A few weeks ago, I introduced our readership to Max Venom Products Group, an innovative company that is producing some outstanding products in the realm of edged and impact weapons. I reviewed their Direct Impact Karambit and discussed its unique capabilities as both a folding knife and an impact device. Well, I’m back with another Max Venom product and if you thought the DIK was impressive, then this one will blow your socks off!
Enter Max Venom’s latest and greatest product, the Dimachaerus! The Dimachaerus, named after a class of Roman gladiators who fought with two swords, is without a doubt a one-of-a-kind edged impact weapon. Just one glance at its unique profile should tell you that.
Like its Direct Impact Karambit predecessor, the Dimachaerus is built specifically for those impact and edged weapons practitioners who seek a tool that will work efficiently in both capacities. Realizing that a karambit is not for everyone or for every situation, Max Venom pursued a design avenue that would offer the impact and retention capabilities of the DIK in a straight blade. In so doing, they ended up raising the bar on not just edged/impact hybrids, but on tactical knife designs in general.
The Dimachaerus is a constructed with a Crucible 154CM stainless steel blade and a full-bodied aluminum handle. A light grey Cerakote finish on the blade and a darker grey Cerakote on the handle gives the knife a nice color contrast while protecting it from the elements. The Dimachaerus is ruggedly handsome with its two-toned matte finish and bold lines, but it is the function of the design that truly makes this knife beautiful.
The most prominent feature of the Dimachaerus is the large ring that protrudes from the top of the blade. This is Max Venom’s signature bottle buster finger ring. As the name would imply, this ring will serve as a bottle opener for your favorite bottled beverage, but it’s more than that. The finger ring serves primarily as a retention feature when using the Dimachaerus as a striking device. Place your index finger through the ring and close your hand. You now have a secure grip that won’t slip in your hand. The ring also acts like a knuckle for delivering straight strikes or inverted muscle destruction strikes.
Deployment methods for the Dimachaerus are as numerous as it’s striking applications. The knife has a flipper mechanism for easy, one handed deployment. This is my preferred mechanism for opening the blade when transitioning from impact mode. The finger ring can also be used for one-handed opening in a manner similar to using a thumb stud or thumb hole. The bottle opener is positioned inside the ring to act as a thumb stop when using the finger ring. With either method, a little flick of the wrist will ensure quick deployment and complete lockup.
Unique to the Dimachaerus finger ring is what I call the ring flip. This opening method uses the weight of the handle to open the knife. The finger flip is performed from the striking grip with the index finger through the ring. An upward flip rotates the handle upward, placing it in a position where the thumb can be placed against the side notch of the ring. With the ring gripped between the thumb and finger, a quick downward flick will cause the handle to drop open. The handle is shaped so that the knife can be held with the index finger through the ring. Though not my recommended method of deploying or holding the knife, it is always good to have options, especially when you find yourself fighting for your life at contact distance.
If quick deployment from the pocket is necessary, the outer edge of the finger ring can be used to friction-open the blade by catching it against the seam of the pocket. This action requires that the ambidextrous pocket clip be mounted in the tip up configuration, which is my personal preference because it allows me to get a full grip on the handle when drawing the knife in addition to allowing me to friction-open the blade. Not everyone prefers this carry configuration, which is why the Dimachaerus is machined for tip up and tip down clip mounting options on either side, offering ultimate carry versatility.
The Dimachaerus employs a push button locking mechanism to lock the blade in the open position and provide friction to prevent the blade from opening when in the closed position. In a fashion similar to a detent pin on a liner or frame lock, the button lock sits into a recessed cutout on the tang to prevent the blade from falling open when closed. When the blade is locked open, a push of the button to disengage the lock and a slight inward flick of the wrist will drop the blade closed. The push button can also be used as an alternate opening method, but this requires a little more skill. It requires pushing the button to release the blade, flicking the wrist outward, and releasing the button so the blade will lock open.
The 3.6” (4.58” handle to tip) spear shaped blade of the Dimachaerus is an excellent design for thrusting and puncturing. It is also quite good for slashing and cutting. The extra large choil acts as a finger grove for choking up on the blade to do fine tasks, a feature that comes in handy on a knife that measures 10.15” overall.
The Dimachaerus is a formidable edged/impact weapon that is well-built and offers excellent retention, deployment, striking, and cutting/penetrating capabilities. If you are looking for the ultimate bridge between lethal and less-lethal contact weapons, then look no further than the Max Venom Dimachaerus.
Like all Max Venom products, the Dimachaerus is made right here in the greatest country on earth using American ingenuity and American craftsmanship! The Dimachaerus sells for $310.00 on the Max Venom website. Even if the Dimachaerus does not seem like the knife for you, head over there anyway and check out some of Max Venom’s other innovative products.
Photo Credits: Chad McBroom. Action Photos: Bill Bahmer Photography
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