What are your thoughts on the OSS and Shanghai Shadow?

To follow up on my first post...I have many Coldsteel combat blades,and kabar and crkt, etc but among all the combat knives I own I would have to say that Barring the large bowies,kukris, and other blades above 9-10 inches. I honestly believe the Oss to be the best combat knife of it's price point and size. It will pretty much do everything well. It will slash well, it will stab well,it's double edged, and you can even do back cuts with it like a bowie.

All of that for 60$ on some sites. I've also handled the shanghai shadow and although very nice especially for it's price, I just find the oss to beat it in everything. It's also only 8-9oz in weight. I think one of the reasons why it isn't hugely more popular is because it has an 8-inch blade and for many people that is too large and for some people that want a chopper it's a little short and light. 8-inch blades just seem to be that intermediate size that isn't a big hit with buyers. It really is a purpose driven design . for it's design I believe they chose it's dimensions really well.

The sheath is also excellent.

Another blade you might want to look at that is quite similar to the oss is the Ontario sp6. It's also a fine blade along the same lines, 8-inch blade with sharpened clip point. It's a little heavier and tougher built but is also less refined with a lower quality sheath.It's not quite as streamlined to be a fighter as the oss but it's not far behind. It's available for 60$ as well.
 
Username360 said:
I'm looking for fighting knives, and I'm on the fence with these two knives.
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OOC, what are you looking for them for? Do you just want to own a fighting knife, or are you actually expecting to get into a situation where you might use a knife in combat? If you just want to own a fighter, either is fine. If you expect to actually use it as a weapon(and if so, may I ask what situation you are planning on being in or what is it that you do where you expect to need a fighting knife?), the OSS is lighter and will be quicker in hand, as well as providing a better grip. OTOH, are you wanting your knife for utility work as well as being a "fighting" knife? If you're wanting a knife for utility as well as combat, you're better off going with something like a Ka-bar(or the Cold Steel Leatherneck, or the Ontario SP7, etc). Do you have training in a specific hand to hand fighting style? If so, that should be taken into consideration as well. If you enjoy knife throwing(or want to try it), the Shanghai is a much better choice than the OSS.
 
I own a Shanghai Shadow. I think it's the absolute best dagger available at its price point. Huge, thin, sharp and light leaf-shaped blade, great cutting power, strong tip that will pierce well. If you're going to be using it for SD or combat, don't try silly tricks with the ring. Instead, think of it as a great crushing implement, a la the skullcrushers on the Tanto series.
 
I'm just looking for a SHTF fighting knife that I could depend on, if the time comes. I'm looking at the SOG Seal Pup for utility purposes, but I also want a more fighting oriented knife. The SS is cheaper, but I've heard really good things about the OSS.
 
The oss is real nice for the price. Superrrrr light! So loading it onto a vest or pack is a no brainer. The ss is sweet also. But in my opinion get a gi tanto! A fantastic fighting / utility knife in one package.
 
I've heard good things about the GI tanto, but I can't stand that American tanto point. And, I want a blade so simple that even an inexperienced knife fighter, like me, could use it. That's what drew me to the OSS.
 
I have a Shanghai. All I can say is God help the poor SOB who finds himself on the wrong end of one.:( With its long, broad, flat blade and very thin geometry behind the edges, it's like a giant double edged straight razor with a needle point. The carbon steel also easily takes one of those edges that makes your eyes bleed just looking at it. On the other hand, it's a big knife (much bigger than it looks in pics/vids) and would be tough to carry with any degree of discretion in it's factory sheath. Were I actually to carry mine for anti-personnel purposes, I'd contact Mike Sastre (a master at making big knives concealable) for a more concealable (if legal in your area) or at least lower-profile, more discreet option. I'm sure he could come up with something epic for it. :thumbup:
 
G. Scott H. said:
I have a Shanghai. All I can say is God help the poor SOB who finds himself on the wrong end of one.:( With its long, broad, flat blade and very thin geometry behind the edges, it's like a giant double edged straight razor with a needle point. The carbon steel also easily takes one of those edges that makes your eyes bleed just looking at it. On the other hand, it's a big knife (much bigger than it looks in pics/vids) and would be tough to carry with any degree of discretion in it's factory sheath. Were I actually to carry mine for anti-personnel purposes, I'd contact Mike Sastre (a master at making big knives concealable) for a more concealable (if legal in your area) or at least lower-profile, more discreet option. I'm sure he could come up with something epic for it. :thumbup:
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I'm sure you could use something like the CRKT Biotac system to rig it up.
 
Username360 said:
I've heard good things about the GI tanto, but I can't stand that American tanto point. And, I want a blade so simple that even an inexperienced knife fighter, like me, could use it. That's what drew me to the OSS.
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OOC, what are you using it for, exactly, why do you actually NEED something for "knife fighting"? Are you in the military? Cause we have a lot of active duty troops on these forums, even those dudes don't typically go about knife fighting, most of them tell people who are going into the service or wanting to get their kid who's going into the service something that a good Leatherman multitool will be much more useful than any kind of "fighting" knife. Just keep in mind, if you are going into the service, you'll be carrying a lot of gear...including a firearm, so you may wind up not wanting to carry a big knife like the Shanghai Shadow around all day.

If you're not going into the service, I'm even more curious what it is you do that you think knife fighting is an actual possibility...
 
DShiflet said:
OOC, what are you using it for, exactly, why do you actually NEED something for "knife fighting"? Are you in the military? Cause we have a lot of active duty troops on these forums, even those dudes don't typically go about knife fighting, most of them tell people who are going into the service or wanting to get their kid who's going into the service something that a good Leatherman multitool will be much more useful than any kind of "fighting" knife. Just keep in mind, if you are going into the service, you'll be carrying a lot of gear...including a firearm, so you may wind up not wanting to carry a big knife like the Shanghai Shadow around all day.

If you're not going into the service, I'm even more curious what it is you do that you think knife fighting is an actual possibility...
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Sometimes it's less about possibility and more about martial arts, as it is for me. I look at a combat knife the same way a kenjutsu practitioner looks at their katana.

I would also like to note that Lynn Thompson is a practitioner of a wide variety of martial arts, as are many members of the Cold Steel crew, and as a result, many Cold Steel knives are designed with martial arts in mind, with features that a martial artist looking for a practical weapon for their art would want.
 
Kwon Kwang said:
Sometimes it's less about possibility and more about martial arts, as it is for me. I look at a combat knife the same way a kenjutsu practitioner looks at their katana.

I would also like to note that Lynn Thompson is a practitioner of a wide variety of martial arts, as are many members of the Cold Steel crew, and as a result, many Cold Steel knives are designed with martial arts in mind, with features that a martial artist looking for a practical weapon for their art would want.
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If he is a martial artist there is likely already a specific style taught to practitioners, and thus he would likely already know which knife is suited to more suited to his particular style and training. Likewise, if he has a specific martial art he practices, mentioning it would also possibly help people in recommending a weapon suited to his specific style. And perhaps it's just me, but "And, I want a blade so simple that even an inexperienced knife fighter, like me, could use it" sounds to me like he's looking for something a user with no training could use easily, not someone who's spent time with the local silat guru.
 
DShiflet said:
If he is a martial artist there is likely already a specific style taught to practitioners, and thus he would likely already know which knife is suited to more suited to his particular style and training. Likewise, if he has a specific martial art he practices, mentioning it would also possibly help people in recommending a weapon suited to his specific style. And perhaps it's just me, but "And, I want a blade so simple that even an inexperienced knife fighter, like me, could use it" sounds to me like he's looking for something a user with no training could use easily, not someone who's spent time with the local silat guru.
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I missed that post. Nevermind.

OP, what I recommend is that you find a good instructor who can teach you a knife fighting style, so that you know what you're doing. If you don't know what you're doing, fighting with a knife can be a bad idea. At the very least, get some training DVDs and a sparring partner or two.
 
I bought an oss today and its damn impressive. I dont do anything cool or high speed but its is cool and very well made. It would shave hair woth both edges out of the box. The sheath is ok but the belt hanger sucks I replaced it with a tek lok.
 
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