I met Sean Kendrick at the Ohio Knife Makers Show in Cambridge. Two things about his table caught my eye. First were his designs. Clean lines, a variety in the designs to suit different applications and tastes. Knives that looked like they were meant to be used, not just be ‘Safe Mistresses”. The second thing was Sean’s business motto “Innovations in Aggression”. You just have to love that one.
I eventually opted for a fixed blade neck knife, he calls the Tengu. Sean and I talked and emailed about the knife and the order was placed.
Tengu, in case you're interested, are forest or mountain goblins from Japanese mythology. They are considered the patrons of the martial arts. The Tengu are known for playing tricks on arrogant priests and punishing samurai and others who misuse their authority.
The knife arrived in a reasonable amount of time. You must remember he makes all his own knives, by hand. When you order don’t expect it to show up UPS Next Day Air.
This is a small knife. It’s got a 2 inch blade and is 5 1/2 inches OAL. The knife is supplied with a kydex neck sheath and ball chain. A ‘tail’ of 550 cord completes the package. Visually the little blade is appealing. Available in 154 CM or CPM 530 V as an option, the knife comes shaving sharp. It’s chisel ground and has brass and copper inlaid into the handle decoratively. There is a ‘guard’ just rear of the blade to keep your fingers off the sharp end and the handle has a series of ‘slide serrations’ cut into it for better purchase.
The knife disappears when worn even under a lightweight t-shirt. The only thing that may give you away is the ball chain around your neck or the black kydex showing through a light colored, lightweight shirt. After five minutes or so of wearing it I forgot I had it on. I was initially concerned about the knife twisting on the cord because the sheath is narrow. I’m happy to report that it never happened. The knife did not twist and was always oriented the way I put it on no matter what I was doing throughout the day.
Size and design- wise this is primarily a utility/last ditch backup knife. Utility wise there was nothing the little blade didn’t want to cut. Cardboard, paper, meat, wood, cord and so on and so on.
As a self defense blade, it’s designed for in close, last ditch affairs. I would say that it is primarily a slicer and in that mode it is an aggressively cutting piece of steel. Thrusts worked well also, you just have to remember that due to the blade length, thrusts, for the most part, will be harassing, woodpecker type actions unless you go for the eyes or throat.
Testing the blade out, I first started just with some draws and cutting patterns in the air to see how it felt. I found the 550 cord tail really helped to set the knife in my hand during draws. Once I had a feel for the knife I hung up a cardboard target and went to work. I started with just some basic angle 1 and 2 slashing. The first two cuts went completely through the target. Like I said, the blade cuts aggressively and well. I went on to work other angles and was very satisfied with the results. I then tried some thrusts. The 6 and 7 lines worked well as did low line 5’s. When thrusting at the high 5 line I found that the tip tended to point high and I would impact with part of the edge instead of the point. This isn’t a problem as long as you draw cut after impact. One thing I did find is that if you are trained to thrust and ‘core’ you will have to adjust your technique when using this knife. The grip is very narrow and will twist in your hand when you make your coring cut after the thrust. Short picking thrusts worked best.
Although it’s not designed and does not come with a sheath that allows belt carry or a reverse grip draw I did try a few of the edge in picking drills ala James Keating’s Drawpoint series. The ‘guard’ is a little awkward in the hand, it tends to dig into the little finger edge. It’s not uncomfortable, the knife just doesn’t feel like it’s ‘set’ quite right. The point and edge in aspect did work very well. I didn’t get a chance to make a meat man target but I’m confident that a hook and slash with this held edge in would be devastating to an aggressor.
After the cutting session and the other use I put the knife to it still shaves hair cleanly off my arm. To date I haven’t had to do more than touch the blade up lightly.
This is one sweet little knife and a worthy addition to your collection. If I had to use it for self protection I'm certain that this Tengu would play a nasty trick on the arrogant and punish those who would abuse others. Take a look at Sean’s other wares at his website www.kendrickhandmadeknives.com when you call him let him know you heard about him at Spike’s Place.
The Tengu
From
Kendrick Handmade Knives
