Will a stonewashed blade give away a reflection?

I'm currently looking at my Protech TR3 X-1 and my Emerson CQC-7A. Both have stonewash blades. The TR3 has a beautiful reflective finish and the Emerson has little to no reflective finish on the stonewashed (flat) part of the blade. The bevel, on the other hand, has a satin finish which is a bit reflective. As far as "tactical" goes don't worry about it. Nothing but hype. I was an Army Ranger during the Cold War. In a time when we had to be completely covered in camo, our satin finished knives did not. It's never been an issue. I currently contract for the military and have seen a SEAL with a satin finish Spyderco, Marines with satin finished Cold steel folders, Soldiers with CRKT and Benchmade's that were uncoated. Black coatings are more for rust proofing than anything else. I think Emerson's are "Tactical" more for function than look.
 
What's more worrisome with the ETAK is the wind noise, tbh. It's long been understood that flat grinds don't slice through the air as effectively as chisel grinds, causing additional and unnecessary wind noise. It's basically why none of the SOCOM guys will carry the ETAK any more.

YMMV.


That is, unless your slice is faster than the speed of sound..... then you have the sonic boom to contend with.... never thought of that did you now ;)
 
What's more worrisome with the ETAK is the wind noise, tbh. It's long been understood that flat grinds don't slice through the air as effectively as chisel grinds, causing additional and unnecessary wind noise. It's basically why none of the SOCOM guys will carry the ETAK any more.

YMMV.

That is completely true! Unless, of course, you happen to be a top level operator, in which case you know instinctively that this can be overcome easily with multiple thumbstuds, blood grooves, saw teeth, and random slots. Then the wind has to pause for several microseconds to figure out the right sound and by then you've done the dirty deed and are on your way back to Mar A Lago for a beer.
 
Ya know if they were designed for close quarter combat your enemy is going to know I'm there since it's close quarters combat. :thumbup:

He may know you're there but not see the knife or be able to block your strike , under low light conditions . That's part of why so many weapons are matt black .
 
I'm currently looking at my Protech TR3 X-1 and my Emerson CQC-7A. Both have stonewash blades. The TR3 has a beautiful reflective finish and the Emerson has little to no reflective finish on the stonewashed (flat) part of the blade. The bevel, on the other hand, has a satin finish which is a bit reflective. As far as "tactical" goes don't worry about it. Nothing but hype. I was an Army Ranger during the Cold War. In a time when we had to be completely covered in camo, our satin finished knives did not. It's never been an issue. I currently contract for the military and have seen a SEAL with a satin finish Spyderco, Marines with satin finished Cold steel folders, Soldiers with CRKT and Benchmade's that were uncoated. Black coatings are more for rust proofing than anything else. I think Emerson's are "Tactical" more for function than look.

So all war gear might as well be hi-vis reflective, shocking pink and blaze orange ? Sure would make things easier to find !

And to think, I was so ignorant as to laugh at the movie ninjas in bright colored uniforms . Stoopid me !
 
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^^^ I do however draw the line at camo nighties . You want to be able to find her after all !
 
As long as you leave the dull baked on residue left over from the full moon quench in the blood of virgins on the blade, you should be okay.........................:D
 
I bought the "Etak-b" . Its a wonderful knife (praise be to God). It was a lot sweeter than i had expected.

To you who asked why i bought an american knife: I dont belive in economic boycotts.
 
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Hello.

I am thinking about buying a Emerson etak B with stonewashed blade.

ETAK means Emerson tactical assult knife. But i was thinking - how tactical is a knife if it gives away a reflection?

So my question is simply: will this blade give away a reflection or not?

Thank you for answers.

Yes, it will give a reflection.
 
Reflection?

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If you trust Emerson products and trust Ernie Emerson enough to buy one of his products, knowing that they are, by their very nature, "tactical," wouldn't you assume that the finish of one of his knives isn't going to give away your position by reflecting light?

Seems kinda like asking "I'm thinking of buying an Emerson tactical assault knife...do you know if you can hurt somebody with it?"
Not necessarily. Ernie might have daytime tactical knives and nighttime tactical knives.
 
Nobody expects death by tactical stealth scissors . . .

I don t know.
My daughter,when she was 10-12 years old, had a 3 inch pair of plastic scissors confiscated from her bag when searched by TSA agents prior to a flight. I don t know how reflective they were. They were pink!! :cool:
I still wonder how she got chosen for a search!
 
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