Can you define 'tactical?'

tactical

Main Entry:
tac·ti·cal
Pronunciation:
\ˈtak-ti-kəl\
Function:
adjective
Date:
1570
1: of or relating to combat tactics: as a (1): of or occurring at the battlefront <a tactical defense> <a tactical first strike> (2): using or being weapons or forces employed at the battlefront <tactical missiles> bof an air force : of, relating to, or designed for air attack in close support of friendly ground forces
2 a: of or relating to tactics: as (1): of or relating to small-scale actions serving a larger purpose (2): made or carried out with only a limited or immediate end in view b: adroit in planning or maneuvering to accomplish a purpose
— tac·ti·cal·ly \-k(&#601;-)l&#275;\ adverb
Fro me "tactical" knives are generally one handed opening. They DO NOT have to have serration or any sort of blade coating.
 
tactical is a overpriced, overbuilt, knife desingned to perform a task i really should have a gun for
 
he who say said:
tactical is a overpriced, overbuilt, knife desingned to perform a task i really should have a gun for
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Why stop at a gun? Why not an RPG? :)

Why not have a knife that will give you a better chance, if need be, than a slippy? Maybe
it will give you a better chance to fight your way to a rifle.
 
I'm just waiting for the day some of you people start bashing knives with sharp points.
 
Edlab @20 by that definition, a butter knife could be tactical. After all it's designed to 'swiftly and optimally' spread your butter on your bread. Does a word that can mean so many different things really have any meaning?

Bearing in mind that 'tactic' carries the connotation of 'plan' it does not make sense to me to use the adjective unless the knife fits into a specific plan. Probably there are shades of grey here, but that's just my take.

For example, suppose somebody takes a non-metallic knifethrough a metal detector into a supposedly secure area in order to kill some unsuspecting VIP (I know, too many spy novels). That knife could arguably be called 'tactical.' Or say somebody makes a knife designed to work in a booby trap to kill an intruder. Not to put to fine of a point on it, but most knives are such general purpose tools that to associate them with a plan, i.e. tactic, is oxymoronic.


And Elkins45, it occured to me that 'sport utility knife' has the same problem as the recently unveiled South Lake Union Trolley in Seattle. Officials proudly cut the ribbon for this boondoggle here recently, only to turn redfaced when a local business started selling T-shirts that said "Ride the SLUT." I still like it though--humor never hurts. Can't see the media launching a campaign to ban the SUK...
 
there's a 'tactical' way to urinate, and a 'tactical' or 'Ranger' way to wipe your butt, I don't put much emphasis on the word, because it's mostly for wannabe-ism. Who's got a link to that story of the soldier who took out the enemy with the 110 knockoff?
 
wutitiz said:
And Elkins45, it occured to me that 'sport utility knife' has the same problem as the recently unveiled South Lake Union Trolley in Seattle. Officials proudly cut the ribbon for this boondoggle here recently, only to turn redfaced when a local business started selling T-shirts that said "Ride the SLUT." I still like it though--humor never hurts. Can't see the media launching a campaign to ban the SUK...
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Hey, I'll be happy to have a little SUK in my pocket!
 
Tactical to me is simply a marketing term either the knife meets your needs or it doesn't. Now my MOD CQD Mark I is obviously for me a tactical knife since it is way overbuilt for my purposes.
 
Hardheart sez: "there's a 'tactical' way to urinate." Exactly. Does the Ranger then refer to his instrument of urination as a 'tactical delta-india-charlie-kilo?' No. 'Tactical' describes the method, not the instrument.

Thank you Hardheart.
 
wutitiz said:
Edlab @20 by that definition, a butter knife could be tactical.... Does a word that can mean so many different things really have any meaning?

Bearing in mind that 'tactic' carries the connotation of 'plan' it does not make sense to me to use the adjective unless the knife fits into a specific plan. Probably there are shades of grey here, but that's just my take...
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That's an excellent reply. I can see what the flaws of my definition are and that is thanks to the points/objections that you have raised.

However, look more closely at the examples which I give for the word "means"... absence of or minimal writing on the blade, shape of blade, colour of handle or whole knife, length of blade. I don't think that the butter knife that you discuss would exemplify any of these means, in unison as I have said in my definition, because "yes" a butter knife can have a long blade for example but it does not have the other attributes.

You realize that I didn't want to get in any details of what those "means" or attributes would be, so I gave only a few examples.

This is what I liked the most...You say "Does a word that can mean so many different things really have any meaning?", I'll change that to: could there be just a single species of knives out there that would deserve the term "tactical"? I think not. As an analogy... Could there be out there a single species of trees that would deserve the term "tree". I think not. Yet, we all understand what we mean by the word "tree" and hopefully we all understand what we mean by the word or phrase "tactical knife".

Best wishes,

Edalb
 
Edalb @33, thanks for a very cogent reply to my reply. Your example of a 'sterile' (unmarked) knife to avoid betrayal of its owner's origin is to me a good example of 'tactical' because it relates to a specific plan. Some of the other examples, like blade length or color, relate to plans only in a vague sense--too vague for my taste--but as I said ,there are shades of grey. And you're right--we all do know what is meant by 'tactical knife.'

But I am now on a campaign to substitute "sport utility knife" (SUK).
 
I'm not fond of the term 'tactical knife' myself, but I do have a system for using it.
If it's large, strong, fast, and useful enough to bet my life on, it's a tactical knife.
I could elaborate, but I'd end up sounding like Elkins 45; his is a good system too.
 
An overused term by producers of items for real mall ninjas who need the items for real world scenarios everyday.
 
Tactical knives cover such a huge area that i don't think there is a true definition. Once upon a time it meant synthetic handle material, black or low reflective blade and a look of something that would be used by the military, law enforcement, etc. Nowadays, tactical knives come with handles of all materials. the blades can be made from any blade material including damascus. The defining thing is the overall look of the knife. People may not be able to define what a tactical knife is, but they know one when they see one.
 
Putting the marketing hype aside, which there is a lot of. What if we relate it to serving a specific purpose. Just like a 'tactical' shotgun or a 'tactical' AR with a forearm grip, collapsible stock and night vision scope. They are designed for one purpose and one purpose only. And they are very effective for the specific purpose for which they were designed. ;)

So I guess you could say that 'tactical' means it was designed for maximum effectiveness in killing another person.
 
wutitiz said:
Can anyone really offer a definition of 'tactical knife.' And if not, should we really use words when we don't know what in the %$#@:confused: they mean?
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A marketing term for overpriced and oversized knives with lots of generally useless features that are targeted primarily at people who believe that having a big knife for self defense, even with no training, will make them superman and able to miraculously be safe in any situation[1]. Oh, and also the absolute favorite type of knife for mall ninjas everywhere.

They frequently include such wonderful "features" as tanto tips, scary serrations, blackened or camouflaged blades, really thick blades , and random other things that make them pretty much worthless for the general cutting tasks that make up about 99.9999999% of what almost every knife gets used for.

[1] If you haven't noticed, I'm of the general opinion that carrying a knife for the purpose of self defense is utterly ridiculous unless you live in the middle of a battlefield. Alternatives like pepper spray are much more effective in untrained hands, and that includes almost everyone who carries a knife for "self defense".
 
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