Recommendations for knife for use in military

I'm not a knife nut, that's true, but when I make any new purchase I try to start with something good and usually end up going overboard altogether. Audio equipment, camera, etc. And of course everybody loves being able to show off something cool. ;)

Theft from bags is always a problem but the knife is something I would carry on me always so that wouldn't be too big of a concern. I would want it to be as non-reflective as possible simply because that's a very big deal here. We spend hours just hiding all reflective surfaces; we don't even let our dog-tags go bare.

But it looks like the top contenders (simply by number of recommendations) are the Spyderco Endura, Benchmade 710, and Buck 110. I'll see if I can find these knives (and as many of the others as possible) in a store near here when I get a chance so I can try them out for myself. I have to go back to base today after my day off but in less than two weeks I should have a weekend off to try them out.

Thanks again for the help!
 
Al Mar SERE 2000. Monster strong and designed for "Survival, Evasion, Resistance & Escape".

bestknives_1813_48597784


Blade Steel: VG-10
Hardness: 59-60 HRC
Thickness: .140
Length: 3.6
Finish: Polished
Handle Material: G-10
Lock Type: Liner
Length Closed: 4.9
Overall: 8 1/2
Weight: 6.0 oz.
Pocket Clip: Metal
Removeable: Yes
Reversible: Yes

maximus otter
 
Not sure whether you're aware of this, but the Buck 110 is _not_ a one-handed knife. It's not the end of the world, but you really tend to get spoiled by one-handed opening. :D
 
cheech, it may be that i can help in a number of directions; it may take a couple of days, but i will try to email you with a couple of options. Go Nahal.
 
I haven't served (except for that secret trip to Cambodia :D ) but I have read many of these threads and I do have a good sense for what works and what doesn't in the field.

First of all, with all due respect to the venerable Buck 110...don't. It may have served some well in 'Nam, but c'mon guys - that was over 30 years ago, and you can do better now. The Buck is bulletproof, but simply waaay to heavy and bulky to carry around. It also does not open one-handed, and that is not just a luxury in the field, it is a must, especially when you have to look hard to find a knife these days that's not a one-hander. There's just no good reason to not go one-handed.

For an affordable knife with the basic size of the 110, much lighter, with one-hand open and a great pocket clip, I humbly submit....the SOG AutoClip. The clip acts to fill the hand, and it's unique thumbwheel tension make sit super-secure if you're worried about losing it.

For the military, you're going to want a good multi-tool, a good fixed blade for heavy applications and some prying, and a folder for cutting small stuff that doesn't warrant a combat knife. I would take a folder that could also be carried in the pocket when on leave, for protection off-duty, etc. (If you're planning on using a folder as a weapon while in the field, you're in the wrong army!)

Tool - Victorinox SwissTool (unless you need needlenose pliers, then I'd go with the Leatherman SuperTool or Wave.
Fixed - standard KaBar or CS SRK ("second" is fine)
Folder - SOG AutoClip or mini, BM Griptilian, KaBar Dozier, Spyderco Native or Native III.

All these together can be had for less than $200.
 
I'm serving in the US Army and of all my knives prefer my Spyderco Paramilitary for on-duty use. It's big enough to get nearly any job done, small enough to carry easily and comfortably, and fits my hand perfectly. Not to mention the fact that it takes and holds a razor edge and has a very reliable, tough lock. It's right around the top of your $100 price limit, but well worth the $$ IMO. Besides that, nearly anything from Benchmade's blue line will serve you well. They make quality blades and stand behind them, as does Spyderco. Stay safe out there.
 
What RH said, although I'd pick different knives. The point is that what you want are a system of knives; it may be obvious to some, but the multi-tool (way too many to count variations) and small EDC folder (I like Benchmades myself) will be the tools you use most. The fixed combat tool should be a sharp pry-bar -- hopefully you'll never need to use it. The Becker BK-7 comes to mind in the affordable zone.

Think about what you need or will really use first and get that. Buy the others as funds are available.
 
Although it is a bit more than $100, the Benchmade 806 AFCK is a very sharp, tough folder with an AXIS lock. Keep fighting the good fight!
 
scratch what I said about $200. If you shop, starting with a SRK second for $50 or a KaBar for $35, you could still squeeze in a quality multitool and a KaBar Dozier all for $100.
 
I'd recommend the Spyderco Military: big enough, strong enough, good enough.
I prefer the Kershaw Avalanche myself. The pros: the assisted opening sistem helps me a lot (I'm a leftie ;) ) & I think it can help you too if you need a quick response to a situation. The blade on the Avalanche is non-reflective black, & the handle is G-10 like the Military. The cons: remember that you'll be in a very hostile environment (I mean, sand & dirt & not enough time to take care properly of your gear).
If I could, I'd get me a Doug Ritter's RSK Mk1, but I couldn't find it yet in this part of the world so far.
Take care of yourself, & here is my e-mail address:

tacticaloperator@yahoo.com

if you need something. I can give you a few tips.
 
Welcome to the Forums and good luck in finding your knife.
If I were in your position, I can only think one knife that would suit me: Spyderco Military CE with black DLC coating. Big, lightweight, strong, G-10 handles, black S30V (!) full flat grind blade, combo edge, field tested extensively in the last (I guess more than 10) years.
 
The military also comes in a black blade version if desired. If you are considering the endura you should definately look at the military as it is a better blade all around in my opinion. Full flat grind, 4" s30v is hard to beat.
 
Hey guys,

Thanks for all the tips! One of the members even sent me a free knife, a used Benchmade 910 so I might just go with that for the one-hander. There's not much time until my dad comes here but I like the Ka-Bar black fighting knife (plain) and will ask him to bring one for me and maybe some for the boys in the platoon. After they saw the big-ass Muelin knife when we had snipers from our battalion come in for our company exercise, all the Russian guys who I'm really good friends with asked me to bring them big knives from America too. ;) The sniper probably needs it more since he doesn't have an automatic rifle but M16s do jam. He fit the knife in the front of his vest and I would guess a 7" blade is max.

Anyway, I saw in a Ka-Bar thread that someone recommended getting a different sheath. Where can I get a good nylon sheath so it'll ship fast and won't cost too much?

Thanks again for all your help!

Dan
 
Also, can somebody recommend a good site or a good store in the Boston area (even better) where my dad can pick up a Kabar 1212 for a decent price and a sheath? Or will the supplied sheath actually be fine?

The kind of conditions I'll be dealing with are mainly cold weather (it gets pretty cold in parts of Israel in the winter), rain, and sand. But I likely will not be crawling around in the desert very much now that I've finished my training.

Thanks again!
 
Okay, I have to go back to base now but thanks again for your help. I ended up getting four KaBar 1212 (black partly-serrated 7" fixed blade) which comes with a leather sheath, one for me and three for other guys. Last last question (I promise ;) ) -- is it okay to get knives like this engraved with a normal metal writing tool? Will it work, and if it does, will it damage the knife in any significant way?

Take it easy everyone.

Dan
 
It should be fine, if you're talking about blade strength.

Depending on the coating, removing some of it may help the rest of the coating kind of flake off. Losing some of the coating will make the blade more succeptable to corrosion, and you can loose some stealth.

You must make sure that you maintain you knife, polish where the engraving is, maybe oil it (go for militec if you can). About the stealth thing, I don't really know how important that is, and if just having some sheen will compramise your position. There have been arguments about that over here in the past, things like, "you shouldn't have the blade exposed untill the last moment" and other stuff like that.

Are you having it done professionally? If not, remember that you need to keep the metal at a temperature that you can handle, other wise you may loose the temper.

About having something shipped, tell them that you need it before your a** is gets shipped. idk if that will help, but it works with Militec
 
Shallom, Cheech,
I find a bit strange that nobody mentioned before, but did you get yourself a good sharpener? A good knife is great, but what will you do when it becomes dull? There are some good small lightweight knife sharpeners like Mini Dog Bone Lansky, probably they can cover most of your sharping needs.
Good drinking Keglevich Vodka with Russian speakers! If some of them are from Central Asia, perhaps they can show you how to sharpen knives on china glasses.
Regards,
 
Thanks guys, looks like it's too much to worry about to get it engraved. I doubt I'll ever need to use my knife as my (un)trusty old M-16 should be enough if only as a 3kg stick if it jams... er... so stealth probably isn't the biggest deal. But still, I wouldn't like the coating to peel or to have to oil my knife in addition to my rifle.

Anyway, I got the knives when my dad came over on Wednesday and they look very cool and mean. It seems they were finished at least semi-manually as the slope of the sharpening varies on each Ka-Bar and some of them had sharpening on the reverse side at the top while others weren't. I'm still very happy, though.

Also, Thomas Miller was kind enough to send me a used Benchmade 910 of his which will likely find a lot of use for random cutting jobs and perhaps (though hopefully not) for self-defense when out of uniform. Thanks Thomas!

I do definitely need a decent small sharpener, though. I read a few of the FAQs and it seems that the rough-sharpening which emulates a serrated cutting quality on non-serrated blades might be what I need for the Benchmade though I'd like to fine-sharpen the Ka-Bar. What products should I get that are cheap but good enough? Websites that list worldwide dealers would be nice.

By the way, Keglevich is horrible! If I must drink a Russian or Ukrainian vodka, it's either Nemiroff or Russian Standard. But I'm mostly a beer man myself on my days off. :)
 
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