I recently came in to possession of this wonderful little instrument called an ARK, the brainchild of THR's John Shirley and Sam Owens.
Now, I know the ARK has been covered extensively on THR in the past... but it's worthy of bringing up again.
Under normal circumstances I carry a Glock 19. However, as I live in Illinois I sometimes find myself having to disarm. We are chock full of gun-free zones. Our concealed carry act lists two dozen venues that are off-limits - including many public places where I often find myself with my family - being the father of 6 wonderful children - libraries, parks, parades, etc.
The ARK is a very lightweight knife and rides comfortably well, hidden away under a t-shirt. In a Kydex sheath it's flat enough not to print at all, and it is light enough that I nearly forget I'm wearing it after a brief period of time.
When I first opened the box I was taken aback by how small, light, and THIN the knife is. It feels like a toy - I've held plastic letter openers that are heavier.
However, it's most assuredly not a toy. The blade has sufficient length to reach many vital tendons, ligaments, and arteries, which makes it a viable lethal force level self-defense tool.
Now, it is thin. I wouldn't use it to pry open a can of green beans sitting around a campfire out in the woods. But that's not what it is designed for.
With 29 years of martial arts training under my belt (haha, see what I did there?), I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to utilize this blade in a natural way. The grip is natural - not forced. There is no safe way for an opponent to try to disarm you. If they contest the blade, they get cut and / or poked - and with a blade so thin and razor sharp, it does cut very, very well.
While the hold of the knife is at face value only subtly different (just a twist of the wrist from a normal knife hold, with the thumb on top of the recessed area on the blade), the axis of the blade to your arm, is sufficiently different from the way knives are normally gripped, that many specific self-defense measures I have in my arsenal to counter knife attacks either flat out do not work against this type of hold, or need to be modified to account for the different method it is used, compared to standard knives. It makes the knife surprisingly hard to fight against. (I have a profiled wooden cutout blade to practice with)
Meanwhile the shift in grip, to the thumb-over-blade hold, makes the knife surprisingly natural to wield. Instead of wrapping your hand around the hilt, which puts a knife at a 90 degree angle to your forearm, the blade stays in line with your forearm. (Like a fishing pole - if you are scratching your head go back up and look at the photos..)
Offensively, the technique is best described as "drawing a line you want to cut." The blade is thin and sharp enough to get in and do the job, and long enough to get down deep enough on the important areas where major blood vessels are (inside arm, neck, outer thigh, groin, etc.)
It's been through several showers and baths without any issues so far, too. So the waterproof aspects work. (Yes, the shower is one area most of us are traditionally disarmed, lol)
I'd absolutely recommend the ARK for a backup defense tool (guns are hard to get in to play if you are jumped and grappled, as are folding knives!), and I'd especially recommend it as a lethal force self defense option in areas where carrying a projectile thrower is prohibited. It's so small, and easy to conceal, that no one would ever know you have it.
Anyway, there's my .02 for the holiday shopping stocking stuffer idea.
Remember the only useless weapon is the one you leave at home when you walk out the door.
Now, I know the ARK has been covered extensively on THR in the past... but it's worthy of bringing up again.
Under normal circumstances I carry a Glock 19. However, as I live in Illinois I sometimes find myself having to disarm. We are chock full of gun-free zones. Our concealed carry act lists two dozen venues that are off-limits - including many public places where I often find myself with my family - being the father of 6 wonderful children - libraries, parks, parades, etc.
The ARK is a very lightweight knife and rides comfortably well, hidden away under a t-shirt. In a Kydex sheath it's flat enough not to print at all, and it is light enough that I nearly forget I'm wearing it after a brief period of time.
When I first opened the box I was taken aback by how small, light, and THIN the knife is. It feels like a toy - I've held plastic letter openers that are heavier.
However, it's most assuredly not a toy. The blade has sufficient length to reach many vital tendons, ligaments, and arteries, which makes it a viable lethal force level self-defense tool.
Now, it is thin. I wouldn't use it to pry open a can of green beans sitting around a campfire out in the woods. But that's not what it is designed for.
With 29 years of martial arts training under my belt (haha, see what I did there?), I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to utilize this blade in a natural way. The grip is natural - not forced. There is no safe way for an opponent to try to disarm you. If they contest the blade, they get cut and / or poked - and with a blade so thin and razor sharp, it does cut very, very well.
While the hold of the knife is at face value only subtly different (just a twist of the wrist from a normal knife hold, with the thumb on top of the recessed area on the blade), the axis of the blade to your arm, is sufficiently different from the way knives are normally gripped, that many specific self-defense measures I have in my arsenal to counter knife attacks either flat out do not work against this type of hold, or need to be modified to account for the different method it is used, compared to standard knives. It makes the knife surprisingly hard to fight against. (I have a profiled wooden cutout blade to practice with)
Meanwhile the shift in grip, to the thumb-over-blade hold, makes the knife surprisingly natural to wield. Instead of wrapping your hand around the hilt, which puts a knife at a 90 degree angle to your forearm, the blade stays in line with your forearm. (Like a fishing pole - if you are scratching your head go back up and look at the photos..)
Offensively, the technique is best described as "drawing a line you want to cut." The blade is thin and sharp enough to get in and do the job, and long enough to get down deep enough on the important areas where major blood vessels are (inside arm, neck, outer thigh, groin, etc.)
It's been through several showers and baths without any issues so far, too. So the waterproof aspects work. (Yes, the shower is one area most of us are traditionally disarmed, lol)
I'd absolutely recommend the ARK for a backup defense tool (guns are hard to get in to play if you are jumped and grappled, as are folding knives!), and I'd especially recommend it as a lethal force self defense option in areas where carrying a projectile thrower is prohibited. It's so small, and easy to conceal, that no one would ever know you have it.
Anyway, there's my .02 for the holiday shopping stocking stuffer idea.
Remember the only useless weapon is the one you leave at home when you walk out the door.
