What's the appeal of bare steel handle fixed blades ?

DocJD

DocJD

Basic Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2016
Messages
12,342
I don't understand the prevalence or appeal of small, one piece , often skeletonized fixed blades with bare metal handles . Often tactical neckers or hideout type knives .

What am I missing ? They all look uncomfortable , cold and uninviting to me . Are you supposed to paracord wrap or something ?

I'm not being critical , just confused . I don't own any so maybe they are great ?
 
DocJD said:
I don't understand the prevalence or appeal of small, one piece , often skeletonized fixed blades with bare metal handles . Often tactical neckers or hideout type knives .

What am I missing ? They all look uncomfortable , cold and uninviting to me . Are you supposed to paracord wrap or something ?

I'm not being critical , just confused . I don't own any so maybe they are great ?
Click to expand...

They are light and easy to conceal at the expense of being better in the hand. I think utility ones are fine as backup knives for heavier tasks.

They also make great edcs as often people do not need to do extensive cutting and they are comfortable and light to wear. Honestly they make good replacements for folders, not bigger fixed blades.

Some hide away weapons like the La Griffe or SOCP work well with these designs. A ring is often needed to help the grip on these. But even if the handle is uncomfortable most knife fights don't last long.
 
Lapedog said:
They are light and easy to conceal at the expense of being better in the hand. I think utility ones are fine as backup knives for heavier tasks.

They also make great edcs as often people do not need to do extensive cutting and they are comfortable and light to wear. Honestly they make good replacements for folders, not bigger fixed blades.

Some hide away weapons like the La Griffe or SOCP work well with these designs. A ring is often needed to help the grip on these. But even if the handle is uncomfortable most knife fights don't last long.
Click to expand...
Yeah ! The #1 concern in a last ditch, desperation, life threatening CQC is comfort .
 
I have both small and larger integral knives and like them a lot.

No scales to break.

No screws to have go missing on you.

Easy to keep clean - important in regards to hunting knives or knives used for food prep in the wild.

Not cold at all - in moderate temps, your hand warms up the steel pretty fast.
When its even colder, you wear gloves anyway.
 
BladeScout said:
I have both small and larger integral knives and like them a lot.

No scales to break.

No screws to have go missing on you.

Easy to keep clean - important in regards to hunting knives or knives used for food prep in the wild.

Not cold at all - in moderate temps, your hand warms up the steel pretty fast.
When its even colder, you wear gloves anyway.
Click to expand...
OK , that all makes some sense . Maybe I need to try one on .
 
Scaleless knives aren't as comfortable as a micarta scaled blade but they do disapear in BOB kits. They take up very little space but can be used for light cutting duties. I like the ESEE Izula and Becker Necker (carbon steel versions). Although they're not my go to knives, I have no comfort issues with them either.
 
Such a fixed blade with its laid bare design
Has nothing to hide, in terms of its construction.
What you get is an integral handled one-piece knife
which does come apart easily at the handle
Like other regular tang knives would.
Depending on handles basic shape,
It may even be possible for some folks
To fit scales or improvise a cord wrap
To build up a "swell" for grip comfort.
The thing is, a one piece construction
Is all about having a robust handle.
The blade cutting end of it, should function
As any other knife would.
It's important to note that most
Handles have cut outs to reduce
Weight in order for a held knife to
Feel perfectly weighted and balanced out.
 
Last edited:
Man with no name said:
I have Cold Steel Drop Forged Bowie, Survivalist and Boot Knife. They are very well made, feel good in hand, come with nice sheaths.
Click to expand...
These are on my want list . Just not happy with their coatings which are guaranteed to look like crap with any hard use . Been hoping for maybe a DLC or just uncoated models . I like to try throwing them .
 
Nice calm review . No use of knife but compares to other boot knives . I may get on one these to start because I'd have less concern for messing the finish . Plus I don't have a boot type in my current inventory . But, I do already have tons of Trail Masters , other Bowies , Khuks and machetes etc .
 
I'm not generally a fan; but there are two that I have liked. The (Camillus) CUDA Arclite, and the BK11. (I almost included the BK24...but I didn't like it enough to use/carry until I put micarta scales on it.) To be honest, I had to modify the handle of the BK11 to better fit my hand; so I guess one could argue that the only such knife that I have liked was the Arclite.
 
I like these two:
P1010070.jpg
 
I have owned a few knives that were of skeletal design. I found that they fit the role of a folder substitute as well. Though they tend to be a transitional knife from carrying folders to full on scaled fixed blades.

That being said, I have been toying with the idea of going back to a Becker BK11 with some mods and I will make a clipped leather pocket slip for it. Once the front finger notch is opened up a bit, the knife allows for a four finger grip (XL width gloves). The San Mai BK11 was ran a bit harder and takes a killer edge.

For now I am planning on making a clipped leather or kydex pocket slip for my CPK EDC. The reasoning being that I carry and use it at work. While I do work in a fridge (Butcher), I don't mind the cold. I normally use it for boxes, some plastics, other things (normally not meat now), though I do wash it. While I have been using the knife, I have had some rust and pitting under the slabs, and until I get the time to make a second set of slabs, leather or kydex will be faster.

The lack of scales will allow me to continue to use the knife I love, while easing the maintenance aspect. Since I will no longer have to remove the scales every other day to stop any corrosion from setting up shop (again).
The ease of maintenance and ease of carry are the two main reasons that I can see using a skeletal knife.

As long as the ergonomics of the tang are not abrasive, has broken corners, and your not going to be pushing the knife to the requirement of needing full slabs to prevent hot spots, it may be a quality carry option that would otherwise be looked over. If a CPK EDC is a bit too large with the slabs, I don't see why one shouldn't try a knife without slabs and see how it fits your particular daily use.
 
i have a buck paclite skinner - I got it several years back for the sole purpose of putting a paracord wrap on it.
since then, I've kinda grown to like it, using it for exactly what it is made to do. its lightweight, easy to carry on a belt, pocket, or pack and does its job.
that paracord wrap has been handy to have a couple of times
 
It's about blade length for me. The Izula 2 is the perfect example of a knife that does not need handle scales. Lighter cutting tasks where a thin profile handle is fine. Any fixed blade longer than than and I prefer a wider, more hand-filling handle.

From an EDC carry standpoint, the thinner the better with smaller fixed blades. Neck knives benefit from not printing and scout carry can be worn tight against the belt.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top