Thread: who likes custom knives?

Very few fighting knives are actually used for fighting any more than genuine Samurai swords are actually used for fighting. These usually go to fairly (or extremely) wealthy individuals who collect such pieces. The attraction is the wicked, beautiful look of these weapons as presentation pieces and this is a presentation fighter. It's certainly an excellent choice for actual fighting or combat and could be carried as a weapon but that's not usually the use for these presentation knives.

The difference between a fighting knife and a camp knife is that they are designed for very different purposes. A camp knife needs to be easily sharpened, are usually pretty hefty for chopping and other heavy choes and have a utilitarian blade design, often much like a chef's knife would have. Fighting knives can either be practical, such as this one, or "fantasy design", which isn't so much practical as just plain evil looking. One that's a practical fighter will be light in the hand, very agressive at cutting, tough, but hard at the edges so it will take and hold a razor edge. It should be able to be held comfortably with a standard or reverse grip and usually has a very agressive tip with a false edge for stabbing as well as slicing. The fullers lighten the weight and balance. It should be very nimble. It should also have very good finger guards so that cutting off a few fingers while using it isn't a likelihood and it should also be, in my opinion, very secure in the hand with a strong hook at the butt section so it can't slip from the hand when wet or when trying to extract the blade.

Think of hand to hand querilla combat during a wartime situation when you think of fighting knives. These utilitarian pieces would be "tactical fighters", similar in design but with much less focus on a polished fit and finish with high end materials. Micarta handles and brush finishes are pretty standard fare for tactical knives meant for every day carry by law enforcement, military, etc.

I make it a firm policy to never take a knife to a gunfight.

Originally Posted by Jonedangerousli

I make it a firm policy to never take a knife to a gunfight.

Believe it or not, a knife is more dangerous in close quarters (less than 12 feet) than a gun.

Police are taught that anyone armed with a knife should be considered a deadly threat at 12 feet or less.

Guns make a bullet sized hole. A knife can do so much damage with one stroke that survival is a virtual impossibility. Best bet is avoiding both gunfights and knife fights.

Actually knife "fights" are rarely what we think of as classic knife vs. knife hand combat. It's usually one guy armed with a knife dispatching someone who isn't armed with a knife. This kind of stuff is really common in the worst parts of South Africa and the Phillipines and some other places where knives are the weapons of choice.

Here are a few of my Customs

Takeda Ajikiri
2x Harner utilities
Carter KU Nakiri

I like custom knives that I can use, so I focus on kitchen knives. I'm putting together a set of custom carbon knives from different makers. So far I have what I think is the top of the list with Carter and Takeda, now to figure out the next 3...

Wow...those are some real nice looking tomatoes!
(...hey...what can I say....I'm on a diet!...)

Seriously, though, not being a knife guy, I was surprised to see that the 2 Harners weren't at the top of your list....they are the most visually appealing....heck, if I saw the other two at a garage sale, I'd offer, what, maybe two or three bucks......five tops. Those flashy Harners, though, well, I'd dig deep for those.....


....just goes to show.....flash sells.

nice knives.

-whatever

-Lou

Originally Posted by scarface

Wow...those are some real nice looking tomatoes!
(...hey...what can I say....I'm on a diet!...)

Seriously, though, not being a knife guy, I was surprised to see that the 2 Harners weren't at the top of your list....they are the most visually appealing....heck, if I saw the other two at a garage sale, I'd offer, what, maybe two or three bucks......five tops. Those flashy Harners, though, well, I'd dig deep for those.....


....just goes to show.....flash sells.

-Lou

I'm more interested in steel and construction than flash I love rustic carbon steel knives. But than again my "Combat Knives" are different than others would consider




Mmmm no more production pics... sorry couldn't resist though

Originally Posted by PapaBull

Believe it or not, a knife is more dangerous in close quarters (less than 12 feet) than a gun.

Police are taught that anyone armed with a knife should be considered a deadly threat at 12 feet or less.

Guns make a bullet sized hole. A knife can do so much damage with one stroke that survival is a virtual impossibility. Best bet is avoiding both gunfights and knife fights.

Actually knife "fights" are rarely what we think of as classic knife vs. knife hand combat. It's usually one guy armed with a knife dispatching someone who isn't armed with a knife. This kind of stuff is really common in the worst parts of South Africa and the Phillipines and some other places where knives are the weapons of choice.

More like 25 feet. That distance can be closed faster than most people can clear their leather. In many CQB situations, a gun can be utterly useless next a knife with only a semi-skilled wielder that generally knows what he (or she) is doing. Knives can do much more damage than a gun or rifle in one go-'round. That is why the Army is really starting to get back to the basics on some of the bayonet and knife instruction, along with armed (knife, bludgeon) and unarmed combatives. They always taught bayonet, but no one ever really cared to take the time to "really" teach how to use it. Now, things have changed. The Marines - well they always taught it, and a lot...

Looks very nice and practical. I have just one remark / question: From my martial arts days I remember my teacher telling me that he had seen people cut the palms of their hands to the bone while stabbing at someone because their hands slipped from the handle to the blade.

Looking at the handle on this knife, doesn't this one carry the same risk if the handle is slippery from blood / rain?

My teacher told me that most knives designed to be used in combat have a small bump or plate between the handle and the blade that is shaped to prevent the index finger / little finger (depending on how you hold it) sliding from the handle even if you would hit a solid object while stabbing.

Massad Ayoob teaches 21 feet.

21 feet can be covered by the average person in 1.5 seconds which is slightly faster than the average draw of roughly 2 seconds.

Since holster security (read- hard to get out) has improved it is good policy (read- a good idea if you don't want to die) to unholster your weapon if the individual in question is within 21 (more like 30 as far as I'm concerned) feet.

If someone is really close I would prefer to leave my gun locked in the holster and use my hands (read- knife).

I posted this elsewhere but watch this video.
If you are interested in a martial art that deals with knives then go look for Silat in your area.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYAXjKkLmJs