I first saw this knife online
some time ago. Like so many things, I was interested in it and bookmarked the
site. After a while, you end up with hundreds of bookmarked sites and the list
is so massive, you hardly ever go back to a majority of them.
So when I ran across the Easy
Stick Pro during another Internet surfing session, I was once again interested
in it. Partially because I was beginning to revisit survival equipment and this
knife has some interesting possibilities.
I’ve been throwing knives
for quite some time. I am limited as to what I can have where I live now, a few
years ago, I had a dedicated knife and hatchet throwing target in the backyard.
I had it suspended from an old tree. The target was a huge section of tree
trunk. It was almost three feet wide and about eighteen inches thick. I went to
the hardware store and purchased two huge eye screws and some rope and went back
home and started working on it.
I had to use a large
screwdriver in the eyes of the screws to wind them into place and once they were
in, everything was solid so I attached the rope and started to hoist it up to
chest/head level in the tree from a branch. Had to go in the house and call a
friend to come over and help me on that one. Once everything was solid and
secure, it was great!
I started out with a few Gil
Hibben throwing knives and a Cold Steel throwing knife.
In one month I ended up
destroying the laminated leather handle on an Estwing hatchet and had a lot of
fun throwing the other knives. There was nothing to destroy on the Cold Steel
and Hibben throwing knives. I went to a hardware store and purchased an Estwing
Shingler’s Hatchet after I busted the other one. I started throwing them all
of the time.
It took some trial and error
and I’m hardly an “Expert” at throwing edged weapons, but I am good at it
when I have had some practice and truth be told, I was a lot better back then
because I would throw anywhere from thirty to ninety minutes a day. It was a
nice way to unwind in the morning after work.
Sometimes when I was bored and
I could not sleep (I worked midnight shift), I would go out and throw for a
while and go back in and go to sleep.
After a while, I grew tired of
throwing knives and gravitated more towards tomahawks and hatchets. I enjoyed
them more because they hit like a ton of bricks.
While visiting a local knife
shop, I spotted a custom throwing knife by a Gentleman with the last name of
Bowen. I purchased that and that thing was an absolute joy to throw and it
rekindled the interest in throwing knives because it was substantial and fun to
throw.
Now, I cannot throw any of
these things where I live. My knives sit and gather dust because I cannot have
that kind of target where I live now.
That has changed as well with
possession of the Easy Stick Pro.
The first thing that strikes
me about the knife, on the subject of appearance and throwing them is this, this
looks like THE throwing knife for a city dweller for two reasons:
1. It is compact and you can
carry it without having a "Bowie" on your side.
2. You can actually throw this
thing in a basement without knocking holes in the wall because of the way you
have to throw it.
You throw this knife like a
“Pub Dart.” If you have a suitable (safe and durable) target, you could
throw these all the time in your house. In a basement with a low ceiling, no
problem there either! If you can throw regular darts and have a dartboard
mounted in your basement, you can get a better target and start throwing this
knife.
I know of people who throw
knives and hatchets in their little backyard, in a city environment. That has to
draw some attention! If you have the wrong kind of neighbors, they would
probably think you a nut.
This knife changes all of that
because it does not even look like a throwing knife and the motions to throw it
are different. Therefore, from a distance, it would look like you were throwing
a large dart.
I think that is a large plus
for someone who finds knife throwing to be relaxing. What many people consider
“crazy” others find an enjoyable pastime. It definitely has some appeal to
regular knife throwers although many of the “Purists” will find this knife
rather unorthodox.
After cutting the package open
and removing the knife, I was quite pleased with the feel of it. It looked like
a high quality item and the feel of it in the hand was that of a sturdy tool.
Brass is a metal that is
hardly used anymore. Everyone is going for lightness and many don’t understand
that Brass can be “High-Tech” as well.
There is a time to be light
and use something like Titanium, and there is a time to use a metal like Brass.
This is such a time. This knife has a unique balance and feel to it.
The knife simply did not
disappoint.
The shaft of the knife is
polycarbonate and appears to be very tough. People who hate plastic might not
like it but as far as I’m concerned, I would rather have something modern and
tough as opposed to something more traditional. That’s just me.
It comes as no surprise that
the Inventor of this knife,
Clyde Hoch, is an Archer. Look at the blade on this knife.
The idea of throwing a knife
in a Self-defense situation has been beaten into the ground. The primary line of
thought is, don’t throw away your only weapon.
That is very true. You should
not throw away your primary weapon unless not throwing it will get you killed, a
rare incident indeed. Right?
Not everyone is Sgt. Skeeter
Vaughn, after all…he killed a German Sentry in World War Two with a throwing
knife modified from a bayonet, incredible story.
The Easy Stick Pro would be
attractive to those people who believe that range is hard to judge in a fast
moving combat situation. This great little knife from Accuflight will fly
straight and not cartwheel end over end to the target, therefore, there is very
little “distance judging” involved with this throwing knife.
It is judging the distance
that makes knife throwing such a no-no to some people and it is hard to judge
distance but if it is a direct throw with no end over end revolutions of the
knife in mid-air, that negative aspect dissipates.
Knife throwing in combat can
start at face to face distance, almost touching each other, for if you execute a
Number One Cut, meaning, the cut begins high and to the right and descends to
low and left… If you let the knife slip from your grasp at the right moment in
that arc, it would strike the person point first. If the person moved back just
out of range of the edge and you let the knife go at the right moment, you could
thrust the knife into them.
Here is something that many
people do not understand. If you take a knife and thrust it into a piece of
wood, the knife will only go so far. You have to be strong and have a very
strong grip in order to get the point into the wood deeply. Reverse grip is
better, but you still have to have a lot of strength to do it. If you think that
throwing a knife in close quarters is “stupid” or would be
“ineffective,” go out and learn how to throw. Then throw that knife directly
into the wood from a short distance and in most cases you will find that the
thrown knife that results in a thrust is much more powerful than a “manual”
thrust.
A Number One Cut would be
Forehand, a Number Two Cut would be Backhand. This also illustrates the danger
inherent with striking or blocking a knife when someone is cutting at you, for
if you are successful in dislodging the knife, guess where it might be going?
Right in your face or neck if the arc of the knife had those areas as the
target.
In general, I agree with
people who promote carrying multiple edged weapons in hostile areas. I would
never tell someone, “Don’t carry that!” Nor would I tell them, “You
should not be carrying all of those!”
Every person has to make their
own, personal threat assessment and that should drive the decisions they make as
to what they carry and how best to use it.
In the Filipino Martial Arts,
there is growing interest in knife throwing, primarily due to the powerhouse of
Sayoc Kali. If you think that knife throwing cannot be effective and be a part
of your “web” of defense and offense, you need to read some of the blade
methodologies coming from The Sayoc Family Art. They eat, live and breathe
steel.
Most people that advocate the
thrown knife in combat also advocate carrying multiple knives and using them to
deal with multiple attackers, etc. There is a lot of food for thought there.
The Slap Check Throw could be
used in a defensive situation or in some type of survival situation for hunting
small game. You chamber for the throw and you use your off hand as a brake
against the forearm that will be throwing the knife.
In reverse grip, this would be
a vicious little weapon. You would not get the penetration of a regular knife in
reverse grip due to the shorter blade length, but it could play a role in your
defensive methods. There is nothing “nice” about using a knife on even a
brutal attacker, but you would have to use a weapon like this in an even more
aggressive manner.
The Easy Stick Pro could be a
useful tool in an ALICE Pack full of survival gear. I’m a firm believer in
cheating if you want to survive, if you are in a fight for your life, it does
not matter if it is a city street or the wilderness, you cheat. That’s why I
think survival kits should have hardware in them, hardware like wire ties, small
eye screws, finishing nails and small hose clamps.
This knife could be connected
to a pole to make a spear with ParaCord, but it would probably slip at the
moment of truth. Two small hose clamps would change everything and they take up
little space too.
If you were skilled enough,
you could take small game like squirrels and rabbits with this knife. I don’t
think it would kill like an edged weapon for the most part, but it would have
some penetration. It would kill in a clubbing fashion, an impact weapon.
These animals, like all wild
animals basically, are easily spooked. It would take quite some time to develop
that level of skill. But it is something to explore for those interested in that
sort of thing.
This knife could also be used
for a “Spring and Spear” type of animal trap or a pit type of trap as well
for those so inclined to attempt such things.
For one thing, it’s fun! For
some people, that is all it will ever be and I think that is perfectly fine too.
It could be a survival tool,
could be a street survival tool used in multiple attacker situations but you
really have to be skilled in all aspects of edged weapons in order to make this
a viable way of Self-defense.
Is there more? Yes there is…
Learning how to throw a knife
with speed, power and accuracy will carry over to other things even if you never
intend on carrying a knife to throw in a multiple attacker situation.
Projectiles are everywhere. We
are surrounded by expedient, Self-defense projectiles, if nothing else, throwing
the knife can give you the fun practice of learning to throw everything else
around you.
The mouse you use to navigate
the Internet, your computer’s mouse, it has a steel ball bearing in it coated
in some substance. I don’t know if it is latex of some type or what. It does
not matter. Rocks and gravel on the ground, cans of food in a grocery store
parking lot, coins in your pocket, dirt, sand, pens in your pocket. Steel ball
bearings, brass bearings, lead balls, lead fishing weights, nuts and bolts
carried for this specific purpose. Do you think you would be arrested for
carrying a few very large nuts or bolts in your pocket? These things when molded
into a system, a response plan, can save your life. Part of that plan is having
the unarmed combat skills necessary to back this sort of play.
Obviously, someone who has a
concealed carry permit or a badge, they can slag off on these sorts of things
because they have something that will launch bullets at attackers. What about
some of you who are in L.A., D.C. or NYC? A Handgun Permit is a little bit
harder to get.
Notice that I am not saying
that you only carry these things for Self-defense, they just give you an edge in
some circumstances. The benefit of knowing how to throw knives and all sorts of
other edged weapons can also give you the skill to throw just about anything
else you can get your hands on. The nice part of this is, you get automatic
feedback when the knife sticks right where you wanted it to go.
The Easy Stick Pro is supplied
with a simple leather belt sheath. It is a softer leather but it will do. I also
have a prototype Kydex Sheath that is excellent and can be used as a belt sheath
or neck sheath. There are plans to have the Kydex sheaths in full swing so you
should be able to get one as I write this.
I have had a terrific time
with this throwing knife. I was very rusty when I started out and just
remembered to follow the guidelines and starting thumping a dying tree with it.
If you follow the directions,
you will have success in the 90% + range with this knife. I’m not kidding you,
it is excellent. A brilliant design. It’s a lot of fun and it is harmless fun
too. This does not carry with it the stigma of “throwing knife nut in
backyard” but “pub dart thrower.”
Even I tried to throw it the
way I wanted to in the beginning with bad results. When I followed the
directions, this thing hums through the air and lands with a resounding thunk.
The Easy Stick Pro is
available for $24.95 at:
Let them know I sent you.
copyright 2003 DonRearic.Com