tactical knives magazine

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UGA Dawg

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I searched this and didn`t get nothing. Was it something I did or what???? Anyway,I subscribed to this magazine for 6 issues, are they worth getting??? I`ve read through some blade mags and knife illustrated and I thought I`d subscribe to TK, is there anything that I should know about TK??? Is it a good or bad mag??? Did I make a good decision???
 
TK, Blade, KI each have their distinct focus, or at least they used to when I read them regularly. For me, it's really on an issue by issue basis, especially with TK. Some issues focus on an interesting knife or knife type or maker, but too often, for my taste, there is nothing particularly informative in there and, as GarageBoy said, maybe a little ninja-ish. In general the "tactical" advice is pretty good, and there usually is a non-ninja-ish emphasis on practical street smarts and legalities. Lately alot about combat and real world military.
To my eye, the knife reviews weren't very critical or technical, compared to the other two main mags anyway.

Still, a good mag for any knife knut :)
Up here, the magazine is really quite expensive.
 
It's a pretty good mag. I've subscribed for about 3 years. You have to watch their circulation dept when you renew however. take a copy of your check. My only complaint is they are sometimes behind on their knife reviews. A knife may be out for 6 months to a year and they will review it as if it was new.
I dont know what a mall ninja is, but TK is geared to a different audience than Blade or KI, which I read also on occaision.. Another good mag is Knife World. They do articles on makers both past and present, and Bernard Levine has a monthly section in it also. If you contact KW, they will set you up with a 3 month trial for free. Doesnt get any better then that. I've subscribed to it for over 10 years.
 
:thumbup: I'm really getting the hang of this 'cut and paste ' thing. LOL
 
I have every issue of TK, I also subscribe to KI and Blade. I would say that they are all good magazines you will get something different out of each one. My choice would be Blade, as it seems to be more well rounded a little of everything.
 
i have every issue of TK except #1.

the mag is geared more towards the end user rather than the maker or collector. another thing is they tend to only cover knives that have advertisements bought by the maker/manufacturer. this sucks as alot of the better makers aren't advertising with TK anymore such as busse, strider, etc.

i still don't buy the other mags though
 
TK isn't bad, but suffers in the editing department. There are usually typographical errors that should have been caught by the editors and other little things that shouldn't have slipped through.
 
GarageBoy said:
It's ok, but a tad mall ninja-ish
Click to expand...

That's what I think too. The format and layout are great but the editing is terrible. I find that each issue has something for me, but the price is too high. Something that I find on all Harris Publications periodicals. I find each issue to be very addictive. It's really a love/hate relationship that I have going with that magazine. :)
 
The only knife magazine I still subscribe to is Bladeforums. It's the only one that listens to me. :)
 
TK does need to edit. There was one recent article that was so laborious to read. Bad editing makes you ignore the story in place of the obvious errors.
 
Got a TK May '98 from HD Charlie that had a review of an Uwe Hoffman Ranger I acquired from him.Never even heard of TK before but it was pretty cool and informative. :)That was then though.
 
I do not buy TK any more. After a while it is like reading the same articles over and over, only with different knives substituted. There simple cannot be
that many knives evaluated that are the be-all and end-all, as every knife reviewed by TK seems to be.

Their editorial slant is against bigger and thicker knives, that is until a big thick knive is reviewed, then it too becomes the be-all and end-all, for that month only. This always seems to be accompanied by an ad for that particular big, thick knife located within a page or two of the article. And no issue is complete without denigrating anyone who uses larger, thicker knives as an "armchair warrior" or "living room commando" or some similar sneer.

And really, how many pictures of an author in a crouching, menacing, face-on pose holding the knife-of-the-month in one hand and the other arm and fist across his chest do we need to see? In one issue there were two of these in one article by a frequent author. Made me laugh out loud. And no, it wasn't Jerry VanCook. At least when he strikes a pose it looks like he knows what he is doing.

The deciding factor of whether a magazine is too expensive or not is whether you choose to buy it. If you choose buy it then you do not find it to be too expensive. I have decided that TK is too expensive for me personally, for what I recieve in content.

Blade Magazine is not too expensive for me. Knives Magazine is usually too expensive, but if I flip through it and see a few things I am interested in I may buy it occasionally.
 
TK is pretty biased and sometimes not to be trusted. For example, in the recent issue one knife is reviewed by a designer for the company that made the knife and a "low-cost" knifemaker is recommended, in his own sidebar article, but the individual has ripped off numerous people on these forums and been involved in "questionable" dealings for years. They'll recommend any knife from an advertiser. Some articles, particulary the self defense ones, are somtimes so much fluff to be worthless. Who is going to carry around a cavalry saber for protection in the 21st century? That ain't no mall ninja, but it sure is a mall pirate. :)

TK is the most expensive of the knife rags, however TK is entertainment, and about every other issue is worth the price. Don't
 
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