Why the choil on the Argonne Assault LB?

Al-Sheikh

Al-Sheikh

Joined
Aug 22, 2010
Messages
867
Okay, I'll get it. Alone for the zombies it's worth it. Black coating + black paper scales will be my choice. But I am wondering...

...why does it have a choil :confused: :confused: :confused:
 
Why the choil on such a fighting knife?

Easy. :cool: After you stab it in to the hilt, you can push down to lock the blade in place so as to be unable to be pulled out by the recipient of said stabbing while you leave it there to tend to other surrounding necessities before recovering it. :p Why else? :confused:

Seriously though, while not complaining, I do wonder why there is no blade catch on the top of this fighter designed for hand protection like the Mojo and the Silent Knight... :confused: as that would help keep one from slicing their hand on the sharpened spine if one were to try to use the choil.

20rtses.jpg
 
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Al-Sheikh said:
Okay, I'll get it. Alone for the zombies it's worth it. Black coating + black paper scales will be my choice. But I am wondering...

...why does it have a choil :confused: :confused: :confused:
Click to expand...

AZTimT said:
Why the choil on such a fighting knife?

Easy. :cool: After you stab it in to the hilt, you can push down to lock the blade in place so as to be unable to be pulled out by the recipient of said stabbing while you leave it there to tend to other surrounding necessities before recovering it. :p Why else? :confused:

Seriously though, while not complaining, I do wonder why there is no blade catch on the top of this fighter designed for hand protection like the Mojo and the Silent Knight... :confused: as that would help keep one from slicing their hand on the sharpened spine if one were to try to use the choil.
Click to expand...

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ic-10-Choil-or-No-Choil?p=9999681#post9999681

Jerry Busse said:

I, obviously, love choils. They make it much easier to sharpen all the way to the back of the edge and they allow for choking up further onto the blade. This in turn offers better blade control when doing finer whittling or up close cutting with your blade. So, in that way they make a large blade much more versatile for a variety of applications.

On the other hand, when I was making the video for the original SHBM and attempting to cut 12 pieces of free hanging 1" diameter hemp rope, the bundle was so wide and my aim was off by just enough, that the choil hung up on the last 1/4' inch of the bundle and I ended up ripping my shoulder completely out of the socket. Hurt like a mofo. . . On the upside, I had to drink for 3 months straight to get past the pain, so it did have its benefits!

In the end, there really is no definitive answer to which is better. It really just comes down to which is better for you and your intended application.

Let's Drink!

Jerry

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As long as the rest of your fingers are within the gaurd, you shouldn't have to much of a problem with the hand sliding onto the top of the knife, even when using the choil. You would have to lean your hand forward a lot and stretch it out to get to the edge with the web of your thumb/forefinger.

My main concern with any fighting knife, or any knife used to cut webbing, any knife used by a helicopter pilot or ANY knife that will require you to have it work the first time, every time (i.e. combat) is with what jerry says above. The reason he threw out his shoulder during the cut is because of how far his arm was extended, the shoulder was already in a delicate position and ready to give under extra pressure, and the choil provided it when it snagged. That said, it shows what happens when you put a lot of force behind your edge and it snags - all that force becomes counter force on your body, stopping the knife dead in it's tracks. leather belts, fabric, zippers, all of this is a snag point that shouldn't have anything to snag on with regards to knife design.
 
I thought the same thing. Also in the pic's it looks like there is a small indentation in the top edge a few inches back? Is that just a blur in the photos or is it really there for a purpose?
 
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DRodent said:
I thought the same thing. Also in the pic's it looks like there is a small indentation in the top edge a few inches back? Is that just a blur in the photos or is it really there for a purpose?
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I believe thats part of the "Busse armored tip."
 
If we are looking at the same spot, that is the transition from the thicker tip of the spine to the swedged or beveled area of the spine. My Dodo has the same transition, only it is closer to the point. If the narrowed top of the spine extended all the way to the point it would have made for a weaker tip to the knife. There is no indentation along the top edge, but the transition from flat sided to beveled creates that illusion in the pictures.
 
Here is a picture of the spot you are asking about on the Pregnant Dodo Assault Knife (first Light Brigade released). This looks down at the top of the spine. The transition from beveled to flat sided is farther back on the AA. Also, it appears that on the AA the entire top of the spine is sharpened except for this transition area. This adds to the illusion of a depression in the top of the spine, but it is flat.
P1050477Dodopoint11-23-2011.jpg
 
When I look at the picture of the AALB I get the impression that my thumb would rest on the sharpened top edge when choking up on the blade. What do you guys think?
 
Al-Sheikh said:
When I look at the picture of the AALB I get the impression that my thumb would rest on the sharpened top edge when choking up on the blade. What do you guys think?
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Not for long.
Here is a repost of some grip pictures of the Pregnant Dodo Assault Knife LB which is dimensionally about the same as the AA.
Note the thumb positions (not sharpened spine though).
P1050337PregnantDodoinhand10-18-2011.jpg


P1050353PregnantDodoinhand10-18-2011.jpg


Obviously the thumb "can" reach the sharpened spine, but does not "need" to.

I would like to add that the Dodo had a handle that Jerry was not pleased with. But even with the "pregnant" grips, the Light Brigade treatment on this blade is fantastic and is extremely light and quick in the hand. Having the Dodo is what made us certain that we had to have the Argonne Assault Light Brigade and ordered two as soon as they came up on the Busse site.
 
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westfork said:
Not for long.
Here is a repost of some grip pictures of the Pregnant Dodo Assault Knife LB which is dimensionally about the same as the AA.
Note the thumb positions (not sharpened spine though).

(...)

Obviously the thumb "can" reach the sharpened spine, but does not "need" to.
Click to expand...

Very helpful pics :thumbup: I can already hear the blood dripping :eek:
 
But in reality is this a knife you would ever choke up on? I guess if you wanted to do some detail work on your freshly dispatched zombie . . . .
 
Thanks Westfork. Thos epic's showed it really nice. I saw som other knife somewhere that had an wire cutter notched in the spine. I'm glad its not that. Now I have to decide can I affor to spend another $650 or can I afford not to?
 
I would check the importation laws in KSA before ordering an AA Al-Sheikh ... I know that since the terrorist shooting of westerners and kidnap and be-heading of one guy in 2004 the option for foreign residents to apply for a permit for a self protection weapon was talked about as going to be "introduced" .... but other than that the ownership of weapons by foreigners is outlawed ... and an AA may well be determined to be a "weapon" ... and not just a "knife" ...
 
PeterPHWS said:
I would check the importation laws in KSA before ordering an AA Al-Sheikh ... I know that since the terrorist shooting of westerners and kidnap and be-heading of one guy in 2004 the option for foreign residents to apply for a permit for a self protection weapon was talked about as going to be "introduced" .... but other than that the ownership of weapons by foreigners is outlawed ... and an AA may well be determined to be a "weapon" ... and not just a "knife" ...
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Thanks for the heads up, Peter. I am just checking the local regulations. In KSA nobody could give me a definite answer yet. I am also checking the option to have the knife shipped to my German address, but there I am facing legal concerns as well :confused:
 
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