| Handle
Design |
| |
| Secure
attachment |
| Three
stainless steel Allen screws secure the micarta 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 also 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. |
| |
| Standard
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. |
