Kabar vs. Sykes-Fairbairn

[eveled]

agreed! more often than not
probably the destructive work of knife throwing amateurs
killing personel time out of boredom.
the f-s is a very precise instrument of death.
it akin to throwing a surgical scapel to see if it sticks...

http://whiteshadowdojo.blogspot.com/2008/01/chisel-tips.html?m=1

Funny you would say that. My first work experience was volunteering at a hospital. My sister was a candy striper. They put me in the stockroom and print center.

We had a target set up and threw scalpels at it.

 

[Triton]

A dagger certainly has it's place but for my purposes I'd take the KaBar ... in fact, I have, and the Beckers and others of that character. In some states, believe it or not, a "dagger" is illegal.

I don't know why I'm constantly surprised when I read something like this. I am glad I live in a state where you can own pretty much anything with a blade you want.

 

[eveled]

Triton Most places its legal to own, but not to carry. This is probably what SALTY meant.

 

[GIRLYmann]

......

We had a target set up and threw scalpels at it.

 

[VorpelSword]

Quillon Dager . . .OK, I do see that.

It does seem (to me anyway) that most tactical fixed blade knives today follow a pattern much different from the F-S commando dagger. There are others to be sure but naming them isn't that hard: Randall, Ek, Ralph, Gerber and others have designed double edged tactical fixed blades optimized for stabbing. Many veterans swear by them. However, most on the market today are more in the Kabar style.

Is there a reason for that?

A number of years ago, I bought and gave a selection of serious tactical knives to a Marine about to deploy to an active combat zone. Among them were an Ek dagger and a Ralph designed folding dagger, a "Cuda Maxx". What he chose to take were a Randall #1 and a CRK "Green Beret".

 

[VorpelSword]

I don't know why I'm constantly surprised when I read something like this. I am glad I live in a state where you can own pretty much anything with a blade you want.

Agreed: We live in Texas and that is how it is here, and not just to own. Carry is legal as well.

In England, it is unlawful to carry anything with a point or edge in public.

 

[kafolarbear]

Quillon Dager . . .OK, I do see that.

It does seem (to me anyway) that most tactical fixed blade knives today follow a pattern much different from the F-S commando dagger. There are others to be sure but naming them isn't that hard: Randall, Ek, Ralph, Gerber and others have designed double edged tactical fixed blades optimized for stabbing. Many veterans swear by them. However, most on the market today are more in the Kabar style.

Is there a reason for that?

A number of years ago, I bought and gave a selection of serious tactical knives to a Marine about to deploy to an active combat zone. Among them were an Ek dagger and a Ralph designed folding dagger, a "Cuda Maxx". What he chose to take were a Randall #1 and a CRK "Green Beret".

I'd say because the number of individuals actually using fighting knives for fighting has gone down significantly since the first half of the 20th century. Even in the military, noone really carries around a 6+ inch fixed blade anymore, it's just a simple weight consideration, the sustainment load on your average infantryman nowadays can be anywhere from 90-135lbs, why add more bulk for a knife that'll mostly pry shit and open MRE's? Even the Ka-Bar's I've seen most Marines carry are the short versions. So a company may still market their knife as "tactical" or a "fighting" knife, but both the company and the consumer know that 99.99999% of people who use that knife are gonna be using it for utility, not fighting, that along with the fact that a double edge is not great for utility and is illegal in most places is probably why you see less F-S dagger type knives being produced.

 

[Legendary_Jarl]

Quillon Dager . . .OK, I do see that.

It does seem (to me anyway) that most tactical fixed blade knives today follow a pattern much different from the F-S commando dagger. There are others to be sure but naming them isn't that hard: Randall, Ek, Ralph, Gerber and others have designed double edged tactical fixed blades optimized for stabbing. Many veterans swear by them. However, most on the market today are more in the Kabar style.

Is there a reason for that?

A number of years ago, I bought and gave a selection of serious tactical knives to a Marine about to deploy to an active combat zone. Among them were an Ek dagger and a Ralph designed folding dagger, a "Cuda Maxx". What he chose to take were a Randall #1 and a CRK "Green Beret".

Versatility. A dagger is best for stabbing and there is very little stabbing in modern day combat. Clip point(kabar) and other style blades are more versatile. Knives in modern day conflict are mostly used for utilitarian tasks anyways. If anything most soldiers need is a good and sturdy multi-tool.