What Makes A Knife A "Fighting Knife"?

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He also felt that the guard might've got hung up on something when drawn from the scabbard.

One less thing for a soldier to worry about in combat.
 
He also felt that the guard might've got hung up on something when drawn from the scabbard.

One less thing for a soldier to worry about in combat.



Not being able to use your hand because of cutting yourself badly would be something to worry about.

I guess the true test would be how is a knife actually performed in combat.

Quote from Wikipedia

Ek preferred his knives without crossguards for ease of concealment and for quick withdrawal as there was no crossguard to snag on clothing or a soldier's equipment. The grips on Ek's knives had eight scalloped groves:four on each of two grips. This gave the user such a good grip that John Ek found that a crossguard was not necessary to prevent the hand from sliding onto the blade. When questioned about this by the War Production Board, Ek greased his hand and plunged one of his knives into the wooden floor with such force that no one was able to pull it out.[4]
 
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I made these, and I guess they are Fighters because of the style and length of the blade. I made them for gloved hands, and with the double choils and rough-finished handle material slipping shouldn't be a problem.

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I would call a fighting knife a fixed blade appox 6 to 10" blade, and at least a few inches from the point sharpened on both edges.
 
When someone sticks it into you and you drop dead. I was an expert witness in a case where a young stud got into it with an old man. The old man took a classic small paring knife out of his pocket, stuck it into the studly chest. Stud proceeded to drop stone cold dead. Plop.

That being said, I do buy some classic nasty knifes but never carried them unless out in the boonies and they were utilitarian in primary purpose.
 
Valkman, if you ever do get a chance, I would like one with the fuller and the same scales.
 
A fighting knife is one with which you do fighting, whether Bo Randall made it or Industrial Facility #10 in Harbin Province stamped it out and sealed it in a Wal-Mart blister pack for the home and housewares department.

But here's a recent acquisition just because these threads are useless without pictures.

Vehement Knives Commando Classic, patinated brass hardware, satin CPM154 blade, brown stacked leather. Obviously inspired by the Fairbairn-Sykes and V-42. Was lucky enough to grab it off Arizona Custom Knives the moment it went up, just got my shipping notice today and looking forward to seeing it.

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Enjoyed reading all the entries in this thread... For me, I figure a "fighting knife" is whatever I have available in the moment (accompanied by lots of fear and adrenaline...). For manufacturers - it's whatever they can convince a customer to purchase... for young customers about to be sent overseas for their first deployment - they'll be finding out the hard way whether it's what they actually need. Me, I figure an issued bayonet (do they still issue bayonets?) is a great starting point if you're not bringing your own...

For collectors I figure it's whatever fires their imagination - or has some historical provenance - which they'll be paying for...

PS... I greatly appreciated the original Ek blade (shown in post #2) - it's quite a bit plainer than the modern Ek blades you see offered for sale these days...


Now for real world "fighting knives" you wouldn't believe the trash I've seen and handled occasionally back when I worked the street... everything from cheap steak knives to rusty (and not sharpened at all) blades ranging from fixed blades to cheap folders.... Remember that I've previously pointed out that witnesses to fights involving knives - never saw the blade as it was being used... What they usually saw was the participant (or victim) in various states of distress depending on the severity of the wound(s)... after the fighting was done..

For my own personal use in my garage -which is usually wide open when I'm working there (making or repairing fishing gear, etc.) is a simple Old Hickory stiff boning blade, razor sharp and close at hand... Never needed it yet and hope it's never needed at all. Very nice to consider the romance of battle blades or commando knives - the reality of what it takes to actually use one at bad breath ranges is nothing I was ever trained for or experienced, thank heavens...
 
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A saying in the old West was "up to the Green River". It came from the location of the logo of John Russell Green River knives:

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Prior to the Civil War, the Mountain man, keel boat man, frontier trapper, gambler, would take their Green River knives and stick it up to the "Green River" and I am sure all of them would be surprised that their knives would not be considered fighting knives, because they lacked a guard.

Now, what knife did Mike Fink carry?

Is this a fighting knife, or a work of art. It sure as heck is not going to be carried out in the field, or any bar:

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Wikipedia

Not what I'd hang my hat on.

OTOH, I've known a few soldiers that carried John Ek's knives in Korea and Vietnam. I also know John Ek's son Gary. Gary claims the oil story is accurate, that lead was used to secure the grips, and that a soldier was instructed to carve the maple grip panels to fit their hands.
 
Not what I'd hang my hat on.

OTOH, I've known a few soldiers that carried John Ek's knives in Korea and Vietnam. I also know John Ek's son Gary. Gary claims the oil story is accurate, that lead was used to secure the grips, and that a soldier was instructed to carve the maple grip panels to fit their hands.

Wait, you start out by telling me that you wouldn't trust a Wikipedia article and in the next paragraph you verify it and tell me that it's true? I don't understand that
 
We can't trust Wikipedia because the information can be changed without control. Thats why no school will allow it as a reference.

Information from primary sources may corroborate Wiki or illustrate the weakness in it. Those primary sources my not agree with Wiki, or even other sources that are considered reliable. Where we have access to first hand accounts we are fortunate.

BTW, Gary Ek is a "DJ" in Key West.
 
A saying in the old West was "up to the Green River". It came from the location of the logo of John Russell Green River knives:

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Prior to the Civil War, the Mountain man, keel boat man, frontier trapper, gambler, would take their Green River knives and stick it up to the "Green River" and I am sure all of them would be surprised that their knives would not be considered fighting knives, because they lacked a guard.

Considering Green Rivers are NOT "fighting knives", I'm pretty sure the mountain men would take no offense. o_O

I've taken pains to point out how silly a lot of ideas about so-called fighting knives are, but it just makes sense to make knives who purpose might include defense or offense, as safe as possible for the user. In most such knives, that includes a guard. In several knives I've been involved with, that involves a finger choil, and the base of the blade extending past the handle. You can see an example of this type in the 3 knives Don posted above. I believe knives built like this are inherently safer for the user than knives where the blade edge and handle are directly in line with each other, with no guard, like that old original Ek.

I guess this is an obvious statement, but some folks clearly need to hear it repeated: just because something has been done a certain way, doesn't mean that way is the best way. Cap and ball revolvers killed lots of folks, but a Model 57 is a better handgun, every day of the week.

John
 


Apparently this knife was designed specifically with self defense in mind.

Please note that none of the things I thought a "fighting knife " should have on it are on this knife.
 
Yeah, it's got a strong lock, and a handle especially designed to keep the user from sliding onto the blade.

It also has quick one-handed opening, and a clip to hold it in place.
 
Yeah, it's got a strong lock, and a handle especially designed to keep the user from sliding onto the blade.

It also has quick one-handed opening, and a clip to hold it in place.

The Eks knife specifically appears to have been a very popular knife among people who actually fought people with knives.

If that particular knife had persistent known issues with people injuring themselves with it I'm guessing they would have quit using it.
 
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