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Any1 use glock field knives 78 or 81 yet?
- Thread starter wadly
- Start date
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2003
- Messages
- 177
I have a plain edge Glock Field knife (no saw teeth on back), not sure what its number designation would be. Got it a few years ago for $25 from Cheaper than Dirt. Came with the tip chipped off, but a little diamond sharpener work fixed it up with no probs. There was a gap between the handle and guard, but all was solid in the realm. I chopped with it, split with it, bored holes with it -- IT held up like a champ, with just a bit of finish wear.
I'd still use it in the woods now except that the sheath (which is a marvel in itself) lets the blade rattle around in it. That's the only thing that bugs me about it. Anyone know of any modifications to help prevent this?
I'd still use it in the woods now except that the sheath (which is a marvel in itself) lets the blade rattle around in it. That's the only thing that bugs me about it. Anyone know of any modifications to help prevent this?
I also have the Glock field knife model 78, the one without the sawback. It is a good knife for the price, around 30 dollars/euros. It's tough and has many of the properties I'd look for in an outdoors knife. According to the manufacturer, this model is also balanced for throwing.
The blade is clearly an evolution of the bayonet. It is not very wide, but still quite thick, making the saber grind a high angle one. The secondary grind is pretty obtuse aswell, but as the steel is not that hard, reprofiling the edge is not a problem. The knife was not sharp out of the box and the point was really blunt. But sharpening is no problem and sharpening the back "clip", which I did, makes the point acute enough.
The steel, as I understand, is simple carbon steel. It also could be some low alloyed carbon steel. It's hardened to the mid 50s HRC. This makes it easy to sharpen with any abrasive medium, a big plus in the field. Also, combined with the thickness, it makes the knife tough. I would not have great reservations about using it as a pry bar or as a hammer in emergencies. The overall construction is solid. I'd really like to see someone take it apart, to see what the construction is near the guard and inside the handle.
The handle is hard polymer (the same as the sheath). It has no hot spots and is decently secure under optimal conditions, but can get slippery. It would be possible to shape it to your preference, using a hot-knife or a dremel type tool perhaps. Inside the handle there is a small space machined into the thick, round tang(?). This is covered by a tight-fitting plastic plug. It is just big enough to store some thin steel wire or a small piece of tinder. I'd recommend smearing a drop of oil in there to prevent corrosion. There's also a lanyard hole, but to utilise it, the aforementioned plastic plug needs to be modified slightly. A drill or a sharp knife or a file will do the trick, and the plug will stay on afterwards. I fashioned a lanyard from green paracord, and hid the knot inside the handle.
I gave my knife a convex edge, using sandpaper. It got really sharp, and polished easily. Also after the black coating started to wear off, I removed it with some rust remover (gel, with <10% concentration of phosphoric acid). Acetone didn't really do anything to the coating, or the handle for that matter, so the resistance to chemicals seems pretty good, at least short term.
The sheath is just great. The belt loop is generously wide and can be slipped on without removing your belt first. It can also be used to suspend the sheath from thin vertical surfaces. The lockup is very solid and can be disengaged single-handedly, at least with my girly thin fingers.
From experience, the Glock field knife is able to hack through most "soft" materials, even though some force is required due to the relative lack of heft. It performs decently in light carving, making kindling is no problem. I would think that splitting firewood would be easy with the aid of a baton. It pierces as well as you would need it to (remember the slight modifications I did on my knife). The edge, as it is not very hard, does deform (not chip, never seen that and probably wont), but again, edge maintenance is surprisingly easy. As advertised, windows can be broken (no damage to knife, tested on car side window)
. Rust forms easily, but not as easily as I have seen on some carbon steel blades. A thin coat of oil at all times is a good idea. After light-moderate use only wiping the blade dry is enough.
One of my friends used a Glock FK78 during his mandatory service in the Finnish defence forces. He's not a "knife person" and neglected nigh all maintenance of it, but it did what he asked. I'm supposed to give it a clean up some of these days. Maybe I'll write more about that afterwards.
Oh, and... the bottle cap lifter works great.
Maybe a the sheath could be lined with a piece of thin fabric. It could be glued somehow perhaps, or maybe it would stay put on it's own. In any case, it might be best to soak it in oil once it is in place. This would prevent it from accumulating moisture and the blade would get oiled whenever sheathed. Care should be taken not to use too thick a material, and not to block the drainage hole.
All in all, these knives are a good buy, especially the plain spined 78, as I don't see a need for the saw serrations (nor can I evaluate their abilities, never having used them). The Glock knives can stand harsh treatment, and most of all, are fun. That's about all you can ask for the price. No reason not to own one.
The blade is clearly an evolution of the bayonet. It is not very wide, but still quite thick, making the saber grind a high angle one. The secondary grind is pretty obtuse aswell, but as the steel is not that hard, reprofiling the edge is not a problem. The knife was not sharp out of the box and the point was really blunt. But sharpening is no problem and sharpening the back "clip", which I did, makes the point acute enough.
The steel, as I understand, is simple carbon steel. It also could be some low alloyed carbon steel. It's hardened to the mid 50s HRC. This makes it easy to sharpen with any abrasive medium, a big plus in the field. Also, combined with the thickness, it makes the knife tough. I would not have great reservations about using it as a pry bar or as a hammer in emergencies. The overall construction is solid. I'd really like to see someone take it apart, to see what the construction is near the guard and inside the handle.
The handle is hard polymer (the same as the sheath). It has no hot spots and is decently secure under optimal conditions, but can get slippery. It would be possible to shape it to your preference, using a hot-knife or a dremel type tool perhaps. Inside the handle there is a small space machined into the thick, round tang(?). This is covered by a tight-fitting plastic plug. It is just big enough to store some thin steel wire or a small piece of tinder. I'd recommend smearing a drop of oil in there to prevent corrosion. There's also a lanyard hole, but to utilise it, the aforementioned plastic plug needs to be modified slightly. A drill or a sharp knife or a file will do the trick, and the plug will stay on afterwards. I fashioned a lanyard from green paracord, and hid the knot inside the handle.
I gave my knife a convex edge, using sandpaper. It got really sharp, and polished easily. Also after the black coating started to wear off, I removed it with some rust remover (gel, with <10% concentration of phosphoric acid). Acetone didn't really do anything to the coating, or the handle for that matter, so the resistance to chemicals seems pretty good, at least short term.
The sheath is just great. The belt loop is generously wide and can be slipped on without removing your belt first. It can also be used to suspend the sheath from thin vertical surfaces. The lockup is very solid and can be disengaged single-handedly, at least with my girly thin fingers.
From experience, the Glock field knife is able to hack through most "soft" materials, even though some force is required due to the relative lack of heft. It performs decently in light carving, making kindling is no problem. I would think that splitting firewood would be easy with the aid of a baton. It pierces as well as you would need it to (remember the slight modifications I did on my knife). The edge, as it is not very hard, does deform (not chip, never seen that and probably wont), but again, edge maintenance is surprisingly easy. As advertised, windows can be broken (no damage to knife, tested on car side window)
. Rust forms easily, but not as easily as I have seen on some carbon steel blades. A thin coat of oil at all times is a good idea. After light-moderate use only wiping the blade dry is enough. One of my friends used a Glock FK78 during his mandatory service in the Finnish defence forces. He's not a "knife person" and neglected nigh all maintenance of it, but it did what he asked. I'm supposed to give it a clean up some of these days. Maybe I'll write more about that afterwards.
Oh, and... the bottle cap lifter works great.
The model number is stamped on to blade, next to the guard. Mine says Made in AUSTRIA [Glock logo] 78.Madmanamus said:
Maybe a the sheath could be lined with a piece of thin fabric. It could be glued somehow perhaps, or maybe it would stay put on it's own. In any case, it might be best to soak it in oil once it is in place. This would prevent it from accumulating moisture and the blade would get oiled whenever sheathed. Care should be taken not to use too thick a material, and not to block the drainage hole.
All in all, these knives are a good buy, especially the plain spined 78, as I don't see a need for the saw serrations (nor can I evaluate their abilities, never having used them). The Glock knives can stand harsh treatment, and most of all, are fun. That's about all you can ask for the price. No reason not to own one.
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2003
- Messages
- 177
WAY-O,
Thank you for the ideas, they got me thinking and I worked on my sheath last night. Fixed all the rattles. Here's what I did:
I took about 3-4 inches of 550 paracord, removed the inner strands so it could lay fairly flat. This I wrapped around the tip of the blade and ramrodded into the sheath. On the first try the cord turned the wrong way and blocked the drain hole, but the second time it sat in the bottom of the sheath in a nice coil. It silences the blade tip's rattle, and doesn't interfere with the blade's seating in the sheath or its ambidextrous capabilities.
The other problem area was the mouth of the sheath (or scabbard really). I found that a 2 inch piece of the gutted 550 cord stopped blade play there when glued the the inside of one side of the sheath. I glued about an inch of the cord, flattened, to the outside. After that dried, I smeared some more glue to the underside of the rest of the cord, and stuck it to the inside side of the sheath with the back of the blade (then wiped off the back of the blade, of course). I used regular Elmer's Glue, by the way.
So far, all the rattle is gone, and the cord is unaffected by the blade's coming and going. Thanks again for the ideas, now it feels like a new knife.
Thank you for the ideas, they got me thinking and I worked on my sheath last night. Fixed all the rattles. Here's what I did:
I took about 3-4 inches of 550 paracord, removed the inner strands so it could lay fairly flat. This I wrapped around the tip of the blade and ramrodded into the sheath. On the first try the cord turned the wrong way and blocked the drain hole, but the second time it sat in the bottom of the sheath in a nice coil. It silences the blade tip's rattle, and doesn't interfere with the blade's seating in the sheath or its ambidextrous capabilities.
The other problem area was the mouth of the sheath (or scabbard really). I found that a 2 inch piece of the gutted 550 cord stopped blade play there when glued the the inside of one side of the sheath. I glued about an inch of the cord, flattened, to the outside. After that dried, I smeared some more glue to the underside of the rest of the cord, and stuck it to the inside side of the sheath with the back of the blade (then wiped off the back of the blade, of course). I used regular Elmer's Glue, by the way.
So far, all the rattle is gone, and the cord is unaffected by the blade's coming and going. Thanks again for the ideas, now it feels like a new knife.
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2003
- Messages
- 177
Yes, I'm very pleased with it. The Elmer's Glue didn't hold very well (but it was good since it gave room for trial and error, you could just pull the cord off). So, I tried a glue called LOCTITE Quicktite Super Glue, which has proven to be much stronger, and it resists my picking tests.
Hi guys, I read some of the comments but admittedly not all...I disagree with all the good stuff that I read and I mean no offense to anybody.
I've had two of these knives and compared to my other knives, both were not very good cutters and did not hold an edge.
I did some research and found that they were originally intended to be used as bayonets. I'd say they make as good a field knife as an M7 bayonet...also, not very good IMHO!
Wadly, you asked if they were "cheap, tough and can be thrown?" Yes, yes and yes. If that's all you're looking for , go for it!
But if you are looking for a field knife, cutting ability is an important quality which the Glock does not have!
I suggest a leather handled USMC knife from Camillus Cutlery, most on-line dealers sell them for $35. They are cheap, tought, can be thrown, cut very well and hold an edge. They leave the Glock in the dust in terms of functionality and performance.
IMO, the only cool thing about the Glock is that is says "GLOCK" on the blade!
Good luck,
Collecter
I've had two of these knives and compared to my other knives, both were not very good cutters and did not hold an edge.
I did some research and found that they were originally intended to be used as bayonets. I'd say they make as good a field knife as an M7 bayonet...also, not very good IMHO!
Wadly, you asked if they were "cheap, tough and can be thrown?" Yes, yes and yes. If that's all you're looking for , go for it!
But if you are looking for a field knife, cutting ability is an important quality which the Glock does not have!
I suggest a leather handled USMC knife from Camillus Cutlery, most on-line dealers sell them for $35. They are cheap, tought, can be thrown, cut very well and hold an edge. They leave the Glock in the dust in terms of functionality and performance.
IMO, the only cool thing about the Glock is that is says "GLOCK" on the blade!
Good luck,
Collecter
The Glock knives are indeed not very good cutters. This is mostly due to the geometry, I'd say. The steel is not that bad. Sure it's on the soft side, but not nearly as soft as most bayonets. (I haven't used the mentioned bayonet, but others that I have I hold much greater reservations for than for the Glock) I do not find it hard to sharpen the knife to an edge that shaves and filets copy paper, especially the thinner tip portion. On light tasks, such as making kindling or cutting moderate amounts of cardboard, the edge doesn't really dull. Hacking through some bushes (hitting the ground unintentionally) or soft metal tubing, and also stabbing through the latter, and repeatedly sticking the knife in the ground did deform the edge. It was not chipped though and stropping with sandpaper brought back a working edge quickly. I did the harshest of the mentioned tasks a few days ago, and haven't still restored the edge to a full polish. But I intend to and I don't look forward to it as an especially laborous task.collecter said:
When I said that the knife "has many of the properties I'd look for in an outdoors knife", I didn't mean that it would be an ideal field knife. I meant to appreciate the prybar-like toughness, easy sharpening, non-abrasive handle and the very good sheath. The shortcomings are of course the lack of forward balance for truly effective chopping, obtuse grinds and possibly quality control issues. I have handled two specimen and the other one was much better sharpened, there were variations in the quality of the finishes.
I did reprofile the factory edge (which was quite dull) to a pronounced convex one. There was never a problem with an annoying wire/burr, as we all probably have sometimes had. I would recommend reprofiling the edge to preference when sharpening for the first time. This might give very different results for cutting/slicing or chopping tasks, depending on the angle of the secondary grind and the polish of the edge. I gave the best polish I could in a short time with sandpaper, to maximize edge strengh on impacts. I think the Glock knives are suited to abusive use when chopping, stabbing or prying is needed. I have not tested prying enough to recommended it without reservations though.
But as said, I won't argue against the shortcomings these knives have as purely cutting instruments. They are not good kitchen knives, even though a tomato can be sliced if needed. Keep in mind that these are designed as combat knives, and will most probably be efficient "de-animation tools"
not that I plan to ever find out. There may even be more knives in the world that are worse in that respect compared to the Glock FKs than there are better ones. I still conclude that for the price, if you know what to expect, the Glock field knives are a fine purchase.If you are looking for a functional field knife, the USMC mentioned by Collecter is a better choice. But there are even better ones, and from there it is basically a matter of opinion/preference/needs. I'd rather have a hatchet and a puukko than either of these. Or perhaps a Gerber folding shovel and a puukko.
i have a glock 78 field knife in OD.
It is extremely sharp, though i dont know how long it would hold the edge. I like the thickness of the blade and its toughness. I plan on carrying this knife for cutting softer things and I have an AK-47 bayonette (original russian with bakelite handle, is much nice than the east german version with plastic handle) for tougher cutting, as it is harder steel and heavier.
It is extremely sharp, though i dont know how long it would hold the edge. I like the thickness of the blade and its toughness. I plan on carrying this knife for cutting softer things and I have an AK-47 bayonette (original russian with bakelite handle, is much nice than the east german version with plastic handle) for tougher cutting, as it is harder steel and heavier.
collecter said:
I was about to suggest that too. Does Kabar still make theirs, or do they contract to Camillus now?
Either way, you can get one for about the same price. You can get the Kabar with a rubbery handle of some sort if you prefer it over leather. They also come in 1095. AFAIK the Glocks are some non-specific stainless. Neither looks like a premium quality knife. The Kabar was designed to be cheaply made by the millions. The Glock looks like it was meant for the same. If I were out in the woods and had to re-sharpen a knife, I would much prefer 1095. Actually, I would prefer it anywhere.
), I e-mailed Camillus and they said their 1095 marine knife is rockwell 57-59. I would prefer a little harder for my own purposes, but for a low cost knife that's a pretty good blade. No wonder people like these.