I had the opportunity, thanks to a certain member, to try out a fun and in my own opinion effective weapon called the Sjambok. A little bit of research about the Sjambok tells me that it is a 42 inch long whip stick used in south Africa and was, if not is, used as a riot control weapon by the South African Police Service. Apparently it is known as cambuk, imvubu, kiboko, mnigolo, chicotte and fimbo in a multitude of other languages.
So off that I am expecting this thing to hurt like hell but not really be able to do much damage, however I am a fan of flexible weapons like the whip so this should prove fun for me. It came in and upon looking at it I realized this thing is a weapon and will hurt like hell. I mean it looks rather menacing, then again I come from an area where children know what a switch is and I do not mean a light switch. After testing it against my typical weapon tests, I realize I need a different test for it. While granted it was fun it doesn't really perform like a blade so slicing for the most part not likely.
So after practicing with it for a while I found a few grapefruit no one was gonna eat (they were kinda going bad) and took a crack at them. Well the first two cut really deep like they were just barely hanging together, but the last one I got to hit I was impressed with as it cut straight through it. A few days later I had the luck of trying it against a coconut, needless to say I didn't scratch it with the whip end. I then proceeded to take the handle end to it. Cracked it in half and was finding coconut bits everywhere around the smash area for days. Taking it to a heavy bag was fun. It is a very versatile weapon that could inflict serious injury and while one hit will not kill it is likely to stop someone.
After some practice with it I got the hang of switching from the whip end to the pommel end for strikes while alerted me that if used properly it can cause the bludgeoning necessary to kill, which in my opinion is a bit scary. The only good news is to switch fluidly I had to remove the wrist strap so I could have lost the weapon; not to say it is likely just to say that if someone has the wrist strap on while they are using one, they will be slightly less likely to use the pommel end without using it as one would a sword's pommel strike.
I want to test the Sjambok on ballistics's gelatin in the shape of an arm with a realistic ulna and radius to determine the exact damage it would do to a human opponent. If I get the chance I will edit this post with those results. I also got to try using it for locks and it does what it needs to do. If you are familiar with using a whip you know what to do however the Sjambok does something a whip doesn't, The Sjambok stays hard inflicting more damage via the pressure you put throughout the entire lock.
It does deform a little bit when using it for locks so make sure to straighten it out after wards. And for fun we stuck a few knives and an ax into a tree and let me use the Sjambok to knock them out of the tree. The ax cut it once due to a bad swing on my part but otherwise there was no damage to the Sjambok and no structural integrity at all. This informs me that if I had to block an ax or sword using the Sjambok I could, granted I wouldn't try the fact remains I could. If I get anything else to put in here or remember something I forgot I will be sure to edit this. Also I would like to thank Chilbert his assistance in reviewing and writing. Chilbert will post his portion of the review on here soon, I hope.
Below is a condensed list of the tests we conducted and the pros and cons of the Sjambok in our opinions. And a last thanks to another member for allowing us to write this review.
Tests Conducted:
• Impact Tests with Handle Side
Used to break a coconut in half.
Made about 1/2 inch indention into wood hardwood.
Hit cement with it, didn't make a dent.
Hit tree, didn't hurt the whip at all, left dent in tree.
Hit Heavy Bag, caused a large dent in bag, would likely break bone and damage internal organs.
• Whip End Impact Use
Cut a grapefruit in half. Left clean cut down center.
Left 1/8 inch indention in repeated hard striking on hardwood plank. Severe cuts, bruises, and lacerations possible. Head trauma would likely be concussion worthy and highly disorienting, please do not swing this jokingly at you friends or family, it is not a toy.
Light tapping on the palm of the hand was more than mildly painful in Chilbert's opinion.
• Self Defense
Handle end can be employed as a bludgeoning impact weapon. Handle can be swung liken to a baseball bat by holding the whip end .
Whip end can be used for joint locks, grappling, and other flexible weapon uses aside from the classic whip.
Still a whip, cuts like one, only more stick like.
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
Fast, hard for an attacker to grab.
Entire piece is a Self Defense Weapon.
Good small game and pest exterminator. Original use as a snake killer, but not recommended.
Gives you distance.
Comes with arm-strap that is easily removed and replaced if user prefers.
Simple to learn to use for a novice and can be employed in more advanced techniques.
Capable of breaking and/or shattering bones.
Automobile friendly, could be used as a tire thumper.
Very Low Maintenance.
Simple to strike repeatedly, whip end lends itself to this easily.
Cons:
Speed, not likely to be of much help unless you are trained in flexible and impact weapon use.
Entire piece is a Self Defense Weapon.
Can't take it everywhere with you.
Limited usability outside of a Self Defense weapon.
Doesn't function well as a Cane.
Carry could present difficulty in finding a comfortable means to do so.
Plenty of reverb when using the handle as the primary striking weapon from the baseball bat swing.
Ball end is not fluid in striking for repeat strikes.
If using wrist strap, transitions from Whip to Handle end use is limited.
Tests to be Conducted:
Cutting Test: Straight Edge to Rubber Material.
Testing for Rubber Material Type: What kind of Rubber is it?
More Whip End Tests:
Accuracy: How quickly can an individual become proficient with tool?
Ballistics Gel: Depth of Possible Laceration.
Bone Breaking in Extremities: Dowel Rods in Ballistics Gel and Pipe Covers (not at same time) made to simulate arms, hands, legs, and feet.
