Case Besh Wedge

T

TedderX

Joined
Feb 8, 2017
Messages
186
What is your opinion on this knife?

I handled one today. I respect what Case was trying to do but I feel like they missed the mark on this one. Definitely was not comfortable to handle. I couldn't really figure out the edges either. Kind of a three-plane grind. Also, the tip I couldn't figure out. Granted, you could use it as a pry-bar but then why is it sharpened?

I'm not even sure if this would pass the Geneva Convention.

YlHADv0.jpg
 
Ugly knife. Not exactly what I think of when I think of a traditional fixed blade.
 
That looks like it would be terribly uncomfortable. The reason for the grind is an "improved" dagger created by Brent Beshara. He was in the canadian military and found a conventional daggers tip to be prone to breaking/bending and sought to improve the design while maintaining it best function, stabbing penetration. He made (still makes?) his own custom version of it while some others copy it. Maybe they lease the design, I don't know but at any rate that's the reason for the grind in a nutshell.
 
We don't see many daggers in this section of bladeforums... even fewer that were designed in 2001... and have a blade-tech precision molded sheath. ;)

Here's a link to the custom maker's website. I'm not familiar with his work but it was the first hit on Google. http://beshknives.com/

I'm interested in knives that are tools, not knives that are weapons. But the search also revealed that Case makes a WWII style dagger as well.

21994.jpg
 
I'm trying to figure out who they think is the target audience for this thing. Collectors? Doubtful. The military? Highly unlikely. Average citizens who need a dedicated stabbing blade for their EDC? Shoot, even the 35 year old guy living in his mom's basement is more likely to spend money on a Viking sword, or even a zombie bat, than this thing. Maybe they know something I don't…


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Trout Hound said:
I'm trying to figure out who they think is the target audience for this thing. Collectors? Doubtful. The military? Highly unlikely. Average citizens who need a dedicated stabbing blade for their EDC? Shoot, even the 35 year old guy living in his mom's basement is more likely to spend money on a Viking sword, or even a zombie bat, than this thing. Maybe they know something I don't…


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Lol, a zombie bat the flying kind or the baseball kind? I would think either way it would be more comfortable and easier to grip than that one.
 
What is your opinion on this knife?
Cheap and Nasty and nothing traditional about it apart from the title "dagger".:cool:
 
Not going to go down this street again.
From my vantage point as a moderator, the knife is traditional enough to be talked about in the forum. It does have a traditional dagger shape, even if the materials of construction are less than stylish. The sheath is ugly as sin, but the sheath is not enough to get the knife kicked out.

If you don't like the knife, say so. If you like it, say so.
But please leave the argument of how traditional it is at the door.
And if it totally offends your sensibilities, you can always just skip to the next thread.
 
Trout Hound said:
I'm trying to figure out who they think is the target audience for this thing. Collectors? Doubtful. The military? Highly unlikely. Average citizens who need a dedicated stabbing blade for their EDC? Shoot, even the 35 year old guy living in his mom's basement is more likely to spend money on a Viking sword, or even a zombie bat, than this thing. Maybe they know something I don't…


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Click to expand...

A lot of military guys purchase their own equipment. I THINK Case was trying to target current military members. I.e.-to given them Case's option of a combat knife. I just think Case missed the mark and could have designed something better.
knarfeng said:
Not going to go down this street again.
From my vantage point as a moderator, the knife is traditional enough to be talked about in the forum. It does have a traditional dagger shape, even if the materials of construction are less than stylish. The sheath is ugly as sin, but the sheath is not enough to get the knife kicked out.

If you don't like the knife, say so. If you like it, say so.
But please leave the argument of how traditional it is at the door.
And if it totally offends your sensibilities, you can always just skip to the next thread.
Click to expand...

Not trying to be rude I just thought this was "traditional folders" and "fixed blades". As in, all fixed blades (not just traditional fixed blades). Should this have went somewhere else?
 
TedderX said:
A lot of military guys purchase their own equipment. I THINK Case was trying to target current military members. I.e.-to given them Case's option of a combat knife. I just think Case missed the mark and could have designed something better.


Not trying to be rude I just thought this was "traditional folders" and "fixed blades". As in, all fixed blades (not just traditional fixed blades). Should this have went somewhere else?
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My opinion is that the knife is appropriate for talking about in Traditional.
 
Unfortunately, I find Case's rendition of the Besh Wedge Dagger to be rather ugly and way too expensive to warrant serious interest from me. Though I appreciate the intent behind the wedge design feature, it is still attempting to make what is otherwise a fighting knife into something more utilitarian and I think there are other knives that are far more suitable in that context.

Boker Plus makes a Besh Wedge also, it is still ugly, just not as ugly as the Case version.

I actually like daggers, not as an implement I intend to use anytime soon, but more from a historical perspective. There isn't a lot of modern application for such designs these days but historically, they will always have a place. I think my favorite rendition of the modern dagger is the Fairbairn Sykes Commando Dagger and I would love to have one in my collection someday. But it isn't a huge priority as it realistically won't see any use. And I prefer to acquire knives that I will use...
 
I think it is the ultimate evolution of the commando dagger. It is designed for one thing - close-in combat. It's an update of the Case V-42 Stiletto. The V-42 had a choil with a thumbprint so that you could pull in the blade side of the guard without cutting yourself. The V-42 had a pointed pommel, but many commandos would grind it down after poking themselves with it, so the Besh Wedge has a squared off pommel. Both were made by Case, so I suspect they use the same steel. The V-42 was hollow ground, but the point of Besh' grind was obviously not just to increase the strength of the tip, but the edge of the blade as well, so the Case Besh Wedge is flat ground. I think the original Besh Wedge (and also the Boker Besh Wedge neck knife?) went to a straight tip like a sharp flat head screwdriver, but the Case Besh Wedge goes to almost a small tanto shape which is interesting because it does have a point rather than just a small edge. The Boker is a smallish neck knife. The Case is a full sized combat stiletto. The main problem with the stiletto that the Besh Wedge addresses is the fragility of the point. The scales (covers) are removable and you can wrap the handle in paracord. Although I haven't seen an example of this, that means that you can also turn this into a very effective spear.

So, in terms of updating a classic, I think they did a fantastic job. I think they addressed every issue with the original on which it's based, and I think any WWII special forces commando would have chosen this over anything else available at the time.

The problem with this pattern is that it is so highly specialized. It has an extremely limited market. They say it's appropriate for law enforcement, but don't think many SWAT cops would use this. I haven't seen a study of this, but I suspect they tend to go for tactical drop point, clip point, etc. Certainly no beat cop would carry this every day. They tend to go for "rescue", scrappers, rope cutting, etc. Collectors might be interested, but they tend to go for original designs for the history and aesthetics rather than practicality, especially for a pattern who's most practical use is quietly killing someone. The 6.5" blade length puts it into the "Restricted Carry" category (anything greater than 5.5") in Texas and probably lots of other states limiting the age of the carrier and where it can be carried, so it won't be as popular to carry as a "Texas Legal" knife in Texas. It's not really a great survival pattern, although your could probably do lots of chopping with that flat grind, and you have a bit of choil that might be sharp enough to strike a fire.

It seems that the primary target user for this knife is a modern elite strike team. I think Case and Besh were hoping for a military/government contract, and may have gotten one, but Case decided to go ahead and make them available to the general public to clear out their stock.

Ignoring price for a minute, this is probably a better home defense choice than a bat, or a sword, or a kitchen knife for someone who can't, or doesn't want to, own a gun. It is specifically designed for close-in combat, not for hitting balls or cutting up a chicken. You wouldn't want to be on the wrong end of this blade guard.
 
TheChunk91 said:
That looks like it would be terribly uncomfortable. The reason for the grind is an "improved" dagger created by Brent Beshara. He was in the canadian military and found a conventional daggers tip to be prone to breaking/bending and sought to improve the design while maintaining it best function, stabbing penetration. He made (still makes?) his own custom version of it while some others copy it. Maybe they lease the design, I don't know but at any rate that's the reason for the grind in a nutshell.
Click to expand...

I have proposed a modified besh wedge where one of the flats is slightly longer than the other. This would skew the besh wedge tip so one of its corners would be more forward and one would be closer to the handle. This would make the forward corner into a three sided pyramid shape which would still be strong but a much better tip imho.
 
TedderX, What does the Geneva Convention have to do with a knife design? I agree with most comments, uncomfortable handle, not very useful as a knife, and certainly no more combat ready than say a Randall 1, or a host of other knives. What really surprised me was the cost. I think the cheapest I have seen it for sale is about $259 for a knife that looks like it could be drop forged, no high speed steel, and just slabs for the handle. John
 
Bartleby said:
Lol, a zombie bat the flying kind or the baseball kind? I would think either way it would be more comfortable and easier to grip than that one.
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Why can't you have both, a la the 2000 Mike Piazza/Roger Clemens encounter?
 
Lapedog said:
I have proposed a modified besh wedge where one of the flats is slightly longer than the other. This would skew the besh wedge tip so one of its corners would be more forward and one would be closer to the handle. This would make the forward corner into a three sided pyramid shape which would still be strong but a much better tip imho.
Click to expand...
That's basically what this Case Besh Wedge is.
 
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