If you could pick one knife to take to Afghanistan what would it be?

[VolundoftheForge]

Winkler Spike.

 

[masterj]

Mid size busse like a boss jack and a 301 ZT.

 

[Art_Vandeley]

Spyderco Military or any Emerson knife.

 

[lumberjacker]

I took a leatherman wave and eese 5.

 

[Nutty Knife Nut]

Ontario SP1 and CS Recon 1 spear point

 

[Recon19d]

Iam currently in Afghanistan right now, and I have my complete knife collection here. My advice would be a small fixed blade. My Esse Izula2 is on my hip right now. Fixed blades are just easier for me to maintain out here and they are faster to deploy.

 

[ADDICTEDD]

Heres what I would do if I was the sole authority on knives for the US Military:

Multi Tool: Either a Leatherman or Victorinox

Air Force: Becker BK2 Campanion or ESEE 5
Marines/Army: Becker BK7 Combat Utility
Navy: Becker BK10 Crewman (but sense thats not being made right now) Becker BK17 Clip Point Tweener

The reason why I chose Becker for everything is for a couple of reasons:

1) Kabar has awesome quality and an awesome warranty.
2) You don't really have to worry about rust as much out in a desert.
3) Beckers are affordable for people on a tight budget.

Lastly, I would let people buy/choose their own folder.


P.S.:

The other route I would suggest is looking at a Kukri, bloody useful.

 

[Ankerson]

I would take a K-Bar, worked for me back in the 80's.

 

[Zookie]

Probably my NMSFNO or Ratmandu, and Sebenza.

 

[Georgia Guy]

ESEE 3 or 4 due to the ease of attachment to a vest.

 

[HoosierQ]

ESEE 3 or 4 due to the ease of attachment to a vest.

My vote too. Plus maybe some sort of good folder like an Military, Paramilitary 2, or Endura. Leatherman 300. I'd skip the one hand opening wave and take advice given above with the hardened and replaceable wire cutters.

 

[Sezman716]

Strider SMF 3/4 Ground CC and ESEE 5

Way to much weight. That esee 5 a brick

 

[Ta2warrior]

A 12" - 15" HI khukuri.. sirupate or kobra.

If for whatever reason I was unable to have a khukuri with me, then a Winkler 'hawk.

My last tour there, I had a fairbairn-sykes remake in 01 and a Nimravus.

 

[HepatitisJ]

something light and in 3v steel. Forget esee5 and bk2. great knives but u'll notice that weight.

 

[dePaul]

The M95 Sissipuukko Rangers knife by Peltonen or Gerber Armorhide A475.

~Paul~

 

[Allen R.]

I was issued 2 gerber 06 autos, I promptly traded them off for a little knife from a company at the time I had never heard of but it has all the rage in the unit i was in the company was emerson and the knife was a cqc-7 and that little knife did everything i needed a knife to do, I still have it put away and it is beat up has very little coating left, but it never failed me and did everything i needed it too. As for the gerber 06 , that's a whole other thread I dunno if they are still being issued to ceratin units but the ones i had were garbage.

 

[Allen R.]

If your just a regular soldier deploying get you a good multi tool it's all youll need, no need to carry around a huge fixed blade if you don't haft to. It all really comes down to your MOS though.

 

[mnblade]

I do understand one of the main uses for a blade is utility, not combat ...

Just a point of interest: I once read that edged weapons were responsible for less that 4% of the casualties in the Civil War.

Given the fact that modern firearms have improved "a bit" since the Civil War, and that for a knife to be used in modern combat, at least TWO firearms have to malfunction (yours and his), I'd be inclined to just bring over a Leatherman or Victorinox multi, and maybe a medium-sized, very lightweight folder to have close at hand for boring, day-to-day tasks.

 

[Allen R.]

Just a point of interest, I once read that edged weapons were responsible for less that 4% of the casualties in the Civil War.

Given the fact that modern firearms have improved "a bit" since the Civil War, and that for a knife to be used in modern combat, at least TWO firearms have to malfunction (yours and his), .

Still no need for a knife , thats what the buttstock of your rifle is for , yea the really big smiley face is kinda cruel but hell truth is the truth

 

[Ta2warrior]

The general stats in these types of things don't often take into account specific situations dependent on mission, op, or field..

Your rifle or secondary won't need to fail for you to be forced to use something cqb.. it just takes ol' Mr. Murphy.

I was really lucky once, that training took over and I got my sidearm out while being wrestled to the ground. Even with every round in the guy, seconds were like hours and he wasn't bleeding out quickly enough. Luckily, my teammember saved me that day.

Another time, I was flat on my back.. ears popped and ringing, my vision blurry.. and no way to use my firearms, with at least 160 pounds of adrenalized madman jumping on me. No one else coherent to give me a hand.

You need a knife and it has to fit the job.