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- May 3, 2002
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- 6,192
I have a strange taste in tactical/camp/utility knives. I say strange because the properties I like in these knives aren't easy to find.
I like fixed-blade knives that have some similarities to kitchen knives. Perhaps it's because I love to work in the kitchen and do it so much so I've been using chef and utility knives more than anything else.
Kitchen knives tend to be designed so that the entire blade especially the heel of the blade will touch down on the cutting surface (or at least close with some utilities) without interference and they're always flat-ground and are from fairly thin stock. They are also polished or satin so things don't stick to them too badly.
Must tacticals have a guard or handle that prevents the back of the blade from touching down before the guard or handle are more sabre-ground and are made from fairly thick stock. (My buddy showed me his new Strider and it was SUPER thick for such a small 4" blade.) And many of them are bead-blast which anything remotely sticky just loves to grab onto.
But there are a couple that I like. The Gerber Yari is one of my favorites and it's much like a kitchen utility knife in pretty much every way. Also, I have a Ka-bar Warthog that I cut down the guards on so it works very much like a chef's knife. I have a 4" -blade custom that's like a small kitchen utility that's flat-ground high-polished ATS-34 and allows the whole edge to touch down.
One of my favorite parts of camping is cooking in the outdoors so I'm sure that's a big part of it. I realize that most tacticals are designed for fighting. OK, but I've read a lot that says that even the military use their knives for camp chores 99% of the time and rarely need them for fighting because, obviously, they're not their primary (or even secondary) weapon. Also I like to choke-up and hold a knife edge-up and work the heel of the blade at what ever small thing I'm working on.
I haven't really found a folder that has these properties. If I did I might buy one, but I'm mostly a Benchmade and Microtech fan. (The Amphibian comes close.)
My point in starting this thread? None really. I just thought it was an odd way of looking at tactical/camp/utility knives and I thought I'd share. I'm really just thinking out loud.
I like fixed-blade knives that have some similarities to kitchen knives. Perhaps it's because I love to work in the kitchen and do it so much so I've been using chef and utility knives more than anything else.
Kitchen knives tend to be designed so that the entire blade especially the heel of the blade will touch down on the cutting surface (or at least close with some utilities) without interference and they're always flat-ground and are from fairly thin stock. They are also polished or satin so things don't stick to them too badly.
Must tacticals have a guard or handle that prevents the back of the blade from touching down before the guard or handle are more sabre-ground and are made from fairly thick stock. (My buddy showed me his new Strider and it was SUPER thick for such a small 4" blade.) And many of them are bead-blast which anything remotely sticky just loves to grab onto.
But there are a couple that I like. The Gerber Yari is one of my favorites and it's much like a kitchen utility knife in pretty much every way. Also, I have a Ka-bar Warthog that I cut down the guards on so it works very much like a chef's knife. I have a 4" -blade custom that's like a small kitchen utility that's flat-ground high-polished ATS-34 and allows the whole edge to touch down.
One of my favorite parts of camping is cooking in the outdoors so I'm sure that's a big part of it. I realize that most tacticals are designed for fighting. OK, but I've read a lot that says that even the military use their knives for camp chores 99% of the time and rarely need them for fighting because, obviously, they're not their primary (or even secondary) weapon. Also I like to choke-up and hold a knife edge-up and work the heel of the blade at what ever small thing I'm working on.
I haven't really found a folder that has these properties. If I did I might buy one, but I'm mostly a Benchmade and Microtech fan. (The Amphibian comes close.)
My point in starting this thread? None really. I just thought it was an odd way of looking at tactical/camp/utility knives and I thought I'd share. I'm really just thinking out loud.
He's also willing to do alternative handles. I wanted the curvey handle and bird's beak because I wasn't going for a straight chef's knife. If I were going for a little more chef's and a little less utility, I'd go with a straighter handle & no bird's beak, and a straighter belly.