Military deployment folding knife suggestions?

I have no experience in the Military but from the other threads that have been posted with this topic, a multitool is usually suggested the most.
 
A SAK or multi-tool and a fixed blade along the lines of the BK16 would probably be well received and stay within your budget.
 
The Spyderco Military or one of the Kershaw ZT line would be good choices alongside a reliable multitool.
 
I carry the Protech Tr-4 mostly. The ZT0550 would be another excellent choice. Both around $200.
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I would suggest a Leatherman Wave. It's a good multi-tool and not particularly bulky or heavy.

A Victorinox SwissChamp is a pretty good tool too.
 
Know that knives on deployment are often lost or stolen. As such, the Spyderco Endura or Manix2 and Benchmade Griptillian are good choices. The Spyderco Military and Para2 are excellent as well. My last deployment I carried a PE Military and a SE Endura.
 
In all honesty, the only advantage any of those nice, expensive knives have over a cheap beater for a young soldier is they are more likely to get stolen.
 
I personally had no problem with, or fear of theft while deployed with my unit. I'm pretty surprised this has been a problem for so many here.
 
Well, there's the theft issue, which most won't experience, of course, but when you're flashing a $150+ knife, there's that risk anywhere. Plus, very, very few (probably less that 0.1%) of soldiers will ever need a combat-style, black-out tanto point for hand-to-hand combat. I mean, that is seriously tacticlol, mall-ninja territory to walk around with that kind of knife. What they're more likely to need is a good, sharp, 3-4" plain edge with some belly to cut straps and fabric: cut someone out of a burning vehicle or burning gear.
 
jimmyd1982 said:
I personally had no problem with, or fear of theft while deployed with my unit. I'm pretty surprised this has been a problem for so many here.
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I was gonna say, people in the military are like that? Just wow! I work on a military base myself, and have no problem leaving things of mine laying on a break room table all day long. And I am not alone, a lot of folks do this. Knives, no. They never leave my pocket. But I've seen knives left around with other stuff. They never got stolen that I could see.

To the OP. Remember what Sal Glaser at Spyderco quoted as a reason for the design of the Military model. He wanted to make a knife he would feel comfortable sending to combat with his son, if that ever happened. Good enough for me.
 
SAK Climber. The scissors and tweezers are more useful than practically anything else. For anything heavier, go with a fixed blade. If he has a mechanically related MOS a Leatherman Wave might be good.
 
Mudjunky,

Your question is a difficult one, more so then you might think. Although you have come to a knife forum to ask a reasonable question expecting feedback from those "in the know" the truth is most knife enthusiasts have personal preferences, biases, and are hardcore fans of one brand or another, plus different personal experiences.

As mentioned the responses will differ greatly and cover a wide range of different brands and types of knives and be as varied as the opinions of the people here and not necessarily represent the "best" as there is no real "best" but rather personal opinions and favorites based on individual experience and beliefs.

Some may have actually served in the military and deployed and some may have not. And of those that have their experiences will be just as varied and reflect what they used their knife for during time in service.
Ranging from using their knife every day all day to hardly ever and maybe just to open a can. A sailor would have used his knife very differently then an Infantryman. Someone in supply might have used his knife non stop all day while the guy on patrol never used it once or not often, or maybe he did. I hope you see my point.

With that being said, the top production knife makers like Benchmade, ZT, Kershaw, Spyderco, Hogue, and even Cold Steel and some others I forgot to mention all make some very good, strong, dependable knives. They all make what they consider hard users and have several of each in their line up.

A good knife from any of these brands in the price range you put forth will be good enough suit most purposes.

Take some of the suggestions made, look them up and if they look strong and tough to you and are from the companies above, they probably are.

Also, during my 20+ years in service I used my multitool, both Leatherman and Gerber far more then I ever did my knife, however, as useful as it was it never replaced my knife when a knife is what I needed. If possible it's great to have both.

Best of luck and all the best to your friend.
 
OK, Ive answered this many times, but from my experience I would say something cheap that you don't mind losing, breaking, or getting stolen.. because all three will happen eventually.

I would get a multitool and if you really want a separate knife something cheap you dont mind losing, breaking, or getting stolen.. notice a trend here.

The realities are you will never knife fight anyone, baton any wood, use a knife to lift yourself over a wall, or any other nonsense you hear about. You will use it to cut rope, open MREs, open crates, carve shit when you are bored, and stab spiders when you are bored. A multitool is good because you will have lots of things to tighten and its better to use a tool than the tip of your knife.

enjoy.
 
One other thing I did bring with me was a cheap set of throwing knives. They were pretty great for passing the time until one of my buddies destroyed them by throwing them into a sand barrier.
 
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