The ETS Surgeon blade project was designed based on our collective experiences carrying, using, and abusing knives from various manufacturers on the market. We incorporated the best characteristics and design features from other well-respected blades into the Surgeon in order to bring you what we feel is the most effective CCW sized production blade for a combative everyday carry, concealment, and deployment.
 
We started from the ground up with a deep focus on optimizing the blade as an extension of the forearm and wrist from a biomechanical viewpoint. With these biomechanical parameters in mind, we specifically designed our handle to taper wider towards the blade to prevent the hand from sliding forward onto the blade edge during thrusting, meanwhile, also maintaining an effective finger choil for comfort and control. The swell of the handle allows the user to have positive control of handle/blade twist during the penetration of certain anatomical cavities.
 
The punyo is rounded off at the butt end for comfort when palming the handle and avoiding hard corners that can catch clothing and cause unnecessary printing. When using a reverse grip, the design structure allows equal engagement of the strongest muscles in the flexor compartment, enhancing stability of the wrist joint; keeping it in-line with the forearm for powerful thrusting maneuvers. The rounded punyo allows engagement of the thenar musculature and strong placement against the thumb IP joint and distal phalanx to prevent the hand from riding forward during thrusting. The hooked feature of the punyo also ensures a quick and efficient reverse grip draw from the sheath, as well as assisting the user in retracting during thrusting. The Sculpted Viper handle is made of textured G10 material with deep grooves providing 10 different friction points to grab the hand so the user maintains a positive grip pressure during use while also remaining comfortable to the user both in hand and when rubbing against the body during carry. All of our handle scales are CNC machined to provide consistency between each blade produced.
 
The Surgeon's 3.35" spear point blade is produced utilizing CPM 154 stainless steel manufactured by Crucible Industries(US). The stainless steel water-jet blanks are then professionally vacuum heat treated and cooled to a Rockwell Hardness of 59-60 to provide maximum toughness as desired for a defensive blade. Designed with the center axis in-line with the handle for pinpoint aiming in a reverse grip, while maintaining a blade width of less than 1 inch for entering small structural cavities. By working with medical doctors on the design features, we agreed that blade length should be no shorter than 3.25" to specifically allow for adequate depth of penetration to reach critical neurovascular structures within the human body based on an average sized adult male, without requiring additional compression of soft tissue to reach. Lastly, a saber grind with a 2.00" top swedge was incorporated to provide superior blade durability while at the same time making penetration easier through intermediate barriers such as heavy clothing. We then finish the stainless steel in a Black Titanium Nitride Physical Vapor Deposition(PVD) process for excellent wear and corrosion resistance increasing the durability of the blade to last you a lifetime.
 
We are big proponents of training with the defensive blade that you regularly carry. Therefore, to make this blade package a complete system, we're including a blue anodized 6061 aluminum training blade to supplement the live blade. The training blade is purposely designed to be 0.50" shorter than the live blade to allow all edges to be rounded off for safe use. Meanwhile, the handle will be an exact 1:1 replica of the live blade varient, with the only exception being that the handle scales will be blue textured G10 material, rather than black. Having an identical training blade allows the user to get quality repetitions, while taking advantage of the beneficial features we've incorporated into this blade design.
 
With all these design features in mind, our live blade and training blade will also have the benefit of being able to fit in the same ambidextrous kydex sheath. Through attendance in various combatives programs, we have found that during grapples, training blades are often falling out of sheaths and end up on the ground; providing your opponant free access to an edged weapon. We wanted to prevent that from happening in a real life situation by incorporating a realistic amount of retention into our sheath; yet still allowing it to release with minimal force. Therefore, we incorporated a positive "click" when the blade is inserted. By not compromising in any area of design, our sheath has a thin profile, with rounded edges, and no sharp corners to eliminate discomfort while carrying throughout the day. Finished off with a ride height that allows a positive grip on the handle the moment you need to deploy your blade, without providing an unacceptable amount of printing for discreet carry. While our sheath works with various types of clothing, to enhance overall compatibility, we find that it has increased clip retention on athletic wear when used with a rubber grip sleeve. Therefore, we're supplying a rubber sleeve to be used with the sheath if desired.
 
Originally, we designed this blade as a personal project amongst a small group. Basically, we had a bunch of great blades that did a lot of things well, but all had certain aspects we felt were lacking. So, we went and purpose built a blade that had all of the positives with none of the shortcomings. While doing so, we found that many others had similar experiences with blades currently available in the industry, leading to a much larger outcome of this project; ultimately bringing this blade into the hands of you, the end user.
 
SPECIFICATIONS
 
Blade
•Overall Length: 7.00"
•Blade Length: 3.35" with 2.00" swedge
•Blade Width: 0.90"
•Blade Thickness: 0.157"
•Blade Material: Crucible Industries(US) CPM 154
•Rockwell Hardness: 59-60
•Blade Finish: Black TiN PVD
•Handle Length: 3.65"
•Handle Material: Black Sculpted Viper G10 texture with 416 stainless steel fasteners
•Overall Weight: 3.76oz (4.91oz w/ sheath)
 
Training Blade
•Training Blade Material: Blue anodized 6061 aluminum blade with rounded safety edges
•Training Blade Handle Material: Blue Sculpted Viper G10 texture with 416 stainless steel fasteners
 
Sheath
•Sheath Material: Ambidextrous kydex with 1.75" cloth grabber clip
 
When wearing thick belts, we recommend the attaching the sheath clip directly to the waistband with the supplied rubber sleeve. We have verified compatibility with the following clothing waistbands:
 
Pants/Shorts:
Levi’s, Arizona, Kuhl, Tactical Distributors, LAPG, Crye Precision, and various pairs of cargo short brands
Swim Shorts:
Under Armor, Billabong, and Rip Curl
Workout Shorts:
Under Armor, Nike
Leggings/Yoga Pants:
Aerie(AE), Lululemon
Sweat Pants:
Reebok, Fila, Under Armor, and various generic brand names
Medical Scrubs:
Greys Anatomy and Cherokee