"Mall ninja" clarification needed

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marcinek

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Jan 9, 2007
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I'm sure this has been beaten to death, but I'm new around these parts, and I need clarification if I'm gonna try and follow you guys...

Forget anything other than knife design...would any of these:

MOD CQD Mark V ATAC, Dark Ops Interceptor, TOPS Tom Brown Tracker

be considered a "mall ninja" knife? Why or why not? They all seem a little..."much."

Again, not trying to raise a ruckus, just hoping to get up to speed a bit.
 
The MOD CQD is a dagger switch if I am right. Not very tactica,l very cool, mall ninja for shure. But then again switchblades are slower and not as strong as a fixed blade. All switchblades are "techcool". People collect them for the fun or nastalgia. Dark Ops is the deffinition of mall ninja. There Large Bowies amuse me more than most. Tactical bottle opener and all. The Tops is probably the most legitimate as kind of a machette related piece. It has been discussed before and most people felt it was more "cool" than "usefull". It is better thought out than the DO in function but you aernt always doing yourself a favor by getting one tool to do it all.

EDIT: Sorry, had the worng model in mind for MOD. The QCD in question seems to be a pretty standard "fighter" bowie without alot of silly bells and whistles. I doubt they will be used much for combat fighting but it looks like a bowie that could serve its purpose well enough. At least it doesnt tel me to use the tactical bottle opener to deanimate people eyes with minimal arterial spay.
 
Thanks, BigJim, you've helped me clarify my question.

How about we stick to TOPs knives, everybody, so I can keep up.

Are any TOPs "mall ninja" knives? I'm imaginaing the "Grim Ripper" is. Is a "Steel Eagle"? a "Devil's Elbow"? a "Tom Brown Scout"? a "Street Scalpel"?
 
Tops is a reasonable mix of mall ninja and truth IMO. I like 1095 alot. Still I wish tops would smooth the blades before powder coating and make the blade profile slimmer, even in there choppers. That said alot of people have been happy with there TOPS. I think some of the designs are a bit on the "looks cool side". Others like the california cobra intrest me and may have something to them. We just had a big thread on TOPs knives that could be pulled up via the search option if you want to get lots of opinions on them.
 
Not really interested in TOPS in particular (though, I must say, some of their stuff appeals to me). I was using them as an example.

I think that its probably safe to assume the "BigJimSlade from Alaska" is not a mall ninja. That said, what puts the California Cobra into the non-MN category?
 
I think that the design and grip could be of use as a flash in the pan back up weapon. I dont support the idea that knives are anyone primary weapon as it is generaly not true. Also they require much closer contact than I would want. I dont know if the usefullness of the design would pull it completely out of the MN catagory. Still I tihnk there is a difference in good design and pure BS. I can easily see the carry style and funciton of the cobra. Therefore wether it will every be used like that or not at least its not pure hype. If your aim is to design SD tools then they should at least have thought in that direction. ON the opposite side, designing a knife to deanimate eyeballs with minimal arterail spray is an exersize in marketing to the "mall ninja" himself.
 
A mall ninja could be defined as a security guard with a spec-ops whisper mic attached to a 30$ cobra radio,asp baton,bullet proof vest,knee/arm armour to protect themselves from teenage skatboarders.:D
Or and uber-tac individual who thinks they can conquer a gurella camp in central america with their spec-ops mailorder blade.:p
Hope this helps.:thumbup:
 
Thanks for the educating everybody.

I get what a mall ninja is...I am just trying to get a little clearer on what makes a "mall ninja" blade. Even to me, I get the Dark Ops/mall ninja thing...those things are way over the top.

Again, sticking with TOPs...Steet Scalpel=mall ninja? Scorpion's Tail=mall ninja? Steel Eagle=mall ninja?

Or how about brands? DarkOps=mall ninja? MOD=mall ninja? TOPS=mall ninja?

I think I got a feel for what isn't, not what is.
 
The MOD CQD was designed by Duane Dieter, and he's got some impressive credentials...no mall ninja for sure. I've used a CQD as a Tac medic and it is a great knife with alot going for it. Carbide glass breaker, seatbelt cutter, and a strong fire opening mechanism. One of the best I've ever used.


I've tried to use the TOPS tracker but it just does'nt work for me. I like smaller/lighter blades. However Tom Brown also has impressive creds for what it's worth.

Hope that helps...Jim
 
The MOD CQD is a dagger switch if I am right. Not very tactica,l very cool, mall ninja for shure
Click to expand...

The MOD CQD was designed by Duane Dieter, and he's got some impressive credentials...no mall ninja for sure.
Click to expand...

I'm not trying to get BigJim and tidefan (or anybody for that matter) to go at it...

I'm just looking for clarification of what constitutes a "mall ninja" blade.

To me, the MOD CQD Mark V ATAC looks "mall ninja"-like. It seems to have a lot more bells and whistles than, say, a Chris Reeve or Ka-Bar.

That said, I'm sure it is NOT mall-ninja. What puts it in the non-mall ninja camp, and Dark Ops in the mall ninja camp? Ad copy? Design?

Again, I am not coming to the defense of any of these brands, I'm just looking for the "mall ninja" deciding factor, as it were.
 
While I agree that the Tracker is "a bit much", I don't think it classifies as mall ninja. It was never meant as weapon but as a woodcraft/survival tool, whether it works as such is a different matter.

Dork Ops is the very incarnation of Mall Ninja, though I have to wonder whether it penetrates Sk8ter gear as easily as Com-frag wests.....:D
 
"Its armor-piercing tip is properly angled (unlike many modern tantos that are mistakenly angled too steeply) for maximum cutting and penetration performance. The narrow blade reduces the possibility of binding and allows the knife to be turned and maneuvered in the middle of a cut." - MOD ad copy for the Ayoob Razorback

MOD Ayoob Razorback=mall ninja?...I dont know! Help!
 
Thanks for nothin' Tactical!:)

The Mantis website seems mall ninja...maybe...I think.

The Mantis fixed blades seem mall ninja....

The karambits seem halfway decent and moderately priced...

Am I mall ninja???
 
Marcinek, its a tough line to walk. Ayoob Massad is no mall ninja but he is one of the few with enough training and contact with real world people who have been in the Sh*t for real. I think that gives him a reasonable take on fighting knives. I think besides the Dark Ops of the world alot of the mall ninja part comes as much from the buyer as the knife company. There are blades that may be well designed killers and blades with no logic in there design. What makes one a mall ninja and not the other. Meh, were down to talking about things that aernt talking matters. The truth is that most combat effective people dont need the hype of unusefull tech to tell them a knife will work. I dont think there are many who would take anything over a loveless bowie (original) if we had the choice. Now thats a non mall ninja knife. The thing to remember about mantis and dark ops is that they may themselves ride this line. Im shure a few GI's have bought DO's knives and put them to deccent use as just a good old tool. DO themselves may need for real users and mall ninjas to buy there stuff to stay afloat. Wether a specific design is "mall ninja" or ont could be debated forever. Do the features of the specific knife have a purpose or are they just eye candy for chairborne rangers is what it comes down to for me.
 
BigJim...you da man. Everything I've seen about Ayoob leads me to believe that he is the real deal...the shizzle, as the youngsters like to say...and it seems that the over-the-top ad copy isn't going to take that away from him or the Razorback.

So..it seems to come down, as you say, to simple, effective, design. Makes sense to me. (If you want to further clarify your point by giving me any Loveless knife, I'd gladly take it).

So. Get ready. Bold statement from the new guy...MOD stuff seems a little mall ninja to me. <<ducks and runs away>>
 
oh...oh...I forgot...."chairborne rangers" is the funniest thing I have heard in a long time.
 
I have one MOD knife- the Mark IV- which is the smaller varient of the large Mark V mentioned earlier.
Yes, the hooked guards are a little odd. But overall it is a good knife- quality steel, practical blade and handle shape, and carries well in the city.

I think the term "Mall Ninja" has to do more with intent. No matter how unusual the knife is, if it does what it is supposed to then it is good. If the person is only carrying/brandishing a knife to scare/impress/show off to people, then that seems truly mall ninja-ish. This is true with anything from a traditional bowie to a Dark Ops knife.
 
OK Danzz, I'll take your word for it about the MOD. I am, admittedly, purely judging them on their looks. Though..."city carry"?

I am a major metropolitan area guy myself, and new to knife fandom. I find myself falling into, lets call it, "Urban Frontiersman". As in, "Man, that new BM 201 fixed balde Activator+ looks cool. I want it." What the hell am I gonna do with that? Hunt, kill, and eat a pigeon? Open a pack of PostIts?
I don't even have much of a chance to use my SAK!

Damn you knives for being cool loooking! Evil temptresses!!
 
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