KRIS inquiry

J

JD Spydo

Joined
Nov 20, 2004
Messages
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OK tell me about Ed Schempp's new Spyderco KRIS. I like this guy's designs and I have recently grown very fond of the recurve blade design. I just had a guy here on BF trade me a used Spyker and I just love it but I like the looks of the KRIS better.

I know that "recurves" are in a league of their own. SO which of you all have one and how do you like it and is it worth the bucks they are asking for it. I am not a penny pincher so just tell me how it is :D .
 
Quality and attention to detail is on par with the Persian folder. In other words, fantastic. Opening action is a little stiff at first but Ed Schempp posted a while back that he flushes the pivot out with WD40 and compressed air on all new Moki-made folders. I did this and then worked the action repeatedly. Now it is butter smooth. The hole is too close to the pivot for my liking. My thumb "bumps" into the bolster while opening. Takes some getting used to. This also happens on the Centofante III. Makes it feel "cramped" and stiff, so the smoother you can get the pivot action the better.

I'm a little confused about the tip on this knife. For all practical purposes it looks like a drop point. Aren't Kris knives supposed to be daggers? I know the old Kris Balisongs had a dagger tip profile. Don't get me wrong, it looks like a handy (and strong) tip. I just think it could be a whole lot more pointy. It would be interesting to hear Ed's comments on this.

Sadly I haven't done any cutting with this thing yet (I've only had it for a couple of days) so I can't post any opinions on that, but the blade did come super sharp. No surprise there. It will be interesting to see how this thing cuts.

Ergos are a little confusing at first but you warm to them with some handling. I'm confident I'll warm to them even more when I do some cutting chores with this beauty.

Nice thin profile. Carries just like the Persian. You can slip your hand past it to dig for stuff in your pocket. Gotta love that.
 
I like mine. I had concerns about the price as well, but it's really a unique, well-made knife. I don't EDC it, but I really enjoy handling it. I think it's destined to be a classic, and represents some of the great ideas Spyderco is putting out there these days. If you like the Persian, you'll love the Kris. Plus, you'll probably be the only kid on your block with one!:D
 
Nice collector piece JD, but it's just past the price point where I'm willing to slam it into my pocket and give it some hard use. I've got a Persian for that .. :) Definitely a keeper though. As Harry mentioned, quality and attention to detail are top notch on this one.

Razz
 
I remember years back when I was into Butterfly Knives and I saw a custom Balisong with a Kris blade - All I could think was "WOW! I want a knife like that". Well never got one as they were too expensive. So when I saw the Schempp Kris it was just a question of When, not If, I would get it. I just have a fascination for out of the ordinary blade shapes. That explains why I like my Jot Singh Khalsa, Dodo, Older style Rescue 93mm with the finger notch, and now my Kris.

Personally I think it is worth it. Nice fit & finish, good ergonomics, and "WOW" factor. Day after I got mine I was at a friend's house, who is a Knife nut and a Watch Repairman/Builder. When I opened my Kris his eyes were riveted on it - Kris paid for right there. He looked it over and admired it, though he is more a Wharneclife(sp?) fan.

Though the Kris is not getting rave reviews because of it's offbeat looks, I like it a lot. I see it becoming a sought after model if it gets discontinued.

Get it now.
 
The Kris design was influenced by the Moro Kris of the Philippine Islands. It is somewhat of a different animal from the Malaysian or Indonesian Keris. The Keris have a more radical point and are more of a dagger than the Moro Kris. They all have the waves on the blade. Kris and Keris were made with 3-23 waves, always an odd number. The Moro Kris is of the Bolo family and has more multi-use options than a Keris, and is designed and used for a wide aray of uses beyond the weapon aspect. I designed the Spyderco Kris to have a wide aray of uses. The Kris or Keris folders I have seen have all had the focus of a dagger. The Blades have been narrow and thick and were not good cutters. Most Kris or Keris designs have been in stilletos or butterfly knives. I wanted something that was more general propose and useful. Most of my blades have a negative blade angle. This angle puts most of my designs in the Karambit category even thought the blades are not hawk bills. The negative blade angle will make the edge generate more pressure because the angle of approach. The recurves in the blade generate a lot of pressure. In combination with the negative blade angle, the recurves will generate even more pressure at the edge.

Some of these ethnic designs that I interpet have been around for over a 1000 years. Often they present advantages in cutting that we are not aware, until we use the design...Take Care...Ed
 
Mr. Schempp brings up another point that always interested me in the Kris - all the legends/superstitions surrounding it. Forgot about the odd number of waves in the blade. I do remember stories of Kris blades that fought for the owner, stabbing an enemies shadow and inflicting damage on the actual person, and something about flaws/imperfections in the blade being lucky/blessed.

Things like that add more flavor to the knife. Why I also like the Kuhkri.
 
After handling one at the Amsterdam meet I bought one and I have been carrying it since it arrived. Lock needed working on as it was rather stiff and due to the shape of the bolster the knife was a bit unsafe to open at first. The lock is smooth now and I got used to opening it.
Main reason for carrying it is the unusual design and general class of this knife. It does cut everything but I can't really tell whether it does it better than other designs yet as most of my knives cut everything I ask of them. Although it is not a cheap knife I think it is definitely worth it.
 
Many kris and keris actually have straight, rather than curvy, blades. Straight keris are called “keris lurus” and wavy bladed ones are “keris luk”. I don’t know if there are separate terms for straight and curved Moro kris blades though.

Here are a couple of nice Moro kris links: Dominique Buttin’s Site and Federico’s Moro Swords.
 
I have one more question for you guys. And by the way thank you Mr. Schempp for your valuable feedback. I even printed that one off for my records.

What would you all say would be the primary cutting chore that the KRIS is intended for? I guess another way to say it would be: What do you all think the designer had in mind for the designated uses of this blade?

For the record Mr. Schempp>> I am 97% sold and I will probably have one in my hands within the next 2 weeks. This has been a much better thread than I anticipated. :thumbup:
 
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