Necessary Attributes for Tactical Folder

S

Sierra912

Joined
Dec 9, 2001
Messages
482
What, in the forum's experience and opinion, are the necessary attributes design and materials wise that the modern tactical folding knife MUST have?
 
1 - A comfortable, secure handle;
2 - Reliable locking mechanism;
3 - Smooth, one-handed opening (I personally prefer the Spyderhole).
A clip is also nice.
There are many other desirable features, of course, but the ones above are essential, IMHO.
Also, I don't think you need to be a southpaw like myself to appreciate ambidexterity in folders.

Leo
 
In addition to Leo's list, I'd add:

No sharp/projecting edges - the folder is usually "inside" some kind of clothing, not a sheath.
A distinctive form factor, i.e. I should be able to tell by first touch the orientation of the closed knife.
When worn as intended, enough of the folder should project so it can be drawn with the thumb and one finger securely, if not opened with them. It should pull up and into the palm of the hand.

I carry an AFCK because it draws and opens right into my hand better than any other folder I've used.
 
I like to think of this issue in relation to slipjoints.

1) faster accessability than at the bottom of your pocket. Pocket clip is best in my opinion. Wave is pretty cool option. Belt pouch unobstructed is good, but not as fast as clipped to your pocket, in my opinion. I find that I prefer thumbstuds over spydie holes. I thought the spydie hole would be best, but this is one of those things you have to experiment with and find out what is best for you.

2) Blade built robustly. My SAK has a nice thing blade that cuts like crazy! I also realize that a little light prying might pop the blade in half. So, grinds with durability in mind is important. I don't want a tac folder too thin.

3) handle designed with security in mind over comfort. It is easier in my opinion to find fixed blades that offer great security. Lots of folders are out there with few traction grooves, very slippery handles and/or no finger cut outs or other such designs that lock your hand in place. I love my AFCK for the handle security. I helt an Emerson SpecWar for the thirst tiem this summer and was impressed with the handle.

4) good lock. A good liner lock is still a good choice, I think. My AFCK lock is PERFECT. I am really impressed with it. I think a lockback can work too, as long as it is a good one. Cold Steel lockbacks, from what I hear, are really strong. I haven't played much with Axis locks, but those are supposed to be allright. Has anyone trained with one and found if accidental closings are possible?

I think that ought to do. I have now taken to carrying my ASK around with me and my ALlen Blade MEUK fixed blade. One for delicate cutting, the other for everything else.

Edited to add that the MEUK is a fixed blade! Sometimes I carry my AFCK in a belt pouch. I still want to get a few Cold Steel Voyagers and Buck/Strider folders.
 
I go with what Leo said! For me Studs,disk, and Spydie holes are all good in my book for aid in dispatching the blade. Blade steel is another factor. I'll take ATS-34,154Cm,and 440C. And a few tool steels also!
The other thing I like is a thin grind line. Not really a big deal,But when I have to sharpen it I don't want that two tone grind look on it!
 
I would think a huge plus would be that it is a blade that you can grab in a Tactical situation! After all, the Leatherman Wave made short work of the bad guy in Proof of Life!

But seriously, what makes a folder Tactical after all?

Would my Spyderco Endura be somehow thought of less if I used it to take out a bad guy instead of my Microtech Socom?
 
Amen, Robert H ! Am I at a disadvantage if I have a strategic folder ? And while we're at it, can someone please explain why "tactical nylon" clothing is an order of magnitude more expensive than nylon and only comes in black ?
 
"Tactical" is simply a means of focusing us on this particular catagory of design, purpose, and knife.

Thoughts so far are very astute and spot on. Knife designers and makers, are you onboard so far?

Let's keep the thread on target, gents. Don't let semantics take us off our focus here. We've got some folks who have carried tac-folders for years, and others who are looking to obtain their first one. Let's share and help out.

We might agree it's an important decision if you're carrying with self-defense / training in mind.

My fulltime duty carry tac-folder is an Emerson CQC7 with the conventional double ground blade. It gets a lot of daily use and carry and is wonderful knife. Rides just right in my sap pocket and the clip is very secure but not material invasive (uniform wear and tear). Thanks, Ernie, for very useful bit of equipment.

For outdoor and travel I have AMK SERE 2000 tac-folder with partially serrated blade. AMK only made a few of these. This is very sturdy knife and rides out of sight in the pocket. Stealth wise I like that. The SERE 2000 is the natural evolution of the SERE first designed for Colonel Nick Rowe and the SERE folks at Ft. Bragg. This is a very, very nice bit of work from AMK today.

Interesting note: Some time ago one US special operations unit did an off the shelf purchase of CS Gunsite folders (the big one) and issued these to their folks. The operators nicknamed them "ginzu knives". Don't let the nickname fool ya. They like 'em and they're in use in the bad places. Timberline WOR-TECH from Kelly Worden is also seeing combat duty, from what my sources tell me. Al Mar's Woodsman model (no longer made) was one of the first truly large tac-folders to be put on the market (mid 80s). Navy SEALs bought and used them due to lightweight construction, superior ballistic nylon pouch, strong front lock, and dynamic blade design. I reported on one Woodsman used by SEAL to deanimate a Lybian coastal sentry during our air attack on Quadaffi some years ago.

History, gentlemen. Nothing is so new someone hasn't broken ground before.

Love my Woodsman. Thanks to Gordon Wallace at 911 Distributors in Portland, Oregon, for making one available to me. Gordon is old and valued friend of the late Al Mar.

More tac-folder talk:D

Kit? You're the grand old man of military tactical folders and one of our premier innovators and teachers of the young pups out there who make today's blades. What says you regarding construction considerations, tactical thought processes, and lock systems?
 
I don't really know what the correct definition of "tactical" would be, but I'm not too concerned with that. My main interest in knives, both fixed blades and folders, is in the realm of self-protection, and that's what I base my observations on.
I also left factors such as blade steel and handle material out due to the fact that there are several acceptable options (for instance, I personally like G-10, but I can live with Zytel).
 
I agree with pretty much everything already stated. In tactical knives there are tradeoffs based on the situation. One thing that has not been mentioned thus far is the issue of legality in a tac knife. A tactical knife is of little use if you cannot use it legally. If the "best" tac knife has a 4.5" blade and the local limit is 4" that is not the "best" tac knife for that situation. If you are going to a black tie affain, an OD handled Commander is not a tactically sound choice of blade. Horses for courses is the saying, I believe.
 
I'm trying to remember when the folder craze really caught on. As a young devil dog I carried a Swiss Army Knife, I believe it was a Huntsman model. The problem was it could fall out of the pocket, and since I was an armor crewman at the time it often did, so I had to tie it to things and unravel paracord. I would have never used it for fighting, except as a weight to fill my hand. I had a full size KABAR on my "duece gear" for that.

Then I found a SAK Champion that had a pretty good nylon sheath at a PX in A.P. Hill, VA. It served me for many years. I still have it as a survival kit knife. The SAK folders did everything I needed, easy to sharpen, but you needed a secure carrying system for them, and they were definately not quick access fighting knives.

In the mid 90's after joining the Uniformed Welfare Service (or the Regular Army to some), I bought an Emerson CQC with a Browning Hi-Power. Carried that knife for years, although the chisel grind was a bitch to sharpen. It served me well through EOD school slicing time fuse and Det Cord when the instructors weren't looking. Unfortunately it was stolen about a year ago, but I know who did it and they will pay dearly one day.

Now I am surrounded by knives with the business, but my pocket normally has a Spyderco variant in it, and the other pocket has a Leatherman Wave. The Spyderco locks are strong, they are easy to sharpen, and have good grips, they're relatively cheap to buy (and therefore easy to replace)and they survive the washing machine quite well. As a fighters they are as serviceable for a quick defense knife as anything else I can use, although if it came down to blades I'd choose a tomahawk over anything else short of a gun. Otherwise I keep the Endura, Military, Police, Civilian, Chinook, and a few others floating around the house.
 
Recently I have thought lots on the subject of what color a folder ought to be. Black is tactical, for sure. But it can also scare the sheeple. Now I don't think oen should compromise too much for the sheeple, but I am glad the manufacturers out there are making blades that are uncoated and with colorful handles. The Benchmade 940 Osborne looks nice, and I bet it would make for a greta defensive blade too.

If you look at the knife in my avatar (thanks for the pic Phil!) you will see my idea of an unobtrusive utility blade that can do double duty for self defense. It is a fixed blade, but notice the green handle and satin finish. It certainly doesn't look scary, but it could save a life if needed. I designed it and made it with those ideas in mind. I like the camo handles you cna get on some Benhcmade models now, but I wouldn't get one BECAUSE the sheeple would look at it funny, you know? The point is not to get noticed, and "pretty" knives look less liek weapons than camoflage colored blades with NINJA DEATH MASTER engraved boldly on the blade!
 
imho the most important attributes of a combat folding blade would be a reliable strong locking mechanism, and easy one hand opening, and good ergos, the ergos are gonna vary between users too, what i like you might not

anyway right now i carry an axis afck, and a G10 spydie serrated police, but ichange around a lot, and have carried emerson commanders, BM 710, 975SBT, various spydies, MT LCC (a very good choice imho) crawford KFF custom (another excellent choice ) and several others

lotsa good choices out there, hard to beat the AFCK's www.newgraham.com has in the retired BM section, $68, a lot of knife for the $$ imho

SIFU
 
One thing I think could be improved over the average pocketknife these days is concentration on maximum retention when drawing the knife from the pocket, opening it, and acquiring the fighting grip.

It seems the G-10 is seldom rough enough and the shapes are rarely designed to enhance the presentation and deployment of the blade.

Perhaps indexing indents like on the Gunting and Lil Temperance? Not necessarily for switching from reverse to forward grips, but for ease of presentation and handling??

Another idea is for a rougher texture on the outside of the clip, and a gripping area (ledge, stippling, checkering, etc.)on the handle of the knife near the butt end (on a tip-up folder) for a better "pinching" draw-hold between index finger and thumb.

And finally, attention to the shielding of the locking actuator (whether lockbar, Axis buttons, or liner, etc.) from inadvertant operation during COMBATIVE and/or heavy utility use. For an especially bad example, look to the Spyderco Native's large lockbar indentation which allows a hammer grip to push in on the bar. I hope the improved Native will have a Boye dent and a smaller indentation...

Karl
 
I like Safety Guy's idea about putting some "grip on the clip". I draw my folder with my index finger on or under the clip until I can pinch the blade hole with thumb and index, then flip it down into my palm. Since the draw and open is the big difference between a folder and fixed blade, this is where some original thought re: ergonomics can makes a lot of difference (and product differentiator for the maker).
Personally, I don't like a flat/slab body in the hand - but on a folder worn (usually) in the pocket it rides a lot more comfortably for daily wear. Anyone think of a way to get a slight oval cross-section in a handle yet not have it bulge and shift in the pocket? Along those lines, having a closed body-shape on the handle that moves with the curve of your pocket is very nice. I've had some excellent folders that simply were not comfortable being carried up front - when I would sit they would shift up and out.
 
Handle design has become probably the single biggest factor in my folder choice. I have practiced with various tac-folders on a training dummy, and found handle design to be of paramount importance. Specifically, pinky catches (such as on the Emerson CQC7), and finger grooves (a la AFCK) each help. Together, they make hard use of a folder far more secure.
The folder must lock open (duh!). There is much discussion about lock failure, but, quite honestly, the only lock that has ever failed on me (to include both lock back and liner locks) was on a Gerber EZ out, which I never used again. I think most of the locks on modern "tactical folders" are more than adequate.
The knife must be legal to carry concealed.
The knife must have an ambidextrous one-handed opening system. Preferably, it should also be easy to open with two hands, which is (if tactically possible) a much more secure method of presenting the knife under stress.
Pocket clip, definitely.
Decent steel, but unless you bought the knife as the truck stop for $9.95, this shouldn't be a problem.
 
My REKAT Sifu is what comes to mind when "Tactical Folder" is mentioned. Big, strong, sharp, pointy, good solid grip...Just right!.:).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top