- Joined
- Feb 8, 2010
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- 1,144
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!)
Hey, I thought it was illegal in Spain to carry anything that is not a folder smaller than 11 cm.?
Why not the Wolfhawk tanto by TOPS:
