Why tactical knives?

Originally posted by Les Robertson
Larry,

Walter Mitty???

Larry and Baindaid man, tell you what let's compare our DD214's and LEO experiene and we will find out who the Walter Mitty is.

If you don't know what a DD214 is and/or you have no LEO experience, then perhaps you are correct Larry, there may be some Walter Mitty types here.
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I appreciate your service Les and I assume you received an honorable discharge. I make no pretenses of having any combat experience.

Did make an EMS run once to a multiple shooting at night in a bad part of town during my training and a riot broke out. There I am wearing a bright yellow “please don’t hit me with your car while I try to intubate” jacket armed only with a dull pair of trauma shears surrounded by the SWAT team. I was not thinking about what knife I needed, but why am I wearing this stupid yellow jacket! Showed up really well on TV too… :rolleyes: Don't want to do that again...

Les, you design and market very nice knives, several of which I would not mind owning. While I do not doubt that you sell some to active duty military and law enforcement I am incredulous that they represent a significant portion of the “tactical “ custom knife market. They are too expensive and not necessary for the vast majority of tasks.

The main market is collectors and knife enthusiasts. Why else sell collecting guides and offer full tradeins only for “mint” knives. This is not a bad thing. I just find the hype humorous and suspect most such knives will remain quite safe and out of harms way…
 
Just wanted to pipe in here, what I would consider a "tactical knife" would be one that I-ME-THE END USER would consider tactical and take into a tactical type situation, not what someone (maker,sales rep) would consider "tactical". By tactical, I'm guessing that the situation is grave enough that equipment failure or poor tactics or lack of them will result in death or injuries and failure of the mission. Only the person buying and useing the knife will know what is right or wrong, what is the "right" tactical knife for a EOD Tech would not be the same "right" tactical knife for a Ranger conducting a raid. If I decide that a Boy Scout Knife is tactical, then that is what I'm taking to the battlefield *if it fits my tactics and mission*.
Alot of people are buying what makers are saying are tactical knives becouse the maker is telling you it is a tactical knife and it is the one you need on your next mission, when in all probability he doesn't know squat about your mission.
Does a maker need to have operational time in order to have a good idea what the guy on the ground needs? It would probably help a good deal. Kind of hard to listen to someone say "this is the knife to have in a fight, it would take the other fellers arm off in one swoop"
and you ask how many times has done that....silence.
A good listner or someone that can take ones ideas and turn them into a finished product , this is where experiance both on the operators and knife maker come into play so the buyer gets what he needs as opposed to sometimes what he wants.
Just like a hunting knife, what may be a hunting knife for you might not be one for me. Then in a few years my thoughts and style change and maybe so does my thoughts on what makes a good hunting knife.
Same with a tactical knife. Don't get so hung up on the name "Tactical".
 
I agree with Les Robertson about the tactical knife nomenclature. Afterall, we are referring to custom/handmade tactical knives. Also, though some might feel Les is arrogant because of his posts, let's face it, he is qualified. He is a custom tactical knife dealer. He was is the military. he really did use tactical knives in a tactical situation (I think!). So he is perfectly qualified to comment on the term tactical knife. The thing is, the definitions are not written into law. There isn't an all mighty 100% in the book definition or law that tells us exactlywhat it is or isn't so we can go on forever about what is and what isn't a tactical or whatever-else-hunter-utility-american-ninja knife. What Les states is right. There is a recent trend in "tacticals." They all look similar and share similar build and materials. These knives we can call "tactical knives." Now, tactical in the operator's sense, is something else. The swat team, Special Forces, and the Seals; now they are tactical! If you've been around the custom knife arena for the last few years, come on guys and gals, we know what is a tactical knife, and what isn't. Come on! A Strider, a Terzoula ETT, and an Emerson CQC6; these are tactical knives, are they not? An Ed Fowler Pronghorn; is that a tactical knife? No! But somebody will probably say, oh, but if I use it as my primary defensive knife on my duty belt, then it is a tactical knife.....fine! But we all know what a tactical knife really is, don't we?
 
Fallschrimjager said all that needs to be said. We can close the thread now. You heard the word from a guy who is an active operator.

Thanks, man. Keep up the fight, Fallschrimjager, and the rest of us are behind you all the way!
 
So, WHAT IS the OFFICIAL definition of "Tactical knives"?

Twenty-six years as a LEO in small-Town, America. ONE very violent call in my ENTIRE CAREER.

Pretty UNIMPRESSIVE compared to EVERYTHING I have read in this thread. But I have always been drawn to "tactical knives". Mother of pearl looks like a "Lawyer's knife" to me. The kind of knife I would give my brother the lawyer with his very soft life. I remember one call in 1985 where a young boy got his pant leg all wrapped up in his bicycle chain/spoke. Out came Auto, "TWACK", cut, and clipped right back into my "SAP" Pocket. NO ONE said SH*T about how sharp I kept that auto-folder or how efficently it did the job. WHAT was said was "wow, man that is one TACTICAL COP KNIFE". ten minutes later I was called on the radio to meet with "601" at HQ. The then "601" (Chief) thought my SWITCHBLADE was far too TACTICAL for a small Community. It was THEN I carried a SAK in my pocket and a CLIPIT (worker) on my left boot.

Just as I fumbled with the locked shotgun in the locked trunk, loaded with buckshot because slugs would have been "too tactical", I fumbled with my swiss army knife and was forced to move to what was later DETERMINED to be a "Tactical knife", secreted in my left Boot, and "reserved" ONLY for "life and death" situations. The report called the Hunter a "TACTICAL FOLDING KNIFE" and the "INVESTIGATORS" used the term "tactical" to explain WHY I carried such a "menacing LOOKING" weapon. Tactical, tactical, tactical

When I got my shot(oops, no pun) at being "601", every officer in My department carried "Tactical knives", was issued a .223 "Tactical weapon", which mounted on the headliner of their take-home "tactical vehicle" and had every "tactical tool" at their disposal. Every time one of these "tactical items" was displayed, the POLITICAL sh*t hit the fan. But I stood firm then, as I do now and say that "Tactical" is a term that can be applied to anything. the KEY is who's HANDS the item is in and the EXACT moment it is being displayed. Case in point: An AR-15 is a Great weapon when a pack of coyotes are attacking a "Deer yard", but is a "Tactical assault weapon" when entering the HIGH SCHOOL to confront an ARMED 15 year old. Now add MOP and some gold leaf to it AND............

Is this NOT the same thing with a KNIFE?.........Ira
 
It blows me away that an LEO performing a potentially life saving duty for someone is questioned about the knife he is carrying. You probably have a 9mm on your side with fifteen rounds and they were worried about your auto! Our society can be so illogical when it comes to knives of anywhere except for the kitchen.
 
Good people, TAH asked what others use their tactical knives for. And 65 posts later, it becomes a debate over what is and isn't a tactical knife. I stated in the sister thread what I use my tactical knives for. As a non-operator, I carry them on hikes, I use them in the kitchen, and I open mail. I also carry a folder or fixed blade for defense. Why do I purchase custom/handmade tactical knives? (I hope this doesn't become a debate over the terms "custom" and handmade").
1) Because I can afford to. 2) Because I like they style. 3) Because I appreciate the craftmanship of the maker, 4) Because I like knives. I hope this answers TAH's question. Everybody is right in what they have stated above. Mr. Hossum is perfectly valid in his statements regarding operators and martial artists. Les is perfectly right in his statements regarding the categorization and trends of the term "tactical knife." Everybody is right! But is there anybody else that will post what they use their tactical or maybe the better term is tactical-style or military-style (because maybe some of you may disagree that a knife can only be called a military knife if you are in the military or was made under military contract or a fighting knife is only a fighter if you are a knife fighter)

question 1: Is the Robert Terzoula Entry Team Tool knife Les Robertson offers a tactical knife?

question 2: If the answer to this question is yes, then can the knife still be called a tactical knife if the user is not a tactical kind of guy or gal and only uses it to par apples? Do we call it a utility knife now?
 
Hee-hee. Poor TAH gave up and started another thread hours ago. Personally, I can't answer TAH anymore because Les has got me so confused, I don't know if I'm using a tactical knife, or a knife that just looks like a tactical knife, or a knife that some swindlin' maker told me looked like a tactical knife but didn't really, or it looked just like a tactical knife but turned out it wasn't a tactical knife but just looked tactical. Dang.:confused: I think Les did it a'purpose. ;)
 
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