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I have a BK7 actually. Just looking for something a little more unique.
Well I'm stationed in Germany, but I don't speak much more than the little I have learn from the locals. I don't frequent german sites too much.
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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is available! Price is $250 ea (shipped within CONUS).
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/
Looking for a good custom tactical/fighter
- Thread starter Blackfox
- Start date
I have a BK7 actually. Just looking for something a little more unique.
Well I'm stationed in Germany, but I don't speak much more than the little I have learn from the locals. I don't frequent german sites too much.
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- May 5, 2010
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Blackfox,
If you are looking for a good looking, hard working tanto you might consider John Barker. His Hokkaido is hollow ground primary grind with a convex tip grind. Here is a couple pics...
Should be within your budget too. Here is a webpage for you if you are interested: http://www.barkerknives.com/
If you are looking for a good looking, hard working tanto you might consider John Barker. His Hokkaido is hollow ground primary grind with a convex tip grind. Here is a couple pics...
Should be within your budget too. Here is a webpage for you if you are interested: http://www.barkerknives.com/
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I don't believe that "tactical" knives should be shiny, polished or have natural handles, they'll just get beat up and broken. You might look into busse or scrap yard etc. They make some pretty tough knives. I think if you like your becker, then you'll really like these. You can find them on the exchange here
Edited to add, I don't care for expensive knives, but since you want to spend a lot for a tough knife then I believe that Busse family style knives are the way to go.
Edited to add, I don't care for expensive knives, but since you want to spend a lot for a tough knife then I believe that Busse family style knives are the way to go.
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"Tactical" is a marketing term that generally does exclude shiny blades and natural handle materials. But the suggestion that such knives can't serve in a combat role without falling apart is utter rubbish. Combat existed long before stainless steel and long before micarta or G10. Knives and other edged tools and weapons have served admirably at man's side for millenia.
Roger
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Last edited:
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Here are a few I've made that may be of interest:
Most importantly: they're affordable, durable and great cutters.
Most importantly: they're affordable, durable and great cutters.
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- Aug 5, 2010
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I just want to thank everyone so far for helping me out.. I thought coming in and posting I would get laughed out of the forum, but I couldn't be more happy with how much help I have gotten already. Just discovering some new places to enhance my collection has been enough. Thanks
brandonc
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This really fits the bill.
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I did not mean for it to sound like I thought wooden handles and polished blades would fall apart during use. It is just that in my mind knives with polished blades and fancy handle materials are beautiful, and why destroy the finish on a beautiful knife by carrying it in a combat zone when you could carry something that is already ugly? (busse) But as I stated originally, this is only my opinion. YMMV
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Please do not be offended at the stance I am going to take here but the modern concieved look of tactical knives is purely what is in right now.
More blades with stag and wood and natural materials have fought more battles and killed more people thru out time and have served more men in battle than the modern tactical looking knives will ever have a chance to
Look at all the old Bagwell stag and Carbon blades that have served and are still serveing.
In fact I have never heard of the glint of a polished blade giveing someone away and I have heard the glint of a polished blade has saved a few mens lives when used as a signal mirror.
I have myself used a mirror polished Bagwell to help a bush pilot find me.
A carbon blade that is not mirror polished or coated with some kind of coating or blued , parked etc.etc. will rust quickly if not constantly maintained. bead or sand blasted is one of the worst finishes for fighting rust.
Again I have nothing against well done modern looking tactical knives but to say a polished up stag or wood handled knife is not a suitable tactical blade is silly
This will also piss off some people but I feel a stainless steel blade has no place in a hard use combat blade.
For all practical purposes a Busse is a fine combat blade very tough will break open ammo crates dig holes and priced very fair for there quality but for me if I was going in harms way I would like something with a little more soul. Might get Jerry or Garth to grind ya out something with a tapered tang and a convex edge that might hit the spot
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Roger I missed this eloquent post and if I would have read it I would have not posted at all
You have a much better way of putting things than i do
hm... have you looked at a Scrap Yard Regulator?
100 bucks!
Not custom but I'm sure a nice regrind and sharpening the Clip would do wonders and make an excellent utilitarian knife. I was thinking of doing this since they came out but I have yet to find a user to do this too.
100 bucks!
Not custom but I'm sure a nice regrind and sharpening the Clip would do wonders and make an excellent utilitarian knife. I was thinking of doing this since they came out but I have yet to find a user to do this too.
Les Robertson
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Hi JP,
The first knife I carried in the 101st was a 440C Robert Parrish Hollow Handle Fighter.
Open ammo crates....Check!
Dig holes....Check
7 out of my first 12 months were in the "field" somewhere in the US...never had a problem...excellent knife!
Fortunately the knife was bead blasted so I never gave away my position because of my knife...
Price $185. Of course today they are collectors items and sell for close to $1000.
Stag was used on a lot of knives as it was plentiful (not something the War Department could utilize during WW1 or WW2) so it was used.
As well, plastics were just coming into their own in the late 30's...so synthetic handles weren't really something that would have been used for "Combat" knives. Seems like leather was the leading contender for handle material...all the way through the Vietnam era.
The term "Tactical" as Roger pointed out is a "Marketing" term. During the 90's when the "Gray Turds" became so popular the marketing term "tactical" was coined. Thus becoming part of the custom knife lexicon.
Oddly enough it wasn't Micarta that was the hot thing...it was the fact that the folders were utilizing Titanium. Something that the NW States makers (primarily Michael Walker) were pioneering.
Carbon fiber came along around 1995...primarily introduced by Warren Thomas. I have what I believe is the first liner lock folder using only synthetic materials made by Warren. I was approached by one the ABS Gov't departments about providing those for them. They wanted them for about half of what it took to produce them (at the time). The carbon fiber then was not the very nice product you see mainstream America using today.
Combining strength and light weight...as well as being cool looking. The "Tactical" market exploded. When something like that happens everyone wants to jump onto the band wagon.
Can Damascus bladed knives with Mastodon Ivory handles be used in the field? Yes the can. Would most people look for an alternative? Yes they would.
Tactical knives feature non-shiny blades, stainless steel or titanium guard (if one is used) titanium frame (on folders although Stainless steel and Aluminum have also been used) and synthetic handle material.
This is not to imply that one is better than an other...just to separate knives into categories.
In the late 90's makers started putting Damascus blades in their tactical models...calling them "Gents Tacticals". On occasion you still see these knives...but they never really caught on.
Kind of like if a maker builds a Bowie with a 4" blade...OK you can call it that...but most people don't think of a knife with a 4" blade a bowie.
It is the Pareto Principle (80/20) in effect. 80% of the buyers in a particular category of knives...generally are looking for knives with similar aspects. Bowies, 9 1/2" to 10 1/2" blade for example. Does that mean that knives with shorty or longer blades cannot be called Bowies? No. Those knives will fit into the 20% category.
Joe as you pointed out Stag handled knives were used in combat. That is back when they were called "Combat" knives...the term that Tactical replaced.
If you are a knife maker and want to make a "Tactical" knife with a Damascus blade and Ivory handle...feel free to do so. But don't be surprised if you do not find yourself gaining a foot hold in that market.
If you are a collector how is buying the knife and hoping it will have a nice ROI when you try to sell it as a Tactical knife...good luck. As your market for that knife will not include the 80% (or more) of the tactical knife buyers will not be interested.
Now market that same knife as a Damascus/Presentation/Art knife....you will see an immediate and precipitous jump in interest in the knife.
In lieu of being the one trying to put a round peg in a square hole. Build a knife/market a knife to your intended market.
A "tactical" knife being deployed should probably take into account the "conditions" of where the knife will be used. The current theaters of operation offer a favorable work environment for both carbon and stainless steel knives.
Deploy to a coast line, the jungle...carbon steel can be used the the maintenance requirements will go up. Take a carbon steel or Damascus blade....put it in one of those real nice leather sheaths and head to the ocean. Leave that knife in the sheath for a couple of days. Yes maintenance should be done..but that is not always possible. You won't be happy with the knife when you take it out of the sheath.
I'm surprised that a knife is allowed to be deployed with a leather sheath. When I was in the 101st a memo came down from Dept of the Army. Spec Ops and 18th Airborne Corps could no longer carry knives with leather sheaths. I'm thinking 1985. The issue was primarily injuries from the knife coming through the sheath.
This lead directly to the nylon sheath business in and around Ft. Bragg and then the kydex business.
The Brend I carried had a kydex lined cordura nylon sheath....drop down style inspired by the British SAS style handgun holster.
People didn't like the line in the bead blasting that the kydex gave it. RJ Martin figured out the solution to that problem.
Also, it was discovered that bead blasting (actually more like sand blasting) would lead to rusting. Eventually silicon glass bead media was used given the blades a smoother and nicer finish...not creating the deep pockets that sand would...so it helped to eliminate the rust. But there was still that damn line!
So now you see more "tactical" knives with a machine satin (non-reflective) finish and mostly kydex sheaths.
Although SPEC-OPS makes an excellent kydex and nylon sheath.
As AC1 pointed out that "Ugly" is a good thing for a "tactical" knife.
The military goes to great lengths to create "Camouflaged" uniforms and gear...do you really want to be the guy on patrol with the "Black and White" handle??
Lastly, Joe...you know that natural handle materials shrink. Could you imagine a Stag handled knife made by a maker from Georgia shipped today to the "Sandbox"...how many hours do you think it would take for that Stag to shrink?
I do agree with you that a nice carbon blade with a micarta handle would fill the bill as a "Tactical" knife.
The first knife I carried in the 101st was a 440C Robert Parrish Hollow Handle Fighter.
Open ammo crates....Check!
Dig holes....Check
7 out of my first 12 months were in the "field" somewhere in the US...never had a problem...excellent knife!
Fortunately the knife was bead blasted so I never gave away my position because of my knife...
Price $185. Of course today they are collectors items and sell for close to $1000.
Stag was used on a lot of knives as it was plentiful (not something the War Department could utilize during WW1 or WW2) so it was used.
As well, plastics were just coming into their own in the late 30's...so synthetic handles weren't really something that would have been used for "Combat" knives. Seems like leather was the leading contender for handle material...all the way through the Vietnam era.
The term "Tactical" as Roger pointed out is a "Marketing" term. During the 90's when the "Gray Turds" became so popular the marketing term "tactical" was coined. Thus becoming part of the custom knife lexicon.
Oddly enough it wasn't Micarta that was the hot thing...it was the fact that the folders were utilizing Titanium. Something that the NW States makers (primarily Michael Walker) were pioneering.
Carbon fiber came along around 1995...primarily introduced by Warren Thomas. I have what I believe is the first liner lock folder using only synthetic materials made by Warren. I was approached by one the ABS Gov't departments about providing those for them. They wanted them for about half of what it took to produce them (at the time). The carbon fiber then was not the very nice product you see mainstream America using today.
Combining strength and light weight...as well as being cool looking. The "Tactical" market exploded. When something like that happens everyone wants to jump onto the band wagon.
Can Damascus bladed knives with Mastodon Ivory handles be used in the field? Yes the can. Would most people look for an alternative? Yes they would.
Tactical knives feature non-shiny blades, stainless steel or titanium guard (if one is used) titanium frame (on folders although Stainless steel and Aluminum have also been used) and synthetic handle material.
This is not to imply that one is better than an other...just to separate knives into categories.
In the late 90's makers started putting Damascus blades in their tactical models...calling them "Gents Tacticals". On occasion you still see these knives...but they never really caught on.
Kind of like if a maker builds a Bowie with a 4" blade...OK you can call it that...but most people don't think of a knife with a 4" blade a bowie.
It is the Pareto Principle (80/20) in effect. 80% of the buyers in a particular category of knives...generally are looking for knives with similar aspects. Bowies, 9 1/2" to 10 1/2" blade for example. Does that mean that knives with shorty or longer blades cannot be called Bowies? No. Those knives will fit into the 20% category.
Joe as you pointed out Stag handled knives were used in combat. That is back when they were called "Combat" knives...the term that Tactical replaced.
If you are a knife maker and want to make a "Tactical" knife with a Damascus blade and Ivory handle...feel free to do so. But don't be surprised if you do not find yourself gaining a foot hold in that market.
If you are a collector how is buying the knife and hoping it will have a nice ROI when you try to sell it as a Tactical knife...good luck. As your market for that knife will not include the 80% (or more) of the tactical knife buyers will not be interested.
Now market that same knife as a Damascus/Presentation/Art knife....you will see an immediate and precipitous jump in interest in the knife.
In lieu of being the one trying to put a round peg in a square hole. Build a knife/market a knife to your intended market.
A "tactical" knife being deployed should probably take into account the "conditions" of where the knife will be used. The current theaters of operation offer a favorable work environment for both carbon and stainless steel knives.
Deploy to a coast line, the jungle...carbon steel can be used the the maintenance requirements will go up. Take a carbon steel or Damascus blade....put it in one of those real nice leather sheaths and head to the ocean. Leave that knife in the sheath for a couple of days. Yes maintenance should be done..but that is not always possible. You won't be happy with the knife when you take it out of the sheath.
I'm surprised that a knife is allowed to be deployed with a leather sheath. When I was in the 101st a memo came down from Dept of the Army. Spec Ops and 18th Airborne Corps could no longer carry knives with leather sheaths. I'm thinking 1985. The issue was primarily injuries from the knife coming through the sheath.
This lead directly to the nylon sheath business in and around Ft. Bragg and then the kydex business.
The Brend I carried had a kydex lined cordura nylon sheath....drop down style inspired by the British SAS style handgun holster.
People didn't like the line in the bead blasting that the kydex gave it. RJ Martin figured out the solution to that problem.
Also, it was discovered that bead blasting (actually more like sand blasting) would lead to rusting. Eventually silicon glass bead media was used given the blades a smoother and nicer finish...not creating the deep pockets that sand would...so it helped to eliminate the rust. But there was still that damn line!
So now you see more "tactical" knives with a machine satin (non-reflective) finish and mostly kydex sheaths.
Although SPEC-OPS makes an excellent kydex and nylon sheath.
As AC1 pointed out that "Ugly" is a good thing for a "tactical" knife.
The military goes to great lengths to create "Camouflaged" uniforms and gear...do you really want to be the guy on patrol with the "Black and White" handle??
Lastly, Joe...you know that natural handle materials shrink. Could you imagine a Stag handled knife made by a maker from Georgia shipped today to the "Sandbox"...how many hours do you think it would take for that Stag to shrink?
I do agree with you that a nice carbon blade with a micarta handle would fill the bill as a "Tactical" knife.
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2006
- Messages
- 15,020
As usual Les you are a wealth of information and I always enjoy your posts.
My point is men have been fighting with carbon steel and non synthetic handle materials for a long time and they are certainly still suitable today
But thanks for the history lesson buddy
My point is men have been fighting with carbon steel and non synthetic handle materials for a long time and they are certainly still suitable today
But thanks for the history lesson buddy