A newbie with a few questions about knife combat use

7

7thBlade

Joined
May 8, 2015
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Hey everyone! I'm new here, and want to inform myself a bit about knives and the like. I've never owned a knife aside from the ones in my kitchen, so I got a few questions related to combat and self defense with knives. I've informed myself a bit about knives, seen and read some reviews, and I guess I got the gist of some things, but I still need opinions on some things from people with experience.

My first question would be, which characteristics must a knife possess to be effective at close combat and for self defense purposes?

Second question relates to military use of knives in regards to the weight of the knife. I know soldiers carry a lot of gear with them and thus want lighter blades because they are more practical. My question here is, is the light weight the only reason soldiers carry lighter knives, or does the lighter weight and shorter blade of a knife give an advantage in close quarters fighting due to speed and practicality?

My third question is, is there a knife that can be used well in close quarters combat and also do survival tasks well, such as batoning, carving up wood and other camp tasks?

Also to add, I stumbled on many reviews that reviewed the Becker BK7 very favorably in terms of price, and its ability to do survival/camp tasks effectively, and apparently can be used for combat as well, self defense, CQC, whatever you call it. Maybe I'm asking the wrong questions here, but I'm just curios. I've seen other knives as well, but the BK 7 barely has a bad review and gets a lot of attention, can last a lifetime apparently, resistant to harsh weather conditions etc. I know it's not he only knife out there, but these knives seem to get a lot of attention, so I'm curious. I also have no idea how many other good knives are out there at all since I've never been involved in these things up until now. I'd like to hear what people with experience have to say to the above.

Thanks in advance for any help you might offer to a newbie!
 
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The only parts of that I'll attempt to answer are:

1.) that if a BK-7 is the one often referred to as the USMC, which if I'm not mistaken it is, it makes a good defensive/survival/camping knife, yes. IMO it makes a very good first 'big knife' for someone. I've had a USMC straight from Vietnam, given me by a relative, since the '60's when I camped in the creek behind our house,

and...

2.) The primary characteristic a knife must possess to be effective at close combat and for self defense purposes is a wielder prepared to bleed a lot. Are you?
 
Welcome!!! You headed off to combat soon? [emoji10]

I carried a USMC K-Bar in Viet Nam. It did everything I needed and then some. You'll find a lot of opinions regarding knives and personal defense. Look up James Williams on the web for his CRKT knives and videos.

IMO a knife is a poor and last ditch defense for civilians. Collect them, cut veggies and wood, but don't use them in a fight.

Mike
 
Any knife will cut most things to various degrees... the knife does not have properties that will make it a great defensive tool. You will or will not make it a great defensive tool. It is not about what you carry. And once used defensively i am going to bet it will land in the evidence bag and you will probably only see it in court again.
So train yourself as well as you can and carry a knife that does the everyday tasks as well as you need it to.
 
Welcome.

Knives aren't used by the military in combat. Things like multitools are used by them to do the same stuff civilians do. No knife fighting. They have guns.

Self defense knives? If you are not trained in a specific kknife based SD style, then the knife doesn't matter. A grocery store steak knife will be as (in)effective as anything else, and can fall into a river or sewer without causing any pain.

"Survival" is a meaningless marketing term used to get people who have been watching Bear Grylls to get knives.

That said, the BK7 is a good chopper for outdoor recreation, but the majority of tasks around camp, to me, demand a 3-5 inch slicer, not a chopper. Actually a folder will do.

Sorry. I know you were looking to hear about a do it all wonder knife. I slip into wanting one too, often! It would be awesome! But the concept is fantasy.

Get the BK7, it is a well made knife, from a good company, designed by a really good guy. But get a Victorinox Farmer too.
 
Thanks for the reply EChoil. Your answers helped a lot, short and sweet.

And yes, I am aware that in a knife fight, both users would end up bleeding, and the winner just gets to go to the hospital bleeding but alive I guess. Or so they say. I'm not looking to pick fights of course. Just would like a knife that could fit the bill and do what I need it to do.
 
7thBlade said:
Thanks for the reply EChoil. Your answers helped a lot, short and sweet.

And yes, I am aware that in a knife fight, both users would end up bleeding, and the winner just gets to go to the hospital bleeding but alive I guess. Or so they say. I'm not looking to pick fights of course. Just would like a knife that could fit the bill and do what I need it to do.
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Knives don't win knife fights. You could buy a fighting knife endorsed by the most ninjas, real and online ones, and come in second place real fast if you don't know how to use it. If you want to become a knife fighter you need to learn how to fight with a knife. Once you learn that anything with a strong sharp edge will be plenty, if you have the skills.

So the answer to your question is anything with a sharp edge that is durable and strong.
 
Eyedog: Yeah I know it's a last ditch option, but I'm not a soldier and I don't carry guns in the wilderness. And no, I'm not going to combat, if I was, I would not worry about my knife, but rather my rifle, I am aware knives are not used in the military for combat :)

andregrobler: I absolutely agree that the wielder of the knife makes it effective, and that training is the most important factor, and knowing how to use the weapon at hand.

marcinek: Yup, I'm fully aware that larger knives are not as practical. That's why I'm here asking more experienced people about knives like the BK7 :) I myself am a newbie, so I gotta inform myself, and this forum seemed like the right place for that.

Thanks for the swift replies guys, I appreciate it!

Boris74: Totally agree with you. I have no experience with knife fighting, but I did practice martial arts for a long time and I am fully aware that training and skills play the most important role. So yeah, I guess I answered my own question. I was pretty sure people would tell me the blade doesn't really matter as much as the person using it and the training of said person, but I didn't want to get ahead of myself. Better to ask experienced dudes.
 
marcinek said:
Welcome.

Knives aren't used by the military in combat. Things like multitools are used by them to do the same stuff civilians do. No knife fighting. They have guns.
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Don't want take this off topic...but it appears you've never been a grunt in a position to need a knife in a combat situation. In my day in the USMC we even had a knife fighting course using rubber knives. If we were not to use them in combat...why train?

All of your other comments I agree with.

Semper Fi

Mike
 
EChoil said:
The only parts of that I'll attempt to answer are:

1.) that if a BK-7 is the one often referred to as the USMC, which if I'm not mistaken it is, it makes a good defensive/survival/camping knife, yes. IMO it makes a very good first 'big knife' for someone. I've had a USMC straight from Vietnam, given me by a relative, since the '60's when I camped in the creek behind our house,

and...

2.) The primary characteristic a knife must possess to be effective at close combat and for self defense purposes is a wielder prepared to bleed a lot. Are you?
Click to expand...

I believe the Ka-Bar USMC is the classic WWII combat knife that has been a favorite for many, and the BK-7 is a more recent design by Ethan Becker, released under the Becker/Ka-Bar joint-label...
 
I myself am pretty sure that soldiers use knives in combat every now and then, but I think what most people are saying is that such situations don't arise often enough to consider a knife a primary fighting tool but rather a multitool, i.e. you're going to use it more for other tasks than you would for fighting. As for whether knives have been used in combat situations or not, yes, of course they have. As a bloody beginner though, I won't argue with someone who has experience.

If you were to ask me for my opinion on the subject, I think knives are perfectly viable fighting tools in some situations (I was never a soldier, but I'm thinking if I had to make a silent kill in the middle of the night, a good knife would be a perfect tool, but I don't want to sound like I play too many video games here - I actually never played shooter games and the like). But again, I'm a beginner, what do I know? xD

Eyedog, you sound like you've been there and you've had formal training with a blade, so I'll take your word for it man. Thanks for the input.

Sikael: Thanks for the input :)
 
EyeDog said:
Don't want take this off topic...but it appears you've never been a grunt in a position to need a knife in a combat situation. In my day in the USMC we even had a knife fighting course using rubber knives. If we were not to use them in combat...why train?

All of your other comments I agree with.

Semper Fi

Mike
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What EyeDog says is true, U.S. Marines are trained in knife fighting because they have been known to run out of ammunition for their rifles, pistols, etc. and as a last resort have used KNIVES, entrenching tools, rocks, and clubs (their empty rifles) as weapons.
 
Not many suggestions of what he should use for self-defense if knives aren't good enough.

You need something with a lot of reach, like King Arthur's sword, Excalibur. Very good for severing limbs.

The-Black-Night-monty-python-and-the-holy-grail-591472_800_441.jpg


In all seriousness, you really do need something with more reach. Try for a collapsible baton.

You can also read a thread I started a while back, and read all about the reasons knives shouldn't be used for self-defense, why, and what should be used for self-defense.

Here's the old thread.
 
andregrobler said:
Any knife will cut most things to various degrees... the knife does not have properties that will make it a great defensive tool. You will or will not make it a great defensive tool. It is not about what you carry. And once used defensively i am going to bet it will land in the evidence bag and you will probably only see it in court again.
So train yourself as well as you can and carry a knife that does the everyday tasks as well as you need it to.
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Definitely!

And a knife is only a last ditch defensive weapon. Always try to run away or do anything you can before pulling out any type of weapon. Same goes for any of us that carry a firearm.

Just make sure that if you end up in a confrontation with another individual, do NOT pull out a knife unless the other person has pulled out a weapon first. Obviously like I said, you should RUN and try to get away, BUT if you cant...... just make sure that you are not the aggressor. Always try to get away and never ever be the first person to pull a weapon, like a knife. That makes you the escalator and you can be charged with crimes, as well as shot by the other person legally in some cases. Now, there are "what ifs" an "buts" like if someone you are cornered and outnumbered by a bunch of people who want to cause you great harm. Even if they do not have weapons, they out number you by a large amount and that is enough reason to fear for your life.

Anyways you see what I am getting at. Make sure you follow all your states laws and become knowledgeable with the ones regarding self defense.

As for survival and such, there are a TON of great fixed blades out there that do all those tasks you mentioned and more. Some popular ones here would be Esee, Becker, Ka Bar. I like Esee the best personally.

Any one of those knives can be used in a fighting role if need be, however the out come may not be great unless you have substantial training. But hey, I'd rather have a knife then nothing at all if I was fighting for my life.
 
EyeDog said:
Don't want take this off topic...but it appears you've never been a grunt in a position to need a knife in a combat situation. In my day in the USMC we even had a knife fighting course using rubber knives. If we were not to use them in combat...why train?

All of your other comments I agree with.

Semper Fi

Mike
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I remember that.

The other one we went through when I was in was advanced and was over a weeks time.

Would still rather have a .45 than a knife though.
 
Fish boy: Lol, that certainly made me laugh hard. King Arthur's Excalibur xD

Thanks for the thread, but I'm not looking for self defense advice actually :) I need a knife for my camping trips that could be useful for self defense because my last camping trip was not exactly the most pleasant. I need a knife anyway, so why not make it a good one. I would prefer a larger one though, hence why I am looking at stuff like the BK7, which is deigned for combat.

Edit: Thanks to you other guys for the links as well, I'll give it a read.

Raistlin65: I read that thread already, it was very fun to google the different knives being mentioned :) I also saw that a lot of people n that thread mentioned the BK knives. A a matter of fact I think the BK knives are among the most commonly mentioned ones.
 
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