Overlooked Defensive Blade?

Loki

Loki

Joined
Mar 23, 2000
Messages
740
A bit of blasphamy perhaps but with all the fighters available I think I've overlooked a very effective and readily avialable one - the common chef's knife. I recently got a 10" Sabatier chefs knife and while doing the normal kitchen stuff noticed that hey this knife has really good balance, slices like mad, penetrates well, has an integral guard, a good grip, and fantastic reach. I know it's a bit more flexible than a traditional hunting/fighting knife and that the steel is probably softer. But for a fighter this might not be an issue. I trotted out my Ontario Hells Belle, a Randall No.1, and KBar to compare. The Sabatier is lighter and slices much better than any of these. The Chefs knife really began to look more like a 1700-1800's utility blade than could easily be pressed into serious service. Maybe we should reconsider what makes a defensive blade? Maybe the big chefs makes a great low cost alternative to the more large traditional sytled fighting knives?
 
In a pinch, I guess just about anything could be a fighter, but if I was seriously in that type of situation, I would really want I much stiffer and heavier traditional fighter.

Just my .02:)
 
The best defensive blade is a 12 guage pump shotgun.
jf
 
Kitchen knives as we all know are involved in more stabbings than any tactical knife on the market. That being said Loki, there are many points you bring up that are true.

Joe Talmadge, one of our own members designed the Talmadge Tactical Kitchen Knife. See it here:
TTKK Review

This knife has many of the attributes you bring up with a higher grade steel. Also James Bowie used a butcher's knife at the sandbar fight, not a "bowie" as popular legend has it. That was designed or given to him later.
 
I think it would be important to get the right kind of butcher knife. You would want to get whatever cannibals use, not what cooks in a steak house use to carve beef. Anybody know what brand Jeffry Daumer prefered?
 
Granted there may be better alternative in a serious social altercation, I still think that big chefs knife might have a bit more impact than one of those tactical folders. I tried it out on pool noodles and it did a heck of a job in slashing - better that the three I mentioned. I'm not advocating packing around the big spud slicer but if at hand it sure looks like it could do the job.
 
The only record of the sand bar fight that mentions Bowies knife mentions "that butcher knife of Bowies". No one knows what Bowies "bowie" knife looked like except that some accounts mention it as looking like a heavy duty butchers knife.
 
Sounds like the description of a good fighting knife to me. The only questions in my mind would be the durability of the blade and edge. Would one pass through a zipper or belt buckle turn it into a butter knife?

How easily would it bend or break compared to a purpose built fighter?

Would it have the blade mass to power through bone?

Etc.
 
When things go bump in the night I generally grab an old 10" carbon steel chef's knife. The non-stainless blade is relatively thick, stiff, and tough. The knife is longer and sharper than than anything else I have handy. If I feel particularly concerned I grab two. (That takes care of concerns about tip breakage). If I really think there could be a problem I grab a gun. If I think it might be a bear, it's my 12 gauge loaded with slugs.

If nothing else, it would be a lot easier to explain in court grabbing a kitchen knife than a true bowie knife.
 
If nothing else, it would be a lot easier to explain in court grabbing a kitchen knife than a true bowie knife.
Click to expand...


That is an excellent point! It is sad that with our anti self defense legal system we have to resort to such measures, but whatever works is what we have to do.
 
I too have been interested in the "tactical kitchen knife" scheme. I recently bought a Spyderco Perrin off another forumite, and this little sucker really fits the bill.

The edge lays flat against a cutting board, and the edge lies beneath the knuckles, just like a French chefs knife. It performs admirably in the kitchen, the orange I worked over last night didn't have a chance! But, if it came right down to it, the Perrin would work great against a bad guy. Plently of thickness at the spine, a needle-like point, and excellent geometry. The sheath isn't bad either, once you toy with it a bit.

As long as custom makers and production companies continue to make "good sense" knifes like these, we'll all have something to fall back on, for those things that go bump in the night.
 
Another point to consider. You can check a tool roll of chef's knives in your luggage and fly anywhere in the world without causing huge sheeple issues. For your consideration, Ontario's 'Old Hickory' carbon steel American made knives includes a skinner, a double edged 'sticker', a cleaver, a chefs knife, a butcher knife a 6" boning or utility, and my favorite...a 7" slicer. My local Walmart has been closing their Old Hickory line out at $2 per knife, I'm putting a butcher knife, slicer and utility knife and a steel in a tool roll in my BOB's along with a sheathed carbon MORA and a Tramontina machete. Each bag has 5 tough and useful carbon knives, total cost= $16.
 
Tactical kitchen knife!!!!!
I love it
(The link above was dead however :( )
Did it have a paracord wrapped handle??

I second Texascarl's Old Hickory suggestion too
I love my OH Sticker
And it was only 10 bucks!!!
 
If there was one knife, sold as a knife not a sword, I would use a Busse AK-47.
 
Loki said:
A bit of blasphamy perhaps but with all the fighters available I think I've overlooked a very effective and readily avialable one - the common chef's knife. I recently got a 10" Sabatier chefs knife and while doing the normal kitchen stuff noticed that hey this knife has really good balance, slices like mad, penetrates well, has an integral guard, a good grip, and fantastic reach. I know it's a bit more flexible than a traditional hunting/fighting knife and that the steel is probably softer. But for a fighter this might not be an issue. I trotted out my Ontario Hells Belle, a Randall No.1, and KBar to compare. The Sabatier is lighter and slices much better than any of these. The Chefs knife really began to look more like a 1700-1800's utility blade than could easily be pressed into serious service. Maybe we should reconsider what makes a defensive blade? Maybe the big chefs makes a great low cost alternative to the more large traditional sytled fighting knives?
Click to expand...


It may interest you to know that what we call a chef's knife, is also called by some the "French Chef's knife", is derived from the old Mediteranian dirk. It was an all around knife of southern France and Corsica. Look at the profile of a Vendetta Corsa folding knife and you will see a slim chefs knife.

A chefs knife, like any good butcher knife, will make a very dangerous/deadly weapon. Heck the mountain men used their Green River knives for everythng including deffending themselves after the one shot in their muzzle loading rifles was gone. And that was nothing but a large plain butcher knife. Most of what the mall ninja/knife collectors call a fighting knife is a way overbuilt, over priced fantacy knife. A good sharp Old Hickory butcher knife will do anything you have to do in the way of self defence. And it will look alot more innocent at any inquest afterward.
 
Jeff Clark said:
If nothing else, it would be a lot easier to explain in court grabbing a kitchen knife than a true bowie knife.
Click to expand...

That's ironic because the original bowie knife looked exactly like a kitchen knife. In fact, that is how the people who watched the sandbar fight described the knife.
 
Excellent points, everyone!

Though I must admit, I was hoping that jackknife was going to was going to give us details on the history of "the fighting peanut" ;)
 
Using anything more than a broken beer bottle brands one as a ...SISSY !!!

Now if I can just find a nice sheath.

:D
 
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