The cool shape of the Commander blade

B

blade88

Joined
Jun 12, 2002
Messages
44
Hello everyone,

I was wondering what you think about the shape of the commander blade. I love the way it looks, but I am interested about how practical it actually is in use.

My concerns are mainly for SD purposes.

I don't have a commander yet (I will soon hopefully), but, from the pictures, I see that the blade does not have quite the point as, say, the BM AFCK. Also, the blade is wider overall and actually curves into the point, unlike the blade of the AFCK that is more straight into the point.

I must say I like the shape of the Emerson Commander better than just about any other knife in its league. But do these characteristics of the blade have advantages when it comes to SD? It looks like it would be advantageous when it comes to slashing.

I look forward to hearing what the experts say about this.
;) Thanks Guys!
 
Well,
The Commander's blade actually seems best for slashing. Firstly, with slashing, the Commander's blade acts a little like a "hook", it's blade is shaped in a sinous curve shape, and if it were to come into contact with any medium, with a force pulling the knife downwards, and back, the medium would be caught around roughly the area where the serrations are, and even if you were to pull straight back, the blade's arc would pull deeper into the material, be it flesh, denim...etc. thus you would be maximising the slashing power and energy you generate.
 
Thanks linjunpei, that's what I was hoping for, but wasn't sure.

I think it's a cool feature.


But one more thing that I'm concerned about, since I still don't have much experience with quality sharp blades:

If the serrations on the blade were to come in contact with some type of harsh material such as denim or leather or whatever, would it be a possiblility for the serrations to get "caught up" in the fabric, making it difficult to pull away?

I'm assuming that any good quality, sharp knife like the Commander would have no problems like that, but you would know better than I would.

I really like the serrations, but if this kind of thing is possible, then maybe I better stick with a plain blade for SD.

What do you think?

:confused:

Thanks again.
 
Yes the Commander has a great slashing blade, but don't ubder estimate the tip. Dispite the volumes written by Keyboard Commandos, I've seen people stabbed with Pens, Pencils, Screwdrivers, scissors, awls, ect. Even saw a guy run through with a putter once (he fell on it whe his cart hit a tree at a fairly slow speed).

Drop one point down on your foot one time. :D

John
 
Originally posted by John Hollister
Yes the Commander has a great slashing blade, but don't ubder estimate the tip. Dispite the volumes written by Keyboard Commandos, I've seen people stabbed with Pens, Pencils, Screwdrivers, scissors, awls, ect. Even saw a guy run through with a putter once (he fell on it whe his cart hit a tree at a fairly slow speed).

Drop one point down on your foot one time. :D

John
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Oh no way John :eek: , don't get me wrong, I will never underestimate the tip. I mean, just because it might not be "ideal" for stabbing, does not mean it will not stab easily...

Oh, and I'm sure I'll take you up on that offer of dropping one on my foot (unintendedly) :D
YOU SAW a guy run through a putter?:eek: Whoh! that must have been gruesome! :(

Thanks John.
 
A mistake people -- including me -- sometimes make is to judge a knife by its pieces instead of the whole. The Commander doesn't have the sharpest tip in the world, and on paper, there are a whole lot of knives that will penetrate easier at the point. I say "on paper" because the Commander has a handle that is incredibly secure, even for hard thrusts, and superior finger protection for a folder. There are many many folders with sharp tip blades that I'd be nervous to thrust hard with, because the handles just don't provide the protection that would make me feel comfortable.

The AFCK, btw, also has a very secure handle in my opinion, and so in that particular example, there's no doubt in my mind that the AFCK will pierce deeper and easier than the Commander, having played with both. Recurved blades like the Commander's have an advantage in slicing and slashing, generally speaking, though the AFCK catches up somewhat because of the handle ergonomics and forward rake.

Anyway, back to the main point: consider the handle shape, how the handle mates with the blade, and the lock when judging overall performance.

Joe
 
Hey Blade88, you posted:

"If the serrations on the blade were to come in contact with some type of harsh material such as denim or leather or whatever, would it be a possiblility for the serrations to get "caught up" in the fabric, making it difficult to pull away?"

Well, I don't think there will be any problem pulling the commander away, if the medium you're talking about is denim, leather...etc...the Commander would just slice through it...this can most probably be due to the fact that each serration is a curve, with the part of the blade in that little arc less often used, and thus it would probably be sharper, thus when the serrations come into contact with the denim, it's akin to having teeth biting into the denim, then the blade cuts the denim from there...so there shouldn't be a problem...furthermore, serrations cut more aggressively then straight honed edges...

hope this helps...
 
I think he meant that the recurve blade would cut deeper and with less effort than a regular blade. the reason is deep belly of the blade would sink in that much farther. Also I have no doubts that I could easyly stab with a comander. Think about this would you be able to stab a side of beef with sharpened stick? The comander is much sharper than that. Also it may not penitrate as easyly as a thinner knife but it will probably do more damage do to the thick belly of the recurve. I also can't help but wonder if it would slice as it enters kinda like a tanto. If so that would make it wonderfull for stabbing. I do have to agree about the handle feeling secure, It feels like it was made for my hand :)
 
That's great guys,

Once again, thanks for the wonderful points. All of your replies really helped shed light on the issue.

You also got me even more excited about this knife!
Ahhhhh!!!...:yawn:

Now it's just a matter of choosing between the mini and the regular.

As many of you fellow forumites and knifeknuts would say:
Choices, choices, choices....;)
 
i'd go regular, for the simple reason if you can carry the mini why not the regular? only exception would be legal issues.

i'd like to have as much handle to hang onto and as much blade as possible. would get the super commander, but $365 for just 1/4 more blade is too much to justify. just two more pennies.
 
Originally posted by tom poe
i'd go regular, for the simple reason if you can carry the mini why not the regular? only exception would be legal issues.

i'd like to have as much handle to hang onto and as much blade as possible. would get the super commander, but $365 for just 1/4 more blade is too much to justify. just two more pennies.
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Tom, I couldn't agree with you more. I definitely see your point and really really would prefer the regular. The only thing that is forcing me to even consider the mini instead of the regular is the price difference. I can get a mini for about $100, but the cheapest regular I've seen is for like $140-150.

Since I don't have a knife collection yet, I figure I could use the extra $40-50 to get a spydie or something.

I haven't handled either of the commanders yet, but is there a great deal of difference in the size when actually holding them?

Thanks again fellas.
 
blade88,
I don't have a Mini-C with me to compare, but i believe the full sized Comm would probably wave better due to a slightly larger and heavier blade, as compared with the Mini-C...as for the price difference, you'll appreciate having spent that extra couple of dollars in getting a full sized Comm rather then spending it on another knife, when I first started out with Emersons, i faced the same problems...but after spending some time carrying and using them, I'm glad i made the right choice...

edited to add:
p.s: with the slightly longer blade, and slightly longer handle, it adds up to a significantly extended reach, and would be an additional benefit...
hope this helps...
 
Originally posted by linjunpei

hope this helps...
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Yes, linjunpei, that definitely helped alot. Thanks! :)

I knew I wanted the Regular Commander, but you just tipped me over the fence :D

After all, the knife is a monster and really the only one I need until I have some extra cash to include other knives.

For now, I plan on having just one good EDC knife. And what better then a Commander. With the quality Emerson guarantee and service, I probably won't even want any other knives for a while. :D

Cheers!
 
Originally posted by blade88


.....With the quality Emerson guarantee and service, I probably won't even want any other knives for a while. :D

Cheers!
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blade88,
I think you'll still want other knives, maybe just not non-Emersons...haha...I once told myself the same thing last year, when i started with my first Emerson, and within a year, i obtained 2 Mach 1s, 3 Commanders, 1 Sark, 1 P-Sark, 2 CQC7s, 2 Specwars, 1 Blackbird, 3 La Griffes....whatcha think?
 
Originally posted by linjunpei


blade88,
I think you'll still want other knives, maybe just not non-Emersons...haha...I once told myself the same thing last year, when i started with my first Emerson, and within a year, i obtained 2 Mach 1s, 3 Commanders, 1 Sark, 1 P-Sark, 2 CQC7s, 2 Specwars, 1 Blackbird, 3 La Griffes....whatcha think?
Click to expand...


Whoh! :eek: And this was just in the past year? hahahahah
linjunpei, that sure is a long list of only Emersons...and to think that you started off in the same situation...

What do I think? I think I better start saving !!:D
I guess I should hide my credit cards....or better yet, I should raise the limits ;)

Are there pills against this addiction? Or is there a KKA (KnifeKnuts Anonymous) ?
 
yeap, Blade88,
You might want to think of setting up a new bank savings account, for knife purchases...oh, and this "lust" for EKI prodos is only stage 1, I've recently started thinking about customs....that's stage 2....which is worse...:D
 
John,

I'll take you up on dropping the Commander on my foot. That is, as long as you supply the knife and I get to keep it afterwards. BTW, you didn't stipulate what I could wear on my foot. I have some steel toes that would work great. :D
 
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