What is your absolute favorite combat knife?

[rage]

Newest...SOG BG42 Recondo...backup Spyderco Chinook.

[Joe Demko]

Santino,

My point (and Cadwallader's too, I think) is that above a certain minimum level of quality you run into diminishing returns. Is a $500 kustom-killer-knife (w/ black taktikewl finish) better than a $40 Ka-bar? Yes, no doubt about it. Fit and finish should be flawless on the more expensive knife, it should hold an edge better than the Ka-bar, etc. Is the more expensive knife 12X better in purely practical terms? IME, almost definitely not.
I used to collect knives, I've owned and used hundreds. Some factory, some handmade, a few custom. IME, the difference in performance between any decent factory knife and a Mega$$$ custom job is narrower than you might think. In other words, there are lots of reasons to own the high-end knives, but performance alone isn't one of them.
If a Randall, Mad Dog, Busse, or what have you makes you happy and makes you feel more confident, buy and enjoy.
If it is made out of decent steel and fastened together sturdily, it will do for me.

[scotjute]

Probably the current issue M-9 bayonet.

[krept]

Does it even need to be a decent piece of steel? Guys in prisons make do with less and are quite capable. It is a lot like diminishing returns.

A 40oz of Old E will get you as tanked as a couple shots of Courvoisier?

With proper shot placement will a FMJ killem as ded as a ultrafancy top of the shelf HP?

Me making these points is just as silly as people who state "why u gotta spend so much on gear? It aint gonna make u kewl OR a warrior." It's almost like McGuyver (or however) would on purpose carry around a wire and bit of fuzz just to show everyone he was King Minimalist Man That Could Still Conquor the Concrete Jungle Without Expensive Gear.

One thing that is good about Strider and Busse... they stand behind their product. You can pry with it and if it breaks they will make it right. But a lot of good a warranty will do you on the other side of the world? That's why it's good to have a solid product.

And yeah, Strider offers a 'handle' for the people that don't understand their rationale behind the design. Are katanas cheap swords in the same vein or does the silk wrap and manta skin make them OK?

And for the record... my "combat knife" is a Cold Steel Peacekeeper bought on sale. Striders, Busses, etc. are far superior in every respect - IMO.

[ronin308]

krept- I agree with most of your statements, but I have a question: What is the rationale behind the Strider design? I know you can use the paracord for something else in a pinch, but I'd rather just carry that length of paracord tied around the sheath. Paracord + bloodn'gutsonyourknife = mess. That's just my take though.

[Cowdogpete]

Like the best? Bagwell's Hells Belle Bowie

Prefer to have in a fight? Cold Steel Tanto

Carry all the time? S&W Swat

Carry to cut things? Case 2 blade folder.

[krept]

Ronin,

Here is some discussion related to the reason why cord wrap handles excel in certain instances. Gotta love Mick's first post.

A fellow that does pretty rigerous tests on knives posted later on that thread:

What I found was that the Strider WB was with the exception of one other blade (Project I) the only blade that would remain functional when my grip was effected by any significant lubricant (animal fats, oils, soap, grease etc. ). There are some blades with significant guards that will allow hard stabs, but chopping and prying is not possible because the blade will just twist upon impact or torques.

Certainly this isn't the end-all of discussion, only opinion. IMO the cord wrap works great on the versions I have felt.

EDIT: I didn't realize you had posted references to their handle. I was refering to this:

I'd carry a steak knife before I'd pay Strider prices for a piece that they didn't even to go the trouble of putting a handle on.

I'm not sure how much the wrap would absorb? Isn't 550 cord mostly synthetic?

[ronin308]

krept- That is a good link. Previously, my experience with cord wrapped handles hasn't been great. But I think that if I can get my hands on a Strider, I'll throw some oil on my hands and see how it holds up. I'm definitely willing to try Strider's products because they do have an excellent reputation.

[TEA]

I'm two out of three with Cowdogpete. If I had the dough, Bagwell's Hells Bells Bowie. What I do have, Ka-Bar and S&W Swat folder, the quality and function of both are dead on for the money. In terms of longer blades, I have long had a machete for larger hacking jobs, and more recently a cheapo made in Pakistan short katana-esque blade, which is also good for hacking firewood, but doesn't hold an edge worth snake spit. :barf:

As with the Bagwell Bowie, if I had the dough I'd get a custom made Katana from a swordsmith from Japan. It ain't the silk wrap or rayskin that makes these expensive, its the time and effort that goes into making one. This ain't the most detailed article by far on Japanese sword making, but it comes at it from an interesting cultural perspective. Swordsmithing in Modern Japan

Speaking of quality forged katanas, anyone have any feedback on Paul Chen's repro katanas?

[ronin308]

Speaking of quality forged katanas, anyone have any feedback on Paul Chen's repro katanas?

How much ya looking to spend? The Practical Katana plus is a good deal for the money. They run around $300 IIRC. That is pretty much the bare minimum for a functional katana.

[Tamara]

Speaking of quality forged katanas, anyone have any feedback on Paul Chen's repro katanas?

I have a Musashi. No complaints, fine blade. The (newer) practicals are also quite good deals for the cash; my roommate's is a good sword.

[ronin308]

Tamara- I've heard pretty good things about the PK+. Apparently they made four generations of the original PK that were decent but the PK+ has the edge (har har!) in a number of different ways. Have you ever done any test cutting with your Musashi? I'm going to be building a tameshigiri stand over Christmas break. Hopefully I can post some .mpegs of my cutting results.

[Tamara]

Nope, no test cutting yet. Need to discuss that with my roommate; I smell a project coming up...

Re: CAS/Hanwei non-oriental practicals. Fantastic idea. I have the viking sword, the knightly sword and the mortuary hilt. Good for practice; it's about time somebody made dedicated, inexpensive, quality factory blunts.

[ronin308]

Tamara- I like the practical Euros as well. I was thinking about getting the regular Mortuary hilt since I'm a pretty big fan of George Silver. Check out this website for some good cutting mats: http://www.tameshigiri.com/
But beware, cutting mats is probably even more addictive than slinging lead. So buy in bulk for your first session!

[VaughnT]

I do like the mean look of a strider knife, but if they are soooo tuned in to the warrior mindset, why is their folder built for righthand carry/use only? That thumbstud is on the wrong side for a southpaw and the clip can't be switched to the left for carrying in the left pocket. Is that truly tactical? Personally, my duty holster completely covers the right pocket on my pants and that means I need a knife for the left hand/pocket. Only Benchmade offers a truly ambidextrous folder. Only Benchmade offers their folders at a reasonable price.

Another point on Strider, and remember that I like the stuff from afar, is the price. I'm all for supply and demand, but let's not get crazy. I've forged many a knife and their stock removal technique isn't nearly as time consuming. Considering how little work is in the knife, why is it sooooo expensive? Those G10 slabs haven't been cut and contoured to some weird shape; they are as flat as they came from the supplier, just cut to profile and radiused on the edges. No big work.

And when Buck went into production on the Strider folder, you'd think the price would come down. Nope. Very sad.

Overall, the CRKT M16-13LE seemed like the best choice for the money. I'll be looking into a Benchmade, dreaming of a Strider, but carrying a CRKT for the time being.

Very sad.

[Tamara]

But beware, cutting mats is probably even more addictive than slinging lead. So buy in bulk for your first session!

Great. Fantastic. Just what I need: another expensive hobby...

Maybe I can convince my roomie to go in on mat buys with me!

[krept]

well... I certainly don't want to seem like I'm defending Strider because I don't own any of their blades, or any other "top end" war blades for that matter, but...

I've forged many a knife and their stock removal technique isn't nearly as time consuming.

Lets say you forge 52100. Knock it into shape, then anneal. How much more stock removal is there to do? On contrast, Strider to my knowledge has moved to S30V. Is that type of barstock a little harder to grind than 52100 (or whatever you forge with?). I ask because I've seen Harvey Dean forge a blade and between pounding it into shape, using an angle grinder to remove scale and then finishing the hollow grind with his $$$ variable speed high end grinder, he is done quite quickly. I could be wrong, but flat grinding 3/8" S30V is a little tricky. Even then, I have found a flat grind is harder than a hollow grind which is harder than a chisel grind?

Strider will install an ambi thumbstud. They will also probably drill holes for you to mount the clip on the other side.

Those G10 slabs haven't been cut and contoured to some weird shape; they are as flat as they came from the supplier, just cut to profile and radiused on the edges. No big work.

I think what they do with the G10 here gets the job done. Should it be more fancy to justify the $350 price of a folder? I can tell you from personal experience that G10 plain SUCKS to work with if you only have cheap tools like a couple files, a $120 belt grinder a $60 bench grinder and a dremel. And to get a good finish on it other than the factory? No way for me.

And when Buck went into production on the Strider folder, you'd think the price would come down. Nope. Very sad.

It would be sad if the Buck version is the same as the Strider version, but they are very different. I have to admit that it's easy to get confused by the spartan appearance of both but if you look, you can see the differences. They are significantly different. Different enough to warrant $200 extra or whatever? That's a personal question, kinda like justifying why others and I spend "way to much" on the USP series?

FWIW, Strider used to build exclusively for the armed forces. They have made their products available to civilians. Active duty enlisted get a decent discount. Dealers stocking Striders are required to sign an agreement that essentially makes the dealer charge the same prices for X blade across the board... that's why you see so little Striders on sale (ever seen one?)

I'm not sure about CRKT knives being the best for the money. I can grind a shank from rebar for the cost of a belt. Heck, QVC is offering good deals on 440C integral lock knives. I would say that if you find a good deal then Spyderco is probably the best for the money. I have them as well as CRKT knives, I like them both but then again I don't think either hold a candle to Strider's folders. Just MHO. Heck, one of my relatives (Joe Kious) makes $1000+ folders from damascus, etc. Wouldn't want to take one of those to war!

Only Benchmade offers their folders at a reasonable price.

cheers

[Cadwallader]

Sorry I said controversial (to some people anyway) things and stepped out of the thread.

I didn't mean to insult any maker or knife or anybody who chooses to carry whatever they want. My point was along the lines of VaughnT's - look at the materials and operations involved in manufacture and then look at the price. And price is definitely a factor for me in choosing a "combat knife" or any tool.

Very few of us will ever get in a knife fight, for lots of reasons. Therefore when I carry a knife it's just a knife, and when someone says "combat knife" I take it to mean something else - a fighting implement and not much else. My misunderstanding - I guess the discussion was more along the lines of "hard-use knife". I wouldn't criticize anyone for spending what they think they need to in that regard.

I've been making tools including the occasional knife for a number of years - for my own use and as gifts, I've never sold anything and probably never will. While my work is certainly not the equal of good commercial products, I've learned a thing or two. I've come to the conclusion that full hidden tang consruction is the way to make a superior hard-use knife (Mad Dog knives seem to be a good example and one that many people here would be familiar with). So put me down for a Mad Dog if I have to actually buy a not-so-cheap knife.

[biere]

I have a large black jack mamba, sorry to hear they are out of business as I was wanting to have them sharpen the top half of the knife, they offered it as an option. Mine has seen a lot of use and does many things well. I find the hand gaurds useful for stuff as well.

I also have a cold steel tanto, blade is about as long as the grip so around 6 inches I guess. This thing has been abused and still holds up well.

For pocket carry, I have a spyderco harpy I love, serrated, and I recently got a gerber with around 4 inch blade and the thumb studs since I needed something not serrated.

All get used for things a knife should not always be used for and they all handle it well and come back for more.

I have one of those big bayonets, and I guess if I figure out which one I should get to go on my m1a with the bayo lug that would have to be my long range one.

[Al Thompson]

I have two knives that seeem to be a good balance between size and use. Many years ago I purchased a Ka-Bar and have been happy with it. Recently got a Cold Steel SRK and it's on my web gear as we speak.

I like my CS Trailmaster, but it's a tad big. Probably be my favorite fighting knife though.

For a good inexpensive GP knife, check out:

http://www.anzaknives.com

[SunBear]

Cold Steel Recon Scout which has just recently gone back into production and is now available with a synthetic sheath. I plan to order the sheath for my early "sterile" model made for the first gulf war. Happy trails

[animal]

You guys are going to think I’m absolutely nuts but … I’ve played around with several knives and for defense, and I would choose my Old Timer 150T … with a 6 " blade, 10" overall it is still concealable.
Yes, it’s a plain-Jane hunting knife.
I received it as a gift from my grandfather when I was 12. Since then, I have used it to dress an uncountable number of fish and small game, somewhere in the hundreds of whitetail , and various farm animals. I have used it to "finish off" wounded deer as well as kill a few dogs and an opossum outright with it. Over the years, The blade has turned a bluish-brown that almost matches the handle… the only thing that shines at night is the edge. In the last 28 years, it has become like a part of my hand and I have learned how not to cut myself with it…

[Spectre]

Coincidentally, also my favorite
"hack brush up" knife too...

HI 16.5" WW II

John

[Hard Ball]

A Randall Number 1 with a 8 inch blade and stag grios, Why? Outstanding blade design, very well made and fits my hand perfectly.

[mk86fcc]

A. G. Russell Sting IA - Why? Partly nostalgia having bought it back when Jerry Ahern's "Survivalist" series was popular. Partly pure functionality - fits my hand well, it's double-edged so just about any direction I move it will do at least some damage (important in that I don't train much); it's reasonably light and compact - just nothing not to like IMHO...