looking for a dedicated fighter

[dingy]

ontario m3 is a cool & cheap dagger .

 

[DeadboxHero]

I'd invest more in training. It's the mind not the tool that makes some people more deadly then others. In the spirit of the question though how about a classic Sykes-fairbain dagger? Or perhaps a Scottish Dirk or maybe a Stiletto fixed blade?

 

[ThePeacent]

Read all the posts...Some very good recommendations (Darrel Ralph's, Ontario M3, Bob Terzuola's...) and I've tried carrying and using some of those, starting with the Trench Dagger you posted and including the OSS, Tai Pan, V42.
After looking for a dedicated fighter like you do, and trying so many options, I finally and surprisingly settled on a Knife well within your specs, except that of the finger guard.

CRKT Hissatsu. 7 in. blade, light and really fast, strong but terrific point, and the grip is nice enough so you don't need a guard. Suitable for ice pick, hammer and saber grips alike. Slices and thrusts perfectly, easily and quickly.

Easy to make razor sharp because of its steel (440A), crap steel but if you're only going to use it once its perfectly fine. It won't rust on you if you carry it IWB and sweat a lot.

It carries easily, discreetly and the sheath can be turned side to side, vertical and horizontal. Many options there.

That's my experience after 14 years of search for a great all-around defensive oriented fixed blade. It is also cheap enough to replace/throw away if unfortunately needs to be used some day. Has a trainer version too.

I recommend getting both. Practice with it, if you don't like it you can use it as a kitchen knife, and you won't have spent a lot.

Good luck!!

 

[Dutchtracker]

Maybe the SOG Desert Dagger seki Japan made!

 

[strategy9]

Give you an idea what the 18xray looks like outside of stock photos;

The molle clip still works well enough as a normal clip, and the profile is thin enough to comfortably wear inside your pants for left handed cross draw

 

[sldk]

I'm looking for a production fixed-blade knife that meets certain criteria. I think it's possible that I could find it for a street price between $50 and $300. I've found a few examples, but I'm not sure I've considered all the options yet. I'm looking for

1. A "pure fighter," as opposed to a combat/utility blade like the more popular Ka-Bar or Becker stuff. By this it must be optimized for penetration in thrusting with a somewhat narrow blade. The point style would allow more or less width, so for example a clip point might allow a little more blade width.

2. It could be a fighting bowie (not a big heavy chopper), a Loveless style, or a dagger, or ?

3. The weight should be balanced for speed.

4. Should have a hand guard or grip that allows thrusting/stabbing. However, I want to be able to use the saber grip, so if it has a guard on the back of the knife, it must have enough grip length for my thumb which is fairly long. A grip length of 5.25" would be minimum. Of course if the thumb can go onto the spine, then I only need about 4.25"

5. Overall length should be between 10 and 12 inches. Given the grip specifications, that means the blade is going to be about 4.75" to about 7".

6. I prefer a handle that provides distinctive edge alignment. The oval handles of a Ka-Bar are better than the round F-S, but still somewhat vague in that respect.

Any thoughts on the above? What else is there?

Maybe a Miller Brothers M-33? On paper it seems to meet all your criteria, although it may be a little thick for your taste/needs.

 

[PatrickKnight]

Randall Model 1 simply the best fighting knife ever made.

 

[Charlie Mike]

This is what you need.

 

[bdmicarta]

Here is an example of a custom knife, way beyond the stated price range though.

Blackjack AWAC always seemed like a fighting knife, and it is well within the stated price range.

 

[J W Bensinger]

Little forged 80CrV2, little textured black gavrolite...

 

[The Whip]

I'm not sure about the (American) tanto point. I realize there's several long threads on tanto penetration, but the way I see it is if there's a steep ramp up to a thick spine, it's going to have a strong point that is less likely to break under a high penetration force, but that it won't slide in easily. In other words, I think I'd need to have a lot more force behind the thrust to make that point work as well as a thin spearpoint dagger or a long clip point on a lighter blade. I'm not particular to any kind of point style, I just don't think thick spines are what I'm looking for, especially not that close to the point.

I also used to believe this about the tanto point. Then Cold Steel tested it and proved the theory false (at least as it applies to their version of the American Tanto point). You can see the video for yourself in Kwon Kwang's post #15 in this thread:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1089794-I-need-a-Tanto!

I wouldn't rule out Cold Steel's Master Tanto--penetration equal to or better than a dagger, utility and strength of a single-edge. I'll also second Peacent's vote for the Hissatsu. It's a nicely executed piece of hardware.

-Steve

 

[J W Bensinger]

If you happen across a Gryphon M30a1, it's also well within your specs for attributes and price.
There is a difference between a dueling knife and a fighting knife-i.e., is it designed for facing an opponent armed with a similar weapon, or is it designed for CQB against variably armed (or unarmed) opponents?
A great dueling knife (keating crossada, bagwell style bowie, or many of the Filipino blades) is not necessarily what you want for very close combat. (The hissatsu was designed as a CQB antipersonnel scraper).
I had a hissatsu for a while and concur that it's a great shape...but mine would go from hair flinging sharp to very dull just from contact with the scabbard material, and I got rid of it.)

 

[Halfneck]

Another vote for the Gryphon M30a1.

 

[upnorth]

I just got a C.S. Marauder, it's a huge hollow ground feather weight bowie.

 

[singularity35]

 

[leghog]

M3 Fighting Knife,

Ontario makes a reproduction for $50 - $60 if you don't want to spring for an original.

 

[ThePeacent]

I hope this helps to the OP, if he's still reading this. Here are some of the "dedicated fighters" I've carried during many years, almost daily. Some of them have been lost, but these are most of them. Pros and cons of each, from left to right, might help you decide or have a wider vision of some options out there:

(First I carried: adapted kitchen knife).
- Flimsy, thin blade would break if bent violently or stabbed against bone
- No guard, not grippy or reliable grip. Bad quality steel but it won't rust on you
+ Ultra light, thin. Will make deep cuts and penetrate soft tissue very easily
+ Disposable, carries comfortably and very concealable

(Tai Pan counterfeit)
- Too thick to slice effectively (like most daggers, IMO) even when sharp. Less penetration as well
- Heavy for its size, thick handle.
+ Guard big enough, strong point, well balanced, crusher can be used to knock out or break bone
+ Comfortable leather sheath, easily concealable

(Cold Steel OSS)
- Crappy sheath with extremely strong retention. Dulls the blade on contact.
- Sub-hilt can get on the way, blade is a tad too big to carry comfortably or unsheath
- Rusts easily, humid air is enough. The only one that constantly rusted on me
+ Sharp as hell, slices and slashes incredibly deep. Thrusts with really no effort at all, but tip is fragile
+ Grippy handle, the subhilt allows for supreme point control

(KaBar Tanto, one of the variations)
- Really heavy, round handle leaves big imprint ang guard weighs a ton, not properly balanced
- Sheath similar to OSS', not ideal.
+ Great steel, takes wicked edge and is easy to sharpen. Beefy point, slices well especially with the yokote, surprisingly good slasher even though it's a straight and thick blade
+ Heavy enough to crack bones, good hand protection and grippy handle

(German trench dagger replica. Forget about the serrations, they are useless but they don't snag either)
- So light it won't slash very deeply, but if the point is sharp it can do quite nasty quick cuts
- Top guard gets on the way, hurts when stabbing against hard objects. I cut it off. Handle is somewhat slippery.
+ False egde and thinnes allow for effortless penetration. Nimble, easy to control and incredibly light blade.
+ Guard offers protection. Lanyard hole available. Easy to conceal, flat profile makes it really discreet.

And the Hissatsu...well, it has most of the pros and a few of the cons. Sharp, concealable, rust proof, nimble, well balanced, no guard but grippy enough, great slasher and thick but excellent stabber.
All of that, of course, is just my opinion, but it is based on years of experience, as well as a considerable knowledge of human anatomy, extreme physical damage and body reactions, wound and biomechanical effects of edged weapons on human bodies, etc.

I am not an expert, just a normal guy interested on weird stuff...
(Edited for spelling mistakes. English is not my primary language, sorry!)

 

[Mossyhorn]

The Entrek close combat is designed as a fighter and may be what you're looking for.

 

[SOFileworks]

You could give one of these two a try. Randall 1 with the top guard trimmed, or the BlackJack 1-7 hunter. They can both be had with your choice of handle materials, but I think a stacked leather handle is as good as they come...and with the top guard removed, there is plenty of thumb room without having an excessively long handle.

 

[sams]

http://www.randallknives.com/knives/model-2-fighting-stiletto/

I already posted this, worth a repeat.