Custom Tactical Folders?

[Windex_]

The top one may be one of my favorite blades.

[jonathan brand]

Coop, I like the Kasper. I owned two mini Kaspers and used them more then I've used most knives. I need to grab another some day.

[peterinct]

VERY good idea for a thread!

There have been MANY awesome tac-ti-KOOLS shown, but I must say: Dudley...you ROCK!!

Peter

[T.K.C.]

[T.K.C.]

[epetrillo]

Here is a Brian Tighe "Tighe-Pan" that I just traded for.

[23xdm3.8]

Here are the two i have so far:

[Win Heger]

It took a while but this thread really got going now!

Jeff Hall Bounty Hunter



Emerson PreTac but a Tactical Blade, for sure:



Terzoula ATCF, one of the first tacticals:

[Windex_]

TCK since I cant email you or visitor message you, how do you like the Grayman folders?

[T.K.C.]

TCK since I cant email you or visitor message you, how do you like the Grayman folders?

I like them a lot! So much so, that I recently bought the DLC Dua.

[CUTS LIKE A KRIS]

Here are some pictures of my users that I have ready on Photobucket of my clipped folders:

A couple from Alan Davis

My design- the WharnKris by Davis:



Elishewitz



BUSSTR by STR


Baca and Crawford (With John Lloyd slipjoint)

[Redsnake1997]

This one is on it's way to me know... should be here tomorrow.

Will Zermeno Azrael w/the Punisher logo...

[Senserazer]

23xdm3.8 , that's a Mikkel Willumsen Urban Tactical is it not?

[23xdm3.8]

23xdm3.8 , that's a Mikkel Willumsen Urban Tactical is it not?

Yes it is! the model is called the Hugin. He just finished up another one for me called the Munin

[Les Robertson]

hi Austin Guy,

Many of the posters mean well and have posted some great photos. Tactical Folder is a marketing term that signifies a particular "Look". It is not signifying a "combat" or some kind of knife carried by military people. Just to clarify since you asked about Tactical Folders.

Tactical Folders do not have the following:

Natural Handle materials
Damascus anything
Mirror polished blades.

Moki-Ti and Super Collider materials are starting to show up on a lot of "Tactical" folders. I think a new category needs to be named. I will call it "P-Tac's".

If you are coming to the Blade Show I encourage you (or anyone else) to stop by the seminar I will be conducting called "What to look for in a tactical folder".

Folders with Damascus blades are called....Damascus Folders.

Folders with Natural handle material/mirror finishes....Presentation Folders

Really fancy folders with file work, inlays, etc. Art Folders.

I keep repeating this (for the last 10 years or so) as when I judge the custom knives for the awards at the Blade Show...makers still put knives in the above 3 categories into the tactical folder market. Generally walking right by all the other knives (that look like the one they have) to put it in the wrong category. Then again there are makers who will take the same style of knife and put it in the Presentation, Tactical and Art knife categories. I guess they don't really know what they have so they will take a chance! LOL

[sloth357]

^ are you for real? I didn't realize tactical folders couldn't have certain things.. where is the rules book on this? :P


categories... glad you take your job serious... there is no contest here though and I don't think we need a knife cop telling us what is or is not a tactical folder..

MORE PHOTOS!

SAM_2763_resize.jpg SAM_2757_resize.JPG


Pretty sure this one IS a tactical knife as it says tactical on it :E I just call it a frame lock folder, and a badass one at that!


edit: he wanted to see pics of custom makers tac' knives.. he didn't ask what they are or if he should look outside of tac' knives.. PHOTOS!!!

[23xdm3.8]

^ are you for real? I didn't realize tactical folders couldn't have certain things.. where is the rules book on this? :P


categories... glad you take your job serious... there is no contest here though and I don't think we need a knife cop telling us what is or is not a tactical folder..

MORE PHOTOS!

SAM_2763_resize.jpg SAM_2757_resize.JPG


Pretty sure this one IS a tactical knife as it says tactical on it :E I just call it a frame lock folder, and a badass one at that!


edit: he wanted to see pics of custom makers tac' knives.. he didn't ask what they are or if he should look outside of tac' knives.. PHOTOS!!!

Whoa whoa..that's urban tactical...might be a whole new category of tactical...judges!?!

[Les Robertson]

HI Sloth,

Yes, I am for real. While I haven't written the book per se....I have articles published in both Blade and Knives Illustrated Magazines with regards to this very subject....how about you?

Probably the reason the Blade Show asked me to do the article and not you.

Now I'll get off my smart ass box.

Yes, certain categories of knives have certain rules....a folder with a lock back is not called a slip joint...a slip joint is not a lock back.

A Art knife generally does not feature a synthetic handle material and a bead blasted blade.

I don't know why people have such difficulty with this. It isn't like there is only one category of folder.

Yes, that would be a tactical folder...sure you don't want to call it an IKBS folder? Since it has the advertising on it! LOL If it also had Bos heat treat and the steel name...it would be called a NASCAR knife.

If you read my post carefully you would have read (and Im sure you did) that the main reason I keep writing what is and what is not a tactical folder is geared primarily towards makers...you know who you are. Who want to call their knives tactical folders (when they are not) and worse yet enter non-tactical knives into the tactical knife competitions....and then are stunned when you don't win!

[Les Robertson]

23xdm3

edit: he wanted to see pics of custom makers tac' knives.. he didn't ask what they are or if he should look outside of tac' knives.. PHOTOS!!!

Actually what he asked for was: Let's see some pics of custom tactical folders. I'm curious if I need to look outside the production world.

Since he was just coming over from the production world. I thought I would get him started with an introduction to the custom knife lexicon. Explaining that Tactical is in fact a marketing term to define a style or "look" of a knife. As according to this thread (so far) every type of folder is a tactical. Which they could be if they had the materials that are looked for in a tactical folder.

Question for you. What is the difference then between a tactical folder, a presentation folder and an art folder. Remember once you define particular aspects of these categories (in order to separate the categories) they cannot employ similar aspects other than perhaps construction methods (bolster, liner locks, etc.)

[gooeytek]

Jeremy Horton TAC-4