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Edged-Weapon Self-Defense System Developed by Michael D. JanichAn
Edged-Weapon Self-Defense System Developed by Michael D. Janich
A great knife is a combination of two elements: superior craftsmanship and a superior design. Although this may seem pretty obvious, the knife market is full of thousands of examples of well-made, poorly designed knives and excellent knife designs that fell short of their potential due to poor execution.
In the tactical world, the best designs invariably come from the minds of people who understand and practice knife tactics. Unfortunately, many knifemakers, including those who actively collaborate with knife tacticians to get their designs, are unwilling to make said designs without changing anything. The result is typically a strained relationship and a less-than-perfect knife.
One rare exception to this rule is custom knifemaker Mike Snody. I first became aware of Snody’s work when I was asked to review several of his knives for the May 2001 issue of Tactical Knives. Although Snody had only been making knives for about a year at that time, I was extremely impressed with not only the craftsmanship of his blades but the excellent design and engineering of his work. In particular, I was impressed that he was one of the very few (the actual number can be counted on one hand while wearing a mitten) knifemakers I’d seen who really knows how to execute a one-sided chisel grind. That impressed me. When I mentioned this fact to him, he was equally impressed that I had noticed and understood such fine details of his work. Mutual recognition of each other’s skills led to mutual respect, and it seemed inevitable that something greater would come of the relationship.
That something came when Snody told me that he had been working for several months to develop the “ultimate neck knife.” Although Snody’s excellent neck knife patterns were already very popular among dealers and customers, he wanted to produce something really distinctive that stood head and shoulders above the rest. Snody was familiar with my book Street Steel and knew that I had given the subject of neck knives considerable thought, so he asked for my input.
Designing the “ultimate” anything is a pretty tall task, so I decided to take my time, do my homework, and think the design through as thoroughly as possible. To do this, I first assembled all the knives in my collection and began sorting through them – picking out the ones that I felt had noteworthy characteristics. Whether it was blade shape, grind, handle material, or balance that set them apart, I soon had a pile of knives that each had a special something about them. Closer examination of these knives helped me identify what those special qualities were so I could begin compiling an organized list of criteria for my design. Finally, an objective mind and a long session of knife manipulation and live-blade cutting forced me to reevaluate conventional design wisdom and take a fresh look at what worked best.
Several hours and a whole tablet of sketch paper later, my dream neck knife had taken on a tangible form. I finalized my sketch, wrote a couple of pages describing the salient features of the design, and sent them off to Snody.
Snody later confessed that when he received the design, he was immediately tempted to “tweak” it to better conform to his ideas of what the ultimate neck knife should be. However, to his credit, he went out to his shop and quickly ground a steel model of the knife exactly as I had designed it. And when he held it in his hand for the first time, he knew we had a winner. The Ronin was born.
The Ronin is a design that incorporates all the design features that I feel are critical to a functional defensive knife. More importantly, it is a design that maximizes the effectiveness of these features so they can be incorporated into a knife that can be easily and unobtrusively carried.
The most distinctive feature of the Ronin is its dramatic Wharncliff-style blade that features a perfectly straight cutting edge, hollow ground on the reverse (right side when held in a standard grip edge down) side of the blade. The inspiration for this blade came from a little-known James Keating design called the “Straight Shot,” an article Bowie master Bill Bagwell wrote on the mechanics of the Bowie back cut, and many hours of live-blade cutting tests with various blade styles. The basic concept of the former two, and my conclusion from the latter, is that the most efficient cutting weapon is one that takes the cutting edge all the way to the point and applies pressure into the cut throughout the entire cutting stroke.
Conventional fighting knife design dictates that the blade have a curve or “belly” to the cutting edge to allow it to cut and slash effectively. However, when held in a natural grip and wielded in a cutting motion, most knives of this type reach a point in their arc of travel where the angle of the cutting edge and the arc of the arm run parallel. When this happens, the knife no longer applies pressure into the target being cut and in many cases actually pushes the target away from the cutting edge.
Conversely, the straight cutting edge of the Ronin applies constant cutting pressure into the target and typically cuts at least ¾-inch deeper than traditional blade designs of comparable length. The chisel edge created by the single hollow grind further enhances the Ronin’s cutting power by creating superior edge geometry that cuts with almost no drag.
The tapered back of the blade meets the tip to form an extremely sharp point that also outperforms traditional designs. As the point is thrust into a target, the back of the blade acts as a ramp, pushing the cutting edge downward. This downward force, combined with the shearing cutting motion of the edge enables the Ronin to penetrate deeply with very little effort.
The handle of the Ronin is tapered toward the butt like many traditional Japanese blades. This taper naturally fits the “cone” formed by the last three fingers of the hand and anchors the handle firmly to the meaty portion of the palm. The single finger groove for the index finger and low positioning of the cutting edge create a very functional guard that makes it impossible for the hand to slide forward onto the blade. It also puts the cutting edge in line with the knuckles of the fingers, making it less likely that the hand will impact before the edge, minimizing the force of the cut.
Contoured G-10 slabs give the Ronin a very firm and comfortable grip, and the tubular handle pins provide a dramatic look and provide a pivot point for grip changes. However, it is the textured back of the Ronin’s blade that makes the knife’s grip complete. This meticulously grooved area provides a solid purchase that encourages the user to extend the thumb forward into a Filipino grip. In this position, the blade becomes a natural extension of the thumb and can be employed with great power and almost instinctive control.
The Ronin’s sheath is made from Concealex that is doubled over to create a channel at the tip for the neck chain. This wide channel keeps the sheath from spinning on the chain, ensuring that it always hangs in the proper orientation for a draw. Additionally, the sheath is shaped so that it is asymmetrical, providing a distinct tactile index that allows the user to instantaneously orient the sheathed knife in the hand by feel alone.
To provide adequate strength without giving an opponent a means of strangling the wearer, the Ronin’s neck cord is made of a blackened ball chain covered with the outer sheath of nylon parachute cord. The nylon sheath prevents the chain from rattling against the Concealex, while the exposed section of chain provides an effective “breakaway” safety.
For those who like the knife design, but are not fans of neck knives, the Snody Ronin was also provided with a sheath that mounts to the belt via a Blade-Tech Tek-Lok. Snody’s standard blade material for the Ronin is CPM-440V, though Damascus steel is also available at extra cost.
Snody’s first prototype of the Ronin was, for all intents and purposes, damn near perfect. It was as if he had crawled into my head and transferred the design from my mind straight to steel. However, there’s a big difference between a one-off knife that is perfect for me, limited custom production that is perfect for a lucky few, and perfection-inspired volume production that makes knives available to just about anyone. In other words, the biggest shortcoming of the Janich/Snody Ronin was that Mike Snody couldn’t make enough of them to meet the demand.
As the head instructor for the Spyderco Martial Blade Craft (MBC) program, it was only a matter of time before the Ronin caught the eye of Spyderco’s CEO Sal Glesser. Since the knife was already enjoying considerable “buzz” and the concept of a “signature” knife design for their MBC instructor made a lot of sense, adapting the Ronin to a Spyderco design was a fairly simple process. Sal is not a fan of chisel-ground knives, so to maintain the superior edge geometry of the original, we decided upon a full double flat grind for the blade. To maximize strength and corrosion resistance, I opted for VG-10 stainless for the blade, and to give the knife s lightly different look than the custom version, a third tubular handle pin was added.
The first samples of the initial 2,000-knife production run began arriving from Japan in mid-2002. As soon as they did, work began on establishing production for the sheaths. Unfortunately, this proved to be the greatest challenge in getting the Spyderco Ronin out on the market. Because of the extreme sharpness of the blade and point and the fact that the knife is primarily intended for neck carry, Spyderco wanted to make sure that the sheath could not possibly release the knife until the user deliberately drew it. To do this, Spyderco established the first industry standards for Kydex neck sheath performance. These standards included drop tests, a static pull test, and a “cycle” test that ensured that the sheath retention does not diminish after repeated use. Like anything else, higher standards mean more work – and more time to get it right. After a number of prototypes and revisions, the final sheath – which features a user-adjustable tension screw and comes equipped with a small Tek-Lok – was finalized in January 2003. The first 25 knives in sheaths went to me (and a few lucky students in my MBC class that month), the next 200 went to the Spyderco collectors club, and the remaining ones are now finding homes with discriminating knife users around the globe.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE RONIN
1) The current Spyderco production Ronin
2) A blunted, red-handled Ronin trainer, custom made by Mike Snody
3) A Damascus Ronin with ivory micarta handles, custom made by Mike Snody
4 and 5) Custom-made Mike Snody Ronins with rubberized "Rigger Coat" handles
applied by knifemaker James Piorek
6) A Mike Snody custom Ronin with BG-42 blade
7) The author's first Mike Snody Ronin with Damascus blade
8) The original un-heat-treated Ronin prototype made by Mike Snody
RONIN CARRY AND CONCEALMENT TIPS
For those of you who have already invested in a Ronin – or plan to in the near future – here are a few tips for making your Ronin even more versatile as a defensive carry knife:
First of all, don’t be afraid to adjust the length of the neck chain to fit your body. Neck knives ride differently on different people. Experiment with different chain lengths to find the right carry height for your physique. A good way to do this is to overlap the ends of the chain and tie them together with dental floss. Once you’ve got the right length, then and only then cut the chain to length. If necessary, shorten the nylon sleeve on the chain as well.
If you choose to carry using the Tek-Lok, remember that it is reversible for left and right-side carry, edge forward or edge back. The Tek-Lok also allows you to position the knife horizontally handle forward or handle back and even inverted on the belt. Because of this versatility, the Ronin can be carried in eight different positions on the strong side, weak side and the small of the back. With 24 positions to choose from, whether you prefer strong-side draw, crossdraw, standard grip, reverse grip, or any combination thereof, you’re sure to find a carry position that works for you.
If you’re a fan of inside-the-waistband (IWB) carry, you may feel a bit left out. Fear not, with a little imagination, the Ronin works very well with IWB carry. The technique I use is borrowed from custom knifemaker James Piorek (aka Bladerigger), who calls it his “Static Cord” carry. To set up this carry, first loop the sheath chain through a belt loop or your belt and slip the sheath through the loop to form a cowhitch knot. Then tuck the knife and sheath into your preferred carry position in the waistband. To draw, grasp the handle firmly and draw the knife and the sheath together. After they clear your pants and the chain is pulled taut, the knife will pop out of the sheath and the sheath will drop out of the way to your side. The extremely sharp tip of the Ronin’s Wharncliff blade presents a special challenge with IWB carry, so the static cord carry is highly recommended as a safe and practical way to carry IWB.
A lower-profile alternative to the static cord carry that works without a cover garment is the static cord pocket carry. This works just like the IWB version, except that the knife and sheath ride completely within the front pants pocket rather than in the waistband. In this way, the chain gives the appearance of a watch or key chain (and may even be replaced by one, if you prefer). Again, when you draw, pull the knife and sheath together and allow the knife to clear the Kydex only after it is well clear of your body. This type of draw also allows you to vary your draw angle to adapt to the situation at hand. Covert draws are also much easier from this position than with a standard neck carry.
If you typically wear a cover garment of some type, you may want to consider using it as a platform for your carry. Attach a piece of industrial Velcro (the hook side) to your sheath and a matching piece (the wooly side) to the inside left breast of the garment. In this position, it will carry handle down like a shoulder rig and can be quickly (or slowly and sneakily) drawn with the right hand. This carry is nice because you can sew wooly Velcro patches in a variety of garments and use the same sheath and carry with all of them.
Designing the “ultimate” anything is a tall task. I personally believe that perfection is something that can be approached, but never reached. However, if any aspect of the Ronin is perfect, it is the attitude, mindset, and commitment of custom knifemaker Mike Snody. For more information on the Ronin and his other excellent designs, check www.snodyknives.com.