"Tactical" Is Not a Purpose of Use and Represents an Undesirable Design Feature

Meh, I don't look for "tacticool" designs anymore but I still like carrying a locking folder when most days I could easily get away with using a tiny slipjoint, or even no knife at all. I don't think a knife is a great weapon for self-defence but I don't think it's useless either, especially in countries which ban tasers, pepper spray and carrying guns (pretty much the whole Commonwealth). It's a knife. Stick someone with it and it will hurt. I don't really see the point in aggressive gimping and overly thick blade stock etc.
 
RemyKaze said:
Q_Q Cry some more. The minute someone dismisses a knife as a possible self defense tool, is about the same time they purposely turn off part of their brain. It's like saying it is unrealistic to wear a watch now that we have clocks on our phones. The tool doesn't cease being useful in multiple applications, you're just turning off the logic that identifies it as a weapon as well as a tool. What are you going to do in the [highly unlikely] event that you are attacked and run out of ammo? You may say you won't need a knife for backup, but then....why do you think you need a gun? If they come out with laser guns, are you going to call hard caliber guns unrealistic?
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The emocon trolling of this post and its slippery slope logic is almost as useful as tactical applications of knifes. By all means. Please offer objective, quantifiable evidence to back up your "turn off part of brain therefore justify tactical knife use and commonality" argument. Go ahead.

Thanks.
 
RemyKaze said:
HA! I just see this as another pointless, whiny post we could really do without. As a whole lot of people said above...if you don't like it, don't buy it. It isn't like the whole tactical thing influences every knife out there. There are too many designs, materials, and styles to get stuck with one thing.
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And I see another, passive thoughtless "lulz dude, the market is teh market" reply that overlooks the importance of consumer demand, market trends, and how those factors ultimately effect your decisions as a consumer. It appears you're missing one of the key points of the thread: the myth of tactical use is infecting modern knife design and leading to unfortunate, functionless design trends. This is evident in a wide number of design features on multiple popular knife models: CRK Sebenza 25, BM 810, the entire cold steel product line, and most ZT knives to name only a few.
 
I agree that "tactical" as a 'feature' makes no sense but if I like the looks and style of a knife that is being described as "tactical," I can't let that turn me off. The same can be said of the "bushcraft" crowd and other little niche communities. Everything has it's fads and trends... I like what I like and you like what you like... Most of my favorite pocket knives would be considered "tactical" by the crowd here. You might not ever like the same knives as me and surely I would never agree that all the knives YOU like are worth owning... That's what makes this place interesting :D

CRK's, Striders, Emersons, Benchmades, Spydercos, Microtechs are all among my favorites... It's all good :)
 
Although I agree with the original post in most regards, I see a few points differently. I honesty can't imagine many scenarios in which an LEO or Military person would ever use a folding knife in defense. A firearm, extendable baton, pepper spray, or any number of items would be used first. I wonder when the last time a soldier used a knife in self defense? Vietnam maybe? The point being, soldiers and law enforcemnt have much better options available.

Now to many people, a knife seems to be the perfect slef defense tool. Many areas don't allow Conceal and carry, and some people just don't want to carry a gun. You can buy a "tactical" knife pretty cheap, and slip it right in the pocket. Plus, unlike a firearm, you can use it for tasks besides defense. Of course there are better options, pepper spray and extendable batons, but once again they serve one purpose: defense. A lot of people imagine themselves needing a tactical knife in a survival situation and decide they would rather be overprepared than underprepared, and some jsut like the looks. Not that any of this supports the case for tactical knives, just throwing out some thoughts on them.
 
Tactical?

Not really sure what that's supposed to mean.......

Taking into count I was in the USMC and that word never came up for the 4 years I was in....
 
Ankerson said:
Tactical?

Not really sure what that's supposed to mean.......

Taking into count I was in the USMC and that word never came up for the 4 years I was in....
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Jim, that was a looong time ago. I'm not sure terms like tactical, or mall ninja even existed back them:p
I know I never heard them in my younger days.
 
What amuses me most about the "tactical ultra hard use" craze right now is that Ernest Emerson, who arguably invented this niche of knives, uses 3mm stock, minimal jimping, and relatively thin liners. How did the Medfords and the Crusader Forges evolve from that? Emersons seem to be working just fine in their intended purpose, and they still function quite effectively for normal EDC tasks.
 
Ken44 said:
Jim, that was a looong time ago. I'm not sure the terms like tactical, or mall ninja even existed back them:p
I know I never heard them in my younger days.
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Yeah I know it was and that's the point. :D

I guess it could mean something like those paid models all dressed up in black or camo holding some knife or gun while trying to look like a tough guy.... ROFL :rolleyes:

Then all those wannabees dress up just like them and buy that said knife or gun so they can be just like that paid model who never was in the Military.....

That's really funny when I think about it. :D
 
I agree that "Tactical" is essentially a marketing concept or rather a market niche. It feeds on certain needs ( and I mean something like basic human need to feel safe) and presents non-functional, imaginative solution. I think it also has an essential benefit of creating some attractive design features and adding to product variety - not too bad for a marketing concept.
 
In the context of knife and other equipment sales, it's a cleverly used term with the intent to 1) make higher prices more palatable and 2) create a bridge between violent fantasy and material items that can be readily purchased. The fantasy part ensures that the consumer can never really have too many of such items. Add to that swift discontinuation of models and replacing them with different-looking ones, and you have a real money-maker, rivaling alcohol and pornography.

I seem to remember the term "survival" having similar usage.
 
I thought tactical meant it was black. So what am I to do with my tactical hat, tactical coffee, and tactical-d chicken?
 
Oakengroves said:
"Tactical" is not a philosophy or purpose of use. It is not a desirable design feature in a knife. What is "tactical?" It is the outdated, unrealistic concept of using a knife in a "self-defense" situation against another human being. This is an unrealistic concept given the proliferation of firearms, severe legal consequences of using a knife in self-defense, and rarity of situations where use a knife in self defense is even plausible. Let's be honest here: how many of you have ever, in any way, used a knife in a self-defense situation? Ten-percent of forum goers, perhaps? How many people in the general population, which consists overwhelmingly of civilian EDC and outdoorsman users, have ever used a knife in a tactical application? It is especially painful to watch knife reviewers critique/reject outstanding knives for the purpose that it is not sufficiently "tactical," especially when tactical uses are all but mythical.
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While I don't have many "tactical" knives and I generally agree with the rest of your post. The implication that it's not a defense weapon because there are other options like firearms is wrong. It's a concealable option available to those who can't, don't, or won't carry. It's not the best tool for the job, but it is a tool for the job. It might be the only tool available when needed. I bet the number associated with "how many of you have ever, in any way, used a knife in a self-defense situation?" isn't too far off from those that have ever been in a self defense situation.

It's definitely not my first choice, but it might be the only choice for those that prefer to take their own safety in their hands.


As far as which tactical knife to buy next? No idea, I generally prefer to buy a Traditional/Old Timey knife.
 
I would absolutely love to buy modern high quality folders with blades that are actually designed to cut stuff.

An Opinel blade has a geometry that cuts great and is still strong enough for light
prying. And for the SD obsessed, the chance a blade like that will break
in SD use is just too low to matter.

And that's the sad part: Where are the high quality (150$+) locking folders with
screw togheter construction, thin ground blades with a stock below 3 mm?
I'd buy them by the dozen.
 
Not really huge on tactical style knives myself, although I do appreciate them.

I agree with the "don't like it, don't buy it" crowd. The fad ultimately helps line the pockets of the big (and small) knife makers and thereby can provide for other non-tactical offerings.

Also, I strongly disagree with the sentiment that a knife is useless for self-defense. Is it ideal? No. Still, it is immensely better than being cornered with nothing but your thumbs to twiddle.
 
It's because most people have little to no need for knives in their daily life. Instead of thinking of a knife like a hammer, screwdriver, or any other tool, a knife is an object upon which to project fantasy, or an object with which to fantasize. By this I mean that for the most part "tactical" marketing is catering to people who won't ever use the knife as a weapon. It lets them fantasize about being a warrior or fantasize about having power that in reality they don't have. It's a powerful psychological marketing device. Since most people don't need knives in an urban setting, a knife is no longer a simple tool to get work done. It's now a "tactical" object of power used for fantasy. I think this is true for a lot of people. This has nothing to do with intelligence, I think it's simply that knives have become dislocated from their status as a tool , people can project whatever they want onto them.

This is why you don't see tactical kitchen knives and why kitchen knives aren't scary to most people. They're incredibly normal and still retain their status as tool and useful everyday object, so there's no room to use them as an object of fantasy or to fantasize about being a super commando warrior who wields a kitchen knife to stop the bad guys.

I don't think there's much room to use small folding knives in modern combat, but that does not discount the possibility nor does it discredit people who choose to train in self defense with knives as part of the scenarios. There are very real dangers involving knives. Training with them for self defense or training to protect yourself against knives is absolutely a worthwhile part of self defense training, in my opinion. What I'm referring to is people envisioning they have all sorts of skill simply because they own a "tactical" knife, when in reality all they're doing is playing with knives as toys, instead of utilizing them as tools.

Is this a bad thing? I can't judge that. It seems that since there isn't a need for knives for most people they've become playthings. I imagine this is true of many other objects as well. If they become disassociated with their original purpose or intent, people can think about them in other ways.

That being said, I own a few "tactical" style knives that I bought while trying to figure out what kind of knife I want to carry, but after a few years of purchasing I settled on carrying and using my slipjoints the most.
 
sticktodrum said:
I thought tactical meant it was black. So what am I to do with my tactical hat, tactical coffee, and tactical-d chicken?
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This is one of the funniest things i've ever heard! haha, awesome!

My take on tactical is that its the product of a lot of paranoid people who are making tools into weapons. I dont like the idea of making knives look more like weapons, and the marketing fools some people into thinking they could win a knife fight. I think these designs make people fantasize about being tough and whatnot. Thats just my opinion, Im not a soldier of fortune or a professional knife fighter so my opinion doesn't count..
 
Uniforms:

Yeah those of us who served wore them because we had to as in it was required.

It could be Class A,B,C, utilities (Camouflage), dress blues or whites if they were in the Navy, all depended on what was required that day based on what was needed and what was going on....

Wasn't a big deal....

It was just a job like any other job other than we served our Country for the time period that we stayed in.

Some of us went places that we really didn't want to go, did things we really didn't want to do and put up with a lot of things that we really couldn't stand....

Like I said, it was a job....
 
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