"Mall Ninja"??

Tony8179

Tony8179

Joined
Feb 20, 2008
Messages
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There is alot of talk about "Mall Ninja" lately in alot of threads. I believe this is a term that's usually used in circles of knife owners and gun owners. If this was a widespread term that was used by the majority of the public, it seems to me, that all of us knife nuts would be labeled as "Mall Ninjas". People who don't carry knives and/or guns on an everyday basis would label us just for carrying a knife and/or firearm everyday. To label one knife as "Mall Ninja" garbage and not another doesn't make sense to me. What causes one knife to be labeled as Mall Ninja and not another? Is it color? Is it blade shape? Is it materials used? Is it where it's made? Someone explain to me what "Mall Ninja" means and why it means that. To me it seems like a dumb-ass phrase that people throw around when they don't like the design, look, or price of a certain knife. Can someone enlighten me?
 
If you respond to over the top marketing, you might be a mall ninja.
If you think about de-animating tangos, you might be a mall ninja.
If you carry more weapons than a infantry squad to keep yourself safe when taking out the garbage, you might be a mall ninja.
 
If you feel comfortable dressing down career law enforcement officers because you have a security gig at the local mall, you might be a mall ninja.
If your knife has blood grooves to prevent the blade from getting suction stuck in a recently de-animated sentry, you might be a mall ninja.
 
Mall ninja was originally used for mall security officers, especially if they took the security look a bit too seriously. From there it moved to overenthusiastic youngsters who overdid the fantasy weapon rigs. Sometimes it's used here now for knives that are unrealistically militarized, like Dark Ops.
 
Mall Ninja is more a class of buyers then knives, but there are some specific knives that seem to cater to *cough* *cough* dark *cough* ops *cough* the "mall ninja" mentality.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Mall ninja was originally used for mall security officers, especially if they took the security look a bit too seriously. From there it moved to overenthusiastic youngsters who overdid the fantasy weapon rigs. Sometimes it's used here now for knives that are unrealistically militarized, like Dark Ops.
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Unrealistically militarized?

DarkOpsInterCeptor1.jpg

DOIEE%20Dark%20Ops%20Interceptor.jpg


Who'd a thought?
 
black blade, usually seen as a mall ninja thing cause black blades are non reflective so use in a covert environment is except able. Then there are the wild fantasy knives, then all the tactical talk and nylons used to keep all the crazy stuff mall ninjas think they will use, like night vision goggles or something similar. Age also has a slight thing to do with it and the amount of weapons you carry and just a lot of vibes that come off as a pimpled teenager thinking hes cool because he carries a black covert ops blade and has night vision goggles to fight off.......absolutely nothing....
-Barry-
 
Ed T, I appreciate the humor, but I'm not asking what makes one a Mall Ninja. I asked what makes a knife considered Mall Ninja. Esav, your answer helps somewhat, but I don't know what you mean by "unrealistically militarized". I've talked to a few former and still enlisted Military and all of them told me they carried a Leatherman as well as some kind of folder. The answers on the folders were all different, but all of them told me they carried a Leatherman of some sort. Does this mean that Leathermans are Mall Ninja?
 
Tony8179 said:
Ed T, I appreciate the humor, but I'm not asking what makes one a Mall Ninja. I asked what makes a knife considered Mall Ninja. Esav, your answer helps somewhat, but I don't know what you mean by "unrealistically militarized". I've talked to a few former and still enlisted Military and all of them told me they carried a Leatherman as well as some kind of folder. The answers on the folders were all different, but all of them told me they carried a Leatherman of some sort. Does this mean that Leathermans are Mall Ninja?
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You're confusing "mall ninja" with "military." Just because the military uses something, or something is actually designed for military use, doesn't make it mall ninja.
 
Maybe I'm understanding a bit more. But to me that Dark Ops knife is a Tanto blade with serrations and a black coating. Is this seriously Mall Ninja? The Fantasy knives I fully understand. They are quite ridiculous, but I don't know anyone that actually carries or would ever use one. It seems to me that anyone can qualify any knife as Mall Ninja if they wanted to.

Edited: I don't understand how a black coating makes something Mall Ninja. I can see someone calling the newer Microtech Katana line Mall Ninja with the false Hamon and everything. I can see those Spetsnaz Ballistic knives being Mall Ninja. I can see The Wasp Knife being Mall Ninja. A black coating though? I guess there are some things beyond my grasp.

Edited again: I can see what you're saying about that second Dark Ops knife. It looks more like a Fantasy Knife than just a knife.
 
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Um. I did time in the infantry and if someone ever carried a dark ops knife or something similar i think they would get laughed right outta their unit. seriously! A knife like that is best serving a purpose hung up on a 16 year old kids wall than ever being used as an offensive/defensive tool.
 
Ive never heard of DarkOps before reading this post. And now im sitting here all wide-eyed gawking at the pictures just posted:eek:....Good god!

I mean what the f***k is that knife supposed to be used for?? Had to google it and this is taken from their site:

"The Shadow offers an extended blade length for penetrating Comm-bloc frag vests with an accelerated spearpoint tip and sharpened foretip for maximum penetration. The top edge features a bone breaker and a radical, self-cleaning BlastRip™ saw for carving survival notches in spears and anchoring notches for detonation cord. A pat pend. BarbSnap™ cutter allows for rapid notching and snapping of interdiction wires in entry ops. "

Im sorry but i just cant imagine who'd buy a knife like that...
 
Um. I did time in the infantry and if someone ever carried a dark ops knife or something similar i think they would get laughed right outta their unit. seriously! A knife like that is best serving a purpose hung up on a 16 year old kids wall than ever being used as an offensive/defensive tool. The best tools would have to be a good leatherman with tools and something like a rat cutlery RC-4 and thats it.
 
To me, what makes a knife "mall ninja" it's it's overly exaggerated and useless. Something with multiple blades comes to mind. It's more of a way the person owning it acts. I bought this in case I have to do a covert take out of multiple intruders in my home. They discuss these scenarios over and over with anyone who will listen. they want others to think they're extremely capable, but their "training" is from video games.

For those that wonder where Mall Ninja originated, read about our friend Gecko45...

http://lonelymachines.org/mall-ninjas/

Jonathan
 
It's pretty much impossible for actual military personnel to be mall ninja's, as the essence of being a mall ninja is to *claim* and pretend to be something on the order of special operations troops, when in fact you are not (just a delusional fool).

Think 'tactical poseur'.

This whole thing was started as a reaction to a real person, who worked security in a mall and posted various delusional rantings, including lurid details of how he wore multiple trauma plates to resist multiple .308 hits while taking out the garbage. That sort of thing. I wish I could remember his name....

Edit: THANK YOU jonconsiglio. Gecko45. That's the guy. :)
 
Okay. I don't want this to get too off topic. I don't want to get into talking about the Military. No offense to any of the posters, but I'd like to keep this in a genreal direction of what people consider Mall Ninja knives and why.
 
kmm said:
Ive never heard of DarkOps before reading this post. And now im sitting here all wide-eyed gawking at the pictures just posted:eek:....Good god!

I mean what the f***k is that knife supposed to be used for?? Had to google it and this is taken from their site:

"The Shadow offers an extended blade length for penetrating Comm-bloc frag vests with an accelerated spearpoint tip and sharpened foretip for maximum penetration. The top edge features a bone breaker and a radical, self-cleaning BlastRip™ saw for carving survival notches in spears and anchoring notches for detonation cord. A pat pend. BarbSnap™ cutter allows for rapid notching and snapping of interdiction wires in entry ops. "
Im sorry but i just cant imagine who'd buy a knife like that...
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I can do better then that.

Dork Ops said:
By the time you are using your knife and not your rifle or sidearm, things have already gone to hell. Our knives are designed to retain maximum grip and leverage when covered with hydraulic fluid or blood. Our mil-tested handle designs contain ground quartz inserts for maximum grip, aided by substantial finger grooves that orient the knife in the dark. The blades are long and sharp enough to penetrate both airplane skins and Comm-bloc body-armor. Strategically placed blood grooves control blood spray in covert deanimation activities.
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Yeah, on their website. :rolleyes:
 
I'd guess that if the blade looks more like it was designed to appeal to the warrior fantasy life of adolescent boys of all ages than to do useful tasks, that could be classified "mall ninja". If selling points of a modern knife are strictly "combat-oriented", that is sometimes considered mall-ninja. Another prerequisite though, may be a sort of overly outlandish/hi-tech/angular look. Imagine "tactical" taken to a more cartoonish level.
 
C.S. Graves said:
I'd guess that if the blade looks more like it was designed to appeal to the warrior fantasy life of adolescent boys of all ages than to do useful tasks, that could be classified "mall ninja". If selling points of a modern knife are strictly "combat-oriented", that is sometimes considered mall-ninja. Another prerequisite though, may be a sort of overly outlandish/hi-tech/angular look. Imagine "tactical" taken to a more cartoonish level.
Click to expand...

Okay, this is what I'm looking for. I've seen a few posts about Strider folders being labeled as Mall Ninja. Can someone elaborate because I own two and find them to be very useful EDCs. Although I'm not a fan of the Tiger Striping on the blade of one of them, it doesnt' affect use at all.
 
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