The Kali Gear Kris Dagger

In an effort to bring more specialized blades to the FMA community, Kali Gear has produced a Kris Dagger. The kris blade is best known from the people of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Southern Philippines, but Filipinos of the Visayas and Luzon have always created their own versions of the kris. This new blade for Kali Gear is designed from that standpoint and with those design aesthetics in mind.

Each blade is made from spring steel that is reconditioned an forged to a blank which is then shaped, hardened and sharpened. See the photo of the the blade blanks ready for assembly and finishing.

The octagonal handles are carved from kamagong with stainless steel fittings. The scabbards are a combination of wood and pigskin leather.

Pictured here are the stainless steel cross guard components awaiting assembly.

Modeled after antique blade designs, this new design is yet another fine blade we hope will serve you well in your practice of the Filipino Martial Arts. We expect these blades to be available in late March.

Aluminum Training Ginunting and Talibong

For more than a year, we have been looking for options in creating a training ginunting and talibong that would suit the high standards we have. We wanted a blade that appears like the real thing, feels like the real thing and is durable for practice. Our new Aluminum Training Ginunting and Aluminum Training Talibong are it.

Thanks to our local blademaker, we have met our goals and surpassed our expectations. The new blades have an approximate weight of 1lb 3 oz, they feature blade contouring that will fool anyone over 3 feet away and the shape is exactly like that of the the real blades. Made of high grade aircraft aluminum, these training blades will last.

The handles are made of a durable resin that is cast to feature a contoured grip and course texture for better control. We were tired of seeing training blades with a cord wrap. Though wrapping the handle in cord works fine, we felt it did not evoke the same feel as the true design. Though not of traditional materials, our new Kali Gear blades will bring you to the edge without getting cut. These blades were well worth the wait, and we know they will serve you well.

Final Polish

Here's a closeup of several sulab (blades) waiting to be polished. These blades are designed and made with performance in mind. We want to keep a classic shape and design while keeping the integrity of a blade made for use.

Together with our new long blades we are creating several karambit and two Illongo lugod. The lugod is a small sickle like the karambit. Pictured here are the traditional lugod on the right of the photo, and on the left is what we am calling, "the Mel," a full tang lugod that is made for impact as well as cutting. These in the photo wait for polishing.

I plan to name this blade after Rommel Tortal, my good friend and teacher who first gave me some lugod like like this to bring back to the US. Like him, this weapon hits hard and cuts deep. Here you can see the blades after their primary polishing.



New for Kali Gear is also a dagger made of a hybrid of traditional elements and shapes. This is the Revolution Dagger. A solid knife, this blade can accompany a long blade or go it alone. It will feature a wooden scabbard made of dau wood.

Another photo of the variety of blades coming soon to Kali Gear. We anticipate them being available in mid October 2009. More photos next week...

Blade Finishing

Another update on the progress of our latest order of blades for Kali Gear. Here a batch of ginuntings fully constructed and ready for polishing. The handle shape of these ginuntings is a simple traditional design seen on Panay and Negros.

The master blacksmith and his team are all very skilled. On the right of the image, a craftsmen assembles the handles, guards and ferrules of the ginunting. On the left, another polishes the blade.

Woodworkers carve and assemble the scabbards for the talibongs and ginunting. The talibong scabbards are being made of dau wood. The ginuntings will have mulawin scabbards. The handles of both were carved in kamagong.





Here, the scabbard is shaped to fit the blade so that it has a snug fit.

Isn't it a beautiful sight! You can see ginunting with two different handle styles as well as our talibong all based on Illongo designs. In the corners of the photo you can see part of the revolution daggers, a few karambit and lugod as made in Negros. More details on those to come later.

They're coming...

One of the main goals of Kali Gear is to make available all the tools and equipment that are needed for learning, training and applying Kali.When I first began learning the Filipino Martial Arts, it was very difficult to get kamagong, training weapons and live blades of quality from the Philippines here in the USA. Fortunately, more is available now for those of us who love to train. As Kali Gear continues to grow, find new sources and develop new products, we hope to bring the right gear to those who need it.

We have been coordinating with a new partner to produce combat blades to our strict specifications. We are excited to announce that we now have a master blacksmith and an awesome team of artisans making magnificent new blades for Kali Gear.

Here are photos of unfinished ginunting and talibong being formed, sharpened and fitted with handles.

For those of us in the Filipino Arts, there is no greater pleasure than swinging your blade while knowing the potential you hold together. There's nothing unhealthy, unbalanced, or wrong with it. It is the object that reflects your talent, represents your hard training and tests your skill.