In Battle, a Folding Knife is a Broken Knife

[RedLynx]

If I were carrying a knife specifically to get through leather jackets, I'd instead want a recurve blade with an aggressive serration pattern like the Spyderco Civilian or the CS Black Talon. The primary advantage of the American tanto is point strength.



Definitely not if it was a folder. A fixed blade, maybe, but I simply wouldn't want to use it for utility purposes. The knuckle duster bit would get in the way far more than it would help me cut things. In a fight, though, it wouldn't be my first choice; I can only see the practicality of it as a guard and nothing more.
Either way, the handle on the knife in the image looks more uncomfortable than leaving my girlfriend alone in a room with Bill Cosby.

I think the knife in question would be uncomfortable just to carry, let alone use, and that would stop me using it for sure.

The Civilian makes sense. I'd also suggest the Matriarch but from what I hear, the point would like snap off in such a fight.

 

[Tenbeers]

And claiming that bikers only use fixed blades shows a complete lack of knowledge of the role Buck 110s (and their clones) played in their history.

Exactly right.
I've heard (no way to verify) that the "biker flip" method of one hand opening was developed using the 110. It being handle-heavy aids this type of open.
The Old Timer Sharpfinger was another popular choice at one time. Can't tell if the one in the pic is a USA original or a newer import. Looks a little new to be an original to me.

 

[RedLynx]

Exactly right.
I've heard (no way to verify) that the "biker flip" method of one hand opening was developed using the 110. It being handle-heavy aids this type of open.
The Old Timer Sharpfinger was another popular choice at one time. Can't tell if the one in the pic is a USA original or a newer import. Looks a little new to be an original to me.

The Sharpfinger looks very aesthetically appealing.

 

[marcinek]

If I were carrying a knife specifically to get through leather jackets, I'd instead want a recurve blade with an aggressive serration pattern like the Spyderco Civilian or the CS Black Talon. The primary advantage of the American tanto is point strength.

And yet not a single knife of that style is in the picture. Those guys clearly don't know what they are doing! Probably don't know anything about carbides either!

 

[GronK]

Those are perfect for their application ie., waving around looking bad-ass until someone shoots you.

 

[TAH]

And claiming that bikers only use fixed blades shows a complete lack of knowledge of the role Buck 110s (and their clones) played in their history.

Thinking the same thing. I expected to see a table full of 110s. :thumbup:

 

[GronK]

Thinking the same thing. I expected to see a table full of 110s. :thumbup:

Back in the day a 110 or switch blade stiletto was the norm with high class bikers carrying the Spyderco Renegade when it became available.

 

[John_0917]

Did the OP ever consider that the pic posted might be all fixed blades because the investigators categorized the knives by type?

As far as the claim that police did most or all of the killing, that isn't true at all, LEOs only fired 14 rounds total. All of the deceased were killed by gunfire, but not all by police gunfire. The surveillance videos clearly show several bikers (on both sides) firing handguns during the melee at each other.

 

[RedLynx]

Did the OP ever consider that the pic posted might be all fixed blades because the investigators categorized the knives by type?

As far as the claim that police did most or all of the killing, that isn't true at all, LEOs only fired 14 rounds total. All of the deceased were killed by gunfire, but not all by police gunfire. The surveillance videos clearly show several bikers (on both sides) firing handguns during the melee at each other.

Note to Self: The Sons of Anarchy life is not as glamorous as they make it (sometimes) seem.

 

[John_0917]

Note to Self: The Sons of Anarchy life is not as glamorous as they make it (sometimes) seem.

That would be an understatement...

Under and Alone and Running and With the Devil are good accounts of that realities of 1%er life, it's not pretty...at least the HA are smart enough to trademark their logos and make legitimate $$ off merchandising royalties.

 

[EChoil]

After some thought, over decades of motorcycling I can make the following observations, based upon my own experience:

Buck 110 may be the most common single folder seen around the boys. A lot of Sharpfinger fixed too.

One sees more folders than fixed blades but account must be taken of all the boot knives, i.e. fixed blades, that are unseen. Modern day in the age of clips, a lot of people carry folders in their boot too.

Of the elite brands, Emerson, Buck and Cold Steel seem to carry the most prestige and are the most common branded knives seen. Some Benchmades too.

I don't recall any discussion of fixed vs. folder. It was either 'good knife' or 'bad knife' when the subject was broached.

Personally, I prefer boot carry on a motorcycle. Among others, some knives that spent a lot of time in my boots over the years were: fixed/sheathed--a Tekna dive knife, a small leuku, a Sharpfinger or a BK-11 san mai. Folder--either a Super CQC-7, an Italian auto or a Benchmade Panther. Out of town, I"d also have my SAK Champion on my belt.

 

[Kwon Kwang]

And yet not a single knife of that style is in the picture. Those guys clearly don't know what they are doing! Probably don't know anything about carbides either!

I don't think they're actually carrying the knives for the sole purpose of slicing up other bikers. That would be a little asinine to imply IMO.
The following might sound a little silly, but if I ran with a MC I'd feel a little more free to carry the way everyone else is, just because they're doing it too. That means I'd probably have my R1 Military Classic on my belt on a daily...not because I intend to hurt anyone with it, but because I like it and want to carry it. I don't run with MC (maybe I would if I rode, who knows?) and I only know one person who did, but I don't think things are too different for them as far as knife carry goes.

 

[coinbuysell]

Starting at the bottom left, it seems the third on over is an Anza and the fifth is either a TOPS or Entrek (black coated 1095 tanto). Not sure that I would carry either one of them but the Anza is probably pretty light and manageable.

 

[marcinek]

I don't think they're actually carrying the knives for the sole purpose of slicing up other bikers. That would be a little asinine to imply IMO.
The following might sound a little silly, but if I ran with a MC ....

Wow. You get disagreed with and you go right to personal insults. :thumbdn: Maybe you should spend some time reading the site's rules instead of coming up with fantasies about how you would behave IF you were in a biker gang. IMO.

 

[marcinek]

Let's try to keep it from being locked this time, and focus on knife identification and knife-related discussion. We can move the political aspects of this discussion to another forum here.

Guess you just decided to ignore that one.

 

[Wowbagger]

ideal for going through a leather jacket

I don't cut through leather jackets but I have cut plenty of leather from whole tanned sides. Every time I see some person grinding away on some sharp thing while wearing a leather apron which I assume they wear because they think it will protect them if the sharp thing gets kicked back at them by the belt/what have you . . .
I cringe. Moderately sharp anything goes through leather pretty darn easy.

Chain mail is the way to go and if you saw that PBS episode about the "high tech" point that revolutionized warfare because of it's shape and ability to penetrate chain mail you might just have a second thought there as well.

Here is my leather apron that I cut out of a side of "Blacksmith's Leather" but I just wear it when I need something that sheds sawdust well like when I use my power router. That's The Chef wearing it in this photo. We got her suited up to help me at the bandsaw resaw some big planks (well they are big for me some may think they are tiny little things).

That's an empty bottle I had setting on a shelf. For some reason she thought she should have something in her hand when I took the photo. There is no telling what they are going to do next is there ? She's a good helper though so I don't push it . . .

 

[Kwon Kwang]

I think the knife in question would be uncomfortable just to carry, let alone use, and that would stop me using it for sure.

The Civilian makes sense. I'd also suggest the Matriarch but from what I hear, the point would like snap off in such a fight.

Yeah, that's my concern about that blade shape, too, although I'd be much more concerned about it breaking when hitting something unintentionally. That's why I like tantos so much. I'm a klutz and I break stuff all the time, even though I try to take good care of my knives.

Wow. You get disagreed with and you go right to personal insults. :thumbdn: Maybe you should spend some time reading the site's rules instead of coming up with fantasies about how you would behave IF you were in a biker gang. IMO.

I think you may have misinterpreted my post? I wasn't trying to insult anyone. All I said was that I think it's silly to imply that bikers primarily carry knives to cut each other up. I'm staying on-topic and discussing knife use.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Wow, this isn't the most important thread around. Wow, if we need to see insults everywhere, I can shut this down right now.

Wow, some people need to read the rules instead of shoving them in other peoples faces.

 

[killgar]

Ya know what's funny, I'm a member of two different biker forums, and there's more arguing and personal attacks on Bladeforums than on both of those biker forums combined.

Maybe bikers are a much more mellow bunch than knife enthusiasts. Heck, even the Harley and Honda guys get along better on those forums then a lot of the guys do on this forum.

Of course there are "bad" bikers in this world who do "bad" things. But there are also bad "knife enthusiasts" in this world who do "bad" things, often involving knives.

 

[RedLynx]

That would be an understatement...

Under and Alone and Running and With the Devil are good accounts of that realities of 1%er life, it's not pretty...at least the HA are smart enough to trademark their logos and make legitimate $$ off merchandising royalties.

I know I have read one account but I don't think it was either of those... Jay Dobbins I think, but I think that was called "No Angel" or something similar.

Okay so, 1%er is a commonly used term to refer to bikers? This I did not know.