What makes a fighting knife

[Lapedog]

There are so many different styles of fighting knives and even on one individual style of knife (say bowie) there are many different schools of thought on how to use it. So what "makes" a fighting knife a fighting knife is kind of a hard question to answer. This is because different things make different knives proficient in fighting in different ways.

So what makes a fighting knife? A sharp blade and a handle.

 

[Scara]

A lot of sensible comments here. One problem with selecting a fighting knife based on expected use is that nowadays it's hard to predict what that use might be, especially in a complex urban environment. Will you be using it in the narrow confines of an apartment, or in an open area outside? Will you be confronting a single assailant, or several? Is it for self-defense, or are you training to be a hit-man (don't answer that)? Are you going to carry the knife, or keep it next to your bed? If carry, will it be concealed or exposed? What are the laws where you live?

Although I have a (modest) knife collection, I prefer a staff for self-defense. It can be used as a walking stick, particularly useful in irregular, hilly terrain; it is longer than a knife and just as good for disabling or discouraging an attacker, and the attacker is more likely to survive. That last point is important: If you kill or cripple someone with your perfect fighting knife, the burden will be on you to prove that it was necessary or justified. (Innocent until proven guilty is not a very dependable shield when someone is lying at your feet in a pool of blood. At minimum you could be stuck with large lawyer fees.) There might not be witnesses and the circumstances might be ambiguous to someone who was not there (such as a judge or jury). This is more of an issue in some cities and states than others, but it is a potential problem wherever you are, other than a war zone.

If your aim is to learn a martial art that includes bladework, that might be reason enough to pick a particular type of knife, but that might not be the one that you can lawfully carry into that dark alley at midnight. I hate to mention it, but in some situations a good pair of running shoes might be more useful than a good fighting knife.

Of course this is Bladeforums, not Runners World, so it's more interesting to discuss the characteristics of knives, and I enjoy it also.

Merrell Trail Glove 3s all the way.

And this has proven to be a remarkably immortal thread, and there's always a new and interesting take every time it comes up. Kind of amazes me how this thread has done.

 

[stwm]

Thanks for the shoe recommendation

 

[ThePeacent]

To me, a fighting knife can be said of a combat knife, that is, an edged weapon mainly designed to eliminate, incapacitate or kill your enemy in the combat scenario -be it a town, a bunker, a trench line or a jungle-.
What it makes it different from others it's the idea behind its desing. It is not a survival knife (good for woodworking, hunting, a do-it-all from skinning to chopping), not a utility knife (opneing crates, digging, cutting cord, rope and wire, camp duties...) or a kitchen knife.
It's a weapon, designed to maim or kill quickly and effectively, and generally that takes back from its versatilty as a tool, a kitchen implement or a sturdy wilderness oriented tool.

As a result, in my view the blades tend to be very sharp, pointy and not overly thick, there is a grippy handle -with or without guard- and the blade excels at penetrating, thrusting and slashing.
It has to be quickly accessible, fast in the hand and safe to the user, something like this comes to mind

of course, any blade that gets used to kill or maim in a fight would become a fighting knife, but that is reflected on its usage and not necessarily its design

 

[ndoghouse]

I still prefer my atlatl

Doesnt work too well in the bedroom tho.

This one's my favorite

Silent killer! I dont think you would survive this! I know it aint a knife but...

 

[Bawanna]

Is that a straightening rack or a new design for a multiple arrow launcher?

Me thinks you was born a few hundred years too late. Many say I'm a 100 years too late.

 

[kronckew]

if they get too close you can always hit them with it.

 

[kronckew]

on a more steely note: someone else's idea of a fighting knife - i'm guessing a theatre made knife, 10.25 in. blade, guard and bolster are bronze. razor sharp edge is on the same side as the knuckle guard. upper spine & clip section is not sharp. the seax lives on. i'm looking for a nice appropriate scabbard to fit the beast.

 

[Scara]

Interesting design. Very well made for a theater knife. You could always make your own kydex sheath for it, but leather seems more appropriate for it.

So here's an interesting question. A lot of people have mentioned pointy blades as fighting knives, but the Hanshee style of kukri was meant purely for fighting, and while pointier than many kukris, is not especially pointy. Dang, I want a hanshee. Some day... some day...

 

[stwm]

"The Ultimate Fighter"... Cherokee Rose.. L-3... Gelbu Special.... Those are more or less my 'fighting knives'..

 

[ndoghouse]

Seaxy knife Kronck! First impression was the top was sharp and the guard was on backwards? Very khul!

 

[kronckew]

pushing the limits a bit, the brits issued this 'knife' to the riflemen in the early 19c. the enlisted riflemen (think 'richard sharpe'). they were not allowed to carry swords, these were thus not swords, so they must be knives. - much later the enlisted 'rifles' were issued with 'sword bayonets' to get around the social definitions. the later ones were straight, had attachments for putting it on the end of a rifle and were not well liked as bayonets. the 'bayonets' were also issued to pioneers and also not well liked. the saw teeth were functional but just barely. some were issued to naval forces as cutlasses. also not well liked. the straight ones used in the TV series were well after the napoleonic wars, they would have looked more like this 1831 nodel. the original 'baker' rifle bayonets go for a small fortune.

the straight 1856 one:

(both these are not mine, by the way)

...moving along, some bright spark who liked his curvy one bought it at auction after it reached the end of it's official life and 'repurposed' it for use in a later conflict. it has the official double broad arrow stamp for the 'out of service' sale, as does the straight 1856 one above.

i came across it at an antique dealer's auction here a few weeks ago. it wanted to come live with me.
blade is 55 cm. long (22in.) , 4.5 cm. wide at the guard, 6 mm. thick & distal tapered. the 20cm. 'yelman' (the top sharpened area of the spine ahead of the saw teeth) is razor sharp, as is the blade almost to the guard. guard is 1.2cm. thick brass, carved to match the grip. pommel cap is held by 4 small brass screws with crossed heads. grip is 16cm. from guard to end of pommel. it's 4.2cm dia. at the guard, getting larger near the pommel. the 'saw' part is VERY sharp and the teeth are 'set' properly like a real hand saw, not just notches. blade is pitted, but has been polished and no active rust present. weight sans scabbard is 820gm. no other mark than the double arrow mark, the x just ahead of the guard disk.

scabbard is wood, covered in what looks like vellum, or thin calfskin, light color, a bit grimey. very well done. brass chape is well made as well. small holes are on the scabbard's spine near the mouth and further down where suspension ring mounts would once have been.

so, not a bayonet, no longer a pioneer or rifleman's sword bayonet, too heavy for a 'machete' it must be a combat 'fighting' knife. i suspect some brit ossifer chopped his way thru SE Asia at some point, possibly a chindit in burmah, or some other clime or era where it was thought useful.

thus endith the lesson.

 

[ndoghouse]

1.2cm Thats a heck of a blade! Prolly a fairly notable chopper too if needed! You can tell it aint Japanese cause the teeth go the wrong way They like pulling chips. We like pushing them. Honestly I think they had a better ideer!

 

[Bawanna]

Kronckew has the coolest stuff. I really dig these lessons.

My best to the moat monsters.

 

[Howard Wallace]

I see James Keating has a seminar coming up on the "big 3," Bowie, Arkansas Toothpick, and Khukuri. I may go visit him back of beyond and see what he's been cogitating on.

 

[Scara]

I see James Keating has a seminar coming up on the "big 3," Bowie, Arkansas Toothpick, and Khukuri. I may go visit him back of beyond and see what he's been cogitating on.

I've been watching some of his Youtube videos again lately. Amazing fighter. I love his Power Passing video in particular. I'd love to go to his seminar on the Big 3, but I'm not exactly in the neighborhood.