Weehawk Kris

Guillaume

Guillaume

Joined
Oct 26, 2000
Messages
294
In the thread "Shot show pics of BM stuff" I said that all my dreams were becoming true with all these new productions...
But actually I still have one dream. I want to share it with you.

As for many balisong lovers, I'm fascinated by the Kris shape. It obviously comes from the Advanced Balisong Manual I used to read when I was student. I know this blade type is a real cliché... but I like it.
Unfortunately, I never got one because the only nice ones were too expensive, and also because I didn't want to invest on a knife I would not flip regularly because of the risks due to the double edged blade.

So my (last) dream, now, is a Weehawk Kris. I've think of it watching the Venturi with its superb "Weehawk-Spearpoint".
I'm not a blade designer, but I guess it's not an easy task.
Yet, when you already have a nice Kris design in stock (Benchmade, you hear me?), maybe it's possible to slightly modify it : it's just about not sharpening 1 inch of the blade on one edge.

What do you think?
Guys (& girls), would you be interested by such a blade for your next bali?

Guillaume
 
There is a 'sweet spot' on the BM Kris. It basically has a safe handle; if you manipulate this knife like you would a bali with a Batangas latch, using the handle without the latch as your 'pivot', there is about an inch of unsharpened blade. It does end abruptly and if you don't choke-up on the handle, you will be cut.

I never noticed this until I got an email from Vance Collver and he filled me in on this 'trick'. I have tried it, it works, but I still shed blood after I let the knife move up a bit in my hand during manipulation. Oh, well..........it was worth it! :D
 
I've often thought that "duller balisongs" are a good idea for digit protection. Leaving one side of a double edged knife, or at least part of it, unsharpened is an excellent idea. Around here many folks seem to want things sharp and manufacturers respond accordingly. The only knife I ever sharpen is my chefs knife.
 
Weehawk Kris... Interesting thought, I must say.

How should it be? Should the spine go up and down to, or should it be straight until the falshe edge (if not just a swedge) comes? (If you understand what I mean...)
 
RARanney:
This is not exactly what I meant...
I'm not for training balisong. It's like wooden training swords, caoutchouc training knives ,etc... they don't cut, so you do not focus on the weapon edge (thinking "i have to be careful, it cuts and may cut me"), you can take the knife by the blade... do things you'd never do with a real knife. So you can get bad habits.
My thoughts are maybe too much self-defence oriented (fight, efficiency...), and not enough manipulations oriented (flipping, fun, dexterity...). But I think that if you get used to practise manipulations with a dull bali or with a taped blade, then the day you'll want to use a sharpened balisong, either you'll get cut, either your mind will "say" : "hey, this blade is not dull, i don't have to miss this flip..." and will inhibate your skills, by fear of being cut (no habit of a sharpened blade).
Anyway, when you practise self-defence, I do not recommend to use real knives. Wooden/caoutchouc/dull knives are great.

ixpfah:
I think 1 inch straight on the spine would be ugly :)
For me, it's just a question of sharpening... on the spine, the first inch would be dull. Just to let the index finger touching the blade with no stress :-)

Guillaume
 
Guillaume: It's definitely a doable. On the 49's the kris is unsharpened for about an inch, as mentioned by Dudley, but it would simply be a matter of leaving a longer protion of the blade unsharpened. It's just a matter of extending the unsharpened portion of the blade by another inch or so. The drawback is that the kris by the tang will have little to no bevel, and would be rather thick.
 
I thought the 49 was crazy sharp all the way down....can someone post a pic of this feature?

Thanks
 
Guillaume,
I understood what you meant, I was just saying it parallels my preference for a dull balisong as opposed to "really sharp". I didn't mean a training balisong. I started with a dull Bear, and am able to use sharper models with no problem, although I view manipulation as a fun thing to do rather than a martial art (either approach is valid to me). It's similar to assuming all guns are loaded. I have a few Taylors with a sharpened swedge, and I don't like manipulating them. The kris could have a partial safe edge as Tony described, or the entire edge could be left dull. Either method could be done so as to be barely noticeable unless viewed closely. I think a distinct transition with a plunge cut half way down the blade, as on a weehawk tanto, might look a bit unusual but that's just personal preference.
Congratulations on your new book.
 
Guillaume, I thought the style has a straight spine halfway from hilt! Is it that the shape is same as a regular kris, only difference is unsharpened part of edge? Or the ungroung part (spine) is straight? Even if my understanding is wrong, I hope somebody find it funny.
 
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