Question about kriss blades

[F-22]

My friend said that kriss blades were designed to break off inside the "bad guy" after he has been stabbed by it. Is this true?

 

[m_calingo]

I don't think so. My family is from the Philippines, one of the countries noted for using Kris knives, and I've never heard of that story.

And, IMO, it really doesn't make sense for the knife maker to deliberately weaken the blade such that a portion of the blade will actually break off in the BG. That would be like having a "one shot" knife!

 

[Gollnick]

My friend said that kriss blades were designed to break off inside the "bad guy" after he has been stabbed by it.

No.

Many people ask if the wavy shape of a Kris blade is just for decoration. The answer is certainly no. The Kris is of Indonesian origin. These people don't have money for wall-hangers.

The Kris shape allows a blade to have more cutting edge in the same overall length.

Furthermore, if a conventional knife hits something hard when stabbing, say -- just for example -- a bone, it will probably stop. But, thanks to its curved shape, a Kris tends to slide off the bone and continue in deeper.

Finally, the Kris shape makes the blade wider without making it heavier. A wider blade makes a wider wound, but a wider blade is usually heavier and, therefore, harder to handle and move quickly. A Kris is the best of both worlds, light and wide.

So, while not practical for many every-day cutting chores, the shape of a Kris is hardly for decoration.

 

[Chris Keller]

Don't worry.

I have heard stupider urban legends.

Chris

 

[mete]

The tang design is not good because it's very thin. 200years ago our sailors found that they could defend themselves against the kris by taking a belaying pin ( a hardwood dowel like a policeman's nightstick) and striking the base of the blade - the tang would then break off.