What Makes A Knife "Tactical"?

The Night Rider

The Night Rider

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This is Benchmade 710. I read a review of it tonight that described it as a "Tactical" folder/fighting knife.

I certainly wouldn't want to fight someone with this(or any) knife but I can't fathom what would make it "Tactical".

So what does make a knife "Tactical"?

What would a "Tactical" knife look like?
 
It is black, has a pocket clip and a blade that looks menacing. May be interpreted as an assault knife. ;) To me if it has black handle scales it is lumped in as one. May also be wording to appeal to those who want to identify with the "tactical" operator types?

I'm trying to understand what constitutes a "gents" knife too?
This has black carbon fiber handles yet I would not call it a "fighting" knife.
wharncliffe-cf-folder-November 11, 2022-2022-2 - Copy (2).jpg
 
Night Rider said:
View attachment 1161562

This is Benchmade 710. I read a review of it tonight that described it as a "Tactical" folder/fighting knife.

I certainly wouldn't want to fight someone with this(or any) knife but I can't fathom what would make it "Tactical".

So what does make a knife "Tactical"?

What would a "Tactical" knife look like?
Click to expand...
My absolute favorite folder ever made.

It's plenty tactical! Open and close with one hand, 3.9" blade, slight recurve blade...

It's also just a marvelously useful knife
 
If the maker decides to market a knife as tactical, I suppose it's tactical.

Aside from that, I guess the general idea is that it's intended to be especially suitable for self-defense, or perhaps for some use related to emergency/first responder/military applications.

Things that I would expect to see on a knife that's being marketed as tactical would be:
  • One handed opening, locking blade if it's a folder.
  • Some kind of clip to allow the knife to be positioned for easy access if it's a folder, or a sheath designed for ready access if it's a fixed blade.
  • Blade length of 3.5" or more.
  • Blade thickness at the spine will probably be 1/8" or thicker.
  • Some kind of design attention to insuring that the knife will not shift in the hand during hard use, whether that is done with grip texturing or handle shaping.
  • One or more features relating to the mitigation of environmental exposure.
A "gent's knife" is going to be oriented towards applications other than hard work/duty use, self-defense or emergency/first responder/military use. What I would expect to see on a knife that's being marketed as a "gent's knife" would be:
  • Small folding pocket knife.
  • Blade length under 3"
  • May not have one-handed opening capability.
  • May not have a blade lock.
  • Blade stock of 1/10" or maybe even less.
  • Smooth, streamlined handle.
  • Clear attention to appearance/aesthetics, even at the cost of some pure functionality.
  • Attention given to keeping size and weight down to make pocket carry as low impact as possible.
 
Corpral_Agarn said:
My absolute favorite folder ever made.

It's plenty tactical! Open and close with one hand, 3.9" blade, slight recurve blade...

It's also just a marvelously useful knife
Click to expand...

Everything I've read said the blade is 3.75 in.

My 710 was a gift from a friend and it was also the first Benchmade knife I ever owned.

I carried it at work every night until I lost it (I ended up finding it in my couch later) but I've never really seen anything about it that would make me choose it over any other knife that I own.

If I had to go back to work tonight I would choose my Griptilian over the 710.
 
Last edited:
I just ate my lunch on a tactical plate, using a tactical fork, and a tactical ....wait for it .... tactical knife. While sitting on my tactical chair in my tactical office. Puns intended. I simply think the term is way over used. As if something called tactical is somehow better.
 
There are certainly different design features that can help define a knife. A knife designed for gutting a big game animal isn't necessarily the best design for skinning it and yet another design is best for processing the meat, not to mention the steak knife used to eat it.

Granted ANY knife could be used for all of those uses, but there are specific features that make each of them better at specific tasks. There are specific designs intended for military/LE use, survival, bush crafting, fishing etc. And there are knives designed for everyday multipurpose use.

If you go to most of the knife manufacturers websites they list their knives by category. LE, tactical, EDC, hunting, bushcraft, meat processing, etc. You will often see some knives listed in multiple categories.

It is true that the term "tactical" is overused. But that 710 probably fits that moniker better than any other.
 
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