Combat knife handle design

[Rotte]

A couple of other threads have gotten me thinking about the lowly knife handle. While the blade often catches my eye, the handle of the knife seems to be of significant importance in how well a knife functions.

In a thread about a combat knife, a poster indicated that he felt that a combat knife should have a versatile handle, capable of several different grips. The opposing camp thought a combat knife with a contoured grip (finger notches, sub-hilt, 'border patrol' style -- see attached image) was more useful in that one would naturally 'index' the handle and have a more secure grip. Even at the expense of some alternative grips.

What do you value in a combat knife handle?

Please vote in the poll, but I'd also like to hear your reasoning when it comes to combat knife handles.

(Randall Model 14 image borrowed from A.G. Russell)

 

[Absintheur]

It should fill the hand allowing for a tight grip without the hand cramping from trying to hold onto a too small handle. It should be reasonably non-slip when wet. An index shape that allows you to know the orientation of the edge is nice as well. Randall knives do all of these quite well. I do own an EK with a cord wrap, my main complaint about it is the grip needs to be thicker, another EK I just bought is a touch small and I think may be a bit slippery when wet. Same for my Hattori fighter. My favorite fighter is my ONeill bought here from the maker, a forum member. It has a handfilling micarta handle with an inlet cord wrapping. For a non finger groove knife it is very secure in the hand.

from top to bottom: my two cord wrapped EKs, my Hattori, my ONeill

My early EK

 

[jbombelli]

I don't like anything more than modest contouring, as I like to be able to switch grips from a saber grip to an inverted grip, to an icepick, etc., and with a lot of contouring, it will typically only fit the hand well in one particular way.

 

[Hammer27]

I have long preferred a blade that has a symetrical handle as it provides the same grip when edge up or down. With extreme finger grooves, your grip is compromised when held with the edge up. If the knife is double edged however, that is a moot point. I also prefer to have a sizable handle that is textured for a positive grip. I also prefer to have a guard as I find it to help in securing the hand and may act as a choil in some circumstances.

 

[Rotte]

I think my first 'combat knife' was a AF survival knife. I used one in survival school and afterward went out and bought one. Clearly the focus of this design is on survival, but then again the chief function of a combat knife is to perform utility/survival type tasks (sorry my camera isn't working; I pasted a web image below). The handle is minimally contoured, but, with utility in mind, it's excellent for it's purposes.

At some point, I decided to 'upgrade' my combat knife and got a CRK Green Beret. I got the 7" model, but in hindsight think the 5.5" may have been a better choice. The handle of the CRK Green Beret is fairly strongly contoured. The picture doesn't convey this as much as the way it feels in the hand.

Here is why I think a strong contour is useful for a combat knife: In a fight where you are using a knife as a weapon, the situation is likely to be very tense. Adrenaline is likely to be flowing. Your brain will not work the way it does when practicing hand to hand combat back at home. Fine motor skills will be impaired. In this context, a contoured grip is likely to help the knife be oriented or 'indexed' easily and a secure grip established. If the handle becomes wet or bloody, a secure grip will become very important.

I suspect -- I don't have any primary experience here -- that a simple grip will be the only one needed or used. I have read about different grips and fighting styles, but I don't actually think they are relevant on a modern battlefield. I might be wrong. But if your life has come to depend on using a knife, I'm thinking you want to be able to hold on to that shiv until it gets the job done.

So I chose the Green Beret in part because of the finger grooves. The odds are most combat knives will never see a fight (and I seriously doubt mine ever would) so it is fair question to ask why anyone would carry anything other than a Leatherman or SAK. But I suppose in the back of most soldiers' minds there is always the possibility, remote as it may be, that one might need a combat knife as a last ditch weapon. And if you need one, it had better be up to the task. And to do that, I think it has to stay in your hand. So for me, the secure grip afforded by finger grooves wins out.

 

[wildmike]

My favorite combat knife for the actual work of using a knife in combat was my old style Gerber MK2 due to it's ease of manipulation in the hand.

 

[kamkazmoto]

I prefer modest contouring. It offers a more secure grip while still allowing various grips to be used. Remember that 99.9% of a "combat" knives use will be utilitarian. That's why I really didn't care for the Gerber MK II I carried in Viet Nam. It was great for damaging warm bodies but not much else.

 

[tabeeb762]

Generally I steer clear of anything finger grooved because I have large hands and they don't feel right to me.
I find the handle of the USMC Ka-Bar covers just about everything I could ask for in a combat knife handle.
The AF Survival Knife handle too small and feels like its floating in my hand. The only fighting grip I practice with is the hammer

 

[gazz98]

Modest contouring for me too for similar reasons as given above.