To me, my Carry Knife is just as important, if not more so, than my Carry Gun. Because I USE my carry knife for all kinds of things… even things in a manner not recommended by the manufacturer.
Here’s four of my favorites. More importantly, these knives are the ones that are most special to me.
I’m tired of Tantos. Once again the Tanto Rage is in full swing and all the new blades I’ve been seeing… the ones other guys are all “Look at this” all about… They are all Tantos. The Tanto design is completely over rated. While it has it’s Pro’s, I’ve found over time that the Cons are out-weighting them. I’m not going to go into a Nut’n Fancy detailed breakdown of all the points and elements. These should be apparent to you… you’re a big boy and Google is your friend.
I use my knives a lot. My “Tactical” knives – most guys keep them well oiled and unused in their “Kit”. Totally razor sharp. In case of Zombies, or a call from SECDEF requesting the use of their particular sets of skills. I’m not that guy anymore. So all my throat slitting, 4/5 rib punchers get used for other things. Like what they are designed to actually do – cut things. Not “Testing” by chopping tree limbs, bending the blade sideways or all the other “Torture” tests people do. No, I used them to cut things. Like food. My Combat Bowie? That’s become my favorite BBQ knife. I don’t care if a blade is forged by Hephaestus himself out of meteorite and the souls of fallen Samurai. It’s pulling KP over here. It’s going to open packages. It’s going to slice sheets of vinyl. It’s going to do the every day menial tasks that is of the peasant class, not the warrior class.
I’ve found that Tanto knives are cool looking, but they don’t like to really work. For the most part, much of the cutting ends up happening at the point of the blade where there should be a wide curve. Instead there is a sharp angle. This is an exaggeration of the original design and is a modern invention from fantasy. And it puts all the cutting in real world use at that point. Which will dull easily and quickly regardless of how elite the steel is. Now, I’m not talking about swords or sword length blades. I’m talking about knives. One handed, and generally under 18 inches of blade length.
I feel no sense of history or belonging with a Tanto. It’s not culturally connected to my heritage. Of course, the blade that does connect with me culturally is of little actual field use either… but I know it’s a part of my family history in early times before they came to America. These are actually good for deboning and slicing baked goods. But that’s not entirely the point either. When I pick up a Tanto, there is no connection to my past in any way. They feel hollow to me these days. There is no feeling patriotism. I have one tanto bladed knife left. It was a gift from friends… I will never part with it. All my other Tantos have been given away or just lost and I’ve not bothered searching for them.
My favorite blade, that touches on my American Heritage, and makes me feel that sense of “this belongs here”… are the Bowie Knives.
Bowies can be big and beautiful. They can be elegant and refined. They speak of our Frontier History as a razor sharp national icon. The Bowie is as American as the 1911 pistol and a Harley Davidson motorcycle. The actual history of the Bowie has some questions as to the design. The first Bowie Knife designed by Jim Bowie, carried and used famously by Jim Bowie… we don’t know what that knife looks like. Or the actual size. It was just reported to be a big freaking knife. But the modern style of what we call a Bowie fills the void of details just fine. The style is unique in a large blade, and translates well into smaller blades. It’s beautiful and it’s effective… and best yet it actually works.
Now, I’m not about high polished elegance and all that. I like working blades. Just like my guns. They need to speak of their use and capability. They need to tell you just by their appearance that they will do horrible things to you. They need to tell you to be careful with them… and that they don’t care if they have to hurt. That’s a real Bowie to me. One of my favorites that says all that is from ZOMBIE TOOLS. These guys got the Bowie just right. And added some serious DGAF attitude.
I think that’s probably the #1 thing that Tantos just don’t have. Attitude. They don’t don’t have that machismo. CHARACTER. The most interesting man in the world wouldn’t carry or use a Tanto. Most importantly… a Tanto is unfit for use in preparing and serving BBQ and spending the day Grilling.
Go get yourself a damn Bowie Knife.
Zombie Tools has just come out with a new design for a Bowie Knife.
I love this… this is the most Ogrish Bowie Knife I have ever seen.
Fore more Zombie Fighting Badassery, check out ZOMBIE TOOLS.
Remember me talking about this knife… like back in the Spring? Well the order I put in for one never showed up so I did a One Click order on Amazon.com and bam. I finally have it in my ogerish paws.
The Buck 110 Folding Hunter is the lock-blade knife that legitimized folding knives for any serious use. It wasn’t the first, but it was at the time the best. Good sized clip point blade, good steel, and a solid lock that just flat out works. It was the Folder to have for years.
Now the Buck 110 is still popular among the Outdoorsmen, but the Tactical community looks askance at it. It is heavy. It is shiny. It doesn’t have a pocket clip, assisted opening mechanism, or any gadget or do-dad to make it tacticool. It’s simply a knife. And that’s what I like about it.
The Ecolite version (I got the green one – don’t be shocked) fixes two of the 110’s major complaints from the Tactical Guys. It’s not shiny and its not heavy. I do wish it had a pocket clip, but I can live without it. I mean, don’t we have enough pockets and pouches and things we can carry it in? If not, it comes with its own. It’s nylon and black and can be worn vertically or horizontally. It’s a little off the beaten path for those that want to be Contractor Cool, but it’s worth looking at. Why? I’m seeing the Buck 110 as being the edged equivalent of the 1911. It’s a pioneer and its still every bit as good now as it was back in the day. In fact, the day is far from over for both of these classics.
The 110 Ecolite is sporting handles made of what Buck is called Paperstone. It’s a strong compound material that looks handsome, and really does keep the knife light. It might, I dare say, it even makes the knife more useful, as one is going to be less prone to leave the at home and use something else. And don’t think it’s too large. That’s crap. Your cell phone is probably the size of four of these knives.
I really like the knife. Wish I had it a lot sooner.