What's a dream? No, I mean what do you call a dream? In M1911.ORG, I have a page dedicated to my dreams, things I would like to own, but most probably I will never do. In that page, you will find almost everything, from cars I admire, to airplanes, pistols, electronic gadgets, etc.

One of the things I've listed there, in the past (as a dream) was an Emerson CQC-7B. Not being a knife technology expert, I look at knives with a special perspective. I try to understand the ideas that lead to the creation of that particular knife, and I also look at the esthetic result that the creator managed to give. Well, I just liked the looks of the CQC-7 and I liked what I read about Mr. Ernest Emerson, in an old issue of American Handgunner.

As you can read in that page (and probably elsewhere in this site), the CQC-7 has ceased being a dream, quite some time ago. I finally got one, and it now keeps me company in my right trousers pocket.

When Brownie and me decided to start this site, we thought that it should be based on M1911.ORG successful design. It should include first of all, all fighting folders in the market (if this is possible) and also as many technology articles as possible, which will provide web surfers with a single, complete reference on fighting folding knives. So, when I started creating the first pages, I was doing some research to find material for this site. It was around that time, that I fall in love with some knives, which greatly depart from the folders I traditionally liked until that moment.

Until then, I liked tanto blades. I do not know why, but I was totally sold to tantos. Most of my knives are equipped with such a blade. Then, I noticed one knife, which draw my attention. I first laid eyes on it, while browsing through an issue of American Handgunner. There was an article written bt Pat Covert, titled "Texas Steel", where the creations of a certain Brad Duncan were shown. And there was a lovely folder, called "Whiplash", which draw my attention.

The Whiplash didn't have a tanto blade (although it is available, it was not a tanto knife that draw my attention). It had a wide, strong drop-point blade. There was something about that knife that made it very attractive, a sense of strength and purpose. The wide blade should be very strong, enough to guarantee that it will withstand all cutting chores that its owner will ask from the knife to perform. All Duncan's knives shown in that article shared one common thing that I like these days. They are made with plain blades, no serrations. Now serrations can be fine in a utility knife, allowing you to cut wires etc., but for a defence knife, a fighting knife, I think that they are useless. Serrations drag on clothing, thus limiting the depth of the cut. A superficial flesh cut does nothing to stop an attacker, it just makes him more angry, thus more dangerous. The blade is 3.5" long with a wide hollow grind and is made of steel like BG-42, 440V and 154CM. Brad is also offering the knife with a non-steel alloy called stellite, that is rumoured to be 100% corrosion resistant and has edge-holding characteristics better than those of the best stainless steels in the business.

Another interesting thing about this knife is that it features what Brad Duncan calls "The Whiplash Quick Release System", a specially designed sealed bearing mechanism, that allows the blade to pivot open, with unbelievable speed and swiftness. There is no spring to assist the blade as it opens, but due to this mechanism a trained user can obtain results equal to those of an automatic knife (Brad offers double-action knives, as well, those which can be either opened manually or with the assistance of a spring).

The liners of the Whiplash are 0.070" thick titanium, which saves weight, but also gives the knife a pretty strong locking mechanism. The same material is used for the bolsters, while the handles can be of various materials such as G10 (in different colors), carbon fiber, etc.. A correctly mounted pocket clip, allows carrying the knife in a tip-up fashion in your pocket. The clip is mounted at the very edge of the knife, so carrrying it in your pocket will be totally discreet.

There is also a Mini Whiplash with a 2.5" blade and a simplified frame locking one.

Brad's Whiplash instantly became a dream! If only ....

My only problem is, that the Whiplash costs 475 US$, which at the moment (with the twins etc.), put it outside of my reach.

Well, if it was not that expensive, it wouldn't have been dreams, would it?

Here are some more pictures of the latest Whiplash models:

Back to John's folding knives collection page

Back to Folders-R-Us.ORG introductory page