Fighting/light utility and combat/utility difference?

marcinek said:
Wow. Lot of folks trying to artificially cram knives into categories that don't exist. Of course, I can peel and dice 10 pounds of potatoes and slash you with my Case peanut. But that's hardly the point.

A well designed knife is designed to do something particular....even if that is "do an OK job at about everything." The only reason anybody should be debating what "category" to put a knife in is if: 1) one doesn't know why a knife is designed the way it is, or 2) the designer didn't know why he was designing the knife the way he did.

Strange thread. :confused:
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I think you nailed it. There is an abundance of intent in designs like those of Bill Harsey Jr., and Emerson just as there was an abundance of intent in the development of gut hooks and spey blades.

Just because two knives will both get sharp immediately after a top-notch sharpening job doesn't make them equal in all tasks - but when people start giving you their kung fu resume and quotes from Confucious to debate knife categories (the merits of a design is a valuable discussion for everyone - arbitrary categories and marketing lingo not so much) any kind of meaningful discussion goes out the window.

I thought the OP had positive and constructive intent in as far as he was examining features of the knives in detail, and didn't want to see him get discouraged just because he lost track when he started trying to apply definitions.
 
A Justice said:
I thought the OP had positive and constructive intent in as far as he was examining features of the knives in detail, and didn't want to see him get discouraged just because he lost track when he started trying to apply definitions.
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Very well put. I agree! As you start learning about what design elements of knives do, it becomes clear what knives were designed to do. A lot can be learned from playing with knives, of course...but a lot can be gotten from looking at historical/traditional/ethnic knives and seeing what they were used for. Wayyy less marketing spin was put into their design and wayyy more specific-functionality was put in.

Or just get Levine's Guide to Knives....great history of knives in there with a lot of great "Oh. Well that explains why..." moments in there.
 
Flash Owl said:
i think you got that backwards.
i dont really care what i use for "utility" as long as it has a workable edge. of course a properly made tool will make the job easier, but the job can still get done w/o much problem either way.
but for "combat" i want a specific design with specific features.
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And that's based on your many years of extensive experience in edged combat?

Seriously man. You don't need anything special to get hurt or dish out hurt. A piece of broken glass or a simple Opinel 8 will f*** you up just as easily as a $500 Extrema Ratio combatspecopsnavysealantiterroristninja blade.

Even if your part of the 0.00000001 % of the population who's job is to operate behind enemy lines in the world biggest hell holes your STILL going to use your knife for utility work 99% of the time.

Focus on what's useful in a survival situation instead of flashy looking tacticool designs.
 
Knives are tools, they perform good if the user is good at what he wants to do with them....
I am agree with NetshadeX.... You don't need scify technology or alien steel to seriously hurt a human body.

And IMHO I really think that turning to knives for self defense is not the best or safest strategy.
 
Reading through this thread reminded me of the oft-repeated adage that the loser of a knife fight goes to the morgue and the winner goes to the ER. I say kudos to the OP for daring to put definitions to the nebulous categories used in marketing. The best knife you can have in any situation (fighting/utility/etc.) is the one you have, are comfortable with, and know how to use.
 
The "standard" Ka-bar shape is a combat/utility knife. In WWII, the Marine Raiders were issued a slimmer shape, with the upper edge sharpened for several inches. All other characteristics remain the same. It was less utility and more combat. Sometimes, we're looking at minor modifications that infer major differences in use. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and so is the choice of a knife.

Scarface48
 
I kind of find that concept interesting, but I think that the factor of steel formulation would be equally important coupled with form factor . We could gab over knife philosophy forever though, huh?
 
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