Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives

"Lynx" Custom Professional Tactical, Counterterrorism Knife

• Size: Length overall: 10.8" (27.4 cm), Blade Length: 6.0" (15.2 cm), Thickness: 0.211" (5.4 mm)
• Weight: Knife: 10.5 oz. (298 grams) Sheath HTL-TW: 9.5 oz. (269 grams), Leather: 6.0 oz. (170 grams)
• Blade: ATS-34 high molybdenum martensitic stainless steel blade, T3 deep cryogenically treated with triple tempering to 59.5 HRC, media blasted flat
• Sheath: Tab-wedge hybrid tension in kydex, anodized 5052H32 aluminum, blackened 304 stainless steel, anodized 6AL4V titanium
• Sheath: Hand-stamped black basketweave 9-10 oz. leather shoulder
• Hardware, Fasteners: 304 stainless steel, darkened, 6AL4V anodized titanium, 5052 H32 high strength aluminum alloy, anodized
• Duffle: 1000 Denier Cordura Ballistic Nylon, polypropylene, polyester, nylon, blued steel, embroidered tags
• Knife: Made for a great client to his specifications, this is my Lynx tactical dagger. This is a great knife, stout and compact, slender and serious, what we call in the field a "fast" knife. This is due to its compact size and light weight, and ability to be brought into action quickly and smoothly. I named this design the Lynx because of the dangerous speed and claws of the animal.
  • The Steel I chose for the Lynx blade is ATS-34, a high molybdenum martensitic stainless steel. The molybdenum aids in forming nucleation sites for complex carbide development, and when properly treated, increases the toughness dramatically, resulting in a blade that's extremely durable. This allows me to temper the steel at a higher overall hardness (59.5 HRC), producing a rigid blade. This also means great wear resistance and less sharpening throughout the life of the knife. The high chromium and high carbon results in profuse chromium carbides, increasing corrosion resistance as well as wear resistance. To bring this steel to its zenith, I used my proprietary T3 deep cryogenic process in heat treating this blade; it's a highly detailed, extremely sophisticated process that takes 33 individual steps and takes over a week long. The result of this is an incredibly wear-resistant blade that has extremely high carbide development, fine grain, and extremely high toughness. Asperity is reduced; the microstructure development is superior to any other typical handmade knife, and far above any factory or manufactured knife. This is, simply put, ATS-34 at its very finest advanced condition.
  • The Blade is a special shape, it's a tightly hollow ground dagger, what might be called a "spear" because the blade profiles are almost identical. It's the difference that matters, and the central spine apex is offset. This is called a "differential" grind. The main blade is razor keen and even, and is ground with an 8" contact wheel for a broader hollow grind, and thinner cutting edge. The top edge is hollow ground with a 3" contact wheel, for a tight radius, and high strength, and has my "microblade" serrations. These are small, extremely sharp blades spaced between alternating deeper scalloped cuts. These serrations are surprisingly aggressive, and not prone to hanging up or snagging. The blade has large quillons to protect the hand from sliding forward onto the edges. The dominant factor of this knife is the offset thick spine, with substantial strength all the way to the piercing tip. There is no flex in this blade.
  • The knife feels like a solid mass in the hand, yet the blade seems light and formidable. The balance point is exactly at the forefinger grooves.
  • The handle is all business, it's built on at tapered tang that has substantial thickness at the butt. The tang is fully fileworked with an aggressive "thorny vine" pattern for increased purchase and handmade distinction. The knife is bolstered with 304 high chromium, high nickel austenitic stainless steel bolsters for zero care, and they are dovetailed to bed a pair of very technical, high strength carbon fiber scales. The curve of the handle is just right; it is swallowed in the hand and feels solid and secure. The entire handle, like the blade, is media blasted for a flat, non-reflective finish.
• Sheath: NEW! The sheath is an advanced evolution of my hybrid tension-locking sheath, a wedge-opening model.
  • Materials: It's built on a frame of 5052 H32 corrosion-resistant high strength aluminum alloy welts. The individual welts are then anodized for a full mil of thickness, twice the thickness of typical anodizing. The anodizing creates a built-up near-ceramic hard surface on the aluminum, and it's entirely corrosion-resistant and non-conductive. It's permanently dyed (in black) and sealed with a solution that inhibits ultraviolet degradation of the dye and anodized surface. In fact, all of the aluminum components in this assembly are the same alloy and are treated this way; this is the most advanced condition that will even withstand marine use. The sheath front and back are double-thickness kydex, twice the thickness of typical knife sheaths, and the sheath is bonded with waterproof marine-grade cement and secured with darkened 304 stainless steel Chicago screws.
  • Layout: As with all of my sheaths, they are built on a 2.5" center hole pattern, so the components can be moved around an mounted in various positions on the sheath. As with all of my tactical sheaths, this one is completely reversible for as many wear options as possible. Most of my accessories can be used on this sheath, including any new ones I develop.
    • Horizontal Belt Loop Plates for horizontal belt or webbing wear, welded for ultimate strength and light weight, reversible, and in black anodized aluminum.
    • Flat mounting straps for rigid clamping to webbing, belts, or gear in vertical or horizontal orientation in black anodized aluminum.
    • Low profile belt loops (footman's loops): for tactical webbing belts with maximum .190" thickness and 1.5" width in black anodized aluminum
    • High profile belt loops (footman's loops): for tactical webbing belts with maximum .250" thickness and 1.5" width in black anodized aluminum
    • High profile wide belt loops (footman's loops): for tactical webbing belts with maximum ..250" thickness and 1.75" width in black anodized aluminum
    • All necessary stainless steel hardware, fittings, fasteners and tools for mounting, moving, and adjusting
  • Tab-Wedge (TW) Release: An advanced feature of this knife sheath is the security and retention mechanism. I've used my standard hybrid tension lock, so the knife can be retained with the pressure of an anodized 6AL4V titanium dog-leg spring, and I've included three of those so the user can choose which strength to apply. In an emergency, the ball and spring can be deflected with a hard tug, and I wanted to leave that choice to my client if he wished for a standard setup. However, because of the proximity of the serrations to the ball-lock, I've created the tab-wedge (TW) release to allow the ball to clear the knife blade area completely, with the pressure of the thumb. This also makes sheathing and unsheathing a one-hand certain operation. Here's how it works: when sheathed, the tension-lock mechanism works as normal. The knife is retained in the sheath by the pressure of the ball delivered through the titanium spring, against the inside curve of the bolster. When the user needs the knife, he simply pulls the tab toward his hand with his thumb, and the wedge lifts the titanium spring and ball away from the knife, clearing the blade, the serrations, and leaving the entire mouth of the sheath open. Then, the knife is unsheathed. It takes much more effort to describe it than to use it; the motion is natural with the thumb. You wrap your hand around the handle, pull-flip the tab-wedge, and extract the knife. Reinsertion is just as simple; you slip the knife in the sheath (as the ball and is completely out of the way) and then use the thumb to push-swivel the tab forward, closing the ball on the thumb rise, and locking the knife in the sheath. Because I've built these sheaths to be completely reversible, I've included two tab-wedges, one for each side. If my client wants to forego the locking-tab-wedge entirely, he simply replaces the post mounted to the rotating tab with a standard Chicago screw post, and he then has the typical hybrid tension-lock. However in this design of knife, the serrations may contact the ball and this will not be a good outcome. It won't hurt the blade, but the ball will be damaged. In an emergency, the owner probably won't mind, as he needs his knife immediately, so I left that option. Improving this design is representative to my commitment to excellence in service to the people who purchase and depend on these knives, and it's an honor to design these for the hardest of environments and use.
• Sheath: Black basketweave leather is a classic, and this is a special one. Because this knife is double-edged and frankly, dangerous to contact at the blade, I've designed and made an extremely deep and protective leather sheath, hand-stamped basketweave pattern, double row stitched it throughout with polyester high strength thread, dyed it black, and finished it with lacquer. This is a tight, deep sheath, not one the knife will easily be removed from, for a reason. That reason is that the protection of the wearer is the first concern in the building of a knife sheath, so it's built around substantial welts and made of 9-10 oz. thick leather shoulder. It takes a manly hand to unsheathe the Lynx, and that is how it should be on this type of knife. Even the belt loop is tough and double-row stitched for strength.
• Containers, Instructions, Archival: included are tin plated steel containers for the fasteners and hardware, and the instructions for the rig including a checklist for the kit. Included is an engraved co-extruded acrylic archival plate.
• Mini-Duffle: One thing I found out over the years was a need to store these components that was as tough and durable as what they contained. This is why I make the duffles, in my studio, by hand. I make them in 1000 Denier Cordura ballistic nylon, which is coated on the inside with polyurethane for moisture resistance. This is some very tough stuff, and I triple-stitch the seams, all in heavy polyester thread. I've included steel D-rings at the zipper stops on the ends for several reasons: to mount accessory straps or carry options, to clip accessories, and to oppose the zipper when pulling open. Otherwise, you have to pinch the material to open the zippers with one hand and pull the zipper pull with the other. I've used double zipper pulls. The design of the duffle is a box-end, so that the duffle stores neatly, and it's not too big but accommodates the kit well, with some room to spare. It has my "Jay Fisher Knives" embroidery, and opposing that is a hook and loop stitched tag mount, with a removable embroidered identifier of the knife pattern. This is important when clients have more than one knife. These duffles are so great, I have clients buying them alone without a knife, for their friends and other stowed gear!
• The Lynx is a great custom tactical and counterterrorism knife, complete with professional gear.

Thanks, P. K.!