A businessman friend of mine told me that there are 100 k18 swords of cpk, 50 of which are in China, and I have one in my hand
I don't discuss the specifics of my business on a public forum however I can confirm that the total production of the K18 sword was small and that a Chinese customer ordered a relatively large number of them during the pre-order. With only a few exceptions, the sword was available almost exclusively by pre-order.
For us, the K-18 is a retired pattern. We will not be producing more of them. However, Keffeler may continue to make them, I don't know. It is his design, and our production of it was a collaboration between his design and our manufacturing. Both utilize Delta 3V steel.
There are some differences in the sword that we make and the sword that Dan makes. They are, fundamentally, the same sword but there are some important differences in some of the details.
We pursued the production of the sword with Dan to have a competition cutting sword. This idea was sparked by a TV show where a number of our knives were being utilized. Dan was, and is, a world-renowned competitive Blade sports competitor with more national and world championship titles than anyone. I believe this is the most advanced competition cutting sword ever produced.
The difference between a knife and a sword is in the kinetics. Swords do not just merely cut, they cut with an impact element.
The sword, as I produced it, is a little bit thicker, a little bit heavier and it incorporates a reinforced point and a weighted pommel. These details give it a higher moment of inertia and help it perform well in a cutting competition against difficult and unyielding targets such as wood. It is capable of cutting a 2x4 framing lumber in a single hit.
Dan's K18 is thinner and lighter and more maneuverable and is built more like a weapon than a competition cutting sword. Obviously it works well in both applications however mine is tuned more towards the cutting competition aspect of the design (and has a little bit more durability baked in to reduce damage when used in competitions) and his is tuned to be a faster livelier weapon, which is a benefit against non-stationary targets. Particularly in the hands of a highly skilled cutter who is capable of running thiner geometry without damage. However, these details are relatively small tuning choices applied to basically the same platform. It is not a night and day difference and it is a reflection of differences in our manufacturing approach and the intended use of basically the same blade.
