How important is an exposed pommel for bushcraft?

CKE2

CKE2

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Out of all the knives that get posted here it seems 50/50 on exposed pommel(RAT 3, some Barkies say) over not exposed pommels.
Which do you prefer and why?

Also, how important is a lanyard hole for you??

Thanks for the input.

Craig

Sorry for the confusion on writing tang, I meant pommel....been a busy week:o
 
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personally, if i have the option, i would prefer an exposed tang becase they are usually going to be stronger and if you are in a asurvuval situation and the scales some off it is still going to be quite usable. lanyard hole, i like mostly because i like a lanyard :D

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Exposed tang sticks to bare hand in cold weather, if knife is not so large it's
not a serious problem though.
Their benefit for me is that the structure and condition of the handle is obviously visible.

Lanyard is very important as additional friction and security in case of heavy load,
assistance for drawing out and putting into sheath, or clip carabiner for belay when
passing though dense bush.
I will never take knives without lanyard out into the field.
 
Exposed pommels are nice if you have to drive the knife into something. I don't know how often such a thing is domne, however. Not a big deal one way or another to me.

Lanyards on small knives, I really like, but it isn't a deal breaker either.
 
i don't have any knives with exposed pommels and haven't ever wished for one. in theory they could be handy but on a shorter handle they can also cause a friction point on the hand.

as to lanyard-i rarely use them, but when i need one, i really need one. i like the option, even if i never take advantage of it.
 
I have a WARTHOG fixed blade with exposed pommel. I love it, i can tap in tent pegs with it, tap in a wedge to plit a log lengthwise etc etc.

I like lanyard holes on my folders, cuz i tend to lose things. Fixed blades i dont have a preference.
 
CKE2 said:
Out of all the knives that get posted here it seems 50/50 on exposed pommel(RAT 3, some Barkies say) over not exposed pommels.
Which do you prefer and why?

Also, how important is a lanyard hole for you??
Click to expand...

Exposed pommel - not important at all. Lanyard hole - not important at all. The only time I care about either of those is when they're done badly - if the exposed pommel is too sharp, it'll interfere with some grips, in which case it's not only unimportant but also an actual hindrance.
 
I dont own any with exposed pommels. I never liked the looks of them. I do however like a lanyard hole.
 
I don't care for a pommel that protrudes out the back of the handle unless it's a rounded pommel such as on the USMC Kabar. I also have no use for a lanyard hole on a fixed blade.

My experience is that if you are using a knife over water or while up in a tree it's safest to completely drop the knife than have it attached to your body. Tip a canoe with a fixed blade attached to your wrist and you will most likely suffer a severe cut while trying to right the canoe or while trying to get back in.

The only lanyard I use is a single lanyard tied to my swiss army knife which I carry in my front pocket. I can never loose this knife. It's there in case I loose my primary knife but I've never lost a knife in the bush.
 
i like an exposed pommel.

i am pretty rough on my knives.i ask a lot of them.......alright,alright,i down right abuse them.

to me it gives me one more use as a tool....a strike face.

i can tap or pound on things with the butt of a knife that doesnt have a pommel but i dont like putting shock on the scales which is what happens then.

i like the pommel on the ranger knives RD series.

its like an extra part of the knife you can treat like crap and not worry about it.

i use a lanyard when chopping heavily or when using a knife while in a tree stand,over water or anywhere else dropping it will be a problem.

other than that i dont use them on EDC's and i cant stand the fobs people have hanging off their blades.i can see the purpose for a small one on a small knife but some are 6in long on a 6in bladed knife.

looks more like decoration too me than anything
 
I think the secure feeling that an exposed pommel gives you, is >90% of psychological value and kind of a trend. I'm not saying it's not tougher! It is! But how close do we get to the limits of a knive when practising bushcraft?

Just have a look at serious, traditional bushcraft knives like Marttiini, Karesuando Kniven (check them out!), Helle and other scandinavian knives. Or have a look at russian knives that are used in very rough environment.
These knives not only don't break that easily, they also protect the hand from the cold.
 
I agree with DocArnie...it's probably more to do with psychological comfort than functionality. With that said, I don't mind an exposed tang...I just don't like it too protruding or sharp/pointy (like the RAT-5); if you have to drill a hole, it's a pain in the hand:D I know Bark River has several blades with mortised and covered tangs that are still very substantial tangs (Wet Enviro, Kephart and Nebula come to mind), they're both stout and comfortable. On the other hand, I have a Skookum Bush Tool with a very well done welded cap that is connected to the tang...it looks great and is very comfortable.

My Mad Dog PATAK has a hidden tang surrounded by a composite similiar to G10...it's hell for stout! I've hammered nails into my bedframe (4x4) in Iraq. You don't always need an exposed tang for hammering or pounding...but I wouldn't try that with every knife.

I don't always use lanyards, but I like the option to have one. It's just a small hole that doesn't affect function or blade strength. If I have the option, I'll have a lanyard hole.

ROCK6
 
I like a lanyard hole . I don't always use them but I gatta have them. I don't care one way or the other about the pommel. I don't pound, pry, or chop with any of my knives. I carry a hatchet or Machete for that. If I am using a knife like the Marine knife that has a pommel specifically made for pounding, I sometimes use it for small stakes and such.
 
My real users have exposed pommels, and I use them a lot. I like a lanyard on choppers and skinners for safety as well.
 
Cool thread!
By exposed pommel you mean you can see the tang of the knife (sandwiched between the handle slabs) at the butt end right? Or those slight extension of the tang out beyond the handle material.

When ever i hear pommels i usually think of the metal caps etc attached at the end of swords, Ka-bars and the Buck fixed blades (119/120 etc).

Either way aesthetically i like exposed pommel/tangs and pommels like on the Ka-bar and Bucks.

I've never really used them as hammers though but i can see where that ability might come in handy.

Actually from an aesthetic POV i like SMALL guards and metal pommels, i though about adding both to a kit Enzo. But in the end i decided to add neither.
Other than visual appeal i don't know how useful they are, especially on a small knife.
And i usually have a hatchet if i need to hammer something.

The whole exposed tang thing is less of an issue when you couple your knife with an hatchet/axe for the heavy stuff.
Before i got the Enzo a bunch of Moras were my bushcraft knives and they work very well.

Lanyards?
Yes i like them but i rarely use them.
My attitude is "Better to have and not need than to need and not have".
 
The Fallkniven F1 survival knife originally came with an all hidden tang. The next model it had the tang sticking out the back. The reason for this was so you could pound it into a tree if needed. They even show how to fell big trees with a 4" blade F1 in a couple of Survival handbooks.

A knife with a tang that you can see all around might no be the best option in frozen conditions. A protruding tang is much better. It gives you in a way the best of both worlds.
 
collecter said:
I don't care for a pommel that protrudes out the back of the handle unless it's a rounded pommel such as on the USMC Kabar. I also have no use for a lanyard hole on a fixed blade.

My experience is that if you are using a knife over water or while up in a tree it's safest to completely drop the knife than have it attached to your body. Tip a canoe with a fixed blade attached to your wrist and you will most likely suffer a severe cut while trying to right the canoe or while trying to get back in.
.
Click to expand...
Well if you get an arm or a leg caught in a line, or netting while boating, or skydiving it would be nice to be able to retain your knife if it slips out of your grasp, as opposed to watching it float away...
 
You may only have your hand to drive your knife, so the Ka-Bar style -- better yet the more numerous Cat 225Q style -- may offer advantages over the F-1 style.

You could use a chunk of wood to pound a on the butt of a full width tang knife, like a Koster Bushcraft or BRKT Aurora, for quite a while without any damage to the knife. Steel and G-10 are fairly tough.

Losing your knife in a survival situation is not beneficial so, like a secure sheath, a lanyard may be a plus. Do try, as always, not to cut yourself. If the lanyard is attached close to the guard/blade-handle junction rather than the butt, misadventure is less likely.
 
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