What is the difference between a camp/hunting knife versus a fighting knife?

Fighting knives tend to have a sharpened "false edge". Basically it is not false, so the naming is sort of ridiculous.
Fighting knives tend to have a design barrier (guard) to prevent the hand slipping onto the sharpened edge. Remember your hands may be bloody.
Fighting knives tend to be in the 5.5" to 7" blade length range.
Fighting knives tend to be thinner to make stabbing with penetration easier.
Fighting knives are designed to be used effectively with a reverse grip.

There is a difference between a combat utility knife and a pure fighting knife.

Hunting knives may have some of these characteristics, but are frequently more intended to sell the knife than increase the functionality.
 
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Once upon a time one was meant to intimidate like switch blades, butterfly's, bowies etc. But now even a SAK intimidates snow flakes. so I can't help but think the line is blurred a little bit.
I was watching a video on Jim Bowie, and they showed what they believed was one of his original knives. I was surprised how much it looked like a large chefs knife. And when you think about how many people get killed by chef knives maybe these tatical guys have it all wrong and should be making those instead for SD lol
 
Once upon a time one was meant to intimidate like switch blades, butterfly's, bowies etc. But now even a SAK intimidates snow flakes. so I can't help but think the line is blurred a little bit.
I was watching a video on Jim Bowie, and they showed what they believed was one of his original knives. I was surprised how much it looked like a large chefs knife. And when you think about how many people get killed by chef knives maybe these tatical guys have it all wrong and should be making those instead for SD lol
Jim Bowie by all accounts wasn’t a Blacksmith. He was a drunken Slaver that owned lots of money and that’s why he and many others were in Texas at the Alamo... a Large Butchering knife is the pattern. Still, No one knows what the exact knife Jim Bowie had in the Sand Hill Fight looked like. They say there’s one his brother made/had??? There were large Butcher knives of the same general design in France a 100 to 200 years earlier .. A fighting knife is what you have with you at the time needed.
 
Sometimes you can get a clue from what the maker calls it. The smaller Anza on the left is called the Dune Field. I don’t know what “Dune” signifies, but “Field” suggests outdoor use, camping, etc. The one on the right, 1 1/4” longer, with a blade 1/16” thicker, but otherwise pretty much identical, is the Dune Slayer. Nuff said?
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I use all my knives for field use and I could any of them to inflict damage. It is a sharpened piece of steel, it has many uses. I guess the main thing I look for in a knife that, I think would be practical in a combat application, would be a guard that will not allow my hand to slide up onto the blade if sudden impact or thrust with resistance happened.

My EDC is a tops little bugger, even overseas. But, I do carry a Patton Kwaiken or a Tops Apache Falcon when I go ramming around far from the base. Can't have a firearm on me and knives are legal. It is what it is, rather have something that is "a paranoid fantasy" just in case then not. Then again, I have had the wonderful opportunity to train knife fighting over the years. We recently had an Israeli and Polish knife taught course. Was pretty intense. A lot of fun.
 
My 8" chef's knife could be used as a fighting knife, and a mighty practical one at that. I could also use the same knife to slice and dice some carrots, potatoes and onions.
 
defining a camp knife ...?!
https://blademag.com/knife-collecting/what-is-a-camp-knife
is probably simpler to define.
a fighting knife on the other hand,
is a little harder to nail;
as it means different things
to different people...
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/what-makes-a-fighting-knife.154396/
to a martialist or knife combatives practitioner it could mean
a knife purely with a single imtent.
and depending on the style of fighting
an edge weapon could come in many forms.
in military circles perhaps,
something a little more robust and
soldier proof.
in the real world it would be hard
for anyone to separate the knife
in hand for nasty business versus
every day utility.
which is why its best to stay clear
from anything with a long blade
and narrow width,
when camping comes to mind

A beautiful poem, to be sure.
 
Fighting knife is a vague phrase. A dagger would be considered a fighting knife to some but it is in an offense type. A bayonet is usually only pointy and not sharp on the sides so it has minimal capabilities.
One thing that may or may not have been mention is a fighting blade is balanced. As a camp blade may be biased towards blade of handle.
 
Is a disposable razor blade melted into the handle of a toothbrush considered a fighting knife ? ;) Or what about just sharpening the toothbrush handle.... :D
 
Any knife can be used in a fight but the difference between a camp and fighting knife is pretty obvious.

Camp knives and bigger, longer and heavier and can be used for chopping, slicing and whatever heavy use may be necessary. Fighting knives are smaller, shorter and lighter for use in close quarter combat.

My preferred "fighting" knife is a Bastinelli/Marcaida Pika which is an extremely light karambit w/a razor sharp 1" blade. If used to strike/slash the next, upper arm or inner thigh, severe injury and death can result. I recently used mine in justifiable SD to stab my attacker but (fortunately because it would have severely complicated matters) did not have sufficient time to inflict such a strike.

The use of deadly force (whether by gun or knife) still has to be legally justified. So, be careful how you use either.
 
Guess which one is the camp knife.

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The majority knives that have actually been used on people are common kitchen knives or razor utility-type knives, and almost never in a “knife fight/knife vs knife duel” type of scenario.

Jim
 
A knife is a cutting tool, and man's oldest tool, after the hammer/bludgeon. They've been used as weapons for eons. But it's still just a cutting tool. And, except for materials and details, there's nothing that hasn't already been done before, as far as knife design. Combinations of features is the key. If the intent of the design of the knife is to maximize its capabilities as a weapon, then, in my opinion, you have a fighter. Most can still be used for regular cutting and utility tasks, but generally don't excel for any of a number of reasons. And a 10" camp knife can take an arm off with a single swing, or run a skinny dude through, front to back. But, the bottom line is that a knife, regardless of the design intent, is an inanimate object. A simple tool. It is nothing, until someone uses it. The man holding it is the weapon, it is he that you must better. There is no shame in a tactical withdrawal from this kind of situation.

Personally, and for what it's worth, when it comes to fighting with knives, my preferred fighter style is a steel-framed .45ACP Commander variant....
 
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Depends on the knife really.

Take a Randall #1 or #14, both are "fighting" knives, but BOTH are and have been used in the field and work very well.

The Model 1 is legendary for it's overall use and war time record in the battlefields.

Here is a "fighting" knife that I am currently working with, Randall #1. Performing excellent so far.

750_2536 by Jim Ankerson, on Flickr
 
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