This is the Ventilator II from Darrel Ralph Designs. Weighing in at 3.93 oz, the 3.5” blade is CPM S35VN Steel with handles made from Carbon fiber at the front and Ti at the back side.
Additionally, it features a steel lock insert for ultimate wear, bearing pivot for a fast and smooth opening and a solid Ti clip.
In another case study in unethical behavior and theft, people in China and possibly elsewhere are making cheap, substandard copies of Darrel Ralph Designs Gunhammer. They have been seen on eBay and in some shops in Afghanistan.
A knock-off of DDR's Gunhammer. Be aware they're out there.
DDR says, “We’ve been trying to get these people to stop [but] they don’t care about intellectual property theft and they won’t respond to any communication. We filled out their [eBay’s] ridiculous forms and submitted them, but it was just a waste of time.”
Though the knives look and feel cheap, unless you know what to look for you might be gulled into putting money into one of these thieves’ pockets. First of all, no DDR knife is going to be sold for $10. Second, they look and feel cheaply made (they are typically much lighter than the real thing) and third, there are some cosmetic differences (including the placement of the name and initials). They know some of them are being made in China (having traced the first fakes to one ordered by a customer in Singapore) and possibly also Pakistan.
A beautiful example of a real DDR gunhammer.
DDR went on, “Unfortunately, there is not a thing we can do about it except flip them the bird. The cost of stopping them is extreme [and even then it wouldn’t be a permanent resolution]…there is no protection at all.”
DDR’s genuine work is on his website and Facebook page. Oh, and if you’re interested, DDR now has a knife blog.
-DR
