Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives

Custom "Shahal" Israeli Defense Force YAMAM Counterterrorism Tactical Combat Knife

• Size: Length overall: 13.38" (34.0 cm), Blade Length: 7.0" (17.8 cm), Thickness: .242" (6.2 mm)
• Weight: Knife: 9.2 oz. (261 grams), Sheath (with accessories: 1 lb. 7.5 oz. (665 grams))
• Blade: ATS-34 High Molybdenum Martensitic Stainless Tool Steel, Hardened and Tempered to Rockwell C58, Bead Blasted
• Sheath: Hybrid Tension-Locking in Black Kydex, Aluminum, Stainless Steel, Titanium
• Knife: "Shahal" is the Hebrew name meaning "Lion." This is the sign of the tribe of Judah and Jerusalem. This is a knife custom made the most serious of action; Shahal was designed with and for an Israeli YAMAM counter terrorism unit. Using their direct input and feedback, I've developed a series of knives specifically designed for tactical combat and defense in the field of counter terrorism. It's a great honor to have the input, guidance, and direction of these professionals, widely considered the most elite and effective counter-terrorism unit in the world. They requested a series of extremely efficient, well-designed and constructed, lethal combat knives with some special features, built to the highest standards in the world: what I'm known for in tactical combat knives, sheaths, and accessories.
  I made the blade of ATS-34, a high molybdenum and high chromium martensitic stainless tool steel, chosen for its extreme toughness and wear resistance, high durability, and high temperature resistance. The blade of the Shahal is single-edged for maximum strength with a significant spine supporting the aggressively angled tanto point. The hollow grind is deep and symmetrical, to offer a uniform cutting edge through decades of sharpening. The spine is full and strong, the blade has a three-quarter length top swage to reduce point penetration geometry without sacrificing spine strength. The cutting edge has 2.5" of my Hammerhead serrations to cut through the toughest materials with reduced snagging and wide transitions between concavities and segmented edges. The blade is hardened and tempered to RC58 for maximum toughness (resistance to breakage) at high hardness (wear resistance). The grinds on the blade are accurate, sweeping, and with nicely radiused grind terminations for great transfer of energy without stressing the blade-to-handle ricasso area. The ricasso leads directly into the skeletonized handle, chosen to keep a very low weight-to-strength ratio. The skeletonized handle is hand-milled with careful attention to critical overall blade and handle strength while reducing weight. The handle is radiused, contoured, rounded and finished for as much comfort as possible in a skeletonized knife, and all inside cuts are chamfered and smoothed as well. The forward finger ring offers maximum security between the hand and the knife, essential in the most critical of counter-terrorism offensives. The finger ring accommodates the forefinger in a forward grip and the small finger in a reverse grip, with the thumb draped at the talon. The handle shape is comfortable and extremely secure, with deep quillons, good belly, and slope for the heel of the hand that makes the knife an extension of the arm. This knife differs from the Ari and the Aryeh in the same series with the skeletonized handle, about half the weight, and it differs from the Ari-El with a forward finger ring instead of a rear finger ring. The handle has plenty of thickness at the butt for a substantial stout talon (skull crusher or persuader) also applicable for non-lethal inducement. The open skeleton frame accommodates various lanyard placements for extra security when elevated or in special circumstances that require insurance against dropping the knife. The center of balance of the knife is just in front of the finger ring, making the blade feel substantial and powerful. The knife blade has simple embellishment: a deeply diamond-engraved custom mad lion graphic outline with the subtle yet powerful words: "The darkness for you is fear-for us it is daylight."
• Sheath: The sheath is one of my hybrid tension-locking models, originally designed for my skeletonized knives. This is a proprietary design, the best possible sheath of its type available in the world today. Actually, it is the ONLY type of this sheath available in the world today! The sheath is built of double thickness (.125" thick) kydex (methyl acrylate and polyvinyl chloride) over a welt-frame of 5052H32 corrosion resistant high strength aluminum alloy. The sheath is bonded with waterproof cement and bolted together with all 304 stainless steel Chicago screws for zero care and extreme corrosion resistance. The sheath (like most of my sheaths) has die-formed aluminum belt loops that are able to be moved to multiple locations as well as either side of the sheath frame. On this particular knife, the belt loops have 10 different locations with multiple combinations for versatile wear. The sheath is base around my hybrid tension-locking mechanism. This device is custom made to fit each knife, and allows a lock pressure of 15-20 pounds to hold the knife in the sheath, with an optional thumb or finger release. There are two options to unsheathe:
  1. placing your hand on the knife handle in forward (traditional) grip and use the finger or thumb to operate the release and unlock the knife for a controlled extraction of the knife.
  OR
  2. grabbing the knife handle and pulling hard, with at least 15-20 pounds of tension, the knife is unsheathed.
  
  Simply put, the knife can be unlocked manually, or yanked hard and unsheathed. 15-20 pounds is quite a bit of force, so the knife is locked into the sheath unless it encounters 15-20 pounds of pull. This means that in most circumstances, the knife stays locked in the sheath, and the assembly can trustfully be mounted upside down or used in highly active movement with relative security. To be certain that the knife is locked in the sheath properly, it takes a thumb operation to re-engage the locking mechanism. All of the components in this proprietary system are corrosion resistant stainless steel or titanium, and the entire assembly is even reversible by the owner. It's simple, it's lightweight, it's fast, and it's clean, and it's all non-glare.
  
• Accessories: This is an example of my commitment to the entire knife experience, from design to working service, for some of the finest professional knife users in the world. Since the bolt pattern of the sheath matches my 2.5" bolt pattern for our accessories, most of my accessories can be used on this sheath, including any new ones I develop. At the request of the Unit, this knife comes with a full bunker of my attachment, wear, and useful accessories, including:
  Horizontal Belt Loop Plates (for horizontal belt or webbing wear)
  Flat mounting straps (for rigid clamping to webbing, belts, or gear in vertical or horizontal orientation)
  Sternum Harness Plus (for wearing the knife diagonally across the sternum, with full torso reinforcement straps)
  LIMA and Solitaire (Lamp Independent Mounting Assembly with Maglite Solitaire LED emergency back up light)
  HULA and MagTac (Holder, Universal, Lamp, Articulating, a fully functional main lamp with Maglite MagTac extreme intensity tactical flashlight)
  Lanyards (SCUBA rated and adjustable 550 cord)
  All necessary stainless steel hardware, fittings, fasteners and tools for mounting, moving, and adjusting
  
  This arrangement of useful and necessary accessories was requested because the Unit operates at night or in low-light situations, and requested a wide variety of wear options. My system for wear options allows the greatest flexibility, usefulness, and applications of any tactical combat knife in the world. See also the Ari, Aryeh, Ari-El, Shahaz, Ari B' Lilah, Ari B' Lilah, Ari B' Lilah Predator, and Ari B' Lilah Commemorative in this YAMAM series.
• Learn much more about my Counterterrorism Knives at this link.
• This is an extreme use, highly engineered and meticulously developed tactical combat knife and weapon, one of the finest tactical combat weapons made in the world today, specifically made for the world's most elite counter-terrorism unit. It is a great honor for me to make these knives, respecting the very ancient and most crucial relationships between weapons maker and warrior. Special thanks to S. H., for his input, patience, and professionalism.

Thanks, S. H.!