Best Combat Knives

OrlandoFL, welcome to the knife wars! :D

The questions they asked you are to separate a "combat knife" from a "combat zone knife".

There are situations where people at war or at home might use a knife against another person or even an animal. These combat knives ideally would have a comfortable grip and a sharp blade as long as convenient.

But a soldier not being the most highly paid professional in our society will probably use an issued knife or the kind of inexpensive knife available in the PX. That leaves out your list.

On the other hand, hand to hand combat is a measure of the failure of an operation. Instead of a knife, bring more ammunition. So a combat zone knife is the kind of knife you need to open packs of food or crates of equipment, to fix broken machinery or prepare food, like butchering animals. Small fixed blade, well-made folder or slip joint, multitool or Swiss Army Knife.
 
I picked up a Eickhorn KM 2000 in Germany in 2007. I don't know if it's really on any "best" list, but it certainly is a wicked, no nonsense, piece of cutlery. It also came very sharp, more so than I would think an issue knife would usually be.
 
Best combat knife, as has been said, is a fixed bayonet. If at all possible, shoot first, then stab.
If you truly expect to use your knife for combat then there is something horribly wrong with your planning. Carry a good field/utility knife and if you ever have to use it to stab someone, it will probably do at least as well as a kitchen knife, which are used to kill more often than any other type.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
OrlandoFL, welcome to the knife wars! :D

The questions they asked you are to separate a "combat knife" from a "combat zone knife".

There are situations where people at war or at home might use a knife against another person or even an animal. These combat knives ideally would have a comfortable grip and a sharp blade as long as convenient.

But a soldier not being the most highly paid professional in our society will probably use an issued knife or the kind of inexpensive knife available in the PX. That leaves out your list.

On the other hand, hand to hand combat is a measure of the failure of an operation. Instead of a knife, bring more ammunition. So a combat zone knife is the kind of knife you need to open packs of food or crates of equipment, to fix broken machinery or prepare food, like butchering animals. Small fixed blade, well-made folder or slip joint, multitool or Swiss Army Knife.
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Tactfully and eloquently stated. :thumbup:

My favorite combat knife would be the M9 bayonet mounted to the front of my Mossberg 590A1. It's an edged weapon that is backed up with nine rounds of 2-3/4" 12 gauge 00 buckshot or slugs. ;)
 
A friend and former USMC member recommended these knives.
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A "marine" recommended these and didn't include the KABAR?

The list was intended to identify a sample set of the most proven military combat knives currently being used today.
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Pardon me, but aside from maybe a few CR knives, I doubt that any of the other blades have ever been carried by active-duty military personnel into a combat zone.

If you are looking for knives carried by real troops in the field, including Special Ops, look to Benchmade folders and Leatherman multitools.

"Best?" Knives are just tools. As tools, they perform specific functions, and may change depending on what is needed in the field. Anyone that thinks there is a "best" of anything is not qualified to give advice.
 
CWL said:
Pardon me, but aside from maybe a few CR knives, I doubt that any of the other blades have ever been carried by active-duty military personnel into a combat zone.
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I thought the Eickhorn he mentioned was issued to German military... If that's the case, it would probably have seen a great deal of use in Afghanistan with ISAF forces.

Also, I've heard from a few sources that Kizlyar knives are hugely popular with the Russian military. In all likelihood, a fair few of the knives from his list have seen a fair amount of use in combat.

I agree, though, that they are not even close to representative of "the most proven military combat knives currently being used today". Not by a long freaking shot.
 
DeathByCactus said:
Yeah that knife... because...

"The choil-notch doubles as both a bottle opener and peacemaker-its’ deployment and use is a great bar fight deterrent in exotic third world locales"
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I am convinced that the guy who writes the marketing material for Dork ops has never set foot outside of mom's basement, let alone visited bars in exotic 3 rd world locales. :rolleyes:
 
Dorito Monk said:
I thought the Eickhorn he mentioned was issued to German military... If that's the case, it would probably have seen a great deal of use in Afghanistan with ISAF forces.

Also, I've heard from a few sources that Kizlyar knives are hugely popular with the Russian military. In all likelihood, a fair few of the knives from his list have seen a fair amount of use in combat.

I agree, though, that they are not even close to representative of "the most proven military combat knives currently being used today". Not by a long freaking shot.
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You are right about the Eickhorn being a German-issue knife, forgive my skipping past it, but there were never more than ~5,000 German troops in Afghanistan and most of the 45 casualties were suffered from IED & tube artillery strikes. So whether Eickhorn KM2000 was carried or not, I doubt that the tanto-tipped 440A steel blade saw much action.

Regarding Kizlar, they make so many knives who knows what gets used, but I do know that the Voron is touted as their Spetznatz knife, not Phoenix (fenix?), though I'd bet that they'd rather use a sharpened entrenching tool.

Yeah, I still think folding knives are more "proven" than any fixed-blade being marketed today. I would easily believe that bayonets are a far second.
 
As far as best combat knife... there are a lot.
Because a lot of knives meet that requirement.
If we are talking slicing and stabbing people a lot of knives do that well.
It's kind of silly to say what is "best."

So you can list all the knives you want and it's nearly irrelevant.
A $50 Ka-bar will be just as good as a $400 Chris Reeves fixed blade
in the real world of combat applications (i.e. stabbing and slicing).
 
CWL said:
You are right about the Eickhorn being a German-issue knife, forgive my skipping past it, but there were never more than ~5,000 German troops in Afghanistan and most of the 45 casualties were suffered from IED & tube artillery strikes. So whether Eickhorn KM2000 was carried or not, I doubt that the tanto-tipped 440A steel blade saw much action.
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If by 'action', you mean 'stabbing f**kers in the face', then you're probably right - it probably hasn't been used for much of that. I doubt many knives have been used for much of that for quite a long time, now... As an issued knife, though, it was probably most soldiers' go-to knife and likely saw heaps of use doing everything a knife generally gets used for in a war zone.

As an aside, there seems to be a few different definitions of 'combat knife'. Some folks seem to think that a combat knife is a knife designed to kill people, while others think a combat knife is a knife used by soldiers. I personally always think of combat knives as any knife that is used in a combat zone - the same way combat boots are different from regular boots, for example (Calling a pair of boots 'combat boots' doesn't mean they're designed exclusively for killing people, it just means they're designed to be worn in a combat environment). By the same token, I don't generally associate modern 'combat knives' with knives used exclusively for killing people. That's just my personal outlook on it.
 
no mension of any Karambit blades at all? I currently got the Fox Karambit and its a great self defence/combat knife. The best knife isnt a real good question to be asking. Its all on whos holding the knife and how well they are at using it. Try some different knifes out and see what you like. Me its a Karambit knife but not everyone here is gana agree on that. Practice and almost any knife can be the perfect knife for that person.
 
bigcolorz said:
no mension of any Karambit blades at all? I currently got the Fox Karambit and its a great self defence/combat knife.
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Woah, really? You've used it for combat/"self defense"? You've spilled blood with that blade, and it compared well to the other blades you've taken lives with? Hardcore.
 
How could you possible leave Randall Made knives off that list? Heresy!

Seriously, there is no such thing as a "best" combat knife: it is ENTIRELY a matter of personal opinion. Just as there is no such thing as a "tactical" knife: that is entirely a matter of whatever the advertising department is trying to push this week.

I believe that the Marines are issued a Kabar, but soldiers don't get knives issued to them and so buy whatever is available in the PX, usually a Leatherman multi-tool or a Cold Steel SRK (which, BTW is not a bad choice and a great value for the money).

That is, if their First Sergeant will let them carry anything with a sharp edge. There are few things more dangerous to the American soldier than a PFC with a brand-new knife.
 
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