Knife for a Marine

[cortez kid]

My nephew is a Marine on duty watching convoy's in Iraq. Sending a goodie package to him soon. I want to put in a good knife. Can't really afford a multi hundred dollar job, but I want to send something decent, maybe even a few(I can be uncle louie to a few good men) What do you think. Also what would be a good sharpener for him to carry around?
good shootin
kid

 

[enfield]

I gave my son-in-law a Kershaw Whirlwind to take to Iraq. I imagine the most useful sharpener in that environment might be a diamond hone, because they're not large, heavy or fragile.

 

[mapache]

Try the Ka-Bar

If he isn't issued one already, the Ka-Bar is an excellent knife and won't cost you $500 like some of the high-end knives like Strider and such. Around $40 for one knife and sheath. Depending on how much you want to spend, you could be Uncle Louie to his fireteam or entire squad.

P.S. Would be nice to send either some leather pieces or some black bootlaces to lash down the sheath. That will keep them from having to pillage their laces in the spare boots to get their gear working.

 

[ruger357]

Ditto on the Ka-Bar.

 

[Brian Williams]

ditto the Ka-bar, but check with him which one the 7" or the 5.5"

 

[Fumbler]

If I had to go into combat and had the potential to stab someone I would pick the USMC standard issue K-Bar. The hilt will keep you from cutting yourself, it's decent steel, and its durable.

Having said that you could spoil the boy by getting him something like a Bob Dozier Freedom Fighter for $330:

Not as expensive as a Strider and has a little more craftmanship in it (sorry, I don't think a simple ground prybar with a 12 cent handle cover involves craftmanship).

Other knives to consider would be the Swamp Rat Ratweiler ($180) Battle Rat and Camp Tramp (~$130) and the Fallkniven S1 or A1 (~$120). They are really nice and durable with good steel and handles; lots of knife for the money. The potential problem with the Fallknivens is if you want to stab the crap out of someone you may slip and cut yourself. The Swamp Rat Battle Rat and Camp Tramp have decent hilt-like protrusions and the Ratweiler would have the best hilt and retention with its micarta handle. Think of the Ratwieler as a poor man's Busse Battle Mistress and the Bat. Rat/Camp Tramp as a poor man's Busse Basic.

Swamp Rat knives:
http://www.swamprat.com/knives.html

For sharpeners, get something compact. You can go to Walmart or a home improvement store and get a little diamond stone for $4-6. You don't need anything finer than coarse for field work. If you wanted to get something nice, the home improvement stores sell diamond stones with two sides and plastic covers and yadda yadda yadda. Whatever you get, make it small.

 

[Texian Pistolero]

Throw in a couple of toothbrushes. Seems like U.S. troops always wind up using their toothbrushes for weapons cleaning. i really don't like the taste of Break-Free CLEP.

 

[cortez kid]

Thanx guys, Lots of great suggestions. I've already have the candy portion taken care of. Also some good smelling soap. Didn't think about toothbrushes. I'll send a bunch of them. I did the same with my own brush. I'm going to give my dealer the list of knives and see what he can do. I've spent alot with all my dealers, I think they can comeup with some deals for my-OUR boys. Keep up the suggestions, I want to build a nice kit.
thanx
Uncle lou aka cortez kid

 

[pcf]

Leatherman type tools are way useful. One hand folding knives are good too. Whatever you send do not write it on the customs declaration.

 

[mapache]

I would caution the selection of a knife or Leatherman-type tool with moving parts. For combat operations, get the 7" blade (if you choose the Ka-Bar). The blood groove will assist hand-to-hand and the extra 1.5" will give that much more penetration when it is needed. Most 5.5" blades are more for pilots, survival knives, that type of thing.

If you are willing to spend around $100-$130 on him, Ka-Bar makes a model called the D2 Extreme Fighting/Utility Knife. You can look at it here.

Don't buy it directly from Ka-Bar, but use their 'Where To Buy' feature for a page of web-based catalog sales companies. If you notice, the sheath has a small pouch which can hold a small stone. Best of luck to you in your decision. I'm sure he will be happy with whatever you send him.

 

[bubbygator]

Becker knives like this one:



are rock solid & the finest out-of-the-box sharpness I've ever seen. They have several slightly different styles.

 

[El Tejon]

How about a few of those Leathermen multi-tools?

 

[Dirty Bob]

Off the top of my head, here are a few more items:

sunscreen
paracord (the good stuff, with the multi-strand core)
floss (useful for lots of stuff)
pipe cleaners (I always used them in M-16 cleaning)
tiny bottle or two of CLP

Knife-wise, I'd suggest the Becker Combat-Utility. It's inexpensive, so he can give it to another Marine when coming home and not have to worry about trying to sneak it through. It should hold up very well.

And one very important thing:

Please give him our sincere thanks for his service. We owe him and the others with him in Iraq and Afghanistan a great debt. He has my respect and admiration.

Regards,
Dirty Bob

 

[buzzcut]

I second the Becker knife. That looks like the Combat/Utility 7, or "C/U-7". It has a full tang and very versatile blade geometry. The sheath has an expanding cargo pocket and cut-proof kydex blade liner. Becker is owned by Camillus who are a big supplier of fighting knives to the military. They also offer that knife in a "sand" tan color (sheath, parkerizing, and handle) for desert arenas. Retails ~ $50

The Kabar 1213 is their fighting classic with updated materials - stiff glass filled nylon sheath and Kraton rubber handle and sells for ~ $60. The sheath has a nice feature where the hilt "clicks" into place when the knife is inserted, so you still have knife retention without snapping the handle strap for quick access.

The Ontario Spec-Plus SP25 is an updated-materials version of the classic AF survival knife, 5.5" blade, hammer style pommel, durable sheath with stone pocket (includes stone) and can be found for ~ $35.

 

[Valkman]

Not as expensive as a Strider and has a little more craftmanship in it (sorry, I don't think a simple ground prybar with a 12 cent handle cover involves craftmanship).

Oh man that's the funniest thing I've read today! If you think Striders are "simple ground" you should try it sometime. I have.

All these knives are good knives. Yes Strider is the best and will pass strength tests that will reduce these to pieces but they are good knives. As long as Ka-Bar has been around it wouldn't bother me to carry one!

 

[Herk]

Timely thread.

I have a buddy over in Iraq and I just bought him a Nimravus tanto point, the spyderco sharpmaker, and a tek-lok clip.

His criteria was for a fixed blade between 4-6 inches and a "plastic" sheath that can be tied/secured to his gear. He already has the new Marine combat which is an 8" blade and the Kabar which is a 7" blade. He didn't want a folder because he said that they get fouled up to easy.

 

[modifiedbrowning]

Wal mart (at least here) sells the Buck Mini Nighthawk for $39.95. That might be a cheap option.

 

[JShirley]

Spec Plus knives will work and won't break the budget. Speaking of specs, Herk, here's a recent post I made at BladeForums (you'll notice some similarity ):

1) Blade length no more than 4 inches. This meant that the knife could be kept ready with our gear in our rooms, instead of stored in the arms room.

2) The knife should have a secure, very quick sheath, suitable for attaching to web gear. With a typical load, I believe chest carry on our LBV met the qualifications of fast, available carry that would not interfere with daily work. I identified a need for a knife like this after one of the soldiers in my squad was almost badly injured when his weapon- which was "type 3 fastened" to his gear*- became tangled in a vehicle he was dismounting. Since we were all wearing Gore-Tex, my folder (a mini-AFCK, at the time) was not instantly accessible.

3) The knife should be inexpensive. That's right- good quality, but fairly cheap. That's so Joe can buy one or more, and not cry when something happens to it- and stuff happens to real working knives. I was lending out my Kershaw Echo, which met most of my requirements for a knife like this, to my buddy in 3rd Brigade- it got caught and snapped off in a Stryker door. MSRP would hopefully be no more than $50.

4) The knife should have a guard, probably formed by the handle;

5) The knife should have a lanyard hole.

*company orders- Mickey Mouse BS

There are lots of higher-end production knives theoretically aimed towards service folk. What Joe needs, is a sturdy knife that he can afford, that won't get him into trouble with his chain of command, that is more useful than exotic. This should be a tool with an edge, not a beauty object or collector piece.

My thoughts-

John R. Shirley

 

[Ole-sailor]

Ka-Bar all the way

Talk to a Marine or two who have actually used their Ka-Bar in hand to hand and they will all tell you that the Leather handle does NOT get overly slippery when covered with blood. Most plastic/fiberglass handles loose their grip when wet with blood.

So if we want a hand to hand knife that has over a half century of successful use.....Ka-Bar

If you want an attack knife for wet work at night; a Farnsborrow design dagger. [ I am certain that I miss spelled his name, help the ole-sailor fella's]

 

[Clocktower]

Cold steel srk, or the becker c/u 7... I like the becker a little better but you can't beat those cold steel sheaths.

 

[Zeke/PA]

The K-Bar is really the way to go as it is a tried and true tool.
However, Cabella's is advertising a Camillus blade at a cheaper price that might fill the bill for you.
Respectfully, Zeke

 

[ETCss Phil McCrackin]

If it was me, I would want three knives;
A medium sized folder such as my Benchmade ACFK, A tool like my Letherman Super Tool, and one of these,

the Ontario Knife Co. ON3S, a superior fighting knife and bayonet, for those times when only an application of cold steel can save your bacon. There's even an EGA on the hilt!!

 

[RoyG]

Take a look at S&W

There are lots of higher-end production knives theoretically aimed towards service folk. What Joe needs, is a sturdy knife that he can afford, that won't get him into trouble with his chain of command, that is more useful than exotic. This should be a tool with an edge, not a beauty object or collector piece.

+1



I have picked up a few KaBar look alikes from Smith and Wesson.

Take a look at them. Can be had for around 35 bucks.

Smith & Wesson Bullseye Ext. Ops Survival w/Dbl. Blood Groove, Kydex

 

[Combat-wombat]

If you've got the money, I'd suggest a simonich designed mid-tech Raven Combat.

http://www.simonichknives.com/midtech.htm

 

[Fumbler]

Oh man that's the funniest thing I've read today! If you think Striders are "simple ground" you should try it sometime. I have.

Yeah actually I have tried it.
I don't really mean to belittle Strider, but its just my personal opinion (remember, thats not worth much to most people ) that hand grinding a knife with flat bevels in a straight line is a waste of their time. There are CNC machines out there that will grind a flat primary grind on a blade just as good as the best human hands out there. A straight line is a straight line.

IMO Strider has a god-like reputation that comes mostly from Paul Bos's heat treatment. What does Strider do? They cut out blanks, grind straight bevels, then ship it to Bos to do his magic. ATS-34 is ATS-34. Strider didn't put the metal together, Hitachi did. Its the same ATS-34 as a $35 Gerber Gator, but the difference is Paul Bos. If I took a piece of ATS-34, ground it to the exact same shape as a Strider BT (how hard would grinding three straight bevels be?) and sent it to Paul Bos I would have just as good a knife less than half the cost (including the price of a belt sander).

If Bob Dozier can hand grind a blade, have it heat treated, then attach a nice piece of micarta to the handle for $250 then why does Strider charge $100 more and not even put on a slab of rough cut G-10 without charging you additional money?

Don't take this the wrong way, every successful business deserves respect for their work and I do believe Strider does make good knives.