American Kami Knives

[HallisChalmers]

Some pretty wicked blades.....

http://www.americankami.com/fixed.html

[quaiboi]

WOW....nice but....$245?....i'ld rather get the giant swiss army knife......lol

[happykill]

holy shoit!

That's a mean looking blade and I sure wouldn't mess with the guy holding it... but as far as usefulness goes... I think that RAT(Izula i think?) that was posted before was a damn nice blade and my choice between the two.

This thing sure is pretty though... wow.

(that Zirah Bouk Recurve is also a damn nice looking blade!)

[HallisChalmers]

holy shoit!

That's a mean looking blade and I sure wouldn't mess with the guy holding it... but as far as usefulness goes... I think that RAT(Izula i think?) that was posted before was a damn nice blade and my choice between the two.

This thing sure is pretty though... wow.

(that Zirah Bouk Recurve is also a damn nice looking blade!)

This American Kami knife looks like a bowie knife and meat cleaver had pups. Do you cut - or chop w/ the damn thing?

[happykill]

Whichever you chose is gonna cause some damage... now that you mention it, it does kinda remind me of a something Sam the Butcher would use if he were in an episode of startrek.

I'm not sure how I feel about the handle. I like the look of the "rough cut wood" it has going on, but not sure how comfortable it would be.

crazy looking blade in any case.

[ToolyMcgee]

I'm not in love with the chisel type grind for a larger knife. Not just because of the look, but it seems like it would throw off the balance. Could be nice on a little neck knife though, and I hear he will do a double ground knife for more money if you ask. Supposedly they can take alot of punishment for a hollow ground blade. Really sharp looking too.

[the lockpickkid]

I'm not in love with the chisel type grind for a larger knife. Not just because of the look, but it seems like it would throw off the balance. Could be nice on a little neck knife though, and I hear he will do a double ground knife for more money if you ask. Supposedly they can take alot of punishment for a hollow ground blade. Really sharp looking too.

UPDATE! Tooly isn't in love with this knife because he can only picture it made into a few really nice picks! I could see his thinking before he even posted!

[ToolyMcgee]

UPDATE! Tooly isn't in love with this knife because he can only picture it made into a few really nice picks! I could see his thinking before he even posted!

If you only knew how true this was... that pick in my new vid, was no beat up second hand butter knife before it was a jimmy. It was NIB premium cutlery, but I put it to the wheel without an eye blink, because that's how I roll

I just have a hard time dealing with the grind. Mostly due to the fact that a single sided grind is typically a sign of a cheap knife. Those are really nice of course, but for the big boys I like a more traditional style. It's preference really, but he's experimenting with tactical designs, and tactical is not really my thing. But if he shows up to the next knife show, I might leave with one of those neck knives, or... what did he call them? Tactical steak knives? Really nice American knife maker work. I gotta keep my eye peeled for a better price.

-Tooly

[HallisChalmers]

But if he shows up to the next knife show, I might leave with one of those neck knives, or... what did he call them? Tactical steak knives? Really nice American knife maker work. I gotta keep my eye peeled for a better price.

-Tooly

God forbid he shows up with this axe crusher - you'd make a whole freaking set of picks!

Kinda cool axe though...especially if you're into pillaging like a drunk Viking.

[ToolyMcgee]

God forbid he shows up with this axe crusher - you'd make a whole freaking set of picks!

Kinda cool axe though...especially if you're into pillaging like a drunk Viking.

No need. The ax crusher looks like it's already a highly effective lock pick. And if it's a serious steel door, just open up the wall

The g10 handles he is putting on those things are really cool looking. Beats the hell out of a hardwood stick. But honestly, non of them look like they were designed with wood chopping in mind, so I'd go straight for the one that looks like it's only for swift killing.

[manghu67]

Hey folks. I'm DJ Urbanovsky, the maker of these blades.

Those of you that like what I'm doing, thanks for the kind words.

quaiboi: My prices are a bargain. Everything I do is handmade from scratch. SAKs are made in factories, by machines. I am a one man show. If you buy a knife from me, you know that it was made by a human being, and you know who that human being is. There's no comparison you can make between a handmade knife and a production knife. They are completely different animals. I might add that you don't need to spend a lot of money on a knife, nor do you need a custom knife to cut stuff. But you get extra style points if you do.

happykill: In their current incarnation, my handles are quite comfortable.

ToolyMcgee: Balance is a function of blade to handle ratio and where on the knife the weight allocation is. It has nothing to do with whether a knife is chisel or V-ground. Nor is a chisel grid in and of itself ever a sign of a cheap knife. A correct professional Japanese sushi knife is without exception going to be chisel ground (although the flat on one of those isn't generally flat, it's slightly concave) and can be exorbitantly expensive. I'm talking many thousands of dollars. And what about Ernie Emerson's knives? Would you call his work cheap? He does mostly chisel ground stuff too.

I'm not trying to sound like a dick, what I'm saying here is done with the intent of educating and laying to rest assumptions.

If you like what I'm doing, again, thank you. If you don't, well, all I can say is that I make stuff that I myself like (if I don't like it, what's the point?) and it's not for everybody. There are plenty of other excellent custom makers out there I can point you towards who do amazing work that isn't as "out there" as my stuff. Personally, I feel that there's no reason you can't build something that's wicked looking but still retains it's functionality, so that's what I do. Some folks like it. Some don't. There is room in this world for both sides.

[HallisChalmers]

Personally, I feel that there's no reason you can't build something that's wicked looking but still retains it's functionality, so that's what I do. Some folks like it. Some don't. There is room in this world for both sides.

DJ, all I can say is that you do beautiful work on those blades, You're a real craftsman.

BTW - Thanks for stopping by...hope you come here more often and enjoy the forum.

[ToolyMcgee]

If I knew anything about the knives when I said it, or that you were going to read it, I would have chosen my words more carefully.

I said balance, but was thinking stability. If I fouled the blade on a swing with the right hand chisel grind, how would the grind make it roll over in my hand? More drastically to the left or right compared to a double sided flat or hollow grind. What would happen if I hit with the hollow grind facing the shallow angle of the strike? It was a thought that crossed my mind, so I tossed it out for discussion, except I goofed my vocabulary. Obviously for fileting, skinning, wood spitting, and chopping with the flat edge to the inside, the hollow chisel grind is an advantage, but what would happen if I used it without precision? That was the thought. Before I had really thought too much about it.

I hope the ignorant comments I made didn't make you miss the positive things I had to say about your work.

Supposedly they can take alot of punishment for a hollow ground blade. Really sharp looking too... The g10 handles he is putting on those things are really cool looking... Really nice American knife maker work.

[the lockpickkid]

I like the looks and the styling of these, but for me, they are so nice, I would never use them, they would be on display. Nice work though really. There are alot of pick makers here, including Tooly that for sure really admire your work on these Knives, these guys make picks, that are superior quality in the same comparison as your knives. You should get some templates and try to make some picks!!

[happykill]

I like these blades, a lot really. The reason I said that I was not sure about the handles was simply that I have never held something with that sort of a grip, and I in no way meant to imply that they looked uncomfortable. (if that is how you or anyone else for that matter mistook it)

All in all, great work on these and keep doing what you love to do.