New Knives - Vulture Blades Smar 8

I promised there would be more from Vulture Blades, and now it's time. The reason I took an extra look at this specific model called Smar 8 is that it belongs to a type of throwing knife that is usually categorized as an "Arrow" type. The name is not particularly far-fetched, given the shape of the knife.*

My interest in that type of knife comes from the fact that my first real throwing knives** for No Spin, were of that type. It was with them that I learned the discipline that I later specialized in.

However, it is quickly apparent that the Smar 8 is quite different from those knives. The material is not the same, but above all, the model is smaller, lighter, and more similar to the original. They also have a completely different design on the tip. Therefore, it will be exciting to see how they perform! I suspect that they will have good penetration ability despite their small size. 

Vulture Blades Smar 8

In concrete numbers, this means a knife that is 210 mm long, 8 mm thick, and 30 mm wide at most. This gives a weight of around 190-195 grams. According to my scale, however, only 183 grams.

Fairly light, in other words. If you can divide No Spin knives into three rough categories based on weight, I tend to lean towards the middle/light nowadays. That is, preferably nothing over 260 g but also not under 200 g, normally. But there are always exceptions, and I suspect that these knives will be excellent for precision throwing at mainly shorter distances, say 3-5m. But that remains to be seen.

First day of testing! Smar 8 and a cup of coffee

Otherwise, it can be stated that the finish on knives from Vulture Blades is excellent. Fine surface area, really well-ground tips, and on the models that have holes, they are nicely beveled and polished. It is noticeable that a lot of time and work are put into the products from this company.

The material is the same Durostat 500 that is found right through the range. I don't know much about it other than that it is a steel with a high carbon content. When it comes to throwing knives, it is important to harden them well and then lower the hardness using heat treatment. What is good when it comes to regular knives is not when it comes to throwing knives. If the knife is too hard, it also becomes more brittle and risks breaking. That detail is definitely a watershed between simpler throwing knives and finer knives.

Now all that remains is to test these knives, and I will do that long and hard, rest assured! After that, you will get to know what I think of them!

/ J - back to the throwing roots

* One of the first named models was called just that and was designed by German knife thrower Thomas Thomas "Tom Tom" Hampich

** It happened to be the Acejet Stinger

#knivesandbikes #knivigtvarre