Knife suggestion for infantry soldier

C

cpmcda01

Joined
May 7, 2004
Messages
1
My brother's commissioning ceremony was today. He is now a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army and has been assigned to the infantry division. I was thinking about buying him a combat or survival knife that he could use, but I am unsure of what would be practical without being too expensive.

Is this even a good idea? I'm not even sure if he could use one without asking him (I'm not sure what the Army issues), and I'd rather not spoil the surprise. Thanks in advance for your input.

Craig
 
Craig, welcome to Bladeforums! Congratulations on having a soldier in your family, and especially to your brother on his commission.

We should defer to combat soldiers for the best advice on what to get him, but I think you won't go wrong with a multitool. Big blades are impressive, but rarely necessary, and he may not end up in an area where he'll even be allowed to walk around with one.

But a multitool is even useful around the office, and certainly in the field, where something is always breaking or loosening up or needs cutting. There are lots of different multitools, big and small. A Swiss Army Knife might not be a bad idea either, although most of them don't have the pliers that can be so useful.

I recommend you look at Leatherman, SOG, Victorinox, or Gerber. Since we now have a Multi-tools & Multi-purpose Knives forum, your search should be even easier!
 
It depends a bit on your budget. I would go for a very tough knife like one from Swamp Rat knives. If he does not have a history of being "in to knives" I would go with one that is moderate in size and will not get in the way. A Howling Rat seems about right, but they have bigger ones that might fit him if he is a "knife guy". By the way you can only buy swamprat knives direct from them and there is a delay.

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

If your budget is a bit lower or you need something immediately you might look at a Becker Knife and Tool BK-7 or BK-10, made by Camillus:

http://www.onestopknifeshop.com/store/becker.html
 
All the above suggestions are very sound. Another aspect to consider is what type of unit is he assigned to; Is he on a line unit or on a staff position? If he is on staff position a knife is of minor impact for the mission. Is he on a Mechanized or Light Inf ?; Mechanized Inf have motorized transportation at their disposal while Light Inf have leather boots to transport them (they might be inserted to a position by wheel, rotary or wing) and are weight conscious for the most part. Additionally most units have limitations on the length of the blade, usually 5 to 6 inches is the acceptable length. He’ll need something tough and dependable, off course your budget is the limit, and I’m going to mention a few more; Falkniven, Cold Steel (avail at PX), Cammillus, SOG Field Knife and AlMar SRO (5” S30V and 6oz). Congratulations and good luck.
 
As a former infantryman in the 82nd Airborne I can tell you that bigger is not always better. Weight is an important consideration for a guy that has to carry evrything he is going to use on a mission. A smaller knife will also stay out of the way when running, shooting, doing combat rolls. When I was in I carried a either a Buck tool or a Leatherman (though I would have gotten a Leatherman Wave if I could have) and a Busse Mean Street. This little knife has about a 3" blade and is 1/4" thick. It served me well through my time in the Army and also came in handy at the Pentagon on 9/11. This knife currently resides in my coat pocket at work (I'm a fireman). While Busse is not currently making this knife, they are making the Public Defender which has similar specs and I feel this would be an excellent knife for the everyday chores an infantryman asks of his knife.
 
EVERYONE in the military can use a multi-tool. If he doesn't have one already that would be an excellent choice. Personally I prefer the Victorinox Swisstool, but the Leatherman SuperTool 200 would be a good one too. I'm not a fan of Gerber multis but that's just me. If you're set on a fixed blade any of the above suggestions would work just fine, and I'll add that the any of the Chris Reeves One Piece line or the Green Beret with a 5.5 or 7 inch blade would be great as well. I think the Green Beret would be my first choice, followed closely by a Swamp Rat (if cost wasn't a factor). If you're counting pennies then the Swamp Rat wins hands down. Good luck with whatever you decide, and congratulations to your brother!
 
Maybe something by John Greco? I don't know what he still has in stock, but both the Whisper C.T. and the MST IV are nice. I remember seeing an old thread... here it is. . The pictures on Mr. Greco's site do not do the knives justice.

I have a Whisper, and it is an amazing knife, although you might want to take the time to reprofile the edge and have a kydex sheath made. If your brother has large hands, however, the grip on the Whisper will be too small and an MST would be better.
 
I really liked the Camillus Pilot Survival Knife. Cheap and easy to replace. If your brother goes Airborne (many officers do) the sheath is protected with a metal cover to avoid accidents while making a PLF.
DCFireman- What unit were you in? I was in the 2/504 in 86-87, and later in 89-90.
 
Congratulations to your brother. I was commissioned as an Armor Officer (tanks) many years ago. On a daily basis I carried a Leatherman or a Buck 110. The Leatherman saw more use. However, a nice custom 110 with his name, rank, and date of commissioning engraved into the blade/handle would be a great gift.

It would be a good idea to also get him a nice pen because those officers are always taking notes. I suggest a Space Pen. Those can also be engraved.
 
many soldiers wear their knives in a sheath on there belt like u would a leatherman or such. a 5 in fixed blade/boot knife works too.

i carry my sebenza everyday in uniform.
 
fixed - SOG seal pup, Emerson PUK, Buck/Strider Solution, ka-bar. I like them all.

Multitool - leatherman is cool.

folder - strider / buck-strider.
 
I just recieved my Benchmade Nimravus 141. So far a great knife. Allthough a bit on the slim side on the blade. It does seem to be a keeper as far as a fighting knife. The grips are very comfortable, not to fat, not to slim. They fill the palm nicely...and A nice Kydex sheath to boot. I'm a firefighter and I have it on my wildland gear. If its like my other benchmade (Stryker) it'll last forever...
 
If I were you, I'd get him several...

1. Get a multitool - any full size leatherman.See if you can find a Juice or PST for cheap!
2. A medium-sized folder...any really. 710, 806, 551/556 etc come to mind...remember, this will be a utility blade, no need for an hypermegaultraridiculous folder made of unobtiniumite, just something relatively inexpensive and reliable, and preferable light and small.
3. A fixed utility blade. Not much experience with these, consult someone who knows what they're doing out there. Benchmade Nimvarus is a bit pricy, but would be excellent for this.
4. A fighting knife. Two to recommend...first, anything patterned on the Stykes Fighting Knife, this is a dagger-type implement, roughly 6.5 inch blade. Look at old bayonets on www.cheaperthandirt.com, you should be able to find something. Alternately, (and I have read reports from soldiers in Iraq saying these were very effective), get a Hissatsu. It's a knife patterned after traditional japanese tanto, and the guy who designed it has had a very large amount of combat experience. www.quickknife.com has this, it's made by Columbia River, you should be able to find it for around 65$....
 
It is not only knife for use it is also a present and his brother - officer not a solder. In this case I think Busse Active Duty is perfect solution:
http://www.bussecombat.com/knives/1.html
It is tough for field use and it id fancy to be good present which his brother will remember and appretiate.
Also look at:
Buck Strider
Swamp Rat
Fallkniven
CrisReeves Green Beret
Nivramus ATS-34 or M1
Sissipuukko M95 ( http://www.brisa.fi/sissi.html )
Thanks, Vassili.
 
Wunderbar said:
.
DCFireman- What unit were you in? I was in the 2/504 in 86-87, and later in 89-90.
Click to expand...
I was an 11B in C co. 3/504 from 96-99. Devil Brigade leads the way!
 
Camillus CQB Black-Ops: comes with a very sharp carbon steel blade, a very comfortable and secure Micarta handle, a tough black crinkle coating and an well-made OD green/black sheath (which includes a pocket that can easily hold either a multi-tool, Zippo and accessories, a small flashlight or whatever.
It's not only an excellent work knife, but with it's point on the centerline and the (unsharpened) false edge a good fighter as well.

It may not look overly neat in a showcase (although personally I like its rugged, yet pretty elegant looks), but if you really need a tough knife for a soldier, this would be a fine (and relatively inexpensive) choice.

My very best wishes to your brother.
 
cpmcda01 said:
Is this even a good idea? I'm not even sure if he could use one without asking him (I'm not sure what the Army issues), and I'd rather not spoil the surprise. Thanks in advance for your input.

Craig
Click to expand...

If it were me I would spoil the surprise and let him pick out what he wants. Wouldn't you rather get him the perfect knife he wants :D and can use. That is just the approach I would take. Either way I think it is a great Idea. If you decide on a custom knife, make sure and tell the maker what the knife is for. I know some makers give discounts for military and police.
 
Without any actual experience, so can't talk about combat knives.

But might I suggest a pocket knife - like the SAK (Swiss Army Knife)?
These would always be handy and supplemental to any fixed blade.

Just as the name suggests the Victorinox Soldier is a actually issued to the Swiss military:
53929_l.jpg

soldier #53929
ribbed silver alox
size:91 mm | 3 1/2 inch
Large blade
Can opener with small screwdriver
Bottle opener with large screwdriver & wire stripper
Sturdy reamer
Priced less than $20 (in local Target stores)

with scissors and woodsaw - the Huntsman -
53201_l.jpg

huntsman #53201
size:91 mm | 3 1/2 inch
Large blade
Small blade
Can opener with small screwdriver
Bottle opener with large screwdriver & wire stripper
Scissors
Wood saw
Reamer with sewing eye
Corkscrew
Hook
Toothpick
Tweezers
Key ring
(low priced at under $25)

Don't buy a SAK that's too big as it would not be a comfortable in-pocket carry.

The main advantage of in-pocket carry means that the knife is almost inevitably always on the person.

--
Vincent

http://UnknownVincent.cjb.net/
http://UnknownVT.cjb.net/
 
cpmcda01, even though your brother was commissioned yesterday, he has almost a year before he gets to a permanent assignment with a unit. He has to complete Infantry Officers Basic Course at Fort Benning and possibly Airborne School and Ranger School. Some schools take a dim view of "packing visible steel". I agree with others above that a good Swiss Army Knife or a multi-tool would be the best for now. Once he gets to his Infantry Battalion, they will have a climate that will either accept or prevent his carrying a fixed blade and he can then choose.

Good luck to your brother!

stevekt, I was branched Quartermaster in 1976 but was assigned to the 194th Armored Brigade at Fort Knox till 1978 (544th Maintenance Battalion). My unit repaired all those "school tanks" when the AOBC students wrecked them. Common damage was torn up sponson boxes and recoil mechanisms when students forgot to elevate the tube when crossing gullies at right angles! The common cry was, "This tank has to be back at the school by morning!!!!"

Bruce Woodbury
COL, QM
Retired (1976-1999)
 
There is nothing scarier than 4 lieutenants in one tank with an NCO in the suicide chair. I was class AOB 2-96. You're just a few decades before my time. ;)
 
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