I recently purchased a Polkowski Scorpion which was designed by knife combatives instructor Bob Kasper. While this is my first Polkowski knife it is not my first Kasper design as I utilize a Crawford Kasper Fighting Folder as my daily carry knife. For a picture of the Scorpion and specifications please visit Bob Kasper's website. This site also contains Bob's philosophy behind the design of his knives.:
http://www.ghca.org/KFK.html#Scorpion
I really like the overall design and workmanship of the Scorpion. The Scorpion is designed as a pure fighter and excels in that area. The blade has a slight recurve for efficient slashing. The double edge makes for excellent penetration. There is a substantial dropped guard integral with the blade. The guard ensures very secure thrusting. At the top of the blade there is what appears to be a thumb ramp. According to Bob Kasper, this is actually a way to widen the blade to produce a larger wound channel. You can use this as a thumb ramp with the saber grip. At first I was concerned about the close proximity of the fully sharpened top edge to my thumb, but Bob Kasper assured me that the handle is designed to keep your hand securely in place. I practiced some snap cuts on a stack of newspapers, and my thumb stayed in place. The blade has a very attractive satin bead blast finish. The edges were not as sharp as I like, however. Some attention with a Spyderco Sharpmaker brought them to shaving sharpness.
The Scorpion is mainly intended to be used with the natural grip at close range. The slim handle makes this a very comfortable grip. The handle is noticeably thinner than the one on my KFF. This makes for a very concealable knife. The nicely finished in-the-waistband Kydex sheath keeps the handle close to the body. I normally carry the knife in the front hip position so that the knife fits into the crease formed by the thigh and lower abdomen. I cover the knife with either a fleece vest or a t-shirt. Due to the slim handle design, the knife does not print through the clothing. The knife is also very comfortable to wear for long periods.
The G-10 scales have a scallop on either side toward the end of the handle. This scallop creates a palm swell and flared pommel. I find that the handle fits my hand very nicely. The tang is tapered towards the end of the handle. Apparently this is to provide proper balance. The balance point is right around the index finger. This results in a knife which is very maneuverable. When drawing the knife from the Kydex sheath, there is enough handle to grasp with my last three fingers (middle, ring and pinky). The pinky hook and pommel flare provide a secure grip for drawing. With a tug, the knife clears the Kydex and the index finger easily finds the finger groove.
The overall finish of the knife is excellent. The edges of the steel and G-10 match up perfectly so that there are no sharp edges. The G-10's finish is rather smooth. It is no where near as rough as on my Benchmade AFCK, yet it still provides a good grip.
This knife has become my home carry knife. So if you're looking for a well-made, close range fighter that is fast in the hand and comfortable to conceal, I highly recommend the Polkowski Scorpion.
Axel
[This message has been edited by Axel Yup (edited 03-25-2000).]
http://www.ghca.org/KFK.html#Scorpion
I really like the overall design and workmanship of the Scorpion. The Scorpion is designed as a pure fighter and excels in that area. The blade has a slight recurve for efficient slashing. The double edge makes for excellent penetration. There is a substantial dropped guard integral with the blade. The guard ensures very secure thrusting. At the top of the blade there is what appears to be a thumb ramp. According to Bob Kasper, this is actually a way to widen the blade to produce a larger wound channel. You can use this as a thumb ramp with the saber grip. At first I was concerned about the close proximity of the fully sharpened top edge to my thumb, but Bob Kasper assured me that the handle is designed to keep your hand securely in place. I practiced some snap cuts on a stack of newspapers, and my thumb stayed in place. The blade has a very attractive satin bead blast finish. The edges were not as sharp as I like, however. Some attention with a Spyderco Sharpmaker brought them to shaving sharpness.
The Scorpion is mainly intended to be used with the natural grip at close range. The slim handle makes this a very comfortable grip. The handle is noticeably thinner than the one on my KFF. This makes for a very concealable knife. The nicely finished in-the-waistband Kydex sheath keeps the handle close to the body. I normally carry the knife in the front hip position so that the knife fits into the crease formed by the thigh and lower abdomen. I cover the knife with either a fleece vest or a t-shirt. Due to the slim handle design, the knife does not print through the clothing. The knife is also very comfortable to wear for long periods.
The G-10 scales have a scallop on either side toward the end of the handle. This scallop creates a palm swell and flared pommel. I find that the handle fits my hand very nicely. The tang is tapered towards the end of the handle. Apparently this is to provide proper balance. The balance point is right around the index finger. This results in a knife which is very maneuverable. When drawing the knife from the Kydex sheath, there is enough handle to grasp with my last three fingers (middle, ring and pinky). The pinky hook and pommel flare provide a secure grip for drawing. With a tug, the knife clears the Kydex and the index finger easily finds the finger groove.
The overall finish of the knife is excellent. The edges of the steel and G-10 match up perfectly so that there are no sharp edges. The G-10's finish is rather smooth. It is no where near as rough as on my Benchmade AFCK, yet it still provides a good grip.
This knife has become my home carry knife. So if you're looking for a well-made, close range fighter that is fast in the hand and comfortable to conceal, I highly recommend the Polkowski Scorpion.
Axel
[This message has been edited by Axel Yup (edited 03-25-2000).]
