Description
This is a well made survival/outdoor/bushcraft knife that was designed by Paul Scheiter. Some of you may recognize the blade as it is very similar to the outdoor knife designed by the legendary outdoorsman of late, Horace Kephart.
HANDLE DESIGN
Secure Attachment
Six stainless steel Allen screws secure the handle slabs to the tang of the knife. This triple anchor prevents the handle from coming loose during abusive static shock activities like batoning and other forces that may be encountered during prolonged use.
Ergonomics
The entire perimeter of the handle is rounded to provide a comfortable grip. This prevents hot spots and blisters that form on the hand after repeated handling of the knife. The Blackbird SK-5 features a deep front finger groove and protruding guard that greatly minimize the possibility of a finger slipping onto the blade and injuring the user.
Leveled Pommel
The pommel of the knife handle is leveled flat across the bottom and is positioned perpendicular to the direction of the blade. This allows the knife to be readily adapted to a sapling for crafting an improvised spear weapon. The level pommel also provides a greater surface area for light duty pounding tasks.
Lanyard Slot
The lanyard slot provides a convenient anchor point for attaching parachute cord to be used as a lanyard or wrist leash. The oblong slot allows a two-strand loop of cordage to be inserted and formed into a girth hitch. This is advantageous because it gives the user the ability to attach and remove the cord quickly and easily.
BLADE DESIGN
154CM Steel
The steel used in the Blackbird SK-5 is an American made steel that is known for its excellent blend of toughness, edge retaining ability, sharpness, and corrosion resistance. Most steels excel in one or two of these categories but are deficient in others. 154CM Steel is a strong balance of all the important qualities of a knife steel, which makes it an ideal choice for a blade that must endure heavy use in the field, be easy to sharpen with minimal equipment, and maintain its integrity during prolonged exposure to water.
Spear Point
The spine of the Blackbird SK-5 gently curves down to meet the very tip of the knife. This provides the greatest degree of "point strength" because there is more metal behind the point. In practical use, this feature gives the user a much more durable blade that is far less prone to tip snapping or complete breakage. It also provides a comfortable spot for the thumb of the assisting hand in detailed carving tasks.
Center Lined Tip
The point of the knife is positioned in the exact center of the blade in order to create the most efficiency for drilling into wood. Knives that are not "tip center lined" cause a "fanning" effect that is inefficient when used in a drilling configuration.
Full Taper Grind
The full taper grind refers to the main surface (or secondary edge) of the blade that runs from sharpened section all the way to the spine with no change of angle in between. This style of grind keeps the cutting angle as thin as possible which means the knife will carve through wood quickly and efficiently.
Flat Ground Edge
The sharpened portion of the edge is flat ground in order to provide an edge that is sharp, strong, and intuitive to sharpen in the field.
Abrupt Angle Change On Grind
The backside of the knife has an abrupt edge to it that is outstanding for use a striker against a ferrocerium fire starting device or any other conventional magnesium based fire starter.
Smooth Spine
The spine of the Blackbird SK-5 is smooth and comfortable to the touch along its entire length. It was intentionally designed to be free of any contours, texture, or jimping so that an assisting thumb can be used at any point along the spine with comfort and no worry of creating blisters.
Simple Straight Blade
The profile of the sharpened edge is clean and simple with the intention of being easy to sharpen in the field with a light duty sharpening kit. Because the sharp part of the blade extends all the way to the base of the handle, the most important section for heavy carving is retained instead of being lost to serrations which are minimally effective for most tasks.
SHEATH
Molle Compatible
A single strap on the back of the sheath makes it compatible with all MOLLE equipment like tactical vests and backpacks.
Belt loop
A conventional belt loop has also been sewn into the sheath so that it may be worn on the hip in the traditional belt mounted configuration.
Molle Attachment Points On Front
Two attachment points on the front of the sheath allow for modular accessory pouches to be added to the front of the sheath.
Protective Insert
The sheath features a rigid protective insert that protects the knife from damage but also protects the user from being injured by the knife during a fall, hard impact, etc.
Drain Hole
A grommet reinforced drain hole is positioned on the sheath just below the tip of the knife. This allows water to quickly exit the sheath in the event that the entire unit is submerged.
