what is tactical blade?

Blackhearted said:
"If my goal is to spread butter on my bread, then the humblist and dullest butter knife becomes "tactical.""

bahaha, i spewed coffee out of my nose when i read that.
i can just imagine a line of 'tactical butter knives'. they would have a black finish, kydex sheaths, and holes drilled along the handle for lightening.
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But, if my goal is to spread said butter on my bread at a black-tie ball and impress the other guests with my style, sophistication, and wealth, then maybe I'd want my butter knife to be a bit more "bling" (to use the currently-hip language).

Here's the bottom line: tactical is as tactical does.
 
Tactical refers to an objects use. The object itself is incapable of action on it's own. Any object can be used tactically. No objects are in and of themselves tactical. It is a dumb marketing phrase that mostly appeals to mall ninjas.
 
A tactical blade is whatever you want it to be. I especially like the delux, heavy-duty, high-test, super-duty version. :rolleyes:

n2s
 
Others have covered things pretty well, but I'd like to add a few specific thoughts.

Blackhearted said:
usually a minimalistic design as well - ornamentation, beautification, exotic scales have no place on a tactical folder.
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Though I can agree to some extent in principle, I don't often agree on where to draw the line. Some folks think the ultimate tactical knife is a flat bar of steel, with a thick edge ground on, and the simplest handle possible. If they see a gentle curve, or a palm-filling handle contour, they automatically call it an "art knife". I don't agree with this philosophy.

There are lots of design aspects that are truly functional, even if they also happen to look nice. For instance, I'm thinking about adding some carving to the handle design of my next big knife. Those who are quick to judge would probably scoff at it, saying carving has no place on a using knife. BUT, I'm adding it specifically because I've had problems with my knife almost flying out of my hand during actual use. From my standpoint, I'm doing it completely to enhance function.

Furthermore, let's not equate embellishment with inferiority. If I take your favorite tactical knife, and add a bit of engraving on the guard, did I just ruin the knife? Will that engraving make the blade get dull quicker, or break easier? Sure, it may cost more, but that's a completey seperate issue. I have no problem with embellishment on a knife, as long as function is not compromised.
 
Tactical- when referring to knives, is a buzz word that is used to sell knives.

I would never refer to one of my knives as "tactical"- I would likely use the Brand name and the model, and/or a descriptive reference to the blade shape, grind, materials, etc. Also, if it came to using a knife "tactically"- I would likely refer to that situation as an "emergency" scenario as opposed to a "tactical" one. The black bladed knives I own- (Rat Daddy, Battle Rat) Have coatings for corrosion resistance and to make them less expensive to produce/purchase. I never would consider light reflection or, (in the case of Dork-ops) "I.R. Invisiblity" as a reason for a blade to be coated.

In summary, I find little use for the word tactical in referring to knives.
 
I'd imagine Ambrose Bierce might say that it is a marketing rep's way of turning testosterone and adolescent anxiety into cash.
 
My favorite term is "combat ready". Here's the deal on a knife, it's a chunk of steel with a sharepened edge. Buy whatever fits your need or appeals to your eye.
 
Sal Glesser said:
Black coatings are not necessary to be tactical except perhaps in military combat situations (or sneaking up on ninja in the dark ;) )

sal
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... OR... sneaking up on mall ninjas in broad daylight, with all the stealthy grace of a heard of stampeding elephants... with covert deanimation on your mind!

rofflecakes, thanks Sal.
 
well, to me ornamentation doesnt necessarily disqualify a knife from being 'tactical', but it does certainly help :)
its all in the eye of the beholder i guess. sure its a marketing label, but the term implies a more combat function such as self defense/offence/stealth/concealment/lethality. so if a knife has a mirror polished blade and rhinestones embedded along the handle, i dont think it would be very suitable for concealment, for example.

choosing mainstream production folders, i would say a good example of a 'tactical' blade is the Kasper folder. good grip that someone wont knock out of your hand easily and wont slip, strong lock, the sturdy blade has the right shape for slashing/stabbing and works well in a fencing, hammer or icepick grip, and it is easy to conceal (though it could be a bit slimmer, but that would compromise the grip).
knives i do not consider suitable for 'tactical' purposes:
pretty much any slipjoint - these may be good for opening letters or carving toothpicks, but the odds are if you try to stab someone wearing heavy clothing youll do more damage to yourself than to your target.
'hunting' style knives. usually the blade is shaped for skinning/gutting, and theyre bulky, shiny and difficult to conceal. unless you want to field-dress your assailant, these are not the best choice.
many expensive customs would serve, i suppose, but its like driving a red ferrari into a battlefield as opposed to a humvee. 'tactical' should be all about function and concealment, not ornamentation and embellishment. not to say that ornamentation disqualifies a knife from being 'tactical', but it doesnt add anything to its function and is therefore pointless. this isnt the movies - when you pull out your $900 balisong your assailant isnt going to stop and say 'duuude, niiiicee knife!'.
i mean seriously, if you are being attacked by an assailant, the fit and finish, value or 'beauty' of a sebenza isnt going to save your ass any better than a $40 folder of equal dimensions. the quality, or 'smooth flawless opening action, and satisfying click' isnt going to save you either. an M21 may be 1/10th the price, but mine has never failed to flick open yet. not to mention if you are grappling with an assailant with a $500 knife, in the back of your mind many collectors would probably be thinking 'oh no, i hope i dont chip the edge on the concrete', lol. btw, the sebenza is in fact marketed as a 'tactical folder'.

to me, tactical means 'straight and to the point' (no pun intended), and is mainly marketed as a weapon as opposed to a tool. soomething geared towards concealed carry/fighting as opposed to showcase display or recreation. sure, most people use them for these reasons anyways, but for another example of this look at how many people use serious off-road SUVs as urban grocery trucks.

and seriously, as for saying 'if i use a swiss army knife to open a letter, its tactical'... well, you are not really using it in the correct context. everyone here understands exactly what context 'tactical folder' is presented in: its generally marketed as a weapon for self defence/offense, combat, concealment.
you can take a lot of things out of context. you could say, for example, that 'martial arts' or 'jungle combat' is the technique a group of ants use to kill a junebug.. but thats just about as silly as saying that by using a fork to eat a bowl of ramen noodles it is a 'tactical' weapon.

cheers,
-gabriel
 
to me, tactical means 'straight and to the point' (no pun intended), and is mainly marketed as a weapon as opposed to a tool.

If I wanted a knife as a weapon I would carry a steak knife. Knives are for utility, even in the middle of a battlefield, they will be used for utility 99.999% of the time. About the only way that you will get into a knife fight in a modern battlefield is is you happen to be stirring your soup with your knife, when a kluzzy enemy trips over a root, falls into your trench and lands on you. I guess it can happen; but you are more likely to be win the lotto and get hit by lightning.

At any rate most of the knives marketed as "tactical" knives are anything but weapons. Most are large, thick, heavy blades, designed primarilly for chopping wood.

n2s
 
by 'weapon' i dont mean that we should lay siege to middle eastern countries armed with nothing but them :)
but i would consider a leatherman, SAK, etc a 'tool'. i would consider the standard pocketknife as an average 'mens accessory' (women too, im PC heh). id consider an 11" blade fixed knife as a camp/survival tool. id consider a flat black barebones 4" folder with a good grip, aggressively pointed locking blade and a clip for concealment more of a 'weapon' than the others. based on many of the threads ive read here, although a large number of BF community members would not hesitate to use the 'tactical' folders they carry to core an apple or cut open a bubblewrapped package, they primarily carry them for self defense.
in an urban civilian environment a knife is a far more feasible and therefore effective weapon for SD than lugging around an assault rifle :)

edit** your partial quote of my paragraph changed the tone of it a little. im just talking about marketing here, and possibly *intended* purpose. we own/use a lot of things that are not necessarily fulfilling their intended purpose. i have a divers watch good to 200m, yet i dont think ive ever gone more than 5m deep with it.
"to me, tactical means 'straight and to the point' (no pun intended), and is mainly marketed as a weapon as opposed to a tool. something geared towards concealed carry/fighting as opposed to showcase display or recreation. sure, most people use them for these reasons anyways, but for another example of this look at how many people use serious off-road SUVs as urban grocery trucks."
 
I think a tactical knife means using a knive that has two main characteristic. It is "TOUGH" and "DEPENDABLE".

A third characteristic is that it has been used in an emergency or combat situation. A butter knife is not a tactical knife.

A tactical knife can stand up to all sorts of nasty abuse that a regular hunting knife might not tolerate.

For instance the military uses the M9 which is a combo knife and bayonet.

www.M9bayonet.com

Ka-Bar is probably one of the oldest tactical knife makers.

www.Kabar.Com

With a tactical knife you can do lots of tasks from cutting rope and tent pegs to opening cans of chow and the bad guy's car door, to digging foxholes, and for cutting the webbing off an injured comrade if necessary.

It isn't pretty, no shiny polished blades and ivory handles. It usually comes in a hard sheath.

You can chop with it, cut wire, etc. It holds an edge but still needs to be sharpened periodically as well as a lite lube every now and then.

I'll shutup now.
 
When Joe came out with the TKK, Robertson critized the its description because you could break the knife by using it as a prybar, specifically he mentioned stabbing the knife in a tree and using it as a rigging point for a heavy load. Thus he didn't think it should be called tactical.

Some people use the term seriously and to them it has a very specific meaning. However even those people sell vastly different knives all called tactical so it obviously has a very broad defination. Then if you look from one of those groups to another the knives are vastly different so it is obvious that even if the meanings are well defined to some people, there is little agreement.

There are also a lot of people who will call anything tactical as it is just a selling point.

In short, ask the people who sell "tactical" knives, what it actually means to them.

-Cliff
 
my 0.02...
i have spent 3 years in the military in a combat unit. i had a knife, i needed a knife, you could say i needed a tactical knife.
there were a lot of good points on this thread, the one i agree most with is Sal's.
most of my military service i had a SOG S21 & a Spyderco Delica, can you guess which one i've used the most? if you guessed delica you were right.
if you ask me it's more tactical than that particular SOG.
i'll compare what i think is important in a tactical knife (or what is a tactical knife in my view, if you will) & what is usually marketed as tactical:
features of a real tactical knife:
quick deployment, in whatever method confortable to you - which could mean a clip or a shakle & some form of one handed opening comfortable to you.
performance, the knife has to be good at it's job, which is to cut.
ruggedness, the knife should be able to tackle an unexpected situation. (& the delica did, very successfully i might add).
comfort, or ergonomics if you prefer.
most important, reliability, you need to have complete trust in your knife & it doesn't let you down.
fixed blade\folder, SE\PE, blade length - are all good, just understand the pros & cons of each knife & choose according to your needs & limitations.

features of a "advertised as tactical" knife (usually & just from what i've noticed.
black blade\ non reflective finish - ladies & gentelmen, i'm sorry to let everyone down but that's pure ****.
unless you have the knife hanging from your neck unsheathed or unfolded & there's a source of light directly flashing it, it won't reflect a thing.
camo handles - as Sal pointed out, they simply make the knife hard to find how i wish i've had the yellow salt with me when i was still in the army!
i see a lot of "tactical" knives with a tanto point, it has got to be one of the most useless shapes i have ever encountered (yes i had one, right before i switched to the delica) unelss i want to try to pierce armor or car doors..

anyway, there's quite a lot more i'm thinking of at the moment but i'm too tired & lazy to write it all so i'll stop right here.
keep in mind that it was just my opinion, take care :)
 
Here's how I see the "tactical" thing:

TACTICAL KNIVES are nothing more than modern one-hand-opening and closing, locking, single-blade, pocket-clip folders.

I think that this is an accepted definition among those of us on the forums.

If I posted a thread asking "What is you favorite non-tactical knife" I would probably get answers like "Buck stockman", "Case Seahorse Whittler", "Victorinox Soldier" (kinda funny that the Vic SOLDIER is not considered to be tactical).

But if I asked "What is your favorite tactical knife" I would probably get answers like "Spyderco Gunting", "Benchmade 710", "CR Sebenza".

Just my two cents worth,
Allen.
 
I.V said:
i see a lot of "tactical" knives with a tanto point, it has got to be one of the most useless shapes i have ever encountered (yes i had one, right before i switched to the delica) unelss i want to try to pierce armor or car doors..
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lol, i so agree. i think they are popular becauuse they look aggressive and exotic, perfect to appeal to the average mall ninja. having said that, i do own a couple of blades with a tanto point, but i chose them simply from a collectors standpoint, for some diversity, as opposed to choosing them for any sortof blade shape superiority. i think marketing them as über-tactical 1337 blades is kindof lame.
 
A tactical blade is a fancy term to get you to buy a certain product. I think the finest knife ever made is the Buck 110. Reliable, affordable and takes arazor edge.
 
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