rekat escalator

T

Thomas Baker

Joined
Mar 16, 1999
Messages
6

I recently purchaced a
pre-production model of rekat's
escalator. This knife was
designed as a martial arts folder.
It has some interesting features,
where the thumb hole or clip
opener would be is non sharpened
point you can use while closed to
strike soft tissue, nerve centers.
on the handle where your pinky
finger touches the grip are 2
"horns", these can be utilized
while the blade is closed as a
"come-along" to enable you to
joint lock someone. These are also
effective when used on soft
tissue. This is a very strudy and
strong knife.
 
I couldn't agree with you more. If there is one knife that I know that I will purchase this year, it is going to be the REKAT Escalator, and it's "Trainer" version as well. The knife is simply too good of a tool to pass up.

Spark

------------------
Kevin Jon Schlossberg
SysOp and Administrator for BladeForums.com

Insert witty quip here
 
Glad to here people out there LIKE the Escalator.. it was designed to be used CLOSED..a novel concept with knives. It will make Dillman Kyushu Jitsu Pressure point, Wally Jay Small Circle Jujitsi,and alll Filipino martial artists VERY happy. The knife will allow for nerves to be touched, stroked or hit..it will roll into finger locks and come alongs, and it REALLy does "guntings" limb shearing -destructions like a duck to water. And the blade still isn't engaged yet. It is a kinetic opener..that is reach out n touch soneone and it opens upon contact..yup. a true martial arts knife..
again glad to hear that people appreciate it..
 
I also recieved my ESCALATOR a couple of weeks ago. Love it tremendously. I have carried it everwhere.

The other Day I had occasion to actually use it in a self-defense situation. Some drunk at a the local pub started to give me a lot of s**t while I was there to pick up dinner for me and my family and started to approach me with his pool cue in hand.

I deployed my escalator from my pocket and while still closed it was there ready for whatever needed to be done.

As he swung his cue, I evaded and closed my distance. This knife is wonderful, a true tool for a martial artist. I simply used the
pommel horned end as a striking device as I struck the deltoid muscle and he dropped his cue. He the grabbed me when I just used the knife to re-enforce a finger lock bringing him to his knees.

At this point I told the bartneder to call the police. At this point the offender started to reach behind his back . As I maintained the joint lock with my hand I drew the knife across his hand opening the knife, the mear sight of this caused him to bring his hand out. I flattend him out onto the floor and with a continued lock and held him there until the police showed.

They asked to see the knife and were very impressed.

Heck I was impressed. This knife did everything Bram Frank said it would, it escalated in effectivness with the situation. I was able to use it close and bring the blade to bear with little effort.

I have begun to promote this knife exclusivly to my Hapkido students.

The blade is very resiliant and holds an edge very well.



------------------
Qapla'
may'qal ro'
Michael Rowe
 
I also recieved my ESCALATOR a couple of weeks ago. Love it tremendously. I have carried it everwhere.

The other Day I had occasion to actually use it in a self-defense situation. Some drunk at a the local pub started to give me a lot of s**t while I was there to pick up dinner for me and my family and started to approach me with his pool cue in hand.

I deployed my escalator from my pocket and while still closed it was there ready for whatever needed to be done.

As he swung his cue, I evaded and closed my distance. This knife is wonderful, a true tool for a martial artist. I simply used the
pommel horned end as a striking device as I struck the deltoid muscle and he dropped his cue. He the grabbed me when I just used the knife to re-enforce a finger lock bringing him to his knees.

At this point I told the bartneder to call the police. At this point the offender started to reach behind his back . As I maintained the joint lock with my hand I drew the knife across his hand opening the knife, the mear sight of this caused him to bring his hand out. I flattend him out onto the floor and with a continued lock and held him there until the police showed.

They asked to see the knife and were very impressed.

Heck I was impressed. This knife did everything Bram Frank said it would, it escalated in effectivness with the situation. I was able to use it close and bring the blade to bear with little effort.

I have begun to promote this knife exclusivly to my Hapkido students.

The blade is very resiliant and holds an edge very well.



------------------
Qapla'
may'qal ro'
Michael Rowe
 
I'm one of Bram's students. I've trained with Bram on and off for 6 years. He is also one of my best friends. Even with all of that, I was not sold on the Escalator when he first presented it to me. After playing around with the new and improved version, I can safely say it is one of the finest, most practical fighting knives ever made. Especially for anyone involed in the practice of a Filipino system. Guntings take on a whole new meaning with this knife. It opens effortlessly with a flick of the wrist, or off your oppenents wrist if need be. A must have for anyone who practices any kind of knife fighting system, or anyone who just likes knives. This knife is a conversation piece!
 
The knife itself is awesome! I have had quite a bit of experience training with this knife. I'm fortunate enough to be one of Bram Frank's good friends, so we've played with the trainers to learn the ever growing capabilites of this knife. If you purchase an Escalator, ensure that you get a trainer as well. It is virtually impossible to demonstrate the capabilities of it with a live blade, at least with any degree of saftey.
As far as what the knife is capable of... It was designed to be a fighting tool that is able to go from deterring/controlling and attacker to actual blade work. The large ramp on the top of the blade acts as the opening device. It can be opened with a simple thumb engagement (even with loger fingernails, ladies), but the beauty comes in opening on impact with another object (i.e. your adversary). The standard method of opening is off of a gunting strike to the opponents outstreched limb. When you hit and pull through, the blade is engaged. it works in both standard and reverse grip.
For simply deterring an aggressor, with practice/training you can keep the blade from opening(it's not difficult to learn) and then use the knife as an impact weapon. I will attest to the sensation (read pain) of guntings done with the ramp. From a standard horizontal gunting, it is easy to redirect into a fingerlock using the ramp (intense pain). Honestly, any part of the body that you grab with the ramp and your thumb will create intense pain. The two "horns" along the back of the handle act as a guard and as we have discovered can create even more pain than the ramp can.
This is really only a brief explaination of the knife's capabilities, it really has to be experienced. And for the nagging question, "What if it doesn't hurt 'em?" Well, simply engage the ramp on whatever is handy, and out comes the blade.

Andy
kilat@atlantic.net
 
Hey folks, where can I find a picture of this knife; Ive heard people talk about them, but never seen one.
 
I bought this knive (possibly the only left handed on the market) from Master Bram
Frank. This knife has so many possibilities that even after instructions from Bram, I
keep on finding new movements and actions that are possible with this knife. It has
many areas in the knife to be used for defense even before you open it. Some of this
areas are for pressure points, strikes, pinching, even to help you do joint manipulations
and of course a very nicely sharp blade.
 
spoonlsayer --

rekatescalator.GIF


[This message has been edited by Titan (edited 27 March 1999).]
 
Hi, I am Thomas from Germany, one of Bram Franks students and friends. I am teaching self defence for Women. I bought an escalator and a trainer, after Bram showed me what one can do with this amazing knife. After return to Germany I demonstrated it to my students. The first reaction was, that I received orders for buying the escalator for ALL of them. The women in my classes are totally sure, that with THIS knife they will have no problems in defending themselves. The best thing is, that you don´t have to use the sharp blade. So you will have NO conflict with law at all. It is the best knife I ever hold in my hands. My students are impatient to get their knives, but it is by now very hard to get them. I hope this will change soon.
 
So when do we see the 5.45" blade version?

(Yes, I'm serious, I know REKAT is pondering a megafolder.)

Jim March
 
Jim..why the need for a bigger blade? Where are you going to carry it and what will you do when you use it and more impotantly what will you say AFTER you use it?
It can't be reach advantage.. 2"?
cutting ability? It really cuts as it is..
leverage? its got a full size handle with a smaller blade for leverage.
tactical reality? hell its for close encounters...
i'm sure it could be done, we've talked of it..BUT why??????
 
I'll answer these in order:
>>Jim..why the need for a bigger blade? Where are you going to carry it...<<

Everwhere. There's no length limit on concealed folders in California, I'm twisted enough to convert an Ontario Black Wind Katana blade to folder, although it wouldn't be daily carry. Like my 6" Vaquero Grande or 5.5" AlMar folders are.

>>...and what will you do when you use it...<<

Render any mugger or similar idiot *extremely* sorry he ever saw me! That's if he (or they) prove stupid enough to charge something like that.

>>...and more impotantly what will you say AFTER you use it?<<

"Officer, I was attacked, the guy was tryin' to kill me, that didn't work out so well."

>>It can't be reach advantage.. 2"?<<

Three. My current carry folders are up to double the blade length. If you're going to try the "slash at an incoming enemy arm while dodging gag" found in the Bujinkan and most if not all of the FMAs the extra blade length can be the difference between a hit or a miss.

>>cutting ability? It really cuts as it is..<<

At Knifignugen my Vaquero Grande was able to cut 1" free-hanging synthetic mountaineer rope, possibly the TOUGHEST such test possible. My serrated Mad Dog WSP1 ATAK variant (similar to DSU) could NOT perform the same feat; at first everybody thought it was my technique, but Kevin McClung couldn't do it either. I *then* pulled out my Vaquero Grande and went through that crap like it was twine.

No 3" blade could have done that.

Leverage isn't an issue.

>>tactical reality? hell its for close encounters...<<

In addition to all of the above, there's one more LITTLE detail.

Intimidation.

I have no doubt that the Escalator is one of the very best 3" fighters ever made, possibly the best. But if I'm facing four homicidal transvestites armed with hammers who want to kill the guy behind me (as happened to me once
biggrin.gif
), I do NOT want to draw something the size of a Swiss Army Knife. I want the huge "CLACK" sound a megafolder makes as it snaps into battery, I want as many inches of gleaming steel as I can possibly score. I want to put on an evil grin and beat their MINDS, make them mentally unable to attack without ever having to draw blood and the related legal problems that will sure as hell follow. YES, I'll use it if they make it necessary, no problem at all.

But a megafolder makes it less likely.

See also the megafolder thread on the Camillus forum.

I will not buy a 3" "pure fighting knife". No way, no how, forget it. I doubt I'll ever buy a 4". I hope REKAT is listening.

Jim March

[This message has been edited by Jim March (edited 20 March 1999).]
 
A defensive knife that also works as as non-lethal weapon sounds like a good idea to me, though I'll leave it to the martial artists to comment on the virtues of the particular design.

Now I'm trying to imagine what a hoplophobic legal system would do with one. So far in California a kubotan has been treated as a street-legal blunt instrument, so if one had to explain an Escalator to authority figures, one would want to emphasize whatever it has in common with kubotan technique. Section 12020 of the CA Penal Code contains a Monty-Pythonesque list of "subversive" weapons that is particularly unfriendly to any impact weapon that also contains a blade. It would be a truly perverse result if a defenseve knife that can also be less than lethal impact weapon when appropriate turned out to be forbidden, while a knife that, when used as a weapon, could only be a deadly weapon, would be permitted.

------------------
- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
 
I don´t think that the length of the blade will make a difference to win or lose a fight. If 2 knifefighters would fight against each other, one with 8 inch, the other with a 2 inch blade, I am sure BOTH would be injured... In Germany it is strictly forbidden to carry knives with a blade longer then 2,5 inches. So I am HAPPY that the escalator is existing in this size.
If others prefer a bigger size, ok, it is up to them. For me, the escalator is big enough, very effective and EASY to carry. And I will never have legal problems....
 
I think I WANT one.

But I haven't begun my Kali training yet. Can someone tell me honestly if this knife is really more useful than, say, the Carnivore for a novice? In other words, if I can do some joint locks, and I'm big enough to grapple most people, is that enough to justify buying this knife (Beside the fact that the "Wow factor" would be enough to justify buying this knife if I had the money?)
smile.gif

Also, can I get just a trainer to try it out? If so, how much and how long do I wait? I need a trainer eventually if I want to learn to use the knife anyway, right?

Don't get me wrong. The question here is merely whether I buy this knife as soon as I get the money or wait until I've acquired some skill in Kali first. I WILL OWN THIS KNIFE.
 
I am fortunate enough to own one of the first five Escalators made for the public and i am damn proud to be in that club. I have owned throughout the years maybe fifty folders from my firts four blade Imperial (remember those?) camp knife at age nine to Spyderco Civilains, a pair of AFCK's and about twenty different spyderco clipits thruout the years. I can say without a doubt that the Escalator is the highest quality knife I have ever owned and also one of the most user friendly.

I have been a full impact kind of guy for the last five or seven years and my hands are not as particularly delicate as they used to be. The escalator not only bypasses the need for extreme dexterity but also gives neanderthals like myself a nice big handle to hold onto, almost KaBar sized in some respcts, that will be virtually impossible to dislodge during those all to important high stress moments. Additionaly, though I am sure we would all prefer a Bagwell Bowie than a three inch pocket knife to defend ourselves with (personally I prefer a Gunsite Modified 12 gauge 870 or my HK USP) but in reality, I do not have a job where it is reasonable to expect I can carry a crew served knife. In Illinois, I will receive no legal hassles about this little girl and anyone who sees it loves it. It is not what I carry every day, as it does not blend well with biz casual clothing due to its handle size, but a few nights ago when there was a knockat the door at one in the morning, it was the Escalator that accompanied me to the door instead of my KaBar or Trailmaster. That, my friends, is confidence in a three inch blade. I know I can move it quickly in close quarters a lot better than I can a K-Bar without endangering myself or anyone else I care about, and if I do not need it, the person knocking on the wrong door can hardly call the police and complain about the guy answering the door with nothing in hand.

Parker
 
Let me start off by saying I'm not a martial artist. When I first saw the escalator , I thought it looked familiar. Then it hit me! The Spyderco Jot Singh Kalsa! Will some of the same techniques work with the Spydie? Also where can you get info on training in these methods? I'll probably pick up an escalator in a couple of months after I settle up with the IRS. Any suggestions where to find them? Thanks in advance for any help.

phantom4

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who dares, wins

 
Someone helped me find the website, www.commonsenseselfdefense.com, where you're supposed to be able to order the knives and trainers. However, we both get "Forbidden" screens when we try to access it. Can anyone help with this?

Parker, you sound like you know the IL carry laws much better than I. I'd like to email you with a few questions if you don't mind. If the Escalator is really that great and gets past IL laws, maybe I can afford it after all.
 
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