Why Do Militaries No Longer Produce Good Cutlery?

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BabyJWuu

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Hi,

Militaries spend billions of dollars per year on research and development, but I can't think of any militaries that even assign cutlery to their soldiers much less spend money on R&D to make better cutlery. What is up with that :confused:

Cordially,

BabyJWuu
 
Because there aren't any government knife contractors there to take billions of our tax dollars.
 
They don't care?
They know that the average soldier won't be able to tell the difference between a 420 stainless blade (or one made of some shit potmetal :mad:) and a high quality blade.
They also feel that knives are exclusively for utilitarian tasks now, with no purpose for combat. I can see where they come from on that (we obviously don't do much sword fighting in theater any more) but the knives they offer to soldiers should at least be decent quality, even if they're just folders and small fixed blades.
 
Ever see the glasses they issue in the Army? That tells you everything you need to know about the knives!
 
BabyJWuu said:
Hi,

Militaries spend billions of dollars per year on research and development, but I can't think of any militaries that even assign cutlery to their soldiers much less spend money on R&D to make better cutlery. What is up with that :confused:

Cordially,

BabyJWuu
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you start from the assumption that the military/government is a manufacturer. thats part of your confusion, the last thing i want the government to do is go into the knife making biz. The fact is they are given a budget by congress and must stay within it unlike the rest of the government the military is always under the threat of real cuts. so a soldier can have a m4 and gear, but not a $200 knife. Went half way threw the Irag War waiting on armor for there humvees. congress at work. They would rather give somone a paid 99 weeks of laziness than give our soldiers everything they might need. politics. election buying. follow the money see whos vote there trying to buy.
 
Benchmade, along with other knife manufacturers, offers some military units free knives, just so that the company can claim that for example " the 101st airborne unit uses benchmade knives" Other than that a soldier must buy his own knife. He is provided with a small swiss army like knife that is issued to him in their demolition/ edc kit... hope that helped
 
There a number of companies that make knives for the US Military. Many soldiers today are in support units and are not issued a battle blade. The real need for a knife bigger than a pocket knife is not there like it once was for the average soldier.

While not the same as suburban living most deployments today are much different than they were for prior generations. Even if you did not serve you should have a good idea from the media how much better things are today for the average guy than it was in the past.
 
Benchmade has a couple autos and fixed blades that are issued items, pending your MOS. Most of my friends who served were issued Gerber multi-tools and purchased their own folding knives later. Some were actually told NOT to carry large fixed blades by their CO's for various reasons. In the past, some issued knives were mediocre at best.
 
maybe because the military doesnt have a huge need for special knives. Why develop something when what is available does the job perfectly? Knives aren't going to win a war.
 
As mentioned previously, it's actually a good thing, that the government isn't too involved in the design/manufacture of knives. The finished result, as is always the case when the government 'designs' something, would be mediocre in quality, and at 3 times (or 5, 10 times) the cost, and paid for by our tax dollars.

Money would be better spent on thoroughly educating our troops to recognize what makes a good knife for field use, how to properly sharpen & maintain it, and then allowing them to use the tool that they prefer (within acceptable limits, obviously). One who truly knows what makes a 'good' knife, realizes that it doesn't necessarily have to cost a lot of money, nor does it have to be made from the latest, greatest materials & technology.
 
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It really depends on a soldiers MOS, but for the most part the army does not issue knives anymore. The M9 bayonet is issued to soldiers who's job requires them to have one. A survival knife much like the GI style survival knife is issued to all aviators. Individual units can spend money from their budget to equip them selves with any type of knife they want (assuming it isn't like a short sword or anything...i seem to remember reading a regulation that said knives can be up to 5.5'', but don't quote me on that ).

That being said, when soldiers are deployed each and every one is issued a basic Gerber multi-tool when they pass through Rapid Fielding Initiative (RFI) in route to deployment. Also depending on the soldiers occupational needs he or she may be issued a survival knife at this point. I was serving as a medic when i went through RFI and I received a SOG Seal Pup. The same for my friend who deployed with the 101st as a medical tech.

while I wish the Army would be willing to spend the money to get me a sweet knife to take down range. I understand where the money is going, and to be honest I feel that if the situation is bad enough that I need to use a knife in combat things probably not going very well.

In case you are interested in seeing some of the cool stuff they are spending the money on these days you can check it out at the link below. The group is called Program Executive Office Soldier (PEO Soldier) which is an acquisition office that works to equip soldiers with the gear they need.

http://www.faqs.org/periodicals/201001/1960648011.html

Alan
 
Because the military just can't decide on what the BEST TACTICAL knife is!
 
Someone once said, "Always remember that your weapon was made by the lowest bidder.". This may be more of a joke saying than truth, but it would explain alot.
 
When I deployed to Iraq, I was issued a Benchmade Auto and a SOG multi-tool. The military does issue knives, just maybe not what you consider "quality". Also, most units who "need" a good knife, get them. Just because they aren't in the supply system, doesn't mean that the folks that need them aren't getting them. Since the military has gone away from stocking a lot of equipment and left it up to the units, some really good (and expensive) items are getting to the troops. Really, the vast majority of the military rarely needs a knife, if when they do... a cheap pocketknife fills the role just fine.
 
I have serious doubts that 90% of militaries EVER "produced good cutlery". First, militaries don't operate factories and don't manufacture anything themselves.

The CF used to issue the Grohmann Model 3 boat knife with a special overlapping sheath as their jump knife. I'd say that qualifies as 'Good Cutlery'.

In their infinite wisdom, they recently transferred the production to a Chinese manufacturer which produces a cheap knock-off of the exact same pattern, naturally. :rolleyes:

Also:

I can't think of any militaries that even assign cutlery to their soldiers
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Are you serious? :confused: I've never heard of a military that doesn't issue any kind of sharp object. Which country's military can you think of that doesn't issue a bayonet, multitool, survival knife, machete, or pocket knife of any kind?
 
Wait, does that mean you can't purchase and equip yourself with, say, a Smatchet or Busse Combat Knife if you wanted? Or would you need permission?
 
BladeChemist said:
Wait, does that mean you can't purchase and equip yourself with, say, a Smatchet or Busse Combat Knife if you wanted? Or would you need permission?
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In the military, permission (usually, written permission) is needed for pretty much everything. Whether an individual soldier/sailor/airman gets a particular tool or not, is determined by need. And the commanding officer of a particular unit has the final say on who needs what. It can vary widely from one unit to another, within the overall limits of the 'official regulations.'

If one were to go and buy whatever he/she wants, without specific permission, it'd likely be confiscated very quickly (at the least), in most situations. And then, there'd likely be disciplinary measures to follow.
 
There is not much need for today's soldier to carry a knife, first.

Most knives that are issued are from the private sector. Personally I would hate to see what would happen if the military brass designed a knife. It would probably cost $10000 and have a 500 page manual.
 
honestly im just glad the government doesnt follow the classic russian method of "#1 get gun and #2 get bullet, repeat"
 
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