They seem to know how to make quality knives in the Czech Republic. Not too long ago, I did not know there were knives from there. Now I have knives from three really good brands with about the same geographical residence, in the area of Bohemia
One of them is Wulflund. They are not only known for knives, axes, and other edged tools. They also have shields, armor, and more on the program. Or by the way, everything that has to do with "re-enactment", "live" and other variants of historical re-creation. And then I mean EVERYTHING, from jewelry via musical instruments and clothes to tents and armor. It's just botanizing!
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| Wulflund Vengeance |
The range does not only include knife models with historical connections. They also have a range of highly competent throwing knives. The ones I intend to present here are called "Vengeance" and were designed by Adam Čeladin. To a large extent, they can be seen as a development of the thoughts found in AceJet's "Stinger" which is another Čeladin design. They, in turn, are inspired by another model, Tom Tom's "Arrow". A knife that can also be bought from Wulflund by the way.
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| A very capable knife, especially when it comes to No spin throwing |
Among Wulflund's throwing knives is another similar model called Top Dog. But the eye can deceive and there are actually differences between them, even if at first glance they look very similar. Vengeance is more symmetrical in its shape than Top Dog whose handle reminds somewhat of an "Osetr"-style knife. It gives slightly rounder shapes and a top and bottom that are not identical. This allows the knife to be turned depending on how much rounding the thrower prefers. The tips are not ground in the same way either. The dimensions themselves are otherwise almost the same both in terms of length and thickness. Vengeance is only a few grams lighter.
Appearance and dimension
Vengeance belongs to a category of knives that look like a hand-forged nail with a wide ass or possibly a strong tent pole. The length is 25 cm and the thickness is a whopping 8 mm, which gives a weight of 280 g per piece. When they are new should be added. Throwing knives tend to lose weight over time. Some wear and tear, especially when restoring tips, is perfectly normal. Mine is down to about 275 g at this point.
The distribution of those grams is very important for a throwing knife. In this case, most of it is placed against the handle just as the shape suggests.
The "blade" itself or the front part of the knife measures from 13 mm wide just above the "edges" to the handle which swells to 33 mm at most. It happens to be exactly the same width as the "Stinger" knives I previously reviewed. A certain comparison can probably therefore not be avoided, in addition, the models are far too similar. The thickness and maximum width are the same but Vengeance is longer and is slightly narrower at the front.
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| Vengeance is symmetrical and therefore there are no up or down |
The tip is also different. The chisel tip from Stinger is gone and here you have a kind of sharpening that is reminiscent of a double-edged dagger but with the exception that it is made from the flat side of the knife and not with an edge up and one down in relation to the handle that a traditional dagger has. In addition, they do not meet, which gives a much thicker and thus more durable tip. It can of course be sharpened to a needle tip if desired and it arrived quite pointy. But if you are training and do not have a facility that is perfect for the purpose at your disposal, there will be some wear on the knives and not least the tips. For that reason, I do not recommend sharpening them too much.
The edges themselves are only 65 mm long, which can cause some problems. By that, I mean that if this knife and others like it are going to be approved for competition according to Eurothrower's new rules* for "No spin", the edges must make up one-third of the length of the knife. This means in this case that the edges would need to be extended by two centimeters to meet that requirement. A little hard work with a file can certainly arrange that detail if it becomes relevant.
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| A close-up of the grind on the tips |
Nor are Eurothrowers' other requirements met by this model. The fact that the knife should have a "distinctly pronounced handle". However, it is fuzzy wording as many throwing knives do not have handles in any case. It would probably be enough to grind in some patterns at the back for it to count as a clear handle.
A third requirement is that the knives must have a width of at least two centimeters over a distance of 5 cm somewhere on the knife. Vengeance manages this requirement without any problems. The weight limit does not constitute an obstacle either, where the minimum requirement is 195 g for the class.
The strange thing is, however, that with the prevailing rules, there would be no problems using these knives for competition in rotational throwing. There, the rules only stipulate that the knives must be over 23 cm long and less than 6 cm wide. If you do not intend to compete, you can happily ignore these rules in any case.
Material
The Vengeance knives are made of Czech steel with the designation CSN1460 or 54SiCr6. I personally am not familiar with this particular steel since before but it is some kind of spring steel. And it appears as such. This means, for example, that it is very impact resistant. The tips of these knives have been in contact with concrete slabs in the garden, asphalt in the parking lot next door and not least each other. So the steel is obviously tough because despite the treatment there are tips left.
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| 8 mm thick spring steel simply won't break |
Like all spring steels, it needs to be dried and stored dry so as not to rust. Here, of course, the black coating the knives have received helps. But it is sanded away in spots when they are maintained with sandpaper, file, and stones to remove chips and smooth the edges after hitting each other.
The steel is like all spring steels from the beginning intended for cars and train carriages and the like and thus very durable but not the easiest to work with I have understood. It can help explain the price tag on the knives.
To Throw
Like all knives with this shape, they are clearly aimed at two types of throwing. Or really one and the other goes with the territory, so to speak. These are knives intended for No-spin, but because they are rear-heavy, they are also excellent for all types of half-spin, such as Military half-spin and Instinctive half-spin. The introductory text on the website claims that they are "perfect for any technique". That is a statement I do not completely agree with. They are more complicated to use for rotational throwing in my opinion. You CAN do it if you are good enough but that applies to everything with a tip.
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| Here is the balance point of this Czech projectile |
On the other hand, Vengeance is excellent for what it was created for, anti-rotation or "No spin". The balance point is found 9.2 cm from the rear end. The advantage of a rear-heavy knife when throwing without rotation is that it tends to stabilize during flight. Even if the "drop" is not perfect, the weight at the back makes the knife strive to end up with the tip first. Something that becomes very clear if you watch some slow-motion videos of throws.
Rotational Throwing
Although the manufacturer believes that you can also engage in rotational throwing with these knives, I claim that they are, if not unsuitable for that purpose, so very difficult to throw for the beginner. Then there is much better, as in more easily thrown knives for the purpose, in Wulflund's range. In that case, look at knives like Boar or Osetr .
There are several reasons why they are not optimal for rotational throwing. The main thing is that since the balance is rather sharply displaced away from the center, the point of rotation will not be the same as the center of the knife. It gives a different and more difficult-to-judge rotation. Another reason is that there is a big difference between how they feel to throw with a grip on the handle compared to a grip around the blade. It also makes the knife more difficult to throw with rotations. But of course, for those who are looking for an extra challenge, they are good. It was actually with these knives that I learned to throw rotational with rear-heavy knives.
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| Once the technique is mastered, Vengeance is actually very accurate even when rotating |
The trick is to throw one turn (from three meters) with a feeling that strives "forward" in the rotation, closer to the target. It takes some time for this knife to start rotating, but once it does, it does it quickly and the miss is a fact if you throw as "usual" with a more pronounced circular motion. At two turns, from a distance of four meters, a completely different way of thinking is required. Then it is instead a matter of throwing with a very short, round movement to get the right spin on the knife. If you use too much force or strive forward in that case, it does not work at all. But in return, you are rewarded with very solid sticks when the technique is correct.
But as I said, it requires two completely different ways of throwing which is not the easiest for the novice.
Half Spin
Like other knives of this type, Vengeance is not only adapted for No spin. Grasping the knife around the tip and aiming with the handle first in Military half spin (with a thumb on the blade side) or Instinctive half spin with a forefinger on the "backside" of the knife works just as well. I wrote the backside in quotation marks as the knife of course does not have one but is symmetrical. It is also a feature that during certain maneuvers makes the knife easier to handle. You never have to think in which direction you grab the knife, but it will always be right. Something that is especially good if you pull the knife quickly or twirl it.
When you use this knife, it does not feel like Stinger even though the look is similar. It is noticeable that this is a larger knife even if it's not with much. But the extra length means that the weight ends up a little further out. It also makes the knife rotate a little slower, which makes it easier to throw longer. In any case, this is how the knife is perceived, as better at longer distances. Calmer and slightly more predictable when in the air.
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| Different grips for Military half-spin depending on the distance. At shorter distances, Vengeance is preferably held further out on the blade, but even then pressure with the thumb is required for the knife to have time to turn. |
It is easy to throw with a half rotation of five meters with this knife. Rather, if you shorten the distance below four and especially down to 3.5 m, you have to add a little wrist when you throw "instinctive" to give the knife time to turn if you understand what I mean. Otherwise, it wants to go straight ahead and thump the board with the handle first. The weight also means that it tends to want to "climb" upwards during that kind of throw. To handle it, a firm index finger push is required.
The same actually applies to Military half spin, where at a shorter distance you have to move the grip quite firmly towards the tip and press with your thumb to turn the knife. That property is only positive in the case where it makes the throw easier to control.
Vengeance is also very easy to throw with both backhand and underhand throws thanks to the solid properties.
No Spin
It is of course with this technique that one finds the main strengths of Vengeance. As previously stated, the knife wants to straighten itself in the air, provided that you have given the correct guidance from the beginning. In addition, the weight of 280 g means that you do not have to use much power if you do not feel like it. The weight gives the knives a certain authority when they hit the target and they stick with ease and also very hard.
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| How I hold Vengeance for No spin techniques, at least with my nondominant hand |
It is noticeable that these knives favor a different technique than the one I use the most. Čeladin, who is behind this model, often throws with a lot of "slide", he lets his index finger slide along the back end of the knife. At least he does in his instructional videos. I tend to keep my index finger more still and instead press at the actual release. The difference is not entirely easy to explain but is there. But the techniques tend to mix a bit at different distances.
It is not how the knife appears in the air that is the problem in this case, but more that it is not completely easy to index. Vengeance is best held with the softly rounded back end inside the hand. But then it is important to bend the index finger at the right angle so that the distance and thus the pressure on the balance point will be correct. Sometimes the finger tends to move forward and then the knife becomes more difficult to master.
Then Vengeance is a model that is symmetrical, which entails both advantages and disadvantages. More precisely, it is about the knife being able to be thrown regardless of how it is gripped. There is no "up" or "down" which of course is good, especially if you juggle with the knife or pull it fast. But it also means that the handle or rather the rear end of the knife has the same rounding on both sides and thus does not give a different "push" in the index finger "slide" depending on how the knife is held. The thrower must take care of that detail himself.
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| These knives hit targets with authority |
The construction or rather the shape is the same as on the Stinger, but I still experience the smaller knife as easier to throw. In any case, at a shorter distance. It may be the small variations in size, weight, and balance that come into play. To get the throws correct with Vengeance, you have to push fairly firmly to achieve the required counter-rotation. This increases the risk of misses. I feel that it is not possible to be as "nonchalant" when throwing with Vengeance if the expression is allowed.
In return, Vengeance feels safer over longer distances. I find that it flies calmer and does not want to start rotating as easily. Now it should be added that my current record for No spin is a modest 8.35 m. Therefore it is lengths around seven meters that are referred to when I speak of distances.
Conclusion
Wulflund Vengeance is a rather special knife. Both in appearance and in how it behaves. However, the look is not written in stone as the model is available in several different versions. This is the basic version which is black and naughty. If price is not of interest and you feel like lively up your knife-throwing existence or just want a nice shelf warmer, these knives are available in various versions with etched patterns. And if that's not enough, they can also be had with details in bronze or even gold. Then we are not talking about training equipment anymore.
But even the simpler knives cost a penny can be added. Right now they can be bought at a reduced price, but even then they charge 258 € for a set. It is not on the cheap side but in return you get professional knives for your invested money. It does not get much better in the class simply even if there is no lack of competition. On the one hand, there are similar models from Wulflund themselves such as Top Dog and not least Arrow. The latter model can also be obtained from at least three different brands. Then, of course, there are other, similar knives on the market.
Vengeance, however, is not a knife that I unreservedly recommend to everyone even though they are very well made. Not because they are not good, because they really are! But because they require you to be technically savvy to get it right. It is especially the size and weight that contribute to that. To be of this type, they are quite large. No spin knives generally tend to be smaller than their rotational cousins. What size does, in this case, is that it requires you to be very determined on the release when you throw the knives. Otherwise, you will not be able to stop the rotation, there is some mass that must be counteracted.
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| Wulflund Vengeance designed by Adam Čeladin |
In the original version must be said. A version called Vengeance Slim has been released relatively recently. It is said to be for beginners as it is slightly thinner and also weighs a bit less. It gives lower momentum to control when the knife has started to move for the benefit of the inexperienced. It can be added that the model is also slightly cheaper.
However, it is not without advantages throwing a heavier knife either. It gives a calmer flight, more powerful hits, and more surface to put your fingers against when the knife is to be gripped and released.
If you know that you like heavier throwing knives that are focused on no spin and have disciplines like Walk Back and distance throwing in mind, these are the knives for you! However, with the reservation that they may not be fully approved for competition in Europe from this year onwards. But if you want solid training equipment, Wulflund Vengeance is an excellent choice!
Length: 250 mm
Width: 13/33 mm (at the beginning of the edges and at most over the handle)
Thickness: 8 mm
Weight: 280 g (275 at the moment)
Balance point: handle heavy 15,8/9,2 cm
/ J
* The rules apply from 2022 and can be read here:
* The rules apply from 2022 and can be read here:
https://www.knifethrowing.info/files/2022/Herrischried/rules/Rules_World_Championship_Herrischried_2022.pdf. However, they are notoriously difficult to find and if you Google Eurothrower's rules, you will come to an obsolete version from 2019. (The search was made in January 2022.) The rules are instead found under information for the upcoming World Cup which is to be held in southern Germany in August.
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