Blade Rigs

Development & Creation of the BloodShark:

There’s been several people asking exactly how BladeRigs has ended up selling BloodShark knives and sheaths.

The excerpt below is written by Sayoc Full Instructor Victor Wong & answers many of the questions that have been coming through email and popping up on forums.

“The recent Sayoc Bloodshark that were sold on the BladeRigs site are authentic contract over runs made by Salient Arms/Strider Knives. There are slight differences in the 2 types of blades; mostly due to the fact that TD’s version is essentially a custom hand-made blade while those made by SA/SK is closer to a production blade. But make no mistake, the SA/SK were issued to end users as part of an official contract.

When Sayoc Tactical Group started contracts to train various entities, students would often ask “what type of blade” they should get. As part of the civilian curriculum, Sayoc does not usually recommend a blade because it is felt that students should invest their time and energy in to the training and then determine their own requirements for “what type of blade” suits them. But this process can take years and the contracts taught students in blocks of days or even hours. So reluctantly, Sayoc Tactical Group decided to make a blade that would suit the requirements of its clients.

One of the original features specified for the Sayoc Bloodshark design was that the blade should be part of an overall package that included a live blade, a trainer and a sheath that would work for both. TD was asked to make the blade because at the time he had expressed an interest in knife making and the Sayoc organization thought it would be beneficial to keep production of the blade in-house rather than outsourcing to an existing knifemaker (as was later done when Sayoc collaborated with Daniel Winkler on the RnD Hawk).

It is not that Tracker Dan was sought out to make the blades so much as he was given the opportunity to make them… this included feedback on not just the blade design, e.g. grind angles, steel selection, and heat treatment but also on the requirement for the sheath and trainer, e.g. sheath needed to be secured even if user was not wearing a belt, trainer needed to be “thick” enough not to accidentally impale a student.

Initially, the concept was that the students would receive the blade package on Training Day 1 and be able to use the trainers and sheath throughout the course. Where this broke down was when STG became dependent on Tracker Dan to manufacture and deliver them before the contract started. This was almost never accomplished.

From Tracker Dan’s POV, he was not given enough notice and he had to float the money for the materials and there was always the possibility that the contract could be cancelled (funding pulled, students deployed last minute). So Tracker Dan would wait until the contract was confirmed and then attempt to make as many as 20 plus blades with trainers and sheaths on short notice. The process of having blanks water-jet cut, finished and then heat treated also dragged out the turnaround time. So it became common for students to receive the blade packages on day 4 or 5 of a 5 day contract with the students having little to no time actually training with this. In some instances the blades were not received before the contract was completed.

To answer some of the points made by other posters, the Bloodshark was never officially licensed by Tracker Dan because it was not his design to be licensed. He was not awarded a contract for the Bloodsharks, STG was and subcontracted the manufacture of those blades to TD. When Tracker Dan was consistently unable to meet the timelines as specified in contracts; STG looked for an alternative.

Just to clarify, Blade Rigs is not making the latest generation Sayoc Bloodshark, just the sheaths and they handled the contract over-run sales for Sayoc Tactical Group.

Salient Arms/Strider Knives made the latest batch of Sayoc Bloodsharks and in my opinion is of better quality due to the manufacturing and heat treating capabilities of Strider Knives.

The design of the Sayoc Bloodshark has always been a Sayoc Tactical Group design and the SA/SK is built to “improved” specs based on feedback from users.

Hope that helps.”

BloodShark Knife with Bladerigs Kydex Sheath

Recent history on the BloodShark:

Over the past year or so there has been a lot of buzz about the BloodShark knife. This buzz has only gotten louder this past week after Tom Kier & Kyle Defoor’s Pistol/Blade Integration class.  For the first time in a while, civilians were able to purchase some of these superb knives & sheaths. Blade Rigs is proud to announce that we can extend this opportunity to a few more lucky customers. BladeRigs has been able to secure several surplus BloodSharks that became available upon the completion of a recent Sayoc Tactical Group military contract.

Blade Rigs became involved with these knives in 2011 when the previous maker was no longer able to keep up with demand. Sayoc Tactical Group sourced  Salient Arms & Strider Knives  for the production of the knife itself & Blade Rigs has been responsible for producing hundreds of these sheaths since 2011.

BloodShark & Bladerigs sheaths for STG

These packages are sought out by everyone who is looking to supplement their firearms with an edged weapon, and thats exactly what these were designed for. These knives and sheaths are small enough for anyone to be able to integrate them into their carry rigs, but they are large enough to get the job done, as the 3 inch drop point blade can reach most any target in the human body. The handle keeps the footprint minimal, but at the same time provides ample grip surface. The flared shape at the end of the handle lends to quicker draw times & the finger groove up front allows users to, without looking, index the orientation of the edge. Most production knives are just not this well thought out, this  package is different because it is designed not by knife makers, but by knife users. Feedback between Sayoc Tactical instructors and Military end users is what makes this a great system. This loop of feedback encourages designs to evolve & change over time. STG  already has a new design in the works that will replace the BloodShark.

That being said, these are the last few authentic Sharks that will be available. If you have been thinking of adding one of these to your toolbox, act now!

Available HERE!

Cold Steel Braveheart knives, paired with our highly functional, KYDEX sheaths.

Cold Steel Bravheart w/ KYDEX sheath

The Cold Steel Braveheart has long been a great option for an economical fixed blade for Military,LEOs & CCW, however, as with most other production blades, the factory sheath is the biggest shortcoming. Standard plastic clips & tight retention make for an impractical & unreliable draw. Those who have actually taken some time to practice these things could attest that  plastic clips oftentimes don’t catch onto whatever they are clipped to. They leave users coming out of their draw-stroke with a blade that is still sheathed. Our sheaths remedy this with hooked metal clips & hand tuned and tested retention. Just like a high-end KYDEX holster, Blade Rigs sheaths offer the prefect balance of speed & retention. Our sheaths are also finished with some of the smallest rivets in the game, they cut down on the bulk  making them the most comfortable & low profile way to carry a fixed blade knife.

Another shortcoming we can address is the Braveheart’s handle design. The handle is completely symmetric while the blade has the edge on only one side, leaving users without any point of reference as to which direction their edge is oriented. This blade also lacks any sort of guard, “riding the blade” would be possible if any hard surface was accidentally struck. We can remedy both of these issues by cutting an index finger groove, as seen above. This feature can be added to your purchase as a +$20.00 option.

550 cord wraps are another available upgrade. This wrap adds a “single ridge” to one side of the blade that can be used as another way to index edge orientation. Wraps also add a little “bite” to the gripping surface & gives your blade a custom look… if that really matters to you…

Hello All,

Were going to have the chance this weekend to press out some bodies for Glock 19/23 and 1911 holsters. The bodies will be pressed this Saturday and the rest of the holster will be finished up during the course of the next week or two, depending on the volume of this initial order. Access to these pistols, for pressing and testing reasons, will be limited so we will need to have all orders placed by this Friday at midnight if you want to get in on this first batch.

Glock mag pouches have just been added to the BladeRigs store!

These pouches are designed around a standard Glock 17 magazine, however they will fit all Glock magazines that share the same outside dimensions. The pouches are made of super durable 1/8th inch kydex, which allows for smooth fast reloads, and also keeps the mag secure so it’s there when it counts. Setting these apart from other kydex mag pouches out there, is the super low pro design that saves valuable real estate along the users belt line. BladeRigs Glock mag pouches are also ambidextrous, these will work equally as well for both left handed and right handed shooters, and for those who prefer bullet tip forward or backward. Order yours to fit any belt size from 1.5-2.25inches, or upgrade to a MOLLE lok for use on vests and warbelts.

Click pics to order!

The most low-pro knife and kydex sheath combo yet! Read more & place your order HERE.

Blackjack Grunts with BladeRigs kydex sheaths now available!  Head over to the STORE and order yours today.

Now taking pre-orders for Blackjack Grunts with kydex IWB sheaths. Order yours now and get in on the first batch, which will ship within the next two weeks.

Now taking orders for SOG Mini-Pentagon sheaths!

Get equipped to get your blade into the fight just like the US Navy SEAL who ended this week’s unfortunate encounter with pirates. Firearms aren’t enough. This is evidence that even modern combat gets close enough for edged weapon confrontations. If you have invested in a sling for your rifle, or a quality holster for your pistol, than why not invest in a kydex sheath to keep an edged weapon equally as secure and accessible?

Mount these super low-pro 1911 mag pouches to any MOLLE gear with the new MOLLE Lok option.