"Ari B'Lilah" Custom Counterterrorism Knife
Custom "Ari B'Lilah" Counterterrorism Tactical Combat Knife
- Size: Length overall: 12.25" (31.1 cm), Blade Length: 6.0" (15.2 cm), Thickness: .237" (6.0 mm)
- Weight: Knife: 1 lb., 3.0 oz. (539 grams), Sheath (with HULA, LIMA accessories and UBLX belt loop extender: 1 lb. 9 oz. (709 grams)
- Blade: ATS-34 High Molybdenum Martensitic Stainless Tool Steel, Hardened and Tempered to Rockwell C61, Media Blasted
- Bolsters: 304 High Nickel, High Chromium Austenitic Stainless Steel
- Handle: G10 Fiberglass/Epoxy Composite Laminate
- Sheath 1: Hybrid Tension-Locking in Black Kydex, Black Anodized Aluminum Alloy, Blackened Stainless Steel, Anodized Titanium
- Sheath 2: Hand-tooled 9-10 oz. Leather Shoulder
- Knife: "Ari" is the Hebrew word for lion,
and the lion is the sign of the tribe of Judah and Jerusalem and is
even called the Lion of God. Made for day and particularly
critical night operations, this knife is Ari B'Lilah (lion by night). This is a knife custom made
the most serious of action. The original Ari B'Lilah was designed with and for a
top Israeli YAMAM
counterterrorism 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 counterterrorism. It's a
great honor to have the input, guidance, and direction of these
professionals, widely considered the most elite and effective
counterterrorism 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.
In this custom Ari B'Lilah, 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
Ari B'Lilah is double-edged and hollow ground; the main cutting edge
is hollow ground with a 3" diameter wheel and the top edge with
serrations is hollow ground with a 3" diameter wheel. This is an
extremely difficult grind profile, and the purpose is to create two
complimentary edges, both yielding extremely thin and razor keen
edges with a high longevity while preserving a good cross-sectional
thickness of center spine to support thrusting and the point. The
point of this knife is critically strong; it is a very ancient
design called "armor piercing." This is not for piercing today's
armor, but for piercing chain mail of old: interlocking metal rings
woven into a tough mesh. This is the strongest possible point that
will still offer extremely sharp and lethal penetrating potential,
resisting any tough or hard materials such a thrust could encounter
without breaking.
The point is carefully hand-ground at the maximum edge angle (25
degrees) possible that can still provide a keen and slicing
single-bevel cutting edge.
The geometry of the point is a solid "diamond" (in cross
section), as tough and lethal as a knife point can possibly be. The
point is created by an interrupted hollow grind; the transition to
strong point is well-matched and supported by the full thickness
spine running down the center of the blade. The main
non-serrated cutting edge is
thin and keen; the top edge is designed with my Hammerhead
serrations, which are extremely tough and aggressive, with reduced
snagging and wide transitions between concavities and segmented
edges. The blade is hardened and tempered to RC61 for incredible
hardness and wear resistance, and high
toughness (resistance to breakage). 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 while a very long
supportive spine runs the length of the blade. The ricasso is
kept very short, and is heavily reinforced with a substantial front
bolster, sculpted, rounded, contoured, and finished in 304 stainless
steel. This is the same steel used to make tough nuts, bolts, and
fasteners; it's an austenitic stainless steel high in nickel and chromium, and is a zero-care
stainless steel. The front bolster is contoured around a 1" (2.54 cm)
diameter forward finger ring, which is rounded and radiused for
comfort and smoothness. The finger ring offers maximum security
between the hand and the knife, essential in the most critical of
counter-terrorism and combat tactical offensives. The forefinger and thumb grip between
the thumb rise and the finger ring, and this reinforced area is key
to the control of the knife. The ring and thumb rise allow
tremendous force to be applied to the blade where it is needed. The
handle scales are black G10, a fiberglass reinforced epoxy composite that
is one of the most durable and dependable manmade handle materials
on earth. The handle scales are dovetailed and locked and bedded
under the bolsters, secured with heavy 304 stainless steel pins. 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. The tang is fully fileworked with
an bold and well-defined vinework pattern for increased purchase and
handmade signature. The tang is fully tapered, with plenty of
thickness at the butt for a substantial stout talon (skull crusher
or persuader) also applicable for non-lethal inducement. The heavy
rear bolster is significantly mounted to the tang, and has an
extra-large 3/8"
through-tang lanyard hole for super security when working elevated
or near water or in
special circumstances that require insurance against dropping the
knife. The large lanyard hole is chamfered and dressed smooth for abrasion reduction
and is easy and fast to thread. The center of balance of the knife is
exactly at the finger ring, for perfect control. The knife feels
extremely solid and durable in forward grip; and in reverse grip,
with the small finger threaded through the ring and the thumb over
the heel with the tip at the talon, the knife feels robust and
tough.
- Sheath 1: The sheath is one of my hybrid
tension-locking models, originally made for my skeletonized knives,
but specially adapted to this fully bolstered and handled knife.
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 black anodized 5052H32 corrosion resistant high
strength aluminum alloy. I've meticulously anodized
all of the aluminum surfaces,
even through holes, of each welt component, mount, fitting, and
fixture for extremely high durability, ultimate corrosion
resistance, strength enhancement, and muted appearance. If
you're not familiar with anodization, it's a chemo-electric
process that creates a near-ceramic hard surface on the aluminum
alloy, a surface that increases wear resistance tremendously,
and a surface that can accept permanent dyes that are sealed in
place. For my black kydex sheaths, the anodized aluminum color
is black for low reflectivity and matching appearance. The
sheath is bonded with waterproof cement and bolted together with
all blackened 304 stainless steel Chicago screws for zero care
and extreme corrosion resistance while being dark and
non-reflective. The tension lock sheath comes with two pairs of
belt loops (footman's loops) that are die-formed and anodized
aluminum alloy. One pair is high profile for .250" x 1.5" belt
sizes and the other pair is low profile for thinner .190" x 1.5"
sized belts. The belt loops 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. I also include
heavy vertical/horizontal clamping straps in anodized aluminum
that allow the sheath to be rigidly clamped to belt, webbing,
PALS (Pouch Attachment Ladder System), straps, body armor gear,
and anywhere there is a need. Also included are horizontal belt
loop plates, to allow the sheath to be worn horizontally along
the belt line. All of the mounting assemblies are reversible, as
is the spring retention for the tension-lock sheath, so the
versatility of this sheath is unsurpassed. It's also completely
and absolutely waterproof, for zero worry about exposure. The
knife can be unsheathed by finger pressure against the spring
tab, or by a hard pull in an emergency. Included are two extra
titanium springs, so my client can choose the tension he
desires, light, medium, or heavy, depending on the gear he
mounts it to, the angle and orientation, and his personal
preference for a pull-to-release tension. What a versatile
package!
- Sheath 2: This knife package also includes a
basketweave pattern hand-stamped leather sheath, made of 9-10 oz.
leather shoulder, dyed black and sealed. The sheath was included for
quiet operations, when moving against hard objects (concrete or
stone) could telegraph a position through noise. It's also
useful for traditional and conventional wear options. The sheath has a
double belt loop with high and low mounting positions, and the belt
loop is double-stitched throughout with the toughest polyester thread that is
water and sunlight resistant. The knife fits deep and secure into
the sheath, with the handle exposed and the back of the sheath
protecting the wearer. The sheath edges are dressed and smoothed for
comfort; the entire sheath is sealed for durability and longevity.
- 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 my
accessories, most of my accessories can be used on this sheath,
including any new ones I develop. At the request of the
counterterrorism professionals, this
knife comes with a full bunker of my attachment, wear, and useful
accessories, including:
Ultimate Belt Loop Extender
for lowering the knife handle position to the belt line and mounting the diamond pad
sharpener and the Maglite Solitaire LED
Horizontal Belt Loop Plates (for horizontal belt or webbing wear),
in black anodized 5052H32 aluminum alloy
Flat mounting straps (for rigid clamping to webbing, belts, or gear
in vertical or horizontal orientation) in black anodized 5052H32
aluminum alloy
Sternum Harness Plus (for wearing the knife diagonally,
handle down, across the
sternum, with full torso reinforcement straps)
LIMA and Solitaire (Lamp Independent Mounting Assembly with Maglite
Solitaire LED emergency back up light) and blackened stainless
steel mount
HULA and MagTac (Holder, Universal, Lamp, Articulating, a fully
functional main lamp with Maglite MagTac extreme intensity tactical
flashlight) frame in black anodized 5052H32 aluminum alloy,
articulating mount in blackened, non-reflective stainless steel
Lanyards (Adjustable 550 cord
and SCUBA rated)
All necessary stainless steel hardware, fittings, fasteners, and
tools for mounting, moving, and adjusting, all blackened for
flat, non-reflectivity
Containers: Tin-steel storage container for loops, LIMA, and Tools,
can for screws and hardware, heavy stitched embroidered canvas
drawstring bag
Archival and Instructions: Detailed Bio, Care
Sheet, materials sheet with instructional video links, instructions for sharpener, Maglite MagTac and Solitaire,
Archival co-extruded acrylic information plate
- Learn much more about my Counterterrorism Knives at this link.
- This is an extreme use, highly engineered and intelligently
developed tactical combat knife and weapon, with the toughest,
strongest penetrating point possible, and one of the finest
tactical combat weapons made in the world today, specifically made
for the world's most elite counterterrorism units. It is a great
honor for me to make these knives, respecting the very ancient and
most crucial relationships between weapons maker and warrior.
Thanks, J. A.!
Hey Jay:
I just opened my package and am completely blown away!!! Your craftsmanship and symmetry are incredible.
Your sheath work is fantastic.
Your tactical sheathes are perfect. The balance on each blade is so beautiful. Easy to translate grips and
move back and forth to the sheaths.
I enjoy showing off your detailed filework. Sets
each knife off for sure and shows how absolutely a perfectionist you are.
I am truly honored to own your blades. I will use them and protect them to ensure they remain ready for my
next generation!
Thank you so much for your work.
Best,
J
Please click on thumbnail knife photos