What knives do Special Forces use?

There is a very dear friend of mine [yeah I know how that sounds] who was SF in the Vietnam days. He was/is a knife guy, and eventually got into making his own knives, So when I asked him about what knives did they carry the short answer was "everything" - in other words, being a knife guy he always carried something good - randalls and the like, but at the same time, plenty of others carried all kinds of stuff from buck knives to thier bayonets sharpened to - well you name it. He explained it as "everybody had thier own preferances, and some preerred not to use a knife, so if they had one it was strictly a open your MRE cut some twine knife. Everyone would have been trained to use them - some just preferred not to".

The mans name is Dr. Keith nelson. He's an author as well. His current bio says; "KEITH A. NELSON was born in DeKalb, Illinois in 1951. He served in both the US Army Special Forces (Green Berets) and the Rhodesian Light Infantry, where he lost both legs in an antipersonnel mine incident in Mozambique. Earning a degree in medicine at the University of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1982, he worked in Medical Research and was a Human Health Risk Assessment Manager on nuclear cleanups in the US."

I've had a lot of good convo with Dr. Nelson about knives, and I blessed with one of the knives he made - its quite the story if you are so inclined, and can read about it here;
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...d-made-knife-a-great-gift-from-a-great-friend

It is an honor, a pleasure and a privledge to know the man and call him a friend.
 
Smokinape said:
Hellion son, Hellion...

MykelHawkesknivesfeatures.jpg
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:D Right! That's the only knife a real smooth SF operator would trust.
How do they come up with these design abortions?
 
oh, god.... thank you. that hellion is an absolute ...well, i'll keep that to myself, but really? nobody sensible in regards to bushcraft will even consider it. the problem is that most SF guys are just like you and me. with varying degrees of knowledge on knives and what makes a good one, and often times they choose poorly... super poorly. I guarantee there is no class time for them on what makes a good knife, so it is left up to them to decide on what they want. Now bear this in mind that most SF guys really like to look good as it is part of the culture (trust me) and well to be blunt, they are as tempted as any (some would say moreso) than the average guy to buy the next thing that looks "badass" ...just because it does. just a thought
 
I seem to recall a few episodes of Dual Survival where Joe Teti the former Special Forces member used a TOPS knife. Not sure if that was his personal choice or supplied just for the show.

Some fighter pilots I've been deployed with mostly carried Benchmade folders in their flight suits.
 
GIRLYmann said:
What knives do Special Forces use?
whatever happened to sterile knives... :-)
http://dangerousmagazine.com/2012/06/30/blackwater-nsw-4-is-operator-designed-knife/
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Here is my favorite quote from your link:

"They wanted a smaller, all-black, fixed-blade sterile knife that was concealable. They wanted a highly corrosion-resistant blade with two inches of serrations, and they wanted a way to personalize the knife, a way to let everyone else know they were Naval Special Warfare." :)
 
D R E said:
Here is my favorite quote from your link:

"They wanted a smaller, all-black, fixed-blade sterile knife that was concealable. They wanted a highly corrosion-resistant blade with two inches of serrations, and they wanted a way to personalize the knife, a way to let everyone else know they were Naval Special Warfare." :)
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That is amazingly hilarious.
lol-049_zps77739dbb.gif


Once again, more evidence that one should not take any ad copy (like the stuff in that "story") from a knife maker about their "Special Ops" knives very seriously.
 
Rat Finkenstein said:
a wide range, just like any other people.
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^^^This^^^ While these folks may have military skills and physical capabilities unlike regular folks, their taste in knives is not likely to be much different. I'm sure there are some Delta Force guys with full customs, Busse, ESEE, Becker, etc. Striders, Hinderers, CRKs. I am sure there are a large number of the same guys with Gerbers and Bucks and Spydercos and Benchmades. I am sure there are a bunch of guys with too with truck stop beaters too. I'd be willing to bet that if you were able to inventory the knives taken along with the fellas on the Bin Laden raid you have everything from stuff that'd make one envious to junk...and one or two of everything in between.

Guys are guys, Special Forces or otherwise.
 
cards94 said:
i'm surprised they carry anything from cold steel. :p
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What brand wouldn't you be surprised that they carry? I suspect you would be surprised by benchmade as well. Ha just teasing.

I really agree with the "a wide range" sentiment.
 
cards94 said:
well, the seals are the best of the best, and you would want the best equipment for your solders. when i think of the best, cold steel doesn't jump out at me. :p
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Have you read anything in this thread? Some Spec Ops guys are knife junkies....most are not. They want a reasonably priced knife that stands up to some abuse and certainly that is what Cold Steel does.
 
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