Thoughts on the Glock 81/78

>>> WARNING <<< First of all, this post is NOT intended to be knocking the Glock Field Knife or the company in general. I think Glock makes overall great products. Now, having said that, I DO feel some thing's design need to be tweeked.

I don't know if anyone else has had similar issues but, my father just purchased the Glock OEM Field Knife and when it came in the mail today after removing it from the clam packaging he couldn't initially unsheathe the knife. He then handed it to me to see if I could remove it. Now, I'll be the first to admit that Glock's plastic clip retention system on the sheath works EXTREMELY well...maybe too good.

As I soon discovered after my father handed me this knife, trying to remove the knife from the sheath one handed is almost impossible unless you're a person w/ some pretty serious finger dexterity and strength. (you would conceivably use your thumb to pop the plastic tab off of the handguard of the knife while simultaneously pulling on it by the handle) Unless you have Hulk hands good luck trying to get this to work for you.

So, this leaves those with weaker hand strength the only other option...using BOTH hands to unsheathe the knife.

Now granted, I did not have the knife on a belt or on my waist at all, I was holding the knife and sheath in both hands out in front of me while attempting to disengage the plastic retention tab from the handguard and pull out the knife...BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN DOING THIS.

I struggled moderately trying to remove the knife from the sheath in this fashion and of course I used to much strength and the knife came zipping out of the sheath and SLICING A NICE DEEP GASH in the tip of my middle finger on my left hand as it completed it's journey to freedom. :eek:

I have not had a cut this deep in years, it almost immediately started leaking like a faucet w/ a bad gasket. I'm just glad it hadn't been any further down my finger or I might be going to the hospital ER for minor tendon surgery. So, for those concerned about the knife's cutting ability I can assure you, it comes from the factory PLENTY SHARP to cut basically whatever you'd want to use it for.

The knife is great, the sheath is great and the price is great but, the retention system NEEDS REDSESIGNED imo.

Trying to unsheathe the knife w/ one hand is almost impossible, and using 2 hands can be potentially dangerous as I think my experience is testament to.

Anyways, just my 2 cents. Hopefully, my experience will prevent someone else from getting a seriously nasty cut. :cool:
 
It's great if your a teen who can't afford a KA-BAR and breaks an average of two knives a year. Conceals very well and the grip is amazing, although the blade is a little short at six inches. Also, if you don't like the sheath, file off the little triangle, or buy a new one for $20
 
doublepiedavid said:
It's great if your a teen who can't afford a KA-BAR and breaks an average of two knives a year. Conceals very well and the grip is amazing, although the blade is a little short at six inches. Also, if you don't like the sheath, file off the little triangle, or buy a new one for $20
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:) Welcome David ! Two pie ain't square . They is round . :rolleyes:
 
Jack_Burton said:
>>> WARNING <<< First of all, this post is NOT intended to be knocking the Glock Field Knife or the company in general. I think Glock makes overall great products. Now, having said that, I DO feel some thing's design need to be tweeked.

I don't know if anyone else has had similar issues but, my father just purchased the Glock OEM Field Knife and when it came in the mail today after removing it from the clam packaging he couldn't initially unsheathe the knife. He then handed it to me to see if I could remove it. Now, I'll be the first to admit that Glock's plastic clip retention system on the sheath works EXTREMELY well...maybe too good.

As I soon discovered after my father handed me this knife, trying to remove the knife from the sheath one handed is almost impossible unless you're a person w/ some pretty serious finger dexterity and strength. (you would conceivably use your thumb to pop the plastic tab off of the handguard of the knife while simultaneously pulling on it by the handle) Unless you have Hulk hands good luck trying to get this to work for you.

So, this leaves those with weaker hand strength the only other option...using BOTH hands to unsheathe the knife.

Now granted, I did not have the knife on a belt or on my waist at all, I was holding the knife and sheath in both hands out in front of me while attempting to disengage the plastic retention tab from the handguard and pull out the knife...BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN DOING THIS.

I struggled moderately trying to remove the knife from the sheath in this fashion and of course I used to much strength and the knife came zipping out of the sheath and SLICING A NICE DEEP GASH in the tip of my middle finger on my left hand as it completed it's journey to freedom. :eek:

I have not had a cut this deep in years, it almost immediately started leaking like a faucet w/ a bad gasket. I'm just glad it hadn't been any further down my finger or I might be going to the hospital ER for minor tendon surgery. So, for those concerned about the knife's cutting ability I can assure you, it comes from the factory PLENTY SHARP to cut basically whatever you'd want to use it for.

The knife is great, the sheath is great and the price is great but, the retention system NEEDS REDSESIGNED imo.

Trying to unsheathe the knife w/ one hand is almost impossible, and using 2 hands can be potentially dangerous as I think my experience is testament to.

Anyways, just my 2 cents. Hopefully, my experience will prevent someone else from getting a seriously nasty cut. :cool:
Click to expand...

Either in your hand or on your belt put your index finger under the flat guard and press down on the retaining clip with your thumb and it bloody near jumps into your hand. Seriously well thought out design. There is a Austrian or Dutch bloke on YouTube that shows you how to do it. I have well over a hundred knives, mostly fixed blades and it is the best system I've seen or have.
Thanks for your time
Kev.
 
The scabbard may have its shortcomings
But, it's one that would be able to take a lot of beatings.
Thanks to its all thermo plastic construction.
It's also very slim and doesn't add any weight or bulk.
Best part is its virtually maintenance free and super indestructible except
If one has a habit of drawing and unceremoniously slamming down
The saw teeth version of this knife, in the scabbard's throat,
Thereby causing gashes into the inner sides of the plastic material,
Yeah the lock up is darn well certified for inverted wear too!
The integral belt clip is a little quirky
With its side sliding lock, but it's wide enough for most belts.
There's even a drainage hole and yet another to secure a leg tie thong.
It's a scabbard which has some very sound and well thought of design features
and it's certainly toddler proof if not idiot proof in every way ;-)
Gotta Luv the silent quick draw.
 
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A very old thread, here again because someone gave me a "like".

When you need to buy an army, 2 or 3 thousand, a knife then the Glock are an option.
If military and doing riot and crowd control, or taking prisoners, you do not want a combat knife stollen and stuck in you. A scabbard with a retention mechanism is sensible.
Nor do you want to lose it going over an assault course.
There is a knack to getting the Glock knife out and its easy enough.

The Glock knife isn't bad, but nothing fantastic either. I like them for what they are. I like their Handguns too.
 
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The Glock knife is functional and does exactly, what it 'says on the tin.'

Nothing more, nothing less - sort of like the equally functional Glock autos.

Excellent knives and guns for equipping armies and law enforcement alike.

The sheath of the Glock knife is excellent for its intended use.

How anybody can experience problems withdrawing the knife or inserting the knife in the sheath is beyond me. Its intuitive.

Ive had a Glock knife (bought in Austria) for a long time and it has never let me down.

Glock products off the line aint sexy ... but they work as advertised (for those who really depend on them) and there is a certain beauty in that.
 
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I've had the 78 model for over 15 years. It's originally a bayonet and that's really what it is. A narrow and thick blade, and the grind is not full height either. Secondary bevel is of course even steeper. So it's not going to be a great cutter no matter what. On the reverse of that, it's pretty good at splitting kindling (batoning). But it's easy to sharpen, so you'll be able to do any shallow cutting, working with cord etc no problem. It's pretty good for digging around in the garden, and doing some moderate prying.

The sheath and the handle are made from the same softish plastic. The handle gives a decent grip, and it's not aggressively shaped. It could be a bit less round, for better indexing and less rotation. You can remove the end cap and cut notches or holes into it (or leave it off) to use the lanyard hole. The sheath doesn't seem to dull the blade like fibre-reinforced plastic sheaths can do. It's not oversized either, but the release tab sticks out a bit. I've found the release to be secure, and easy to use with a fingertip or thumb. The wide and quick opening belt loop is great.

The knife is nimble in the hand for a fairly long blade. Even with a tang that's not full size, there seems to be no issues with strength. The couple I've handled were not terribly sharp when bought. The tips were pretty rounded too. Those are not hard things to fix, and you'll sharpen your knife eventually anyway. The steel is not the worst for corrosion for a non stainless. Seems to develop light surface rust fairly easily, but no pitting. Wiping with an oily rag is enough for maintenance. There have been varying reports on blade hardness, and the manufacturer gives a wide range. I recall someone having theirs tested and it was in the low 50s HRC, I think. A file doesn't really bite into the one I have. Might be just they're not aiming too precise when making them.

If you know what to expect, it's not a bad tool. It's perhaps an even better collectable. It's not something I would choose over a lot of fixed blades, if I wanted high performance and versatility.
 
Do they still make the model without the serrations on the spine? I had a wild hair a few months and wanted to buy the one with the plain spine and couldn’t find it anywhere.
 
Yes they do. Here in Europe/The Netherlands, the Glock FM 78, the version without sawback is now only available in black.
 
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I have no need in the world for this knife, but I still want one ! I just don't know what I'm going to do with it.
 
Edit: Glock knives come with quite a sharp edge these days I noticed...
Very good.
👍
 
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