Guns Minimalist Knife: Hardpoint Equipment MantiCuda Industry News January 4, 2017 Join the Conversation At RECOIL, we review every product fairly and without bias. Making a purchase through one of our links may earn us a small commission, and helps support independent gun reviews. Learn More Hardpoint Equipment recently told us about their new MantiCuda, a “minimalist knife.” They say there’s little to no learning curve to be able to use it. If you can pull a firearm, they tell us, you can use the MantiCuda Minimalist. Just draw and drive. Here's a little more about the MantiCuda from Hardpoint. Industry News: Hardpoint Equipment Manticuda It has been a long journey for this family of knives. The manufacturing challenges involved in bringing this product to market are unparalleled in the industry. Never before have so many forces been applied to a single intent for the sole purpose of bringing a unique tool to life. Hard Point received valuable feedback from the end users of the MantiCuda VFK, and from fans. We’ve integrated the best of this input back into an exceptional new design: The MantiCuda Minimalist (M2). Every piece of Hard Point equipment solves a problem. The MantiCuda Minimalist is no exception. It offers the user the same versatility, the same precision machining and the same solid quality as the MantiCuda VFK, with new features: Redesigned edge geometry, material, and greatly reduced price point. We worked very hard to improve an already outstanding problem solver. We made some significant changes to improve an already outstanding product. For starters, by utilizing a unique, advanced manufacturing process, we have been able to cut the selling price in half, while also improving the overall quality. We have likewise lightened it up to make it more concealable and comfortable for long-term carry. And, we’ve changed the edge design to provide the easiest re-sharpening of any edge configuration possible. What has been maintained is the unique blade-to-handle orientation that places the tip of the blade directly inline with the forearm, thus maximizing thrusting power with almost no hand strength required. This configuration also ensures maximum cut protection for the hand, since there is no way for it to slide off the handle and onto the blade. Unlike standard push-daggers, however, the comfort and control is much better with the MantiCuda, since the handle still projects outside the hand instead of through the fingers. In essence, if you can draw a firearm and throw a punch, you can effectively use the MantiCuda. The force of thrusting is not concentrated on the top of the wrist putting major stress there, though, like some competitor’s products. The wide spade shape and multi-facet design of the original were preserved for their unparalleled cutting efficiency and large (7-inch) edge perimeter in a knife with an approximately 3-inch blade that is only 6-inches in total length (handle included). In addition to its unmatched tactical prowess, the MantiCuda Minimalist makes a surprisingly outstanding utility knife. You can find one for yourself for $195 US right here. From the RECOIL staff: We suggest doing some reading and research from multiple sources before selecting a knife, whether weapon or tool. A basic knowledge of tool steels, an understanding of realistic principles of knife-fighting, and a solid grounding in deployment and manipulation (fixed or folder? strong side or support side carry? am I truly prepared to fight if I have to, and do I know how?) will all help you make a more informed decision. For instance, you should be considering materials and manufacture, fighting realities, and maintenance and upkeep. Here are some articles you might want to read. After all, knives are one of Five Things You Should Never Leave Home Without. Materials and Manufacture Basic Anatomy. ‘Grind line, Swedge, Jimping, Thumb Rise, Ricasso, Choil, Bolster, Cannelure….' Learn what each means in the Knife Anatomy 101 glossary. Proper Steel. “…a knife is essentially just a sharpened hunk of steel with a handle, so its molecular composition changes everything.” Patrick McCarthy, Knife Steel Comparison guide Blade Types. Grinds and profiles and points, oh my. “Just like guns and pretty much any other tool, knives have an anatomy. There are parts of varying significance (some utilitarian, some only aesthetic), there is a specific nomenclature and design geometry, and of course a classification of attributes most often dictated by intended use.” RECOIL: Know Your Knife Fighting Realities Tool vs. Technique & Training. “[Keep in mind that] Any knife will cut and penetrate flesh. Don’t get hung up on the knife. It’s getting that knife into action that’s critical. Worry about where/how you carry it and how you access it…from compromised positions like being under the mount, [and] If you aren’t practicing realistically — in protective gear, with drone trainers, and with enough force that you get hurt (but hopefully not injured) — then you aren’t really training, you’re just masturbating with an edged weapon.” Ralph Mroz, Everything there is to know about knife fights (almost) A Proper Attack. “Favor stabbing over slashing. People tend to overestimate the slashing capabilities for pocket knives. Our testing has shown that layers of clothing often offer enough protection to prevent a slash from reaching flesh, especially when dealing with a moving target that you may not connect perfectly with. Stabs, on the other hand, will easily penetrate many layers of clothing, and are even capable of piercing soft body armor.” Scott Babb, 9 Ways to Adapt Your Blade Training for the Streets. A Proper Grip. “Folks, keep your dang fingers off the blade like this and keep your thumb and the ball of your thumb down on the knife! Get out on a war-post / tree / pell / whatever and slash and stab it for impact and see what happens with your knife and your grip. Folks, when you bang away on a war-post, or get inside a rugby-force knife fight, odds are you will lose your knife if you have the ‘muscle' memory to grip it in these…artsily…ways.” Hochheim, Terrible, Terrible, Mistaken Knife Grips Maintenance and Upkeep Knife honing (vs. sharpening). “Almost all non-serrated blades can and should be honed periodically. Knife honing can also be done with a strop, a leather belt, or even the frosted edge of a car's window. Maintaining your blade by honing will allow you to go long between sharpenings, and keep your knives slicing and dicing smoothly.” Patrick McCarthy, Knife Honing: Blade Maintenance Between Sharpenings. Sharpening and Sharpeners to Do It With. “Since the dawn of mankind, the most basic survival tool has been the blade. Its basic requirement is a sharp cutting edge. Surprisingly, maintaining that edge seems to be a lost art…Whether you are restoring a completely dull piece of steel or using the finest stone available to touch up an edge, always remember that you’re removing metal. There is a learning curve…” A Guide to Knife Sharpeners and Sharpening Industry News. What are you seeing here? Just as the tagline reads — industry news. This is a product (or service) announcement. It is not an endorsement. It is not a review. It is not an advertisement. Posts on RECOILweb.com labeled as Industry News are advisory notifications only. Information contained therein is likely provided by the individual manufacturer (or service provider), provided to RW and passed along to our readers as a notification only. Such articles do not represent our tacit approval, nor (unless labeled SPONSORED) were they paid for. RECOIL publishes not just for a fraction of the gun-owning community, but all of it. Individual editorial staff member opinions are not the sole arbiter of what news we present. What one person derides, another will extol. One of RECOIL's responsibilities is to inform readers of new products or services from manufacturers, training organizations, and the like. RECOIL readers have made it very clear this is something they want to see, and frequently. Some of those products will be chosen for further coverage or evaluation. Some will not. Some may have great promise or potential. Others will do nothing but prove the old adage, A fool and his money are soon parted. Readers should form their own conclusions, if appropriate. Rest assured if a member of the RECOIL staff is providing an opinion, you will know about it. 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