JM 1ST APPROACH

We often get asked to explain the differences and similarities among the different models of the Kimura Balisongs by Bradley cutlery. Hopefully we can clear up a little confusion here. All of the Kimuras are manufactured for Bradley Cutlery by Kershaw knives here in the USA. The original model (Kimura I) had a different handle design and is no longer in production. The current models are all stainless steel, with skeletonized handles to help reduce weight. The latch is not spring loaded, and the only difference is the blade styles. They weigh in at 5.4 ounces, have a 3.75" Blade and are 4" closed. They are about an inch wide and 3/8" thick. They use torx fasteners to hold them together and feature bronze phosphor bushings to keep the movement smooth. The Kimura II features a Drop point style blade (the top of the blade curves down to the point, creating a stronger, but less needle-like point) The Kimura III features a Tanto Style blade (this blade has a chisel-like grind and is supposed to have great piercing ability while still retaining high tip strength) The Kimura IV features a clip-point blade (this blade appears to have a piece removed from the top near the tip, giving it a sharp, pointy tip, great for piercing, but you sacrifice a little tip strength with this style.) In addition to these styles, there are also occasionally special limited editions of the knives offered. The last edition was a polished version, and soon there will be a Vib coated version released (this is the multi-colored titanium coating Kershaw offers on a few of their knives.)

ESEE knives (formerly RAT Cutlery) makes some pretty great knives. Geared toward Military, Police, and outdoorsmen, these knives are all hand assembled, to ensure a perfect fit between blade and handle. The design is well thought out, and they even include a great fitting Kydex sheath (excluding knife only models for those who like to make their own sheaths.) There is a great variety of styles and options, ranging from the arrowhead to the large Junglas Machete. Everyone is sure to find something they can be comfortable using. While cruising around the ESEE website, we found this video showing just how amazing a properly heat treated blade made from 1095 can be. While it's corrosion resistance is not spectacular, with proper care, that should not be an issue. The big point is, these knives are nearly indestructible. ESEE believes in their product so much that they have an unconditional lifetime warranty. If your knife breaks, bends, chips, whatever- they will replace it for you. This does not cover regular wear and tear, so if you wear one out, consider yourself lucky, and buy another. But if anything else happens, do not worry, they have got you covered.

With the long, hot days we have been experiencing lately, it is hard to deny that summer is most assuredly here to stay. While there is nothing major to discuss at this moment in the knife world, the rumor mill is going crazy and the near future is bringing many new and improved products. Manufacturers like Kershaw, Pro-Tech, Bradley, CRKT, and more will be introducing knives that have all of us quite excited, so keep reading for official announcements in the next few weeks.

It is this time of year we gather with family and friends to reflect upon the great blessing we have in our lives which is our freedom. Please do not ever forget what was required to achieve this, and also commit to yourself that you will do whatever is needed to retain this amazing gift that so many others would love to have in their lives. We are grateful for those who are willing to make personal sacrifices to ensure the safety and well being of their family, friends, and even complete strangers. Thanks to all of you. Big news coming tomorrow, watch for the announcement on facebook or twitter!

Recently the guys at Pro-Tech released a new model. The TR-4 is the newest model in the Tactical Response lineup. This is exciting news because this knife ushers in a new feature never before implemented in a Pro-Tech automatic. In addition to an integrated pommel, designed for use as a glass breaker, the TR-4 features a safety switch. We should be getting our irst shipment of these in about a week, so keep your eyes out!

Folks, if you did not know, we have a small amount of limited edition Bradley Kimura balisongs. These have the same great construction as the originals, but with a high polish finish. Production on these was limited to 100 pieces total (that is for all types not each blade shape) And they are priced quite reasonably. Pick yours up before they are all gone.

Just a few items worth mentioning from the blade show last week, Pro-Tech knives won the investor collector knife of the year with their Ultimate Don (this is an amazing knife and it is no surprise it won.) Spyderco won the most innovative American design with their Translucent handle Manix 2. The Manix 2 is a great design, there are still rumors going around whether this production knife is going to have a full flat ground blade or if they will stick with the saber ground. (I think it will be a winner either way with its super strong lock mechanism and FRN handles. Kershaw won the American mase knife of the year with their tilt design and a Ken Onion design won Imported knife of the year (the Columbia River Knife and Tool Eros.) A big congrats out to all these winners and all I did not mention. The work you put into your knives is what makes this such a great industry to be a part of.

Reaper87xx recently won a contest we put out, he was the first person to call in after we launched the new website. After posting this great video showing off the knife and thanking us, we got an idea. (thanks BTW reaper, we appreciate the good publicity) To help our freinds have more input on knife reviews, and to help promote our new (almost finished) customer rewards program, we are going to offer rewards points for customer submitted knife reviews. Here is how it works: Shoot a knife review video, try to make it a knife we have not featured yet, or highlight something you really like or dislike about a knife we have reviewed (we are going for new material and information here, we do not need videos covering stuff we have already discussed.) In the video, make sure to mention that you are doing the video for notyourmamasknives.com. Email the video to us (store@notyourmamasknives.com) and when we use the video, you will get 100 points added to your customer rewards account (the same as if you had spent 100 dollars on our site)

We are eagerly anticipating the Blade Show this year as it should bring many new and exciting product announcements as manufacturers are ready to resume business as usual. Look for updates on Facebook as soon as we hear them, and expect large quantities of products- new and old- to be delivered in the coming weeks following the show.

By now hopefully you have all noticed some huge changes in out website from the previous version, and we are really proud of what we have accomplished so far, but rest assured it is only going to keep getting better. This blog will serve as an information hub, to let you know what is new, improved, or just news we think is exciting. So check back often for updates. We are also fairly active on Facebook, when knives come back in stock, or new products are released, we like to announce them on that site. For today, We wanted to talk a little about what makes the new site so much better than the other sites out there. Our favorite feature is the advanced search and compare items options. You can look for knives based on blade size, type, handle color, blade material, or a number of other options. When deciding on a knife, simply click on "add to compare" and you can compare up to ten items with all major specifications side by side. Instead of remembering specifics- say weight or blade length- and switching back and forth between pages, you can now do it with a click of the mouse. The wish list is also invaluable for knives you want, but can't justify purchasing quite yet. It will save all the knives you want to look at a later date, and you can add them to your cart when ready. There are many other things we are working on to make your experience the best possible, watch for updates often.

Over the past few years we have REALLY GROWN! And during this growth some of our customers have loved us and other have hated our guts. However, both parties have been quick to offer suggestions on how we could be better and we have been carefully taking notes. A few months ago we hired Jake who has taken over customer service and made it significantly better, and while he has been working on that we have been building our new site. We took all of your suggestions and have used as many of them as we possibly could. What you will find is a website designed specifically for knife lovers.

Here is what we are doing different:
1. Your card does not charge until the item ships.
2. You will now be able to compare products side by side with each other, comparing details for details. This feature will get better as we continue to rewrite every product description that we have. (This will take a few months)
3. Our newsletter subscribe/unsubscribe actually works.
4. You can now check out as a guest without us saving any of your information except the address. (We have to ship it to you somehow)
5. We have added a wishlist so as you move through our thousands of products you can create a list to come back to in the future.
6. We believe that our new advanced search is the BEST in the industry.
7. We now offer a gift certificate system
8. As part of the redesign we created a "mobile" version of our site so that those with smart phones or ipod touches can use their phones to search our site without being required to use the full version.
9. Much better internal tracking system so that you can track your UPS shipments right on our website.

We hope that you enjoy our new site and we look forward to your feedback in the coming years. Please note that we are listening and doing everything we can to keep our customers happy as we continue to grow in the future!

Sincerely,

Not Your Mamas Knives Staff