Gentleman’s Ditch Knife: The Bruja by American Kami

While attending the 2016 Usual Suspects Network Gathering  a couple months ago, one major standout to me was American Kami. While they had a ton of great knives, hatchets, and other implements, I spied several deceptively thin blades on the table that caught my eye. I soon learned that there were called Bruja knives.

Constructed completely out of titanium, the Bruja is a very thin blade. Easy to disappear on your person thin. Easy to go right between your ribs thin. On the end, it's about the same thickness as a nickel.

Of course this also means that the blade is hard to hold all on its own. You probably noticed the holes in the handle, so it's choose-your-own-adventure as far as what to cover with. There are endless guides online on how to wrap a handle in paracord. Obviously, I didn't follow one of these and just went to town:

I also tried skateboard tape for a super-thin profile. While it offers more grip, there's not a whole lot for the hand to gain purchase on

A personal favorite was tape. Yes, at this point it looks like something that inmate 5675 from cellblock D fashioned in his spare time. Except for that it's made out of titanium. I can't see that as a negative here.

Included with the Bruja is a super low profile kydex sheath. So low profile in fact, that once you wrap the handle it might not work for you anymore.

This is not an oversight, but a feature. Once you get your handle wrap how you want it, you break out a heat gun or a hair dryer and finish a custom fit for the holster.

American Kami advocates the use of a lanyard system for IWB carry.

While I could try and explain how the lanyard system works, DJ Urbanovsky of American Kami made a video specifically to demonstrate the how's and why's, which you can check out here:

After Googling “Bruja” however, I found it to be both strange and foreign–so therefore shifty and not to be trusted. From where I sit, the more descriptive name would be: The Gentleman's Ditch Knife. It's something for everyday carry, that hopefully you don't have to use everyday.

You can visit American Kami online here.