Ten Attributes To Select Your Fighting Knife

[Gabriel Suarez]

AFTER enough space has been created so that the draw is not fouled.

If you have that...and that is what is needed in any weapon access, it won't matter whether you have it or not. I am working with a Waved Endura at present and I will see what I work up.

In any case...as some may have guessed...there will be some very interesting (and caveman violent) knife material coming out very soon.

[Dont Tread on Me]

Moreover, not everyfight wil beging as a jujitsu match.

Which leads to practicing a covert draw and engaging the blade without a "click" sound from your lock. Black blades are also nice for palming at night.

I think the bottom line here is one should have a training version of his or her knife as has already been said and practice the hell out of drawing under pressure and understand the "pocket" of space you need to draw it in a fight.

[Gabriel Suarez]

Or move to Arizona and carry a fixed blade;)

[Matthew Sweeney]

The deadliest guy I ever met that actually stabbed people with a knife regularly...he carried a Buck 110.

I carry one of those every time I am out hunting. A great knife.

And you mentioned that guy who was deadly with one...well I know a guy that was surprised and being mauled by a brown bear all he could get to was his buck 110...he walked away...the bear didnt. Its the man...not the blade that determines the "tools" effectiveness.

[Treyarch]

That's exactly what I did, but I still had the other "issues" we discussed. I agree with what McCann says about the dangers of drawing a waved folder rearward to open in forward grip (sabre or covulsive). The arm does travel a good distance rearward, which sets you up for a fouled draw. I think if you are going to carry a waved folder, it does need to be set up to open into Pikal.

Ill have to You-Tube my draw with a waved knife. Mine comes more up than backwards.

[Legend of the Playground]

Ill have to You-Tube my draw with a waved knife. Mine comes more up than backwards.

Would like to see that as well

[Legend of the Playground]

Which leads to practicing a covert draw and engaging the blade without a "click" sound from your lock. Black blades are also nice for palming at night.

I think the bottom line here is one should have a training version of his or her knife as has already been said and practice the hell out of drawing under pressure and understand the "pocket" of space you need to draw it in a fight.

I agree DTM kind of the reason I like the thumb disk on my commander rather than using the wave feature. Years ago I got used to carrying the old Syperco police model as a utility knife which developed the muscle memory I still use for my commander today. I’m not sure I would have the patience to redevelop that skill again.

[Mickey Rourke]

I'm new to the whole reverse grip/P'kal draw. But if mine doesn't open all the way, the same flick of the wrist I use when opening a thumb stud/hole has so far opened it the rest of the way.

During 0-5 in one of the ground fighting drills, it took some wrestling to get enough leverage to draw my Airsoft lefty and simulate shooting my attacker in the side*. If I'd had access to a folder or fixed blade, I could have ended my FUT much earlier. Something to get me out of a mess is mainly what I'm after here.


*It was difficult enough to access the AIWB. I would have never been able to get to it strong side or 4 o'clock carry. And my blade in my normal right hand pocket carry might as well have been back in the Jeep:o

[Liberty or Death]

McCann has an interesting point on his new knife DVD where he shows how the traditional wave openings and inertial opening leave your arm vulnerable to jamming as it travel back past your butt or high in the air.

That thought had crossed my mind when I saw how far back I had pull my hand/arm in order to deploy the waved Delica.

As far as jamming the arm that is deploying a folder via inertia - I am beginning to think it's probably a very stupid idea to try and access anything if I am within arm's length of someone who is coming at me with Maximum/Significant Macro Pressure.

Not only does that take one of my hands out of the fight during a phase where distances are compressed and things are happening faster than the blink of the eye but trying to access a folder under those circumstances is an act requiring far greater fine motor skills dexterity than I am capable of under such conditions.

At arm's distance, where I'm caught behind the OODA cycle, my priorities would be to fend off the oncoming attack and counter with everything I've got (eye jabs, forearm smash to the throat, hammer fist across the bony part of their nose bridge, stomp kick to the knees, ad infinitum) until I have created the breathing room to get my knife out.

As you put it, "practice the hell out of drawing under pressure and understand the "pocket" of space you need to draw it in a fight".

He is going for non-waved knives and opening them by flipping the stud/hole like shooting a marble with the knife held tight against his hip.

FWIW, large folders are far more user friendly in the sense that the larger knife requires less fine motor skills to access while the (generally) heavier blade means you can flip it open with less effort and motion. Which is important when the range of motion available to you is limited due to either physical or environmental constraints.

On a related note, when opening any decent sized folder via inertia, make damned certain that the path of travel for the motion of the flip is clear. It would really suck road kill d*** if ,while in the process of flipping open your knife, the back edge of the blade slams into some environmental obstacle and closes shut on your fingers

BTW, that is another reason I am especially opposed to trying to bring a folder into action when I'm engaging a BG within trapping/grappling distances. The odds are great that amidst the flurry of flailing limbs - your own and the othe dude's - will obstruct your ability to open it into the fully locked position and the unacceptable - but very probable - risk of having it slam shut on your fingers.

Another problem with folders is the likelihood of losing/dropping it while trying to deploy. I know. We all train hard and practice consistently and conscientiously but the fact remains that shit happens and under the uber adrenal state of CQ conflict accessing a folder is a fine motor skillset and the odds of having a slippery hold on the knife handle due to sweat or blood on your hands are high.

Where folders are concerned, carry a back up. Maybe one that is positioned for the support side hand to access.

Black blades are also nice for palming at night.
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Or maybe carry an innocuous object with which to cover the blade.

A few weeks back I was leaving a friend's house at about 2am when a couple of homies followed me around the corner onto a dark street where my vehicle was parked. I covertly opened my secondary knife and held a DVD case over it with my thumb.

My main concern was to avoid alarming any innocents or po po that might happen to chance upon me yet still be instantaneoulsy ready if those assholes decided to make their move.

Guess my draw wasn't covert enough because by the time I was turning to visually assess the opposition they were both crossing the street and doing a 180

[OdieWon]

Gabe, I'm looking at OST right now, looking to buy the kind of knives you're talking about, is this something you're going to start carrying? It would seem that a waved Delica or Endura would be the ticket. (in reality probably 3 of them, because I just like to have enough) LOL.