The Combat Kestrel is similar in design to the standard Kestrel, but with a few tweaks which make it especially suited to defensive use.     

    Firstly, the “belly” of the standard Kestrel is reduced by lowering the point below the central axis of the knife, creating something of a warncliffe, or seax style edge. This edge is, without doubt, the most effective when it comes to applying the most force to every last inch of the cutting edge. With a standard knife design, the “belly” of the knife, though helpful when slicing food, or processing game, naturally reduces the force being applied to the end of the knife because the belly is curving away from the cutting media. With a wharnecliffe style edge, the blade is pressed straight into whatever one is cutting, with no force being diminished by a curved blade. This leads to deeper, longer, and more aggressive cuts. This is why utility knives have straight edges, you can get a whole lot of force behind the edge all the way out to the tip.

   The other difference is the curved handle, which naturally places the point of the knife directly in the centerline of the arm when extended fora thrust. Because of the natural curve of the hand and the way our tendons work, when you extent your hand forwards holding a knife with a straight handle, you’ll notice the blade tends to point upward about 30 degrees. But, with its approximately 30 degree offset handle, you’ll find that the Combat Kestrel orients itself naturally in a straight line with your arm and and the direction of your thrust, ensuring optimal penetration.

   Finally, the tip of the Combat Kestrel has a more aggressive taper leading to less material behind the edge towards the tip, which leads to less drag, and  frighteningly effective cuts.

If you choose to pair this knife up with one of my horizontal carry sheaths (kydex or leather) you’ll find you have an immensely capable defensive system weighing about 4 oz which you can invisibly carry with you all the time. 

   As always, this knife is completely unique. It’s not a clone of the one in the picture, they’re not cut out with a laser, they’re all hand forged, hand ground, hand polished, hand sharpened, hand fitted. Each one, one at a time, and no two are the exact same. When you by a Mars Fire piece, you’re buying a 1 of 1 production knife made for you.