Alastor
"Alastor" Israeli Defense Force Tactical Combat,
Counterterrorism CSAR, Survival Knife
- Size: Length overall: 13.0" (33.0 cm), Blade Length:
7.5" (19.1 cm), Thickness: .240" (6.1 mm)
- Weight: Knife: 1 lb., 7.0 oz. (652 grams), Sheath (with extender, accessory package,LIMA, and Solitaire): 1 lb., 1 oz. (492 grams)
- Blade: ATS-34 High Molybdenum Martensitic Stainless Tool Steel, Hardened and Tempered to Rockwell C59, Bead Blasted
- Bolsters, Fittings: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel, Bead Blasted
- Handle: Gray and Black G10 Fiberglass/Epoxy Laminate Composite
- Sheath: Hybrid Tension-Locking, Black Kydex, Aluminum,
Stainless Steel, 6AL4V Titanium, Polypropylene and Nylon belt loop extender with
Fine DMT diamond pad sharpener, LIMA with LED Solitaire
- Knife: Alastor is an epithet for the Greek god
Zeus, an avenger of evil deeds, specifically, familial bloodshed. It
is appropriate for this fine, handmade tactical
counterterrorism knife that was designed with the input of, and
going to a man who serves in the Israeli Defense Forces. The Alastor
has the proven blade on my Argiope design, a long, deeply hollow
ground geometry with a thick and substantial spine to support it
that widens close to the handle. The grinds support a razor keen
cutting edge, with two inches of my large piranha serrations. These
are radically ground serrations, with alternating profiles of
rounded and squared flutes and flats razor sharpened for extremely
aggressive cutting with minimal snagging. The blade I made from
ATS-34, a high chromium, high molybdenum stainless steel known for
extreme toughness (resistance to breakage) at high hardness (and
high wear resistance). The steel is a trusted performer, and even
has extremely high heat resistance, without changing temper unless
heated over 1000°F (538°C)! This is a very durable blade,
and resistant to corrosion with minimal care. My client requested an
angled handle, with deep quillons rather than the typical finger
ring of the Argiope, providing a more forward reaching and
aggressive blade angle and improved grip. The tang is fully tapered
for great balance, and full, deep vine filework graces the entire
length, from spine to butt to choil. The handle is a study in deep
curves, simply melding to the form of the hand, with all surfaces
rounded, contoured, and finished for smooth comfort. The deep handle
has plenty of belly, and feels great in either forward or reverse
grip. The handle is bolstered with zero-care 304 high chromium, high
nickel austenitic stainless steel, secured with numerous
zero-clearance peened pins for permanence. The bolsters are wide and
solid, giving hefty bearing surface for the hand, and the front
bolster is entirely sculpted to extend up the spine and around the
radiused grind terminations. The rear bolster has a chamfered and
dressed through-tang lanyard hole 5/16" in diameter for easy
threading when extra security is needed in active, elevated, or
marine missions requirements. The bolsters are dovetailed and bed a
pair of super-tough G10 fiberglass-epoxy composite laminate handle
scales, sealed and bedded to the tang, secured with six 304
stainless steel pins. The knife feels imposing in the hand, a
serious piece of weapon and tool, with substantial blade mass and
the balance point right at the front quillon.
- Sheath: The sheath is one of my hybrid
tension-locking models, specially constructed for 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 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. Because of the variation of belt styles, these sheaths
are now furnished with several belt size options: one for thinner
but wider belts, one for thicker belts standard in much tactical
gear. On this particular knife, the belt loops have 6 different
paired locations with multiple combinations for versatile wear.
I've also included horizontal belt loop plates that allow the knife
to be mounted in line with belts, and flat belt/strap clamps that
allow the knife to be mounted in numerous positions, rigidly clamped
to the gear, Pouch Attachment Ladder system, and external vests of
body armor. All of the positions are reversible, as well. The knife
retention in the sheath is base on my hybrid tension-locking mechanism. This device is
custom made to fit each knife, and allows a lock pressure of 15-30 pounds to hold the knife in the sheath,
with several different titanium springs available to suit the owner.
The release can also be operated with thumb or finger pressure. 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 15-30 pounds of tension (depending on the spring chosen), the knife is unsheathed.
Simply put, the knife can be unlocked manually, or yanked hard and
unsheathed. 15-30 pounds is quite a bit of force, so the knife is
locked into the sheath unless it encounters 15-30 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, elegant, it's lightweight, it's
fast, and it's clean, and it's all non-glare.
- Accessories: This knife and sheath is made with
critical accessories, and I included my Ultimate
survival, counterterrorism, CSAR sheath belt loop extension. The polypropylene accessory is
waterproof, durable, and extremely stout, and lowers the locking
knife sheath to be worn in a more traditional belt position with
the knife handle at the
hip. The extension is mounted with counter bored and dressed 304 stainless steel straps and
stainless steel socket head cap screws attached to the existing stainless
Chicago screws, and the assembly is stiffened by multiple zigzag
nylon stitching to prevent the extension from folding, bending, or
collapsing when the knife is extracted from the sheath. The belt
loop is 2.5 inches wide for the widest of belts, and has a top
placement shock cord with snap retention to prevent the knife handle
from flopping around during active movements. Even the dot snap
assembly is all stainless steel. The shock cord is not for retention of the knife; this is done with the stainless
steel and titanium sheath lock. At the lower back of the extension I've included
a custom fit pocket for a DMT (Diamond Machining Technology)
Mini-Sharp diamond-nickel abrasive hone, to bring up the cutting
edge in the field with ease, even on this high alloy wear resistant
blade. These are great tools that can re-sharpen or just touch up
even the hardest tool steel edges, as they are surface-bonded
with diamond abrasives.
- LIMA back-up lamp accessory: The abbreviation
LIMA stands for Lamp Independent Mount Assembly. This is a small
but effective and critical accessory, and functions as a back-up for
the main flashlight or lamp my client uses, should it fail, lose
battery charge, or be lost. The LIMA is a holder made of
polypropylene and nylon for great strength and light weight, and can
be mounted in 12 different positions on the sheath body, and either
inward or outward orientations, for a total of 24 mounting options!
The mount is 304 stainless steel for zero corrosion and strength
concerns, and the lamp is Maglite's single AAA-cell LED technology
flashlight with special 304 stainless steel mount rings and
replaceable shock cord retainer. As a back-up, I can't imagine a
knife without this simple and effective lamp, which lights up the
scene and path with 37 lumens for nearly two hours. For a lamp this
small, it's quite a performer and the LIMA keeps it out of the way,
lightweight, handy, and secure.
- This is an extremely well designed and constructed professional
grade knife and tool, with outstanding features and accessories, one
of the absolute best available in the world today, an ultimate
counterterrorism combat tool and weapon with a critical and
essential accessory package.
Thanks, D. B.!
Hi Jay,
I came home yesterday, the knife was waiting for me since it arrived in Monday.
The knife and the sheath look great! The knife fits perfectly in my hand and the handle is very comfortable.
The blade is sharp and looks very aggressive. The sheath looks strong and very durable. The locking mechanism is
awesome!
This is by far the best sheath I have ever had.
Jay, thank you for this great knife, it's definitely a knife that I can depend my life on.
--D. B.
Please click on thumbnail knife photos