Tactical knife design

E

Edcgearreviews

Joined
Jan 23, 2010
Messages
144
I did a quick knife design with Adobe Illustrator. Here it is:
Screenshot2010-07-22at92909PM.png

12 oal, 6.5 blade, 5.5 handle.

I would appreciate constructive criticism. I know this knife looks kind of unusual, but I enjoy the aesthetics of the design. I would more like to here about any technical shortcomings that you can think of.

Thanks,

Matt
 
Last edited:
Personally I like it, the only thing I'd consider is what kind of sheath will go with it. Most places you'd want a tac knife you are also trying to fit as much onto a belt/vest... as possible. With that much curve you might wind up needing a pretty wide area for it or risk the handle sticking out at an angle beyond the edge of the sheath and potentially jabbing the wearer with the pommel.
About the only thing I'd change would be to make it just a bit more in line. If it's more for style and fun than actual duty use, or for duty use by someone not loaded down with too much stuff, then that issue goes away entirely.
 
The carry method would likely be tip-up, under the arm. I would probably do an LKL sheath (Leather Kydex Leather) from Mastersmiths in NYC. The sheath is a layer of leather on the outside, a layer of Kydex for a rigid shape, then a layer of suede for a non-snap friction retention. The sheaths are intended for tip-up vertical carry. The knife is designed to be equally functional for outdoor use and tactical carry. For tactical carry the logical method would be a simple Kydex sheath with a MOLLE attachment.
 
looks more like a skinner to me.not tactical in my mind also.the grip looks slippery and blade shape would likely limit penetration if needed to thrust.
 
Here is a quick redesign, probably better for most tasks. Same materials. 5 inch blade 4 inch handle.
Screenshot2010-07-23at32846AM.png
 
Last edited:
Obviously,some people have a different idea what "tactical" means.
In my definition, a tactical knife is a military style fighting and utility knife and would be entirely different from that skinner/artistic knife. The lack of any guard alone would be a problem, not to mention other design elements, such as the strange handle (poor grip and control). There are several military chaps on this site who have carried tactical knives in the sandbox. I don't think any of them would carry this knife. Perhaps they will chime in with their opinions.

I'm not saying it is a bad knife, just not tactical.
 
Like Stacy said about the guard, I like a big enough guard on my tactical knives to keep my hand from slipping up the blade when thrusting into something, or a shaped handle. My friend spent over 8 years as a green beret, and he said he won't touch a knife that doesn't have a respectable blood groove.
 
I really like your first design, the out of the box thinking is great. I think the grind lines will look great. I am a little worried about the size and placement of the two front pins. This is a pretty critical area and as you can see below can cause some issues. Colby bolts can be used to give you a large pin head with a small hole in the blade. 0.2 is thick but it would be sad to see it break.

Good luck

P3171255.jpg
 
Aside from the lack of a guard like others have mentioned I tend to think that something geared towards tactical should be a bit more "stabby". The point on that knife doesn't seem like it would be all that great for penetration. It's a great slicer. However when I think tactical I tend to think more along the lines of military. Which usually means people wearing things that slicing might not do the trick. Even heavy clothing alone decreases the effectiveness of a slicer considerably. As a tactical knife I would want something that, if the situation called for it, can get into my target (and through whatever they might be wearing) and hopefully hit something vital. For that you need a good point that can do a good amount of piercing in my opinion. And again to rehash if you're doing some thrusting with it the last thing you want is your hand slipping over the handle and coming in contact with the business side.
 
I like your first design. It is, in my opinion, original and aesthetically well-balanced. I am not overly fond of the sharp transition between the finger-groove and the handle from a reverse-grip standpoint... but that's just me.

I think the term "tactical" is a bit nebulous... but based on the knife training that I've had, your design would work just fine as a fighter with nice positive-grip texture, some time in-hand and familiarity with its unique ergonomics. I'd definitely go with a thinner steel... 3/16" would be nice... 1/4" seems way too thick.

Good luck with the project. I'd love to see what you come up with.

Erin

Edit: Patrick does make a good point about the placement of the front two pins. If your heart is set on that aesthetic, you might want to consider making one of the pins "false"... where it does not penetrate the tang but is only there to look good.
 
Last edited:
I am of the opinion that a tactical knife needs a guard. Not a speedbump, but a stop for your hands.

I think a tire stab (not inflated and on a car) is a great way to test stabbing dynamics. For extra fun, dip the handle in baby oil (about the same consistancy as blood) and do some stab tests.

Otherwise I dig the design.
 
I agree on the stabbing issue, but generally a tactical knife is much more a tool than a weapon. More likely to be used to force something open, cut a line, open packaging that doesn't tear...
The fighting aspect is generally more theory than reality outside SOCOM, and even there it's not as common as a lot of folks think. That doesn't mean you keep the knife somewhere you can't get to it, or ignore the issue entirely, but it does mean that non killing aspects of the knife are more important for the overall design's practicality.

A guard, of some sort, to keep your hand from moving forward would be good. Also consider the way the grip will work with the knife reversed in the hand.

In terms of blade design and practicality on a rig the second one is better, but the handle's even more likely to not keep the hand in place.

To get an idea of what I mean by space on a rig take a piece of paper and lay the knife on it. Now make a rectangle that surrounds it with at least 3/8" extra on each side for the rivets or stiching. The actual sheath might not be that tall, but the handle is still there and using up space, and the sheath is going to take up at least that much width. A more curvy design uses up a lot more real estate than a straight one.

As for thickness and metal, the 0.2" cpm 3v would be fine. I wouldn't go any thicker but I don't know that I'd go thinner either. As a fighter, maybe, as a general purpose field/deployment knife I would be willing to accept that tiny additional weight for the durability. Which leads to agreeing with the other guys about the pins. One false, one corby, those are big holes in an already thin and high stress spot.
 
Hmathews said:
What does he want a "blood groove" for?
Click to expand...

No idea, I generally don't ask for details from him, he gets all...PTSDish, to say the least. I figured input from someone that has been on multiple 8+ month cave sweeping tours in Afghanistan would be of some worth.
 
Thanks very much for the constructive criticism. Any reasons why a Busse style front lanyard hole wouldn't work? Does the guard have any advantages over a front and rear lanyard hole?
 
Edcgearreviews said:
I did a quick knife design with Adobe Illustrator. Here it is:
Screenshot2010-07-22at92909PM.png

12 oal, 6.5 blade, 5.5 handle.

I would appreciate constructive criticism. I know this knife looks kind of unusual, but I enjoy the aesthetics of the design. I would more like to here about any technical shortcomings that you can think of.

Thanks,

Matt
Click to expand...

Ok, you asked for criticism, so I'll give you criticism.
First, for intellectual honesty, I'll say that I don't like the design. I find it plain ugly.
The flow of the lines it's there, but kinda jumbled and all wrong.
I'd find it pleasant if the blade followed more the axis of the grip, if the grip werent' so skinny and the blade was smaller. Way smaller.
But de gustibus non est disputandum.


Now, for the technical analysis: the blade seems good, old and proven design, but it's totally disproportionate to the handle. Were it half of what it is, it could do.
That knife would be needlessly tiresome on the wrist to use.

What do you need such a blade for?
Somehow today a lot of knife designers seem so obsessed in building knives that will work well also as axes, machetes and cleavers that they seem to forget to build a knife that, first and foremost, works well as a knife!

The grip is too skinny. I find hard to believe I could find it comfortable, especially if using a knife like that for heavy chores for some time.

Also, almost no knife has such an upwards angled blade, and there are good reasons for this.
Even the most radical skinners are less extreme.

And, last but not least, we should get clear beforehand about what is a "tactical" knife.
If we adhere to the strict meaning of the word "tactical", it's difficult to think of a weapon more tactical than a knife, so saying "tactical knife" is quite pleonastic. Actually, I find it hard to understand how a knife could get "strategic". :p
Seriously, all I've seen in the "tactical" in "tactical knives" is marketing hype. There are good knives and there are bad knives. Some knives sold as "tactical" are good, some are bad. That design screams bad to me in every possible way.

PS: I would like to know how many "tactical" knives have ever been used to stab somebody in battle, and how many of these "tactical" knives get used in a lot of everyday mundane chores.
And stabbing people is what a fighter knife is for anyway.:rolleyes:
 
BTW: If I thought that I'm so likely to stab people that it's worth buying a knife for, I'd buy this

Sheffield%20SH71490%20Fairbairn%20Sykes%20Commando.jpg


period.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top