Tactical?

Roodog

Roodog

Joined
Apr 9, 2004
Messages
466
What exactly makes a knife tactical? Ive seen it use to describe knives with blades from1 1/2 inch to 1 and 1/2 foot. Folders and fixed blades, all shapes too. What exactly is tactical? (I suspect it some marketing thing with no real defining qualities)
 
The presence of black coloration and synthetic scales are the usual cues for me to think of something as "tactical." Also, usually, but not necessarily, some exotic blend of stainless is present too.

I haven't bought any stainless or synthetic scaled knives for a while now, and don't think I am missing anything.
Both_Knives.jpg
 
Practical for most tasks and exceptional for intended use + ease of carry + ease of deployment= Tactical
 
I think the original definition of “tactical” was just: A folder with one sturdy, locking blade and maybe a clip. The name was a misnomer though, and advertisers have since distorted its intention.
 
Tactical.... To prepare for war.(from an article on Buck Striders in TK mag)
 
Basically it is a sales pitch.Sometimes the product exhibits some qualities that lend themselves better suited for defense/survival etc,then say other cutlery products.This includes but not limited to blade/handle design,material selection,lock design/strength,coatings/colors etc.
 
This is partially a paraphrase of another post - and I'd love to give credit - or even just post the link - but I don't know where to find it.

Tactial is an analog of tactics - e.g. Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT). The term tactics, to me, indicates a plan of action or method - often referring to warfare, law enforcement, or other emergency/extreme situations.

Along this line of thinkning (and this is were the paraphrase comes in) a tactical knife should be (again in my own humble opinion) a knife that can stand up to extreme situations. Imagine a car accident. You are either involved in or are the first responder to an accident where people are trapped in automobiles. All you have is a knife. You want it to be a "tactical knife" right? This means a knife that won't break except in the MOST extreme condition. There are few folders that seem to fit this description. Striders are an example. There are quite a few more fixed blade examples. I concur with the idea that many manufacturers have aopted this term for knives that have NO business using it.

SCDUB
 
Tactical= adroit management of situation. (adroit=dexterious, skillful, ingenious, adeptness.)

Straight from Webster.
 
i believe "tactical" was originally a military term. there4, one would compare a tactical knife to something that could be used under military stresses.

but the term has spread a bit in its use over the years, and i believe it now can describe any knife that will perform under great pressure, that will appear to have limitless uses and abilities, @ any given moment you need it to perform.

maybe one day, the awe of the new steels and heat treatments and technology used in today's knives will wear off, and "tactical" will stop being used to describe every other knife we discuss here on BF, and might revert to being used more or less to describe more military oriented stresses.

make sense?
 
It all makes sense. Except that most things I see being sold as tactical seem to be nothing more than a marketing thing. Small self defense knives painted black, not very versatile in most survival situations and surely not something I would go to war with. Marketing types haves distorted the term as with most other good descriptive terms that were once useful and meaningful.
 
Strategy is the overall management of a war zone. Tactics is the local combat operations within that zone. Tactical knives are designed in theory to support tactical military operations. So they need to be large and strong enough to hold up to the demands of a harsh environment, and multipurpose for the variety of jobs required, from fighting to camping out to breaking open anything from boxes to buildings.

Once the idea caught on, similar but simpler, smaller knives were also included, and eventually, knives that couldn't fight or cut their way out of a pants pocket called themselves tactical :)

The Dominator is tactical. The Heat is tactical, too. What about the Sizzler, the same knife with a 2.5" blade?

The Sebenza is NOT marketed as tactical, even though it could do the job better than many that are.
 
I'd have to agree with Fred Perrin, who is truly someone who knows how to use knives in an offensive and defensive way, that "There are no tactical knives, only tactical minds."
 
Fred could do extreme damage with a toothpick, which is the point, I think. What's the difference between a 45 cent kitchen knife and a $1,000 high end "tactical" monstrosity? Every day all over the world the 45 centers are used in a tactical (usually offensive) nature in murdering/attacking people. Ironically, the knives labelled as "tactical" probably won't ever actually see "tactical" action!

People trained in tactical situations (i.e. "tactical mind") can turn just about anything into a serviceable weapon. People who don't have a tactical bone in their body couldn't do anything but hurt themselves with the best of knives. So, I agree that "tactical knives" is a label for marketing people to appeal to wannabes and armchair mercenaries. I reckon people who know tactical situations can evaluate the "tactical" aspects of any knife, regardless of how it's marketed, for themselves and buy accordingly.

Did I use the word tactical enough in this post!? :rolleyes:
 
What makes a knife tactical is the word "Tactical" on the box, label, or wrapper.

Kasik sends
 
synthetic materials for handles (G10, micarta, cf - usually beadblasted and dark colours), beadblasted, tiger-striped, black coated blades, american tanto points, chisel edges, thick grinds / thick stock, skull-crusher butts, kydex, cordura, thick bevels plus a lot of marketing to a select group of people....

I consider my SAK and chef's knife tactical too....(remember Under Siege?) hahaha....
 
A tactical knife could be defined by physical attributes people seek in their choices. Very few tactical knives portray all of these: A grippy handle; when grabbed, easy to be in it's best position; fast to produce in play; handle shaped with some sort of pinky catch and a generous forefinger protector to help keep you safe and reduce dislodging; butt capable of inflicting damage by itself; blade shaped for both slicing and penetration; ground so that the tip can take abuse; generally designed to accept and reduce the effects of blunt impact; made with durable materials; a carry method where the blade comes into play from virtual concealment. And this is for a fixed blade. A folder could use a lot of the aforementioned in addition to a good locking mechanism and fast method to get it out and open. And it does not have to be black to be tac.
 
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