Mike Snody [Kozuka]

Joined
Oct 19, 1999
Messages
2,836
before I start I would like to note that I am a novice at this whole japanese blades thing, so some of my opinions might not be as refined as might be apprecaited but I thoguht to do this review for ther people like me who woudl want to get ito Japanese blades, as I looked for advice on where to start and found very little of it.

My main forte is in Hossom fixed blades and ofcourse Balisongs. My bank account still thinkis I have made a grave error by my choice of expanding my horizons
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I wanted somehting new to decorate my waistband so I thogutht to get a Kozuka (as per couteux's talk on it). So my first jump was to go for an RJ. I bought a #4 kozuka but it didn't work out (again sorry about that Kev, but you were a real understanding gentleman.. thanks), I have no qualms about paying the big bucks for a good blade and I have done in the past.

but somehow I didn't feel like spending 300.00 for such a small knife. Make no mistake that RJ kozuka is a SWEET m(therF)kr, and the grind and edge are sincetely dangerous even to the look. His sheath is very cute too. But I wanted something.. wider.

I did my research and found Mr. Don Polzien and Mr. mike Snody. However I was still at a loss.. I then made the prudent choice to contact Mr. Les Robertson. I had a good time exchanigng info with him and he was a very down to earth guy and a very nice salesman. I told him my plight and my ignorance to japanese blades and he made the extra effort to understand me and suggest against buying a more expensive blade to begin with but start my new passion with a more affordable yet high quality piece (one with a more traditional grind and shape suitd to my small frame), as not to be turned off by a low end blade or a high end blade that will make me cringe in buyer's remorse. Les was a big help in educating me, and was there to make me satisfied not to make a quick buck. High recommendations to him.

So in the end I chose to get a mike Snody Kozuka (kozuka this kozuka that.. I suggest for newbies like me to ask abotu the dimentions of the said jap knife as the dimensions vary from maker to maker - so no happy surprised like me)

http://robertsoncustomcutlery.com/snodytf.htm

i got the one with the skull menuki not pictured anymore.

I must say that this knife is truly excellent both in fit and value for the money. I have no regrets not spending the extra 100-300 to put say a Polzien or RJ in my pants (but trust in me I am gonna get a Polzien in the future.. I am still kicking myself in the ass cause I realized a few weeks ago that I ACTUALLy met polzien in person in Texas but was not interested in jap blades then - am ALSO doubly pissed that I was not able to go to ceasapeake to speak to Mr. Snody myself). The grind lines are good in my opinion and th eknife feels good and looks good both in the and and in te waistband. Mr. Snody was once described as the unervalued new face in the jap blades scene and has quality of the greats liek RJ wen they were starting and is only improving - coupled with his high standards and character and attitude Les and other have said that it will be no surprise if in the future he will rival the best. Seeing what he has now it's almost scary to think he is 'underrated'.

I hate tantoes, especially american tantoes and I hate chisel grinds. This blade is a chisel grind beast with a straight back utility shape. and I mst say I feel good carrying it, which must speak good for it since I am a bitchy opinionated fickle sort.

the handle wrap is tight, clean and I liek the Menuki quite a bit. it is a welcome change to the standard orchids or dragons.

The blade is a behemoth though I do not own many blades in 1/4 stock, and it took me aroudn 3 weeks to get used to carrying my polkowski scorpion.. or anything IWB and it took me 2 days to get used to this new heavy piece in my pants.

Suffice to say this is my first chisel grind and I am imrpessed by how sharp this thign is. it is easily the sharpest balde in my collection and what they say is indeed true. (again sorry about the newbie rant here)... I have no regrets for bying this chisel grind over a double grind. To those who know me I am a purist and eventhough I once had my qualms about the ugly chisel grind when I heard it was 'traditional' I had to get one in that config.

This blade even thogh thick and looks clunky (again cause I have thinner blades in my pants) cuts gracefully thru paper liek you woudl believe and makes short work of other materials. Foam under old jeans was Nothing. As a slasher and stabber it is great. The jeans armour dummy I had didn't stand a chance and I doubt much else will (car door or not.. right Les?
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I need to get used to the weight, but being a short balde it manipulates easy in the hand and flies well. it has a solid powerful feel that feels like eating raw fish for the first time.. after a while as many of you know you can't stop that grin on your face
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All in all I recomend Snody for an affordable piece that won't hurt your back account, make you feel guilty and at the same time make you really feel good.

I realize that this is a rather elemntary review and maybe not as detailed or eloquent as many japnese enthusiasts might want but I thought to share with others liek me who are just getting into the hobby and are used to other lighter different styled blades.

hapy holidays - today will be a wonderful day & may your dreams come true mon ami.

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<A HREF="http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~soo/balisong/balisong.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~soo/balisong/balisong.html
</A> If you play with love you will be heartbroken; if you play with knives you will [bleed]




[This message has been edited by sniperboy (edited 12-19-2000).]
 
Sniperboy....hmmmm....all this talk about things in your pants?
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But seriously...I met up with Mr. Snody at the Chesapeake show and though he lacked for sleep he was still very personable and his grinds are great! I placed an order with him while there and he is sending me a page of menuki's to view and choose before finishing my knife. It will be a small almost wharncliffish blade, chisel ground for right handers and out of CPM3V with white same wrapped handle. Blade will be just under 3" so a nice useful blade size!

Some have complained about the chisel grind but I really like it and if you ever try to cut a plastic tyewrap, the chisel edge really cuts through quickly where a conventional grind might slide. The Chisel edge doesn't care, it goes straight to the heart and cuts away!

Enjoy that beauty and please, post a scan?

G2


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"The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions!"
Take the time to read your Bible Now, don't be left behind...
 
Hi G2. SOrry a little running Joke between me and Bfett there
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but yes I will try to post a scan.. or contact Les to see if he has his original pictures as he has taken them down already from his site. I sincerely wish I could talk more in depth about it or identify the little thigns that advanced collectors might spot.. but I just have to say I love 'er.

aha! here we go..

http://robertsoncustomcutlery.com/snody8.htm

Dude./. you MUST send me a pic of that page with the menukis!!

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URBAN.LEGENDS.(BalisongGARBAGE)
ENGEL.DESIGN.ROOM
If you play with love you will be heartbroken; if you play with knives you will [bleed]

[This message has been edited by sniperboy (edited 12-19-2000).]
 
oh! such a severe edge that has!!! very nice
and I saw that menuki at the show and it certainly different from orchids....and dragons! thanks to Les who must have just contacted you with the link!


<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">
page of menuki's </font>

Way ahead of you Johnny Holiday!!!

G2

[This message has been edited by Gary W. Graley (edited 12-19-2000).]
 
Actually I didn't contact Les for the link... being a webmaster I just fidled around and dug in the page by trial and error hhoping I could rememebr the link to the pic.
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I just rememebred old conversations with Jerry Hossom about the strength of CPM3v. In theory this blade could be ground with a 3/16 stock or less and equal a 1/4 in A2 right? Or does a jap blade geometry just demand a thick stock?

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URBAN.LEGENDS.(BalisongGARBAGE)
ENGEL.DESIGN.ROOM
If you play with love you will be heartbroken; if you play with knives you will [bleed]
 
Dang it, Sniperboy. I've been looking and thinking about one of his knives all week and now I'm just gonna have to get me one!
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I have two of Mike Snody's knives that I bought from Patrick at triple aught design. They are extremely nice and the price can't be beat. Mike has burst onto the scene and now that several dealers are carrying his stuff, I predict he will soon have the name recognition that RJ Martin and Don Polzien have.

[This message has been edited by Lewis (edited 12-19-2000).]
 
How durable are the chisel ground edges on such knives? Has anyone damaged one? If so on what? If not what materials would you avoid cutting?

-Cliff
 
Cliff, I made a chiseledge tanto out of A2 steel, edge going all the way down, no secondary edge, VERY sharp knife. I've cut tree branches up to 1 1/2" in one swipe with no visible damage at all to the edge.

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made it a while back, RJ Martin influence on me! Chefget now owns her....11 1/2" blade, 3/16" thick, heat treated by Paul Bos to 58rc

Maybe Mike Snody can comment on any problems on his grinds, as I don't have mine from him yet....
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G2



[This message has been edited by Gary W. Graley (edited 01-11-2001).]
 
Oh wow.. jesus G2, that is soooo sweet.. do you STILL make blaes or was this old reminiscing of the past? DUDE!!! DUDE!! EMai lme and brag about this knife or other knives youve made.. it's liek I don't know you.

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URBAN.LEGENDS.(BalisongGARBAGE)
ENGEL.DESIGN.ROOM
If you play with love you will be heartbroken; if you play with knives you will [bleed]
 
Well you can count the number of knives on two hands....depending on how well you handle a butterfly knife
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....

I'm not really geared up to make knives though I like them when done!

My first knife ever made was while in the US Navy, from a spring steel paint scraper...actually made a lot of them as throwing knives, which I love to practice! Our ship had a rather depleted inventory of paint scrapers.....oh well!

G2

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"The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions!"
Take the time to read your Bible Now, don't be left behind...

[This message has been edited by Gary W. Graley (edited 12-20-2000).]
 
Sniper,
Thanks for the post. I am glad that you like your knife and I believe that it will serve you well. In response to the question regarding the durability of a chisel ground edge I will say that I have experienced no chipping problems with blades made of A2 or CPM 3v when properly heat treated and tempered. I have abused both of these blade steels to the point of destruction and chipping and deformation only occured when striking another blade. I have experienced problems when chisel grinding the martensitic stainless steels all the way to sharp. I personally will no longer grind stainless in this manner unless the customer requests it and it is a very small blade. Regarding CPM 3v I received a phone call yesterday from Gary Whidden of South Texas. Gary stated that he had gutted, skinned and quartered 11 deer, five javelina and one boar hog with a neck knife that he received from me this year. He also stated that he had split the rib cage and pelvic bones on these animals. The knife was the Fire Ant model with a 2.5" blade ground from .160" CPM 3v. The blade was hollow ground to .006"( about the thickness of two sheets of notebook paper) prior to sharpening. The rockwell hardness tested at 61. My point here is that CPM 3v is an incredibly tough blade material and very resistant to chipping. It is also more corrosion resistant than the numbers would tend to indicate. Anyway, thanks again for the post and thanks to all that have purchased my knives.

Mike Snody
Knifemaker
 
I would like to purchase a Mike Snody blade. I think that I'm going to start with the Karma Kubikiri White. I'm currently shopping around for the best price and availability.
I really like Japanese style blades, but I've never purchased a custom knife. A Snody will probably be my first.
 
I am wearing him righ tnow.. it's sweet.. just keep in mind that the one I got is a wide blade.. his other baldes other than the bushido is liek .75 or less an inch wide across.. that is what turned me off with other baldes... bets to ask all dimentions

You hear that Sir Snody? WHat an honour to be the man's fiorst custom
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[This message has been edited by sniperboy (edited 12-27-2000).]
 
my apologies just walked to Mr. Snody and none of his japanese bades are less than 1 inch wide - I guess I misunderstood.. but still when buying a Jap blade I made the mistake of not asking blade width one time and got a surprise in the mail.

Triple aught design.. must go to triple aught design... froth froth..


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URBAN.LEGENDS.(BalisongGARBAGE)
ENGEL.DESIGN.ROOM
[FAKE01].[the mirror site](www.rejectionist.com)
If you play with love you will be heartbroken; if you play with knives you will [bleed]
 
Sniperboy....you walked to him?
Man you are one dedicated knife person!
If it were me, I'd have called him
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<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by sniperboy:
my apologies just walked to Mr. Snody .......
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G2
 
Sniperboy, I received in the mail today some pics from Mike Snody, one was made by PointSeven Studios and I give them full credit for the photo, I just scanned it in is all, nice looking knives here, Mike is sure doing clean work!

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Nice stuff eh?
G2

------------------
"The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions!"
Take the time to read your Bible Now, don't be left behind...
 
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