Columbia River Knife and Tool's 2906 Otanashi NOH Ken Tactical Folding Knife by James Williams

Of all the James Williams crkt designed folding blades in the hissatsu family, the otanashi noh ken is a perfect balance of the blades design, size both the thinness, width and length. It rides deeply in the pocket to being almost invisible but when you slip it out and flick it open you see the size and just how "right" it feels.The blade shape and overall size put it very near any of the cold steel 5 1/2 " inch folders so it is intimidating and the eye see's it quickly. The framelock concerned me, as I am very used to the seemingly unbreakable triad lock on cold steel folders and watched a youtube video of the otanashi noh ken versus a cold steel recon 1 and the otanashi noh ken the lock with the lawks on gave in at 135 pounds. but this is more than strong enough for what it's designed for, which is to deploy it immediately and defend yourself. Compared the the hissatsu folder even though the added length of the blade isn't huge, but with the handle size and extra bit of blade it is far bigger, the extra length of the blade is all curved for a good slash and the point is able to go very deeply into flesh or anything not too hard I did see it driven through 1/4 inch plywood and it was fine afterwords. As I look at it now, the thinness makes it so easy to be carried and has no print really, some folks wish it had the auto lawks in this one but that would add a more width which is one of it's great points and manually pushing it forward is easy though even if you don't the lockup is very tight. If you like this design of knife and like a good larger folderdon't hesitate to buy one of these it is an awesome folder!

As a big fan of knives naturally this one caught my attention. It is purpose built. Not a edc utility knife. This is a god forbog you should need it life saving tool. To that end I think it's well designed. Aus 8 steel is pretty average but it's intended purpose it would excel. The point is needle like but feels like it is sturdy. The handle feels great in hand and the safety lock functions well. I'm not normally a fan of a safety lock on a knife but on this one it feels right. As for price....once you have it in hand you will know you made a good choice. Pictures do not do it justice. This blade makes most of my others jealous AF. As a cold steel fan boy for many years it takes a special design to get me to branch out to another companies offerings. And lastly it carries so well you almost forget it's there. Very deep pocket carry.

The Otanashi Noh Ken, or translated roughy from Japanese, "Silent Sword" is a real piece of work. Much like a sword, it is rather big in hand compared to other pocket knives and has a great elongated blade to boot. The clip on the back of the handle is very sturdy and could attach to virtually anywhere flat, for me at least. Some days I would carry it in the cuff of long pants and it would stay in all day despite all the weight of it pressing down. Near the clip, the bottom of the handle is almost completely flat and non-reflective, which is ideal for concealment. As I previously stated, you can carry it in a lot of places.Now, blade durability. The 4.6" black blade is pretty durable/reliable. Some of you may be thinking this looks more like a filet knife, but let me assure you that you can cut much more than fish with equivalent efficiency. So far I've field tested the Otanashi Noh Ken on hard plastic, tree branches approximately 2-5" in diameter, and various paracord. It has yet to dull significantly on me. As it does say "High-penetrating point" or something similar in the features, the statement is more than correct. Anything you can cut with this you can pierce, as the tip is phenomenal in sharpness, blade likewise.Bottom line, if you're looking for an EDC large and mean blade, then this is for you. I can't say how well it would fare in self-defense however, as I haven't really been mugged anytime recently, but from intuition I can hypothesize that you would be better off with it in hand than not (Then again, this was designed by a martial arts master, so I'll leave up its lethality to speculation) Like knives? Get-this-blade

Well made and tailored to it's purpose.Unlike many other folding knives the Otanashi Noh Ken has a longer blade for an extended reach.The knife is well constructed, solidly made and pays mind to your grip placement. There is an additional blade lockout feature that prevents the blade from inadvertently closing.My only suggestion for improvement would be a "button hook" on the blade to assist in opening it with a fabric snag as opposed to your thumb.An excellent value for the quality one receives.