Is FSH a tactical fighter or survival knife?

[m10commander]

Hi guys, Any thoughts? I got my first FSH yesterday & started to think is it a fighting, survival or all purpose big knife? I personal think it is too heavy to be a fighter!

 

[Walking Man]

Hi guys, Any thoughts? I got my first FSH yesterday & started to think is it a fighting, survival or all purpose big knife? I personal think it is too heavy to be a fighter!

It's a better fighter than the HOFSH, that's for sure.
It's really not meant to be a fighter, the handle is much better suited for using, fighters tend to have grips that are thinner, while properly designed users are a wider, so the shock of chopping can be spread out across your hand better. At least, that's my best guess. Otherwise, it would be a great survival or all purpose big knife. Also, it could be used as a self-defense tool, if needed, I can think of worse things to have in your hand, if the brick house comes down.

 

[Peter La]

This is just my opinion, but a HOG FSH (Can't speak for a FSH) would make a poor fighting knife due to its extreme weight (It is quite heavy). When I first saw it, I thought it looked like a medium sized camping knife but after picking it up, I have found it is actually REALLY heavy for a medium sized knife. Their are obviously better fighting knives out there but most of the time one might possibly engage in a knife fight they have no other weapon on them. The FSH would make a massive wound channel but it is not exactly "lively in the hand." But for camping or suvival it has great potential, as long as you sacrifice ease of carry for brute chopping power and strength. Again, I am basing this on a HOG FSH, the regular FSH may be different

Does anyone know how much a HOG FSH with Magnum slabs weighs? This thing is massive!

 

[Walking Man]

Their are obviously better fighting knives out there but most of the time one might possibly engage in a knife fight they have no other weapon on them. T

As far as weight goes, sure it's not a great weapon, but the Nepalese carry Khuks into war with them, so it can't be that bad. Maybe because of the heaviness your brain tells you that you better make your strike count, making a person with a heavy knife, such as a khuk or HOFSH that much more effective.
.
Either way, I still can't help smiling whenever I pick up the HOFSH, I just can't get over how heavy it is.

 

[cleaner145]

I personally think the FSH and HOGSH were designed as excellant hard use survival type knives due to their design and heavy construction. You could easily cut, chop, dig or pry with either. As for a fighting knife if it really came to that well I would certainly not want to take a hit from either. Any glancing flesh would would be right down to the bone.

 

[Josh Muller]

the hogfsh was to my knowledge designed to be a heavy use survival type knife.

anything with an edge can be used as a fighting blade - and the hogfsh is no exception

it has its advantages in a fight, in that it is both an impact weapon and a knife. when you slam the blade down on someone, it will go to the bone every time, and probably farther, breaking the bone and cutting it in the same motion. if you get a solid skull shot with the hogfsh - you'll end the fight. if not by splitting the skull with the knife action, then by crushing it as an impact action.

people tend to discount heavy knives as fighting knives, but they have their place. the combination of impact weapon and edge is quite lethal, useful, and powerful, you just have to use them differently.

 

[Peter La]

Ya, you are both are totaly right about the weight, one hit from a HOG FSH would be enough to disable if not eliminate the opposition. I was trying to say that the weight of this knife would make it difficult to use, since I would hazzard to say that the most important thing in a knife fight is speed (This is one thing the HOG FSH does not have, for me at least ).

The FSH (or HOG FSH) would make a great fighter, as long as you got the first hit/slash/stab. One other thing, I am not the biggest person (by that I mean size, not strength ). I am about 5'8 and 135 pounds so some of you bigger guys would be better off in a fight than I, especially with a BIG knife.

It would also depend on your style and skill. I have no experience as a knife fighter so I have no real first hand knowledge here. From reading John Styer's Cold Steel (good book by the way), I would say that speed is paramount.

The khukri is a perfect example of how a big knife can be used in combat. Some long swords are over 5 feet long so they (Big knives) do have their place as a weapon. However in a combat situation (as in a soldier) when also carrying around a good deal of other equipment, a smaller knife would be more practical (in my opinion). A SFNO (again, my opinion) is a good compsomise between lethality, utilitarian effectiveness and weight.

 

[Walking Man]

Peter, the thing is, especially in modern combat, that knife fights rarely happen (2nd hand knowledge, but heard many times over) usually you have a knife, and your opponent doesn't. In fact, most soldiers (probably) will say they've never even heard of anyone getting into a knife vs. knife fight in modern times.
added: Don't take my word for it, do a search.

 

[Peter La]

You are totaly correct.

 

[Cobalt]

I would not consider it a fighting knife, but then again about the only thing that I would consider fighting knives are stileto's and daggers with very thin blades that can be wielded fast. A skinning knife would be an excellent fighting knife.

I think most knives had or have another purpose before they were modified or adopted for use as fighting knives. There are goups of bowie knife makers who make a fighting bowie and balance it handle heavy to make lighting back-cuts etc. Most of these knives have double edges to them for back-cuts etc.

However, if you read the book Iron Mistresss, the knife Bowie wanted had to be nearly indestructible and blade heavy so it could be thrown. The blade he describes is more like a very massive knife similar to an SH or BM than a leaner lighter fighting style we think of today.

but I'm a mailman not a fighter so what do I know

 

[Josh Muller]

I would not consider it a fighting knife, but then again about the only thing that I would consider fighting knives are stileto's and daggers with very thin blades that can be wielded fast. A skinning knife would be an excellent fighting knife.

I think most knives had or have another purpose before they were modified or adopted for use as fighting knives. There are goups of bowie knife makers who make a fighting bowie and balance it handle heavy to make lighting back-cuts etc. Most of these knives have double edges to them for back-cuts etc.

However, if you read the book Iron Mistresss, the knife Bowie wanted had to be nearly indestructible and blade heavy so it could be thrown. The blade he describes is more like a very massive knife similar to an SH or BM than a leaner lighter fighting style we think of today.

but I'm a mailman not a fighter so what do I know

personally, i wouldnt necessarily pick a double edged blackbear style fighter. its inherently an extremely weak design for lateral and spiral torques, and you have to get kill shots if your apponent is drugged out of his mind. the whole bleed out argument works - but if your guy is on angel dust and is clubbing you down as you try to stab his stomach area - your on the losing end. its hard to place clean shots when your heads getting smashed.

take an "ultra fast fighter" that weighs nothing, and then take the hogfsh, sharpen them both to 10 degree's per side - and see wich one you can get to sink in farther. the "ultra fast fighter" will stop at bone - the hogfsh will bash through it, or notch the crap out of.

people say that speed is paramount in a fight - but when you look at a street brawl, to me, composure seems to be paramount rather then speed. you watch a guy throwing haymakers at a guy who is placing punches - the guy throwing haymakers is going down.

so with the hogfsh - i dont think it will slow your punches down that much, unless you rabbit punch a lot. if you do a hammer fist with a blackbear style knife, and then do a hammer fist with the hofsh, i think the speed will be negligable - but the damage will be incomparable.


that being said - i assume every guy you go against will be 6'4"+ 285lbs+ raw muscles all around, and totally wacked out of his gord on pain killers. so my logic is slightly scewed...


both are good (blackbear style vs. hogfsh), its just how you use them. i'm just saying, people always discount heavy weapons as tools, but they are power amplifiers and have a very important place.



post script: at 135lbs at 5' 10", and generally eating between 1200-1500 calories a day - i also assume that i will get my ass kicked within around 30 seconds of any fight, with anyone, because i simply dont have the energy to go any longer then that...

 

[papathud]

I would call it it a "Logistical" Fighter.

Sort of a, if this is the knife you have in your hand at the time, fighter.

It is handy enough for Military personel to carry all the time in the field, if they are willing to carry the weight in order to have the tool.

 

[Peter La]

Seth, I agree with everything you said.

In a lot of the fights I have seen, it is the smaller guy that wins as long as he takes advantage of his size and uses it to his advantage. We slightly smaller guys are more agile and generally have superior reflexes. This of course is not always the case. Speaking of which, just of Friday, this guy that was probably about 5'11 and 210 was up against a guy about 5'4 and 120. The smaller guy won because he dodged (most) all the punches and plowed (not an understatement) into the guys chest then grabbed his feet and brought him to the ground. I didn;t see the fight but I was told it was reminiscent of the fictional David vs. Goliath.

Then you could get back to the theory of a long sword vs. small short sword. The smaller blade could be more easily wielded, it may not have been that strong but it promised more hits if you were good. The long sword on the other hand meant that each blow was much more powerful and did far more damage but it would reduce the amount of times you could strike before you tire. Again, skill, strength, and technique play a more important part here than the actual weapon.

The HOG FSH would be the long sword of fighters. I can't wait to see the HOG FBM.

 

[Josh Muller]

my freind who works at gnc at the mall watched as a very small (5'3" (tiny)) mexican took down a guy about 5'10" 180lbs - because he had brass knuckles...

by the time security got there, he said that he was amazed the guy was alive let alone able to stumble out of the mall.

when you have heavy metal at your disposal, it kind of levels the playing feild in a fist fight.

 

[Troy H]

Peter, the thing is, especially in modern combat, that knife fights rarely happen (2nd hand knowledge, but heard many times over) usually you have a knife, and your opponent doesn't. In fact, most soldiers (probably) will say they've never even heard of anyone getting into a knife vs. knife fight in modern times.
added: Don't take my word for it, do a search.

LOL..I don't have to do a search. From personal experience I can say that I've never been in a knife fight.

-360

 

[Cliff Stamp]

This is just my opinion, but a HOG FSH (Can't speak for a FSH) would make a poor fighting knife due to its extreme weight (It is quite heavy).

Give it to a carpenter and ask them to swing it around. Even a light hammer like a 16 oz, which no one uses for framing work as it is too small, is massively heavy compared to my SHBM (0.275").

-Cliff

 

[Cobalt]

Give it to a carpenter and ask them to swing it around. Even a light hammer like a 16 oz, which no one uses for framing work as it is too small, is massively heavy compared to my SHBM (0.275").

-Cliff

especially considering where the balance point is.

Tell a Ghurka if his 16 inch Khukuri is to heavy. They use them for everything including fighting and they weigh probably more than an HOFSH

 

[Cliff Stamp]

My "light" khukuri is an 18" AK which is about 50% heavier than a SHBM and much more forward balanced. To put it in perspective someone on the HI forum once remarked a BM would make a nice carda for a 22" Ang Khola. A carda is the small utility knife which comes with the khukuris. The larger AK are fairly heavy, they go pounds.

-Cliff

 

[Peter La]

I was wrong before but the point I was trying to state was that in most combat scenerios, the HOG FSH is a little big big to easily carry.

 

[Cobalt]

Cliff, I agree. In fact the 22 inch AK is a little to big for wielding easily. I can do it no problem but once your commited with that mutha you better whatch your shins. I can handle the 18 inh AK easily, hence the reason why I asked Bi;ll to make me the 18 inch AK initially. The 15 inchers are almost to small yet they weigh more than a Steel Heart so it is all a matter of perspective.

Peter,
I agree, it is hard to carry a large blade in the first place. Most people opt for 5 inch blade or smaller for ease of carry. Thus the reason for thin lightweight longer blades.