| From Left to Right: "Snake" "Venom" and "Apache Fire" |
| Apache Fire |
| This Knife was made especially for Snake Blocker's Deployment to Afghanistan. The latest custom made from 1/4 inch thick D2 Steel with an RC hardness of 58/59. Featuring a Full Tapered Tang Along with a Solid Nickel Guard. The Handle is attached with Loveless Bolts and is made from Black Canvas Micarta with Blue Spacers. |
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| This Knife was made especially for Snake Blocker The latest custom made from 3/16 inch thick 1095 Steel with an RC hardness of 58/59. Featuring a Full Tapered Tang Along with a Solid Brass Bolsters The Handle is attached with Loveless Bolts and is made from Maroon Canvas Micarta. |
| Moody Texas Phone 254-853-2218 Email: admin@jwsmithandsons.com |
| Leather For Sale Restorations |
| "Here you will find the knives used by Snake and made by JW Smith & Sons that have been featured on Spike TV's hit show "Deadliest Warrior - Apache versus Gladiator." They have also been featured in Muay Thaimes international magazine." |
| "Cut like you mean it" |
| JW Smith Talks about Snake Blocker (Deadliest Warriors: Apache Vs. Gladiator), The Apache Fire Knife, and the Philosophy Behind the Design |
Apache Fire was originally a whole
different design. But then Snake
contacted me and told me that the
production schedule of his upcoming
video "Apache Knife Fighting Tactics"
had been moved up due to his
impending deployment. There wasn't
time for me to refine the Original
Apache Fire design. Deployment?
Enough said, my focus shifted from the
video to the deployment. I felt
compelled to make him something that
would "sustain". So I immediately
turned to the current design which I
had finished in template form.
Obviously, it has a big Loveless
influence. My opinion is that if you look
at weapons throughout history, you
will find that the most dependable,
reliable and the longest lasting are all
of a design that follow the same
design philosophy: 1. Straight forward
simplicity using as few parts as
necessary to achieve the intended
purpose. 2. Rugged construction using
materials that are tried and true. These
virtues can all be found in weapons
such as Sam Colt's Walker revolvers,
the 98 Mausers, the AK47 and the list
goes on and on. And of course in that
list would be the Bob Loveless design
philosophy of knives. These are the
only types of designs that I would feel
safe with, especially in a life and death
situation.
When it comes to knives, there are
ALOT of "Toys" on the market today.
"Toys" that employ exotic, sometimes
expensive, futuristic steels, that give
the illusion that this one just might be
"Kryptonite". And maybe even a few
that claim to actually be made from
"Kryptonite". These "Toys" feature
"Space Age" handle materials. There's
only one problem, there's no mud in
space and it doesn't rain there either.
"Hello?" It's a whole different
environment. Then there's the
philosophy of weight, some of these
"Toys" are boasting the fact that they
are lightweight. My thinking is
lightweight is a big plus in racing, but
up close, would you want a 55 grain
bullet to defend yourself or the
knockdown power of a 240 grain? A
knife, like a rifle has two ends to it. As
for toys when I was a kid, I would
always turn to that big metal Tonka
truck to strike an offending playmate
with, rather than that plastic sand box
shovel. There is an advantage to some
weight in the right places, and those
advantages are momentum and the
energy released from it due to the
weight of the object in motion. In a
situation where you had to use the
butt of your knife, would you want to
hit an attacker with a fist full of durable
Micarta (equivalent to a roll of
quarters) or a handful of duck
feathers? And while we are on the
weight subject, there's the question of
blade thickness. Apache Fires are
made using either full 3/16" material or
1/4". My idea is that "what doesn't
bend, must break" The thicker the
steel, the more force required for
either of those scenarios to occur.The
"Toy" makers seem to lean towards
thinner blades claiming the weight
savings and the supposed strengths
of their magic metals. Why take the
chance? "It's better to be safe than
sorry" comes to mind here. Sure you
might get lucky using your shoe
strings for rope when mountain
climbing but why risk it, GET A ROPE!
So when it comes to knives you can
buy a "Toy" and take a "stab at it", or
have a custom knife made and
"Cut like you mean it"
different design. But then Snake
contacted me and told me that the
production schedule of his upcoming
video "Apache Knife Fighting Tactics"
had been moved up due to his
impending deployment. There wasn't
time for me to refine the Original
Apache Fire design. Deployment?
Enough said, my focus shifted from the
video to the deployment. I felt
compelled to make him something that
would "sustain". So I immediately
turned to the current design which I
had finished in template form.
Obviously, it has a big Loveless
influence. My opinion is that if you look
at weapons throughout history, you
will find that the most dependable,
reliable and the longest lasting are all
of a design that follow the same
design philosophy: 1. Straight forward
simplicity using as few parts as
necessary to achieve the intended
purpose. 2. Rugged construction using
materials that are tried and true. These
virtues can all be found in weapons
such as Sam Colt's Walker revolvers,
the 98 Mausers, the AK47 and the list
goes on and on. And of course in that
list would be the Bob Loveless design
philosophy of knives. These are the
only types of designs that I would feel
safe with, especially in a life and death
situation.
When it comes to knives, there are
ALOT of "Toys" on the market today.
"Toys" that employ exotic, sometimes
expensive, futuristic steels, that give
the illusion that this one just might be
"Kryptonite". And maybe even a few
that claim to actually be made from
"Kryptonite". These "Toys" feature
"Space Age" handle materials. There's
only one problem, there's no mud in
space and it doesn't rain there either.
"Hello?" It's a whole different
environment. Then there's the
philosophy of weight, some of these
"Toys" are boasting the fact that they
are lightweight. My thinking is
lightweight is a big plus in racing, but
up close, would you want a 55 grain
bullet to defend yourself or the
knockdown power of a 240 grain? A
knife, like a rifle has two ends to it. As
for toys when I was a kid, I would
always turn to that big metal Tonka
truck to strike an offending playmate
with, rather than that plastic sand box
shovel. There is an advantage to some
weight in the right places, and those
advantages are momentum and the
energy released from it due to the
weight of the object in motion. In a
situation where you had to use the
butt of your knife, would you want to
hit an attacker with a fist full of durable
Micarta (equivalent to a roll of
quarters) or a handful of duck
feathers? And while we are on the
weight subject, there's the question of
blade thickness. Apache Fires are
made using either full 3/16" material or
1/4". My idea is that "what doesn't
bend, must break" The thicker the
steel, the more force required for
either of those scenarios to occur.The
"Toy" makers seem to lean towards
thinner blades claiming the weight
savings and the supposed strengths
of their magic metals. Why take the
chance? "It's better to be safe than
sorry" comes to mind here. Sure you
might get lucky using your shoe
strings for rope when mountain
climbing but why risk it, GET A ROPE!
So when it comes to knives you can
buy a "Toy" and take a "stab at it", or
have a custom knife made and
"Cut like you mean it"
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