The ARK (Always Ready Knife) is a purpose-designed personal-defense knife conceived by U.S. Army combat veteran John Shirley and his friend Sam Owens. While deployed to Afghanistan, Shirley learned that an alarming number of U.S. personnel were falling victim to sexual assault, particularly while showering. Drawing from his knowledge of the Japanese martial arts and with the help of Owens’ skills as a craftsman, they developed the ARK as a lightweight self-defense tool that can literally be carried anywhere.
The heart of the ARK knife is its deeply curved clip-point blade ground from H-1 steel--a nitrogen-based alloy that is completely immune to rust. The curved edge packs impressive cutting power into the compact blade and the clip-point profile ensures a strong, extremely sharp point. The ARK’s fiberglass-reinforced-nylon (FRN) handle is molded directly onto the tang and features the Spyderco proven Bi-Directional Texturing pattern and an index-finger groove to guarantee a secure grip--even with wet hands.
To ensure universal carry, the ARK knife includes an injection-molded polymer neck sheath with a breakaway ball chain. Best of all, the ARK and its sheath together weigh only 2.0 ounces (57 grams), so you’ll hardly know it’s there--until you need it.
Specifications:
- Overall Length: 4.98 in.
- Blade Length: 2.65 in.
- Cutting Edge: 2.10 in.
- Blade Thickness: 0.08 in.
- Blade Material: H-1 Rustproof Stainless Steel
- Blade Style: Clip Point
- Blade Grind: Hollow Ground
- Finish: Satin
- Edge Type: PlainEdge
- Handle Length: 2.42 in.
- Handle Material: FRN (Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon)
- Handle Color: Black
- Weight: 0.90 oz. (Knife Only) 2.0 oz. (with sheath)
- Sheath: Custom Molded Boltaron Sheath
- Knife Type: Fixed Blade
- Brand: Spyderco
- Model Name: ARK (Always-Ready-Knife)
- Model Number: FB35PBK
- Designer: John Shirley and Sam Owens
- Made in Seki-City Japan