Practical uses for a fixed blade?

I think the answer to "What do you need that huge thing for?" could be...

Welcome to America! I WANT it, I can HAVE it, and so I have it because I want it!

Or..."Because SPAM cans are TOUGH!"

Or finally, "I'm sorry, am I supposed to care what you think?"

:D I get tired of people who seem to think you need to justify your existence to them. Why do people need big screen TVs, or TVs at all? Why do they have to have such big SUVs that don't even have 4WD or why they "need" cell phones. Well, they probably need the cell phones to help them drive even more dangerous and uncaring so they can end up splattered, or having splattered someone on the evening news to be seen on big screen TVs.

The practicallity of carrying a big, fixed blade knife in an urban environment, isn't. Get it because you want it and then find a place to go camping or a backyard where you can just enjoy cutting wood, rope, whatever, and just enjoying it. Keep it by the bed if you want. I have two or three fixed blades laying by the bed just for the heck of it and cause I like them. I also have a .357 Mag I'd grab if I really needed something for social work. And if that needs some help there is a single-shot 12 ga. with a stock sleeve of 5 #OO Buck rounds, leaning in the corner behind the night stand. Just because I want the danged thing there. I really don't feel I just have to have it there to sleep safely. I just choose to put it there in my own residence cause I wanted to. I might also mention I don't have young kids running around or people in and out all the time either. The other two adults in the house are oriented and properly warned on how to treat everything and are both pretty responsible.

It is good to be aware of sheeple and how they irrationally react to things outside their narrow field of their DisneyWood vision. However, don't forget, if we always let them dictate our decisions, they will make all the decisions.

LOL I just looked around this room and on my computer table and the table beside me I have 7 fixed blades, 9 slipjoints and 1 SAK, oh, and a tri-stone, and there's a Marlin 336 leaning beside me against a small bookcase. Oh, wait, I missed the little 20 year old Cold Steel Ready Edge, that makes it 10 fixed blades ranging from a 2 inch blade to a 5 inch blade. Oh again, I forgot the 2 slippies in their boxes on the shelf beside me and the 2 or 3, or maybe it's 4 knives in the wooden chest on the desk. That doesn't take in the 14 or 20 folders both slippie and lockblade on the shelf in the bedroom. I apologize for being so knife poor. I don't have nearly what most on here do, but then I didn't really start knives as a hobby in earnest until this past year. I've always enjoyed and appreciated knifes, even carried them as tools for various things all my life. I just didn't dive into the hobby as an active hobby until recently.

Why do I need that many knives laying around, or even guns. I don't. I'm an American who served in the military, like many on here and in my family's history, to protect our rights and way of life. I have this stuff laying around because I want it laying around. I don't need it, I wouldn't die or fret myself to death if I didn't have it. I just enjoy it. I can't think of better reason to buy a big ole fixed blade than that.

Okay, I'm getting off my stump now.
 
Amos Iron Wolf said:
I think the answer to "What do you need that huge thing for?" could be...

Welcome to America! I WANT it, I can HAVE it, and so I have it because I want it!

Or..."Because SPAM cans are TOUGH!"

Or finally, "I'm sorry, am I supposed to care what you think?"

:D I get tired of people who seem to think you need to justify your existence to them...

..Get it because you want it and then find a place to go camping or a backyard where you can just enjoy cutting wood, rope, whatever, and just enjoying it..

...I have two or three fixed blades laying by the bed just for the heck of it and cause I like them. I also have a .357 Mag I'd grab if I really needed something for social work. And if that needs some help there is a single-shot 12 ga. with a stock sleeve of 5 #OO Buck rounds, leaning in the corner behind the night stand. Just because I want the danged thing there. I really don't feel I just have to have it there to sleep safely. I just choose to put it there in my own residence cause I wanted to..

..It is good to be aware of sheeple and how they irrationally react to things outside their narrow field of their DisneyWood vision. However, don't forget, if we always let them dictate our decisions, they will make all the decisions..

LOL I just looked around this room and on my computer table and the table beside me I have 7 fixed blades, 9 slipjoints and 1 SAK, oh, and a tri-stone, and there's a Marlin 336 leaning beside me against a small bookcase. Oh, wait, I missed the little 20 year old Cold Steel Ready Edge, that makes it 10 fixed blades ranging from a 2 inch blade to a 5 inch blade. Oh again, I forgot the 2 slippies in their boxes on the shelf beside me and the 2 or 3, or maybe it's 4 knives in the wooden chest on the desk. That doesn't take in the 14 or 20 folders both slippie and lockblade on the shelf in the bedroom...

..Why do I need that many knives laying around, or even guns. I don't. I'm an American who served in the military, like many on here and in my family's history, to protect our rights and way of life..

Okay, I'm getting off my stump now.
Click to expand...

Great Post Amos,
LOL!!. I now realize we are leading dual lives at our perspective homes you and I, you have nearly matched me gun for gun and knife for knife in my humble abode as well. Throw in a few furnishings here and there for good measure, and your at my house too..:thumbup: :D

GerberGuy,
Amos is 100% correct in all that he has stated quite eloquently in the aforementioned in his post. You need no justification whatsoever from anyone to purchase the knife of your choice for any other reason other than that because "you can.":)

However, if you want to minimize the looks or comments from sheeple you may consider your basic dress code. For instance, I carry an abundance of hardware on my person and in my trucks on a daily basis. My occupations keep me outdoors for 9-12 hours each day on average. Since I work outside I dress appropriately for the elements in my own style(if you can call it a style). I wear a hat(usually lightweight cowboy or Aussie type) with a decent brim, sunglasses, bandanna around the neck, t-shirt, or collar cotton knit shirt, Dickies brand work shorts or pants, and work boots. On the belt is leather belt-sheath with some type of medium to large folder(currently a Harness Jack) and last but not least a large sticker of some type(currently a custom Bowie made up special for me by my pal Rick Smith at Bear Bones forge). This particular blade is nearly 7 inches in length and 10 3/4 inches(see photo of knife and sheath when new below) overall.

My point is that if folks see you dressed a certain way they expect that your 'gear' is part of who you are. Therefore less eyebrows are raised. Personally, I don't give a rat arse if they like me or what I happen to be wearing or not, but I am illustrating a point for you here. Now on the other hand, during services on Sunday morning down at Our Lady of Blessed Souls you won't see me wearing my typically garb, so the Bowie stays home and I will be sporting my 'Sunday go-to-meet'n carry' usually a folding hunter or some such on the belt. The point here is, like your folks may have taught you when you were younger, "There is a time and a place for everything."

You said you are 18 years young, but did not tell us your occupation so I don't know if you work in an office or outside or what. If it is in an office, well then your company most likely has a weapons policy that would preclude you from EDC'ing a large fixed blade at work anyway. If it is outside job, like on a construction site, my guess is it would be fine. If you are not employed then ware what ever you want and like Amos Iron Wolf said, go to the Forrest and/or your back yard and start cutting & chopping something..:D .. Have fun and be careful.:cool:

BearBonemade-TonysCustomBowie.jpg
 
GerberGuy,

Heck, I'm just an acolyte. There are some much higher level knife heros on here. Lots of good folks with good advice and great tastes in knives, as SunnyD displayed with that bowie. Oh yeah, and HOOAH! It's an Army thing!

I said Hooah at work the other day and my boss, the security manager who is a retired AF Master Chief in SPs said, "You're not in the Army anymore." I got out in 94. Another fellow there who is a retired Army 1SG understood when I told him, "If you were in for a few hitches or more and were an NCO, you will always be a soldier and always be a Sergeant." He fully agreed.

The Army says, HOOAH! The Marines say something like HOOHAH! The Air Force says, "Where's the Club on this place!" The Navy? Dunno, I don't get to sea much.

SunnyD, anyone who would even think of complaining about or not appreciating that sheath and blade should be shipped to nasty places and be used for nasty things. That is one BEAOOOTIFUL setup. We may be paralleling on numbers, but you sure have a finer class of knives there overall.

I used to have tons of fine guns at one time then got down to nothing. Im now putting a nice, basic armory together of good old, down home traditional stuff and am enjoying the process more. Less trading going on and much more gathering with a purpose and to keep. If the trading bug doesn't flare up in me again. I even have a nice little tradtional, caplock muzzloader in the closet with browned barrel, primitive sights and tarnished brass inlays on the stock. Nothing fancy, but long story short is a full circle trip back to my roots in the blackpowder game.

GerberGuy, welcome and all the best to you. Just remember when you hit basic training. Your job there is to learn and to just do what the drill sergerants tell you to. It doesn't have to make sense. It doesn't have to seem to have a purpose. Just remember your whole mission and what you get paid for is to what they tell you to do. Later on more of it will make sense and some of it you will see wasn't intended to be sensible, but just to instill discipline and the capacity to follow orders. Keep that in mind and you will have much less stress and will be able to enjoy watching the other guys around you stressing out and getting their bowels in an uproar trying to make sense of it all. A hearty high-five to you for serving your country, and yourself in the deal.

Damn, Sunny! That is a FINE looking knife and sheath. Did I mention that? ;) I wouldn't mind having a parallel counterpart to that one.
 
Wow Amos,

Thanks for all the very kind words regarding my Bowie rig. It's a heck of a lot of fun to be in the design process from the get-go and very rewarding when you finally receive the finished product. This knife hands down, sees the most belt time to be sure. Its the perfect size for me and is an incredible tool to use. The sheath is very durable and built extremely tough.. I have started a 'fixed blade thread' here in 'traditional' to further explore this subject of fixed blade knives that we all may enjoy and so as not too hijack GerberGuys thread here. I started it off with this little bowie rig.

GerberGuy,

Since you are going to join the Army, you may want to purchase a fixed blade EDC suitable for your eventual tour of duty. There are some fine knives out there for this purpose for sure. I am very fond of a fairly new brand of fixed blade knives to the market for this application that another bf.com member and knife-maker hand makes for very reasonable prices. Check out Justin at www.rangerknives.com ..His RD series knives are extremely rugged and will take lots of abuse. The RD7 and RD9 are among my personal favorites. Go to his site and look for them.. God Bless You and I wish you all the best in your military career!
 
I'll throw in my 0.02 for ya... lately I've been EDC-ing a Bark River Sandstorm-A in a very versatile Kenny Rowe boot sheath. Usually it rides IWB off my right hip, or it will be clipped into my right front pocket. Yesterday I used it to snap cut some of my neighbor's pesky weed tree branches that were hanging into the alley. Today, I was cleaning the garage, and I cut up a bunch of old cardboard. I prefer a fixed blade about 4.5", there is enough blade to do most anything, yet it's not too honkin' large to comfortably and easily conceal. Yet, I tend not to whip it out at work to open my mail with... I have some sort of sheeple knife on me for that type of work. I will usually tote a SAK or small slipjoint so I don't have to hear the shrieks.:rolleyes:
 
Gerber Guy,

If you're still watching this thread, drop me an email 123002@comcast.net.

Get a big knife if you want. Always a good idea. I've been in the Army for longer than I'd like to admit and used big knives off & on the whole time. In fact, just before I left Iraq a couple months ago I gave my 6" SOG knife that I bought in the early 1980's to a young Sergeant of Marines. Wanted to give the knife a new life and a young warrior a good tool. Hooah Sergeant Youngbloom.

A little free advice -- don't take a knife, especially a big knife, to Initial Entry Training with you. At best it will get locked in the arms room and you'll get tagged as a wannabe by your DIs. At worst, you get in a heap o trouble that you don't need.

My advice, buy well now and it will serve you as long as you like. In fact, if I had it to do over again I'd have taken a big ole chunk of my basic training pay and bought a Randall. Whatever you do, leave it safely at home until you graduate and get down to your first duty station. Once you get settled in with your unit, find out their rules on big knives, talk with your squad leader or platoon sergeant and FOLLOW THIER ADVICE. If you're in a combat arms outfit, you'll see lots of big knives -- they're real handy.

Safe travels.
 
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