Customer pays 25% at time of order, 25% at 30 days, 25% at 60 days and final 25% at 90 days.
Herman Mantis "Spirit of the West"
This is no ordinary knife. It’s a story. A sculpture. A statement.
"Spirit of the West" is a one-of-a-kind version of the Mantis model — a powerful yet perfectly balanced folder that, in this edition, becomes a knife that tells a tale. A tale of freedom, untamed nature, and the American frontier. Only one was ever made. And no other will follow.
Every centimeter of this handle is alive. The piercing gaze of an eagle — its beak and eyes coated in 24-karat gold — reaches across the blade. On one side, a lone rider gallops through the forest — you can almost hear the thunder of hooves. On the other, a steam locomotive charges through the hills, leaving a cloud of smoke in its wake. A cowboy with a lasso stands ready to face whatever lies ahead. This isn’t just engraving. It’s a scene captured in titanium.
This extraordinary world was brought to life by Monthep Chimwai — a master engraver known for the depth and emotion of his work. His hand-engraved details animate the entire composition, while the gilding gives it a sense of grandeur.
The blade pattern — Damasteel Odins Eye on Damacore® — completes the piece like a surge of sound: dynamic, hypnotic, and in perfect harmony with the story it tells. The knife is presented in a luxurious wooden box, accompanied by a certificate confirming its uniqueness: #1 of 1.
This is not a product.
It is an artifact.
If you were to own only one folder in your life — this might be the one.
PRODUCT DETAILS
Blade: Powder stainless laminate Damasteel Odins Eye on Damacore® DC18N
CORE: N11X SIDES: RWL-34+PMC 27,
thickness 3.3 mm (0.1299"), hardness 61 HRC
Blade finish: Hand-polished to a mirror and satin finish
Handle: Grade 5 titanium ( hand-engraved, 24K gold, 18K green gold)
Backspacer: Grade 5 titanium ( hand-engraved )
Clip: Grade 5 titanium ( hand-engraved, 18K green gold )
Lock: Titanium Grade 5
Bearing system: Custom-made ceramic caged ball bearings by Herman Knives
New improved bearing system.
Washers made of M390 powder metallurgy steel further enhance the already exceptional operation of our knives. Every stage of production has been optimized to ensure even greater precision, durability, and, most importantly, the smoothness of our knives.
Washer manufacturing process:
M390 steel is machined in-house on our Swiss-type lathe Citizen Cincom A20, where the bar stock is processed and pre-drilled.
Washer dimensions: Inner diameter 5.05 mm, outer diameter 11.95 mm; (for Bee and Micro Sting models: outer diameter 9.95 mm).
25 mm-long rods undergo vacuum heat treatment to 60 HRC, reducing material stress and minimizing the risk of deeper blade scratches and ceramic ball fractures.
After hardening, washers are machined using EDM (Electro Discharge Machining) on our Mitsubishi MV1200R wire EDM machine, allowing precise inner hole execution.
They are then wire-cut into 0.6 mm-thick slices, and final wire processing minimizes surface roughness.
Final manual lapping, up to a 4000-grit finish, gives the washers an almost mirror-like surface, ensuring even smoother bearing operation.
All these processes are carried out entirely in-house by Herman Knives.
Ceramic detent ball
Tungsten carbide insert on the lock
Tungsten carbide stop pin
New, improved pivotWe have refined the pivot construction, elevating its precision and the smoothness of the knife’s operation to an even higher level.
It consists of three elements:
A phosphor bronze bushing (a highly durable material with self-lubricating properties). It is precisely fitted to the hole in the blade, which is also machined in-house using our EDM machine. This eliminates all unnecessary play, ensuring flawless blade rotation through the resulting plain bearing.
A seven-petal clover-shaped screw – prevents rotation within the construction.
Torx T20 – secured with an easily removable Loctite for adjustability. If adjusting, be sure to reapply the same type of thread locker.
The screws are made of vacuum-hardened stainless steel. All three components are produced in-house by Herman Knives on our Swiss-type automatic lathe.
Bearings with increased stability
Based on years of experience, the new bearings feature a caged design with 16 ceramic balls. Their well-thought-out and tested structure effectively prevents ball displacement while ensuring optimal smoothness of operation.
Simple, isn’t it?
A beautiful presentation box made of solid exotic wood, entirely crafted in-house at Herman Knives, including a microfiber cloth, Pruciak Protector Glide for Herman oil, and a dedicated titanium screwdriver manufactured in-house by Herman Knives.
Weight: 133 g (4.69 oz.)
Overall Length: 220 mm (8.66 ")
Blade length: 94 mm (3.70 ")
Blade width: 28 mm (1.10 ")
Folded length: 124 mm (4.88 ")
My name is Monthep Chimwai, I'm 40 years old .
I graduated bachelor's degree major in Industrial Education and Education Faculty from Patumwan Institute of Technology, and Certificate major in Industrial Education and Education Faculty from TATC (THAI AUSTRIAN TECHNICAL COLLEGE)
I live at Ayutthaya province, Thailand.
At the end of 2011 I met a man who became my teacher.
My Professor's name is Sutthichai Phosamton (Ton), also known as Ton-Ayodia.
He was the one who told me stories of engraved folding knife and show me the masterpiece that made me surprized and interested.
He can created from folding knife a piece of art. It was excited to watch this transformation into something perfect!
For next two years I was studying to be an engraver under Ton-Ayodia supervision.
He was instructing and advising me in techniques and skills. It wasn’t easy, and take a lot of time and hard work and practise. My mentor was struggling with barriers as lack of capital, marketing or language that’s why he wanted to relay his know-how as his legacy to someone who can continue this achievements.
Most of knowledge I got from Him - the moral code of engraver, development of engraving methods over time, designing and practicing of each pattern, , incrustation on workpiece.
In 2013 was my first experience in Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair , next year I bought my engraving machine and started to create my own works on folding knives, still learning and developing my knowledge.
My name is Bartosz Herman. I produce knives and pens according to my own projects and sometimes on an individual order.
I try for every one of my knives to be unique and to enjoy its owner and at the same time to be comfortable and reliable during every day work.
I want to develop my skills even further so that results of my work can keep getting better and better.
I invite You to watch results of my work.
