When did "tactical" become a selling point?

Pete2s said:
I'm educated in tactics, I know tactical is a tactically overused marketing tactic, but damn--if you put the tactical label on something tactical, I will look.

You guys need to get off your high tactical horses and stop the tactic of criticizing tactical people who like "tactical" items. I like tactical knives for the same tactical reason I like tactical AR-10s and other ridiculous, unnecessary tactical items--they're fun to have, tactically speaking.
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I'm not sure I approve of your tactic of posting replies in tactical black.:)
 
banana-clip said:
I notice every knife, gun, and gear has either the word "tactical" or "mil-spec".

My guess its a marketing tool to sell this cool gear to all the mall ninja types.
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It sure does seem to work!:eek:

"Listen to the money talk." :rolleyes:

I am an innocent bystander. I do love the genre.

Ron LaBella
 
First of all, lets define what tactical means. It is NOT a meaningless, generalized word that just means "strategy" or "military style" that is just spouted by marketing salesmen. It is a specific defined term in Military Science.

In military usage, a combat tactic is used by a military unit of no larger than a division to implement a specific mission and achieve a specific objective, or to advance toward a specific goal. It is the achieving of objectives set by strategy.

It is related to a maneuver, which is to perform a movement in order to secure an advantage in attack or defense.

So, a "Tactical Knife" is an offensive or defensive weapon used by an individual for a specific combat mission and to achieve a specific combat objective.

A clear example would be a mine clearing knife, such as the Fallkniven Mod. MC1 Mine Clearance Knife. Or a WWII stiletto-like Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife.

So whether a particular knife is "tactical" depends on your specific combat mission.

But of course, this is where things get messy. The Army isn't going to issue 100,000 specific purpose knives. It would be a waste of money. They wouldn't be good for other things. It has to be capable of multiple missions to be general issue. It needs to be useful and essential for daily life in the field while conducting operations. A good military knife needs to be used in survival and evasion, setting up camp, and food preparation. Oh, and it needs to be able to take a beating.

In essence, it is the type of all purpose knife that any good US citizen would want to use in a non-combat setting for outdoor activities like hunting, fishing, camping, and cooking. Oh, and to exercise their 2nd A. right to self-defense.
 
I always thought that it was an accidentaly perpetuated typo, that became an urban myth. The original designation was Testical knife. Meaning a large poorly shaped but garish blade brazed to a hollow pot metal grip. Testical knives appeal to 18 year olds with swollen gonads and under developed frontal lobes within the cranial vault.
 
upnorth said:
I always thought that it was an accidentaly perpetuated typo, that became an urban myth. The original designation was Testical knife. Meaning a large poorly shaped but garish blade brazed to a hollow pot metal grip. Testical knives appeal to 18 year olds with swollen gonads and under developed frontal lobes within the cranial vault.
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upnorth, I understand what you mean, but the first word that came to my mind after reading your post was "Nonsense". Is a Fällkniven F1 satin finish tactical? and one with black blade? I'd say I like "tactical" look because I prefer knives with non-wood handles and not shinny. But what's the difference between a black blade Fällkniven with plastic handle and a custom one? Many knives have a "tactical" and are just junk, other "tactical" labeled knives are awesome. I'd not say a knife is good just because it's labeled "tactical" or "camper's", "bushcraft" or whatever people call to knives...
 
ubuwalker31 said:
First of all, lets define what tactical means. It is NOT a meaningless, generalized word that just means "strategy" or "military style" that is just spouted by marketing salesmen. It is a specific defined term in Military Science.

In military usage, a combat tactic is used by a military unit of no larger than a division to implement a specific mission and achieve a specific objective, or to advance toward a specific goal. It is the achieving of objectives set by strategy.

It is related to a maneuver, which is to perform a movement in order to secure an advantage in attack or defense.

So, a "Tactical Knife" is an offensive or defensive weapon used by an individual for a specific combat mission and to achieve a specific combat objective.

A clear example would be a mine clearing knife, such as the Fallkniven Mod. MC1 Mine Clearance Knife. Or a WWII stiletto-like Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife.

So whether a particular knife is "tactical" depends on your specific combat mission.

But of course, this is where things get messy. The Army isn't going to issue 100,000 specific purpose knives. It would be a waste of money. They wouldn't be good for other things. It has to be capable of multiple missions to be general issue. It needs to be useful and essential for daily life in the field while conducting operations. A good military knife needs to be used in survival and evasion, setting up camp, and food preparation. Oh, and it needs to be able to take a beating.

In essence, it is the type of all purpose knife that any good US citizen would want to use in a non-combat setting for outdoor activities like hunting, fishing, camping, and cooking. Oh, and to exercise their 2nd A. right to self-defense.
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If it were a really good tactical knife you would only need one for the division
:D
 
I like "tactical" knives. Just the more common sense ones though. Not the "tacticlol" ones.

I guess that makes me a mall ninja.....
 
The problem is that the majority of the posters in this thread are not aware that most of today's popular custom makers belong to the "tactical" category -by their own admission-.
So when most of you guys think mall Ninja, I think RJ Martin, Tom Mayo, Michael Burch, Sal Manaro, Rick Hinderer, Les George, Charles Marlowe, Kit Carson, GTC... In other words, if it is cool, chances are it is "tactical" -as opposed to traditional, art, Bowie, slipjoints etc..

BTW, this is the folder that gave RJ his fourth "Best Tactical Folder" at Blade 2010:

IMGP4049.jpg


IMGP4052.jpg
 
What guy doesn't want a raw milled metal anything? It's irresistible.

I've had space pens in my pockets for years, hell they can write through grease and upside down! That means I can sit in bed eating, and make my wife bring me the package form to sign and I don't even have to sit upright! Even writes through the bacon grease I got all over the place.

Tactical pens? I don't even have one yet, but I want one. Then when I pull it out at work, nobody will talk to me for a week, but they look cool and I'm guaranteed to stab myself a few times a month when I forget how sharp it really is and stick it in a pants pocket. Plus, the next time a Blackberry rings while I'm talking in a meeting, it's DEAD.

Tactical knives? I need teflon coated blackened by the darkest fires of a nuclear forge knives that I can buy a dozen of and make climbing spikes for the side of a tree to observe when 'they' come to get me. Oh yeah, and so I don't have to go searching around when I need to open packing tape on my next tactical accessory order! I'm pretty out of shape, so moving much farther from my desk to the door is a major inconvenience.

Tactical? Love it.

I've got backpacks made to run the Dakar on the motorcycle I own that is 1000 times more bike than I'll ever be able to really use. I run knobby tires to get to work 10 miles from here and survive the dirt parking lots and sandy roads I ride it on when the weekend arrives.

My Benchmade 741, with the black blade. It's black, it's all black, even the clip is blacked out. It's big. It's pointy. It's so skinny that it's really made to cut apples and cheese. If I pull the thing out anywhere but in the woods or inside my house, the police will be called...but I love it.

Now of course I have to order a few things that I could actually carry around with me that won't cause a breach of homeland security when I open my next cellphone bill.

Tactical? Love it.

I want a knife milled of the densest steels found in our world. A knife so heavy that even with all the CNC milled voids to reduce its mass, I still need a Molle strap set to disburse it's weight evenly as I sit here and barely hold my head up enough to type this.

If I could buy Cheetos in a can that required a knife to open, I would. A flat black, oxy coated aluminum can with 3mm walls so those Cheetos would last me through SHTF III.

Tactical? Love it.

Nobody reading this forum is allowed to make fun of tactical, you have all liked this crap at one time or another. This forum is a tactical 12 step program.

You GEC collectors are simply denying your tactical cravings...either that or you are using a Busse to open the packages when they arrive, but hiding its existence so 'they' won't know you are prepared for when 'they come for you'.

I want a GEC Sunfish with raw CNC titanium integrated liner and scales with a bead blasted black oxidized blade set.

Tactical? Love it. :-) Hrmmmm does anyone make a CNC milled low reflective tactical keyboard? I need to look into that.
 
kingsqueak said:
What guy doesn't want a raw milled metal anything? It's irresistible.

I've had space pens in my pockets for years, hell they can write through grease and upside down! That means I can sit in bed eating, and make my wife bring me the package form to sign and I don't even have to sit upright! Even writes through the bacon grease I got all over the place.

Tactical pens? I don't even have one yet, but I want one. Then when I pull it out at work, nobody will talk to me for a week, but they look cool and I'm guaranteed to stab myself a few times a month when I forget how sharp it really is and stick it in a pants pocket. Plus, the next time a Blackberry rings while I'm talking in a meeting, it's DEAD.

Tactical knives? I need teflon coated blackened by the darkest fires of a nuclear forge knives that I can buy a dozen of and make climbing spikes for the side of a tree to observe when 'they' come to get me. Oh yeah, and so I don't have to go searching around when I need to open packing tape on my next tactical accessory order! I'm pretty out of shape, so moving much farther from my desk to the door is a major inconvenience.

Tactical? Love it.

I've got backpacks made to run the Dakar on the motorcycle I own that is 1000 times more bike than I'll ever be able to really use. I run knobby tires to get to work 10 miles from here and survive the dirt parking lots and sandy roads I ride it on when the weekend arrives.

My Benchmade 741, with the black blade. It's black, it's all black, even the clip is blacked out. It's big. It's pointy. It's so skinny that it's really made to cut apples and cheese. If I pull the thing out anywhere but in the woods or inside my house, the police will be called...but I love it.

Now of course I have to order a few things that I could actually carry around with me that won't cause a breach of homeland security when I open my next cellphone bill.

Tactical? Love it.

I want a knife milled of the densest steels found in our world. A knife so heavy that even with all the CNC milled voids to reduce its mass, I still need a Molle strap set to disburse it's weight evenly as I sit here and barely hold my head up enough to type this.

If I could buy Cheetos in a can that required a knife to open, I would. A flat black, oxy coated aluminum can with 3mm walls so those Cheetos would last me through SHTF III.

Tactical? Love it.

Nobody reading this forum is allowed to make fun of tactical, you have all liked this crap at one time or another. This forum is a tactical 12 step program.

You GEC collectors are simply denying your tactical cravings...either that or you are using a Busse to open the packages when they arrive, but hiding its existence so 'they' won't know you are prepared for when 'they come for you'.

I want a GEC Sunfish with raw CNC titanium integrated liner and scales with a bead blasted black oxidized blade set.

Tactical? Love it. :-) Hrmmmm does anyone make a CNC milled low reflective tactical keyboard? I need to look into that.
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Okay, I'll admit it....I'm a sucker for tactical backpacks, knives, flashlights, and gear :p

It feels good to not be in denial anymore :D
 
I totally forgot flashlights hahahahah, yes, I have them too, to see into the darkest nights, underwater, in an acid cloud and all fully autoclave compatible in case I need to rid them of the zombie virus.

I also forgot that I quit smoking a few months back and switched to 'vaping' , using an e-cigarette...and quickly ordered a hand machined from rod stock aluminum model strong enough that I can drive over it. Powder coated in guess what? Black.
 
Even though I don't care for the word 'Tactical' I don't mind my knives being labeled as such.

Not being trained in self defense, I hope to never be in a situation where I'd consider using one of my knives...I'd rather run (or drive) away if at all possible.

Do I call my knives 'Tactical'? Nope, I call 'em collectibles. :D
 
jkarp_53 said:
Even though I don't care for the word 'Tactical' I don't mind my knives being labeled as such.

Not being trained in self defense, I hope to never be in a situation where I'd consider using one of my knives...I'd rather run (or drive) away if at all possible.

Do I call my knives 'Tactical'? Nope, I call 'em collectibles. :D
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Same here. :thumbup::D
 
The problem is that the majority of the posters in this thread are not aware that most of today's popular custom makers belong to the "tactical" category -by their own admission-.
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When you read through this thread you see that a good many people are aware of the origins of "tactical" knives and the advances in design and materials that the many talented makers put into the knives.

Many are also aware of the massive marketing hype that goes along with this as well. There is a target audience for this as well.

The military in the U.S. (or anywhere else I'm aware of) does not issue tactical shoelaces, tactical underwear, tactical rifles or tactical knives. They issue specific items with specific names. The attachment of the term "tactical" to a wide variety of marketable items came about as a way to sell them.

tipoc
 
Tactical Knives -- Designed and built to withstand the rigors of a tactical environment

Tactical Environment -- Hit the ground prepared. Deal with adversity. Accomplish the mission. Move on to next objective.

The aesthetic allure of these knives comes largely from seeing the obvious form=function which is a departure from the art of the gentleman's knife with polished bolsters and filigreed inlays.
But really, Tacticool came after the need for competent tactical gear just as safety pins had valid uses before they were appropriated to pin pants to boxers to achieve greater levels of sagdom..
Fortunately many quality tactical knives are seeing real use daily and are proving their worth when it's on the line.
 
Tactical Knives -- Designed and built to withstand the rigors of a tactical environment
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A sentence composed of milspeak. I know what you are trying to say and it's best to just say it rather than attempt to impress the noobs with nonsense terms.

The point of such verbiage seems not to be to accurately describe a situation or item but to obscure it's actual meaning or utility. The point is also to build a cult of fetish worshipers who believe that the possession of a particular knife will make them a "special operator" able to exist in a "tactical environment". All they have to do is lay out some cash.

A term like "tactical environment" is objectively useless. As it describes nothing in particular it invites the listener to use their imagination to fill in the voids. It is useful in marketing because of this. You sell the sizzle not the steak. But not so useful outside of video games, etc. because it describes nothing in particular.

There have been several generations of knives useful in combat and on battlefields. None were described as tactical till someone wanted to sell more of them. The name does not change what they were and are. The name tactical knives is useful only for marketing.

Emerson and many others make some good knives. The marketing can be silly though.

tipoc
 
So if you buy a heavyduty, deluxe, surgical steel, premium, tactical, survival knife, will it slice bread?:yawn:

n2s
 
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