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What knife would you recommend?

  • Thread starter Travis Silcox
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Travis Silcox

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Seeing as how bayonets aren‘t used for cutting, what kind of knife(fixed blade) would be practical for field purposes?

thanks in advance
Travis Silcox
 
Being a selfish, self-promoting bastard, I would recommend a fixed fighter from Serenity Blades (and as the sole proprietor, I would be happy to discuss the terms of our transaction on a private email). If however, you don‘t want to allocate your first two children into perpetual servitude as apprentices, I would suggest a KaBar field knife in a Kydex sheath (approximate retail about $150.00) that should meet most of your needs in the field.

The Airborne are particularly fond of the Grohman field knife $80.00 to $100) as their standard blade. It is simple strong and maintains a good edge for a long time but it has a lower CDI factor (Chicks Dig It) than a KaBar (flat black, shiny edge, polymer/rubber grips, heavy pommel) but it depends on what you‘re looking for.

Nothing beats a good Swiss Army pocket knife ($45.00 to $100.00 depending on what you want to spend) as long as you attach some paracord to your belt and the knife (they get legs in the middle of the night). It will accomplish all the small tasks that the Grohman/KaBar can‘t handle because they‘re too big.

I‘ve carried a Glock/Steyr bayonet ($125.00) in an inverted carry on my web for the last 5 years with good success. It‘s strong and light weight and at the same time still covers 90% of the tasks I need it for in the bush. A Police Model Spyderco($130.00) does the other 10%.

I‘ve probably provided you with too much info (it‘s a favourite topic of mine) but if you want more info let me know (contact the ‘bossi‘ moderator and he will pass along how to get in touch with me).

All the Best

Dileas Gu Brath
 
Well I think I‘ll throw my two cents worth in on this topic. I have been in the infantry for over 10 years now and have served over seas and on numerous call outs and exercises, I remember the very first leave day on my TQ2 (the day between GMT and BTT) running to the only surplus store in Pembroke and buying a KaBar U.S. Marine knife. By strapping the knife to my rucksack I instantly became an infantry soldier. I even read that Marines were famous or is that infamous for using their KaBars to dig trenches. On my first infantry only exercise I cant remember if it was a defensive or offensive ex but I remember that the weather certainly was. Anyhow That night I used my U.S. Marine Corps knife for everything from digging to cleaning my weapon, from eating to shaving (I actually tried it), I would have taped it to my C9 if I had any 90 mile an hour tape. I would definately graduated top candidate now that I had a leather handled genuine U.S. Marine Corps KaBar knife. Well the leather soon decayed faster than the skin on my feet and the 6 or 8 inch blade (i cant remember) soon became too large to be useful except for sticking down my boot to scratch my self with. Since then I‘ve learned to pack my kit (including ruck) with the bare minimum of niceties. one extra set of combats, one extra pair of socks(in webbing along with a pair of gortex socks to avoid carrying an extra pair of boots). The remainder of storage space is used for rats(24 hours), ammo( double combat load if lucky), and platoon ammo( 60mm, M72, 84mm) and stores( shovels, picks, machette, radios, field phones, sigs wire, etc...). In all that time I‘ve accomplished each and every task assigned to me with a basic 40 dollar Leatherman and 18 dollar(US) Gerber Gator(3 inch or so folding and locking blade). The Leatherman I purchased my self long before we were issued the Gerber. Gerbers at the time only came with a lineman type plier which was useless for my common needs such as changing generators on stoves and lanterns or opening ammo crates. The blade has been broken for at least five years yet it still serves me well. As for needing a bigger knife to defend yourself, heres hoping you acquire enough skills through training to avoid the situation. Just an opinion.
Merry Xmas
 
Thanks for the info

i was thinking of getting the SOG Desert Dagger or the SOG Navy SEAL 2000 due to there lightness and reliablity

in response to Master Blaster - YOU self-serving bast-ad. (j\k)

So you sound like a big knife guy, what do you think of the desert dagger or navy seal 2000?

in response to Shabadoo - thanks for the feedback, love that detail you put into it =)

The Kabar does seem pretty big, and your absolutly right on that leather sheath really sucking, infact, they‘re integrating a "Kydex Sheath", it‘s basically plastic with a strap around it, so you can strap it around your leg or hook it on your webbing, it also holds inplace pretty well for quick/easy deployement and really easy to put back (instead of having to hold the damn thing so that you can get it to keep still when your putting your knife back)
(P.S. it‘s really light and easy to pack too)

as for the Gerber Gator - I have used this knife before, it lasted for about the first 6-8 months i had it, the blade chipped and the think literally fell apart. perhaps i expected to much of it, i guess for light stuff you can use it, but just my advice, don‘t overwork it, or that little bolt thing on the handle will start edging out, and then the back will fall off, and it will come apart.
 
TRAVIS-- What do YOU want to do with this knife??? If you are planning on dragons falling out of the sky, if you wave it , FORGET IT!!!!! Carrying a knife doesn‘t mean you know HOW to use it!!

There is no best knife. What peice of sharpened steel do you want to carry to do what job????
 
JR - Lets hope them damn dragons stay up there eh? =)

I think you mis-understand, though i do know how to use a knife combativelly (eg, all that stupid stuff like flurry attacks and punctural attacks and that non-sense) I want one that simply isn‘t going to break.

I‘m not one of those wierd guys obsessed in the knife culture (looks at master blaster [ j\k ] ), i just want one that won‘t break and has intregity, and it light and easy to pack(and has a life guarntee), i plan on cutting rope, food, clothing, wood, opening beer etc.
 
I‘m sure a Swiss Army pocket knife would attack all of those tasks with ease.
 
The old saying keep it simple stupid works here! If you go out and buy a great big pig sticker in all likelyhood you gomma lose it anyways. I cant tell you how many "rambo" knives I had locked up in the many different guardhouses I worked in. Something that will hold an edge, 5 inches long is all your gonna need. A riggers knife lasted me my whole career. It might not be as "cool" looing as a big old k-bar or one of those great big, mostly useless, knives. In this case you have to remember that you gotta hump the stuff you bring in the field....

OCKNOD
SECURITAS
 
TYravis - for a guy who hasn‘t done his QL2 yet your sweating the small stuff (and my advise to you is DO NOT take any knife other than a gerber or leatherman - multi pupose are the best) with you to Wainwright.
 
TYravis - for a guy who hasn‘t done his QL2 yet your sweating the small stuff (and my advise to you is DO NOT take any knife other than a gerber or leatherman - multi pupose are the best) with you to Wainwright.
 
To continue on before I had finger problems. personnaly I wasn‘t too fond of my troopies carrying pig stickers or rambo knives or whartever- Its an issue of style over substance thinking that you look like a tough ass doen‘t make you a good soldier. Knowing you basic skills and applying works better for me. Thats just some friendly advise from someone whose been around for awhile.
 
I appreciate your advice guys

RCA - thanks, I want to come prepared, so that is why I presented this question.

what i‘ve learned from this forum, and you guys. Is that a knife isn‘t important for your military carreer, and that, essentially it is only for your own self-image.

like i said before, I train to take away knives, and I know how they are used, I know that a knife is an incredably effective weapon, if it were any different the bayonet would not still be issued with every rifle in every army in the world.

So i guess a bayonet will do =)

Thanks Again!
Travis Silcox
 
TRavis- all RCA and I are trying to say is don‘t get wrapped up in the "pig sticker" mind set. Best bet - multi tool - leather man/ gerber( you will get issued one!) and a machete. All the rest is CRAP!!!!!!!!
 
Man, I‘m chuckling at this thread - my compliments to everybody!

My two cents = Murphy‘s Law on expensive knives (you‘ll probably just lose it anyway), and Murphy‘s Guarantee on knife size (it‘s ALWAYS too big - and when it‘s not, it‘s too small ... unless it‘s a REAL Claymore sword strapped to your back ... but, I digress ...).

The Swiss Army knife is really handy for all the little stuff like cleaning/cutting your fingernails, and it‘s no coincidence that it‘s red instead of camouflage (makes it easier to find when you‘ve dropped it, and believe me - you will - tie it on).

As for a "killing knife": it‘s preferable to use your rifle, machine gun, Eryx, TOW, mortar, howitzer, or other long-distance utensil to reach out and touch somebody (after all, you can never be sure what infectious diseases you might be at risk of contracting if you let them bleed all over you, and besides - it‘s just so "icky" when they squeal like a stuck pig as you plunge it in up to the hilt, or gurgle as you repeatedly saw back and forth across their neck ... and, if I‘m turning you on, maybe you should avoid playing with sharp objects ...).

Focus your attention on learning how to be a proper soldier - and learn how to effectively use what the Army issues you. If you really want to carry extra kit, volunteer to carry lots and lots of ammo or the radio, and tuck dry socks, food, first aid stuff etc. into any space that‘s left over (and, finally, when the enemy is close enough that you think you need a knife, throw your pistol at them, then fix bayonets).

Dileas Gu Brath
 
I commend all of you for giving this soldier (to be) some good reliable information regarding both blades and kit.

Mr. Silcox; all your questions have been answered in the posts above (if you buy an expensive kinfe, you will lose the expensive knife) (if you‘re close enough to the enemy to use your knife, your leaders have failed you. Maintain you distance and make the enemy earn every inch with their blood and their lives.) (a little knife does little work and a big knife does big work; no single blade does it all) (every pound you carry is more stress on you and the more stress on you the less fit you are to close with and destroy the enemy with maximum force and aggression).

You asked about two SOG blades, the Desert and the Seal daggers. If they are the ones I‘m thinking of you should be careful, some jurisdictions in this country regard one full blade and a ‘partial‘ on top as a dagger and therefore illegal to carry. The other problems with daggers are that they have but one purpose and have difficulty being used to split wood, dress out critters and other camp survival tasks and that they almost always cut the hand that holds it.

I would add that I carried a large blade (7.5") for a spell in a very humid environment and the scabbard was leather and it did NOT rot or fall apart AS LONG AS I LOOKED AFTER IT). Equipment fails for many reasons but one of the primary ones is lack of user maintenance...you look after it and it looks after you. After all this info you‘re probably going to go out and spend a huge sum of your hard earned cash to buy what any other soldier can buy if he/she has the cash.

WARNINGWARNINGWARNING THIS IS A PITCH Why don‘t you get a custom made blade to your specifications for about the same money that you would spend on a SOG? And you can support a contributor to the CAHP and a member of the CF at the same time!! Email me and we‘ll talk.

All the Best

Dileas Gu Brath
 
Clap Clap Clap!
Master....Damn you sound like a Warrant Officer I has teching my J-L-C......I think you got all of the cliches out, and left some very good advice1

OCKNOD
SECURITAS
 
Ocknod;

If you did your CFJLC in 96/97/98 and you were freezin‘ in Meaford, then I was probably the very same WO. If not, then I‘m glad to see that the standard for WO‘s in the CF is being properly maintained.

Come to think of it, there were a few Meatheads on those courses that had real promise...are you one of them?

Al the Best

Dileas Gu Brath
 
`Sorry Blaster did my JLC in 1995 in Wainwright...The army of the west you know.
 
I really enjoyed the banter in this post. For my first few years in the militia i used to carry a cold steel SRK it looked really cool..at least I thought that I was cool. But it kept getting caught up in stuff, I eventually sold it to a knife freak in my section and carried on with a cheap folding pocket knife which I have had forever. Buy cheap, something that you can afford to lose when you you get bumped in your hide at 0330 in the Columbia Valley on a miserable BC November weekend. For anything bigger all you need is the section tools I.E Machete.

Cabar Feidh
 
when i was at the amoury on queen st at my cousin‘s grad in the summer i remember buying a folding knife at their store for about $10.
it‘s a pretty good knife,tho it might be a little bit big for some.
but for a basic folding knife,it gets the job done.
it‘s lasted a few fall camping trips(and a winter one) without a problem.
in my personal opinion,its a "kick @**!" knife.
 
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