than sharpening a softer steel that won't hold a fine edge, or any edge, for long.
Recurve knives ARE more complex to sharpen than straight edge knives. If you aren't doing anything critical, you might prefer a straight edge knife. If your life or the lives of others are at risk, my testing demonstrated significantly greater penetration slicing with the Hornet recurve blade than several straight edge military knives. (Another recognizable recurve blade design also did better than the straight edge military knives, but the Hornet outperformed it). Because of the recurve you will want to use either a sharpening system such as the Spyderco(R) Tri-Angle Sharpmaker (using the edge of the saphire impregnated fine triangular rod), a rod, or the edge of a block hone. D-2 can be field sharpened if you know what your are doing. If you don't know how to sharpen a blade properly, or cannot take the time to personally sharpen the knife, have it professionally sharpened. Don't be suprised if the sharpener lusts after your knife.
The bolsters are made out of AISI 304 stainless, the best steel for bolsters. A lot of custom knifemakers who work in ATS-34 use softer, easy to machine 416 for the bolsters. D-2 and 304 stainless are both difficult and expensive to work with, 304 stainless especially. Look around and see how much custom knives with 304 stainless steel bolsters run. The handle scales are affixed to a full tang. Quality features of solid construction include dovetailed bolsters, glued and multiple-pinned scales of laminated stabilized wood (Pakkawood/Dymondwood type stuff ... can't put stabilized Amboyna on knives at this price, and it's better than affordable types of regular wood. Probably going to use canvass phenolic in the future and raise the price.) There is a ridged thumb indent for fine motor work. The choil is actually large enough for most folks to use as a finger rest when pulling the blade out of somewhere it no longer belongs. The handle is wider at the cup area of your palm, a feature normally present only on high grade collector’s knives (the scales on most knives are flat for cheaper construction). There is hand file work on the spine and both the top AND BOTTOM of the tang.
This knife has some saw teeth and a lanyard hole.
The swage is English style -- unsharpened -- to minimize the possibility of a claim by state police that it is an unlawful dagger carry. Most combat bowie knives come with an unsharpened swage, it forces the target's flesh into the primmary cutting edge and provides more support for the tip. On some of those you can hand sharpen the swage, it gives you something to do, but this is D-2 so forget about that. The knife works great for thrusting as is.
The knife is balanced for personal defense/military use (i.e., can be flipped between forward and reverse grip).
The clip on this bowie is curved in a traditional hunting bowie manner, as opposed to the less acute straighter clip point on most military bowie knives. Why? I tested this tip design against several other famous maker combat knives and it was the absolute clear winner for penetration. If you think about it, just eyeball the minimal profile of the tip on this bowie and it is clear why it SHOULD penetrate well. The thick professionally tempered tool steel provides plenty of support for the tip. So, if you are wondering why this looks more like a hunting tip bowie than a modern military bowie you are asking the wrong question.
The knife comes with a conventional black leather belt sheath. If you are going to the sand pit, buy a Spec Ops sheath
Warranty: If it fails to meet my description, send it back within three days at my expense. Heck, if you don't like it and you buy it through this forum, if you cover the postage both ways I will take it back and refund the price and any tax. In both of these cases, make sure you don't use it or mess it up first. Otherwise, there is a 30 day limited warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, subject to the knife being a handmade working knife rather than a showpiece, in lieu of all other warranties, including fitness for an intended use.
It's a weapon, you use it at your own risk.
Top Down View:
Bottom Up view (yes, that is filework on the bottom of the tang!):
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Blade Length: 6 7/16" to tip
Blade Thickness: 5 mm (approximately 3/16")
Total Length: 10 7/8"
Weight: 12.5 oz
Blade Material: D-2 Tool Steel HRC 58/59
Bolster Material: 304 Stainless Steel
Handle Scales: Black Laminated Stabilized Wood (Pakkawood/Dymondwood stuff)
Finish: Satin
Tang: Full Tang
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Handmade custom knife, by J. Modell and K. Ali (has Modell Design LLC logo). Modell designed it, Ali did the heavy lifting and finishing, and Modell did the final finishing. All measurements and weights approximate.
See Sensei Israel's video review of the Hornet! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s4kI5Ap03Y
The Hornet is a working knife for serious users who know quality. The blade is made out of D-2 tool steel, regarded by some of the best custom knife makers as the finest carbon steel for knife blades. D-2 is sometimes referred to as "semi-stainless" due to a high chromium content. It is durable, tough and holds a fine edge. This blade has been professionally heat treated by a third-party specialist firm.
D-2 can sharpened using a diamond or saphire impregnated ceramic sharpening hone, don't bother with anything less. It takes far longer than sharpening a softer steel that won't hold a fine edge, or any edge, for long.
Recurve knives ARE more complex to sharpen than straight edge knives. If you aren't doing anything critical, you might prefer a straight edge knife. If your life or the lives of others are at risk, my testing demonstrated significantly greater penetration slicing with the Hornet recurve blade than several straight edge military knives. (Another recognizable recurve blade design also did better than the straight edge military knives, but the Hornet outperformed it). Because of the recurve you will want to use either a sharpening system such as the Spyderco(R) Tri-Angle Sharpmaker (using the edge of the saphire impregnated fine triangular rod), a rod, or the edge of a block hone. D-2 can be field sharpened if you know what your are doing. If you don't know how to sharpen a blade properly, or cannot take the time to personally sharpen the knife, have it professionally sharpened. Don't be suprised if the sharpener lusts after your knife.
The bolsters are made out of AISI 304 stainless, the best steel for bolsters. A lot of custom knifemakers who work in ATS-34 use softer, easy to machine 416 for the bolsters. D-2 and 304 stainless are both difficult and expensive to work with, 304 stainless especially. Look around and see how much custom knives with 304 stainless steel bolsters run. The handle scales are affixed to a full tang. Quality features of solid construction include dovetailed bolsters, glued and multiple-pinned scales of laminated stabilized wood (Pakkawood/Dymondwood type stuff ... can't put stabilized Amboyna on knives at this price, and it's better than affordable types of regular wood. Probably going to use canvass phenolic in the future and raise the price.) There is a ridged thumb indent for fine motor work. The choil is actually large enough for most folks to use as a finger rest when pulling the blade out of somewhere it no longer belongs. The handle is wider at the cup area of your palm, a feature normally present only on high grade collector’s knives (the scales on most knives are flat for cheaper construction). There is hand file work on the spine and both the top AND BOTTOM of the tang.
This knife has some saw teeth and a lanyard hole.
The swage is English style -- unsharpened -- to minimize the possibility of a claim by state police that it is an unlawful dagger carry. Most combat bowie knives come with an unsharpened swage, it forces the target's flesh into the primmary cutting edge and provides more support for the tip. On some of those you can hand sharpen the swage, it gives you something to do, but this is D-2 so forget about that. The knife works great for thrusting as is.
The knife is balanced for personal defense/military use (i.e., can be flipped between forward and reverse grip).
The clip on this bowie is curved in a traditional hunting bowie manner, as opposed to the less acute straighter clip point on most military bowie knives. Why? I tested this tip design against several other famous maker combat knives and it was the absolute clear winner for penetration. If you think about it, just eyeball the minimal profile of the tip on this bowie and it is clear why it SHOULD penetrate well. The thick professionally tempered tool steel provides plenty of support for the tip. So, if you are wondering why this looks more like a hunting tip bowie than a modern military bowie you are asking the wrong question.
The knife comes with a conventional black leather belt sheath. If you are going to the sand pit, buy a Spec Ops sheath
Warranty: If it fails to meet my description, send it back within three days at my expense. Heck, if you don't like it and you buy it through this forum, if you cover the postage both ways I will take it back and refund the price and any tax. In both of these cases, make sure you don't use it or mess it up first. Otherwise, there is a 30 day limited warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, subject to the knife being a handmade working knife rather than a showpiece, in lieu of all other warranties, including fitness for an intended use.
It's a weapon, you use it at your own risk.
Top Down View:
Bottom Up view (yes, that is filework on the bottom of the tang!):
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