Are You "Tactical" or "Practical?

Yes, the Talon is an amazing cutter. I got it in the late fall, so it has spent the winter doing general household work and kitchen duty. The knife is amazing to say the least. How many non-kitchen knives out there will actually push cut through a brick of sharp cheddar cheese? Not many. It also holds an edge for an incredibly long time. Once the Northeast begins to thaw out, I’m going out fishing with the Talon. We’ll see how it holds up to northern pike. :D
 
IMHO, I think all knives are practical even for tactical. It depends on what you want it to do. When I buy knives, I look at it to see whether it can fulfil multi-roles. I consider durability, ease of carry, practicality, non invasive looks ( or not ), etc... If the knife is specialized, I usually don't consider it unless it is a need I must have filled. Most of my constant or hard use knives are fairly economical and cheap. Very practical although they can be used for defensive / offensive purposes. Hence, tactical. All my collector knives are fairly tactical although I would like to think that in a pinch, I could grab them and use them for practical use. I don't have a knife in my arsenal that is so exotic that I couldn't use it for anything other than being a display piece. As an EDC, that is situational or contextual. EDC is dependent on where I am and what I am doing during that span of time. Some knives do some things better than others. The variety of knives out there for applications just gives me more of an excuse to buy and collect more knives.
 
Buzzbait,

I'm with you about the thickness/slicing issue. Some jobs require a narrow blade for precise cuts. I once saw a four-inch Opinel cut a rich dark brown loaf of bread that every other knife was crumbling.

A little over six months ago I did an inventory on the items I carry, and really thinned out the herd!

For every day use, I carry a Strider SnG. If it's blue jeans and the possiblity of rough use (camping or The National Grasslands) I go for the Strider AR. Before that there were a few Microtech USSOCOM's, LCC's and seven Emersons.

That being said, the Microtech tanto design (the front bevel) was the only thing that cut near to an Xacto knife.

The one spare thing I do carry is a three-inch Opinel OP-84 in my jean jacket. It's for slicing ONLY.
 
Guess I've never seen a good definition of tactical yet.

I have a knife with a 2 3/4 inch blade, drop point, black plastic handle and pocket clip. Handiest knife I own, blade is wide and flat ground, good high carbon steel, just the way I like them. It is a lockback and has a thumbhole. No, it's not a Spyderco. I had to break down a bunch of cardboard boxes, and I had this knife out and cutting before I remembered the stockman in my pocket. I love the stockman, but the pocket clip is sooooo much easier and faster, and the wider blade gives me much more cutting stability, while the stockman is better for "finer" work.

Is it tactical? I don't know, it's so practical, I guess I just don't worry about it at all.
 
Definately practical! Even as a LEO I never quite understood the whole "tactical knife" thing. To each their own, though.

AJ
 
I like practical with a tactical flair. I want a good hard use knife that has a solid lock up, good blade geometry for cutting, high quality materials, and attractive looks. My knife must first be visually appealing to me. If I don't like the looks of a knife, I'm not going to handle or buy it in the first place. Second, it must be made of high quality materials. Currently, I have been carring stellite blade liner-locks and really love them. Next, I look for good fit and finish with a solid lock up.

Ironicly, a lot of those things also make a knife good for tactical purposes. Solid lock up and good blade geometry for cutting is essential in a tactical knife.

My knife must first be able to handle any every day chores I throw at it. Then, it must also be suitable to use in a self defense situation should the need arise. I whole heartedly disagree with a carrying a "virgin" blade soley for self-defense purposes. I want to a carry a practical user that can be tactical if the need arises.

Those choices led me to Carson folders. While I currently carry a stellite M16 (drop point blade, ground thin to be an amazing slicer) or a stellite hawk-bill, I believe his M4 is the best compromise of tactical/practical in a folding knife that has ever been designed. As soon as I can get an M4 in stellite, I will have a new EDC.

JR
 
I've carried some kind of cutting tool since I was about 8 years old and I've probably has occasion to use one every day. Therefore a Practical knife would suit the bill.
However I live about a mile north of NYC. Westchester County, where exclusive neighborhoods can be a ten minute drive from a crack ghetto where your life may be less valuable than the contents of your wallet, so a tactical knife might be better suited. That said, the knife I carry around here needs to look pretty docile in order to avoid it and myself and myself being stigmatized as criminal in nature, yet useful for self-defense should the need arise. That sets up a certain criteria for a practical tactical knife.
Like most of you I'm sure, what I've carried through the years has always been subject to rotation and replacement depending on the setting and the need. What I've found to be the best mix of both is a Leatherman SuperTool. It combines a non-threatening appearance with better versatility than a SAK, and a much stouter (is that a word?) blade.
Ironically the only time I've had to use it to defend myself, I used the plier end like a pommel to persuade a mugger to lie down and take a nap. 10 times out of 10 I would prefer that outcome than slicing or stabbing someone.
My collection for the most part is guided by how I feel about the design and usually it turns out to be a tactical design.
 
My knives are for everyday utility. The main thing that I think about when I buy them is what they can be useful for day-to-day or in a non-defensive emergency.

For self-defense, I choose other options. For some people, by law or by choice, knives are their best option. I'm sure their buying criteria are different from mine. Nothing wrong with that, whatever it takes to stay safe.
 
tactical has seriuosly been manipulated. I thought tactical has been a term for counter terrorists, army and such for certain gear they needed and how it needed to work.. now companies like to paint all their stuff black put 3 billion teeth on it and say itll help you in any situation including the time when your car goes off a cliff the tactical parachute will deploy from the 3 inch handle and save ur lives.. Im not trying to sound farty or anything but what ever happened to a damn good blade attached to a damn good constructed handle and that was it? :rolleyes:
 
Since the majority of my collection is Auto's and some Balisongs, I guess I am in the FUN category.
However, my EDC is always practical, as I do not carry a knife for self defense. That is what Glocks and Sigs are for.
 
I guess you could say I'm a both tactical and practical. I carry a tactical folder such as a Sere 2000 and on the practical side I carry a Leatherman and/or SAK Rucksack.
 
Originally posted by Buzzbait
This is what bothers me about many of the modern knives out there. So many of them are stout to the point of being far too thick, with less than adequate cutting efficiency for common tasks. This may be tactical, but it sure isn't practical. It seems as if people use their knives so little these days, that they chase a dream of indestructibility, with no care for whether the knife actually cuts at all. They’ve been so removed from the knowledge of how well a knife can cut, that they don’t even know when they’ve got a knife that doesn’t cut well. They’re just happy to have something better than a butter knife, which looks like their vision of a “spec-ops pig sticker”. To tell you the truth, these people would be better off with a pair of folding scissors. Just round off the points so they don’t go hurting themselves, and blacken the blades so they have that covert look to them.
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I agree with Buzz. I definately tend to the practical side of things. Having said this, my favorite "field knife" is the Ka-Bar next generation fighting knife. Why? It's a great compromise between durability and cutting ability. Sturdy without being too thick. And with a great balance. I need a sturdy field knife that can handle a variety of chores, from opening packages to slicing food to splitting wood and light chopping jobs. The Ka-Bar handles them all. When I go out backpacking in the woods, I'm not too interested in stabbing people. :p

For EDC I carry a CRKT BladeLOCK. A bit on the hefty side, it is again a nice sturdy blade, but not designed for combat at all. If I were being attacked I'd probably reach for MACE before a knife anyway.

Dan
 
Some great responses here.
Like Buzz said, there are a lot of blades that are just too damn thick to be good cutters. As has been said, any knife can be "tactical". Some that are better suited for tactical (weapon) purposes are lacking in the utility department. The same can be said of super thin blades, they may not stand up to harder use. Among the best I have found are the Sebenza and the Buck 110/112. These combine just the right combination of thinness and strength to set them apart.
I guess what I really meant was, do you look at a knife from more of a weapon or overall use standpoint?

Paul
 
Overall use for me. You can tell how practical I've gotten by the fact I've only bought a OT Middleman and a Calypso Jr. ltwt since last year's Blade Show.
 
Both. Strider AR. Strider EBS. And soon Strider SLCC and SnG.

Personally, I hav found 3/16" thick knives to be the best compromise in strength and cutting ability.

The spearpoint profile is a bit more practical than the tanto shape and full flat grind helps thin it out a bit.
 
In general, tactical should be practical. If you are viewing your tactical knife as something for defensive situations, then it's a self defense blade. Tactical is how you apply the tools at hand.
 
Originally posted by Jeremy Reynolds
I like practical with a tactical flair. I want a good hard use knife that has a solid lock up, good blade geometry for cutting, high quality materials, and attractive looks. My knife must first be visually appealing to me. If I don't like the looks of a knife, I'm not going to handle or buy it in the first place. Second, it must be made of high quality materials. Currently, I have been carring stellite blade liner-locks and really love them. Next, I look for good fit and finish with a solid lock up.
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You have just described my knife... Thanks.

David
 
It depends... I have some tactical knives that are not very practical but still I like them. But for EDC I go for practical knife like Sebenza and sometimes with a "tacical flair" like D/A LCC. Yes, LCC is a practical knife when you look at the shape of the blade and deep hollow grinding. But still it has some tactical soul given by Greg...
 
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