I have a Belt Knife that has become one of my favorite knives and I keep looking at other Winkler designs. Finally got the Operator after much hemming and hawing.
Being in the Army Guard (and a knife nut), I keep thinking about a small fixed blade in case of deployment. My go to knives are the Swamp Rat Bandicoot and the Belt knife. Here they are together...
On top of the Bandicoot...
Note the thickness, tips and tapered tangs on the Winklers. The 'Coot is 3/16" thick...the Winkler's are thicker, but the Operator is markedly lighter than the other two.
I will say out of the box, my first thoughts were- "This is one small knife and how can it stand up in a demanding environment?" I had serious thoughts I could break this knife..until I started to use it.
The tip is tough! As I started to use it, I found my fears were unfounded...this thing is durable.
I did some basic cutting tasks to get a feel for it and also wanted to challenge it by batoning.
The handle is attractive...
So with a little use I found the 1st impressions were deceiving. It's a tough little cuss!
It has me thinking about it's role. While it is a small package really with the leather sheath-
It got me wondering about a taco kydex sheath as an extremely light weight, last ditch blade. I thought the Bandicoot was a small, minimalist blade- but it feels tank like next to the Operator. On one hand, the role of a fixed blade in today's military is quite limited...on the other hand, it's important to have a knife you have confidence in if you are going to bother to carry more than a folder. I have absolute faith in the Belt Knife and Swamp Rat and a growing confidence in the Operator. I should add I am no door kicker by any stretch, I'm in Behavioral Health and old. That being said, I obviously love me some knives and want good tools.
I used to practice martial arts regularly until marriage and children made it impossible, but I still do some drills a couple times a week and have worked the Operator into them. It is a fast, lightweight blade, faster than the 'Coot or the Belt knife. It is harder for me to use in the reverse grip due to the narrow handle up front. I do think it's partial preference for me for a wider grip but also because my pinky is messed up and the grip is weaker as a result. I also wonder how much the decreased mass will impact it during a slash. I'm going to need to come up with a decent test to explore that question.
Here are a couple more pics with folders too...I guess I like my knives stabby!
But you can really get a sense of how small and narrow the knife is. "Tactical steak knife" comes to mind...
I plan to make this an ongoing review like I did with the Belt Knife, so these are just some first thoughts. if you have an idea for testing this, please feel free to add them in a comment.
Seems to be almost nothing out there on this knife and I wanted to get a little information circulated. I'll add more as I spend more time with it.
Being in the Army Guard (and a knife nut), I keep thinking about a small fixed blade in case of deployment. My go to knives are the Swamp Rat Bandicoot and the Belt knife. Here they are together...
On top of the Bandicoot...
Note the thickness, tips and tapered tangs on the Winklers. The 'Coot is 3/16" thick...the Winkler's are thicker, but the Operator is markedly lighter than the other two.
I will say out of the box, my first thoughts were- "This is one small knife and how can it stand up in a demanding environment?" I had serious thoughts I could break this knife..until I started to use it.
The tip is tough! As I started to use it, I found my fears were unfounded...this thing is durable.
I did some basic cutting tasks to get a feel for it and also wanted to challenge it by batoning.
The handle is attractive...
So with a little use I found the 1st impressions were deceiving. It's a tough little cuss!
It has me thinking about it's role. While it is a small package really with the leather sheath-
It got me wondering about a taco kydex sheath as an extremely light weight, last ditch blade. I thought the Bandicoot was a small, minimalist blade- but it feels tank like next to the Operator. On one hand, the role of a fixed blade in today's military is quite limited...on the other hand, it's important to have a knife you have confidence in if you are going to bother to carry more than a folder. I have absolute faith in the Belt Knife and Swamp Rat and a growing confidence in the Operator. I should add I am no door kicker by any stretch, I'm in Behavioral Health and old. That being said, I obviously love me some knives and want good tools.
I used to practice martial arts regularly until marriage and children made it impossible, but I still do some drills a couple times a week and have worked the Operator into them. It is a fast, lightweight blade, faster than the 'Coot or the Belt knife. It is harder for me to use in the reverse grip due to the narrow handle up front. I do think it's partial preference for me for a wider grip but also because my pinky is messed up and the grip is weaker as a result. I also wonder how much the decreased mass will impact it during a slash. I'm going to need to come up with a decent test to explore that question.
Here are a couple more pics with folders too...I guess I like my knives stabby!
But you can really get a sense of how small and narrow the knife is. "Tactical steak knife" comes to mind...
I plan to make this an ongoing review like I did with the Belt Knife, so these are just some first thoughts. if you have an idea for testing this, please feel free to add them in a comment.
Seems to be almost nothing out there on this knife and I wanted to get a little information circulated. I'll add more as I spend more time with it.
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