DW-2 (U8)

A heavy survival knife from Kizlyar with a round-profile wooden (walnut) handle and a double crossguard. The massive blade is made of U8 steel, hardened to 58-59 HRC. It features a drop point profile with a finger choil at the base of the blade on the cutting edge side and a partially ground false edge on the spine. This false edge on the spine is a so-called "bone breaker," used for chopping bones when dressing game to preserve the main cutting edge. The handle has a solid steel pommel. Some sellers claim that the DV-2 is a knife of what they call the "Far East Spetsnaz," but this is likely a marketing fairytale. I did some digging into the history of the 14th Spetsnaz Brigade based in Ussuriysk, belonging to the Far Eastern Military District, and found no mention of such a knife in their equipment. Today, the DV-2 is generally classified as a tool for hunters rather than military personnel, although due to the blade's thickness (5.2 mm) and the presence of a full guard, it is subject to trade restrictions in the Russian Federation as a melee weapon under Russian law: it is available only to military personnel, hunters, and officers of law enforcement agencies, as indicated by the number placed on the blade below the crossguard. Upon purchase, this number is entered into the owner's military ID book or service card. The blade also features the manufacturer's hologram and the inscription "Кизляр сделано в России У8А" (Kizlyar made in Russia U8A), and on the other side, "ДВ-2" (DV-2) and the manufacturer's logo. It comes with a beautiful leather sheath with decorative embossing and a snap button closure above the crossguard.

The Kizlyar company from Dagestan is one of several Russian knife manufacturers widely known outside of Russia. Kizlyar prides itself on combining the ancient traditions of Caucasian craftsmen specializing in the production of edged weapons with new manufacturing technologies.

Overall length: 365 mm

Blade length: 230 mm

Blade width (max.): 40 mm

Blade thickness (max.): 5.2 mm

Steel: U8 (according to Russian designation У8A)

Leather sheath