The late Michael Echanis was also doing research on the failings of "Combat Knives". Echanis's research and theories reinforced what they already knew, "Combat Knives" available at that time were only rehashed ideas of the Bowie, Tanto, and Dagger which were centuries old with no major changes. The problem with these designs was that they weakened the grip and/or provided limited motion. The Warrior was designed as a pure combat knife used primarily in the reverse grip style. The Warrior increased the strength of the user and added full range of motion. The serrated secondary edge, the "soft handle" and the curve of the Warrior were unheard of at the time.

After building the first non-working prototype Mr. Taylor took the basic design and utilized a HP-3000 Main Frame computer and maximized the angles to even further enhance the Warriors capabilities. A number of working prototype's were produced by a number of custom makers and the Warrior became a reality. Unfortunately the Warrior design was deemed impossible to build with the manufacturing capabilities of that time. None of the factory makers even wanted to attempt to make the Warrior.

In 1991 Al Mar, a innovator in the industry and radical designer himself, decided to attempt to manufacture the Warrior. Al Mar figured that manufacturing technology had caught up with the design. AMK started to manufacturing their version of the Taylor/Wanner design in Japan. While the basis of the Warrior was intact, the original design called for 3/16th 154CM or ATS-34, the Japanese manufacturer decided to use a cheaper 440 series and increased the thickness of the blade to compensate. The guard was also oversized because of inferior materials. The solid steel skull crusher was also over weight. All of this additional weight slowed the knife down and made it very handle heavy, so it never realized its full potential. To further degrade the Warrior the subdued coating did little for protecting the metal beneath.

The Japanese manufacturers refused to pay royalties and ended up basically stealing the design. In 1995, the design was withdrawn from AMK. The only Warrior designs currently in production are the inferior rip offs being manufactured in Japan and Taiwan.

Bob Taylor, also known as the Hobbit from Hell, listened to those who used the Warrior in the Special Operations and Law Enforcement sector, as well as civilians who realized the Warriors potential. They loved the inherent design but felt the Warrior was simply to heavy and big. Many of the knife fighting experts including Eric Remmin, James Keating, Kelly Worden and Greg Walker, felt the Warrior design to be at the top but it was still lacking. In 1992 Mr. Taylor started researching the possibility of down sizing the Warrior and making a smaller more street sized knife, without sacrificing the basic design and features of the original Warrior design. A series of prototypes were produced in 1993 and 1994. In early 1995 the final basic design was finalized and the first preproduction Hobbits were introduced at the 16th Soldier of Fortune Convention in September of 1995. The Hobbit was so well received that the decision to manufacture the Hobbit was made.

The first prototypes of the Hobbit Warrior were distributed to trainers and operators before the design was finalized. After seeing these prototypes a number of manufactures offered to manufacture the design but only in Japan. Having been there and done that and not getting fair treatment Mr. Taylor declined. If the Hobbit couldn't be manufactured in America then the knife would stay as a custom offering. The Hobbit and Mr. Taylor's other designs for Specialized Equipment were sold to Round Eye Knife & Tool. Because Round Eye had more than just the Hobbit to manufacture, the cost could be brought down. The dream of an American Made, Semi-Custom version of the Hobbit at a price that was affordable became a reality.

The Field Grade version starts with a precision laser cut blank of 5/32 ATS-34 and is hand ground by our skilled craftsman. The Presentation model is ground out of 1050 High Carbon & L6 Nickel Damascus steel made by Master Blade Smith Bob Brothers. Throughout the grinding process, the Hobbit undergoes constant quality control.

Specs For:	Hobbit Warrior
Blade Steel	1095 High Carbon or ATS-34
Blade Length:	5.25"
Handle Length:	4.40"
Overall Length	10.55"
Blade Thickness:	3/32"
Finish:	Black T® or Satin (ATS-34 Only)
Buttcap:	Anodized Aluminum
Buttcap Length:	1"
Sheath:	Multi Carry .093" Kydex

After the finish grind, the Field Grade Hobbits are heat treated with a cryogenic quench at 100 degrees below zero for 18 hrs by Paul Bos, the cutlery industries best heat treater, to bring out the best in the ATS-34. The Presentation models are differentially heat treated by Bob Brothers. Each and every Hobbit is then tested for Rockwell hardness. After being returned from heat treat each Hobbit is inspected and tested before the guard is added.

Because the Hobbit was designed as a combat knife to increase its durability and corrosion resistance the Hobbit is coated with Black T¨ . Black T¨ is a proprietary process exclusive to W.E. Birdsong and Associates. Black T¨ is usually reserved for automatic weapons and is used for it's durability, lubricity, and corrosion resistance, which supersedes Mil Spec by a wide margin. The entire Hobbit is totality encapsulated in Black T¨ to ensure the Blade, Guard, and Tang are thoroughly protected. There are cheaper coatings we could use but nothing compares to Black T¨ .

The Skull Crusher is machined from aircraft aluminum and is hard anodized to a Rc 50-55 prior to being coated with Black T¨ . Each Hobbit is inspected again before adding the heat & chemical resistant rubber handle and skull crusher.

The Kydex® sheath is hand fitted, in our shop, to each knife on a individual basis, to insure a perfect fit. With all of the attention to quality and detail the Hobbit is sure to give you a lifetime of service.