What's with all the "Tactical" self defense knives?

[goodfellow]

I use and carry a multitude of knives, and when I was invited to a local knife show by a friend I accepted the offer. What immediately struck me at the show was all the hype and bravado surrounding the "Tactical" self defense knives that were offered. It was overwhelming and somewhat surreal. Here were people actually advocating certain knives over a firearm as a tool for self defense - when the reality is that there are no winners in a knife fight.

In my state of Virginia, carrying most of these fixed blade beauties in a concealed manner would be illegal. You can carry most anything in the open, but as soon as you cover up a fixed blade, you're entering a real gray area under VA law. AFAIK a concealed carry permit in my state is for a handgun only, and it doesn't cover fixed blades; hence most of these concealable "Tactical" type knives would be inviting legal trouble.

In a defensive situation pulling a knife may actually get you killed faster, and if the other guy also pulls a knife then no-one leaves the fight unscathed. I once witnessed the aftermath of such a fight when leaving a bar in Amsterdam and it was brutal -- the loser died with the first three minutes of the fight, and the "winner" died less than an hour after that.

I don't know where this trend started, but the sheer hype and the preponderance of these "weapons" is not a good sign. Knives are useful tools, but as a self defense tool they are substandard -- better to legally carry a firearm rather than try to live through a knife fight.

[slip knot]

Who brings a knife to a gun fight?

I spent a lot of time in beer joints in south Texas. The Mexicans were bad about wanting to cut each other. The winner was usually the one who walked outside to keel over.

[ken w.]

I'm a vendor at gun shows. I stopped selling knives because everyone wanted the tactical knives. I only handled knives made in the  USA and useful folders and hunting knives. Nobody wanted these knives. A few years ago stupid looking swords were the hot seller. Before that it was butterfly knives.

[DeadNutz]

I agree there GF. I consider carrying a knife is to carry a tool. I was in the hardware store 2 days ago and a customer had a Glock and 2 mags on his belt open carry. Everybody in the store knew he was armed and nobody knew I was. I don't see the point in giving up the tactical advantage by open carry which is legal here. But then if some dirt bag takes out the open carry guy first then I have the advantage.

[J.A.F.E.]

I think the trend now is for lot's of things to be labeled tactical. Like flashlights, backpacks, pants and vests, boots, even baby gear.

For me a knife is a tool not a weapon. I use it to cut many things including my fingers on occasion.

[john k]

To me a (tactical) knife is a Ka-Bar with USMC on the blade, as I carried while in the army.   It was a family hand me down,  saw service in WWII.    Or the slightly smaller version carried by pilots and special forces.   All these black plastic handled things with gee-whiz shiny blades, or black blades to me look silly.   Can't even stand to carry the one folder I do own with  black plastic scales.  Most of them only boast one blade,  which I don't think would stand up as a screwdriver substitute. 

[fatfillup]

Forged  in Fire is likely fueling the craze.  Seeing Doug Marcaida say "it will kill" I'm sure has had an effect on the knife trends. 

As far as the vendors saying they are better then guns, well that is just folks selling the wares they have.

[strik9]

Its all in how one looks at an object.  If one sees only an offensive or defensive weapon in everything around them and NEEDS to carry some big ass Croc Dundee fantasy sword to be safe....
 Get the F out of Dodge City dude....

   I live in one of the top five "dangerous" nations in the world according to the news and I carry no weapons.  I also know how to be neither a victim nor an attacker in my daily life.   

  I see the tough young punks armed to the teeth one day ready to take on the whole US army and then months later his dead ass is in seven plastic bags spread around some other city and another tougher young punk has his guns. 
    For a while at least.

  The road to quickly rich is paved with dead punk kids here.  Sometimes literally.  I don't need to be rich tomorrow.

  A knife is a shop or kitchen tool.  The smarter ones leave them there.   A gun...  you do what you want but we don't need one.  Not in our home.

[fatfillup]

Strik, I am in Baltimore several times a week and I think it was the murder capital of the US last year per capita.  I am often in the hood.  Keeping a low profile and walking like you belong there goes a long way to avoiding trouble.  I don't carry either, though I often think it would be nice to have the option. but I also don't want to do something stupid so I don't.  I live in the burbs and feel safe most everywhere I go.  I will say I wouldn't want to be a woman going some of the places I go.

[goodfellow]

I think the trend now is for lot's of things to be labeled tactical. Like flashlights, backpacks, pants and vests, boots, even baby gear.

For me a knife is a tool not a weapon. I use it to cut many things including my fingers on occasion.

I think that is the problem. YouTube, TV shows, and popular culture have morphed the term "tactical" into an almost comical (maybe farcical is a better term) mindset that has its roots in the "prepper" culture. Case in point; last year I attended the semi-annual Dulles VA Gun show and the amount of gear that was available for "executive" preparedness was staggering. James Bond-like briefcases, emergency medical and tourniquet kits, small carry guns and all manner of EDC items in preparation for societal breakdown -- including briefcases and backpacks that doubled as bullet and blast shields. 

Maybe it was the remnants of the 2016 election fears, but at the time I noted to my colleague that we had never seen this much "tactical" gear for so called urban survivalists in the history of this show. It was staggering, and to think that there are a lot of people walking around with this mindset. I appendix carry a firearm, an Old Timer stockman style knife in my pocket, and a small flashlight in my briefcase most everywhere I go. If I ever get into a situation where these items are not enough to extricate or protect myself in a bad situation, then it's probably a major natural disaster, terrorist attack, or my own negligence.

[skfarmer]

no need here for tactical stuff.  i do find some of it interesting if not very useful. i think it has really driven down the cost/raised the value of lighting products but other than that mmhhhhh.....   not unusual to see a rifle or shotgun in the front or back seat or even in the combine or tractor cab.

why? mostly for dispatching varmints or hunting before or after school or work. nobody ever gets shot by anyone like that.

the shootings that do occur are mostly committed by or occur because of some stupid gang banger wannabe or drug pusher.

[J.A.F.E.]

The problem I see with a lot of the real tactical stuff (as opposed to the stuff I mentioned in the last post) is training. If you are seriously going to fight with a knife you need to be trained to do so.  And I would think good training would consider a knife as a defensive weapon close to a last resort.

Same with a lot of that stuff Goodfellow mentions. If you know how to use it and if it is really what it is supposed to be maybe but I suspect most of it is just like wearing a bunch of gold chains. And without training ingrained into reflexes most of that stuff is really useless.

Maybe the prepper thing plays in some and like fatfillup mentions stuff like Forged in Fire and it's spinoffs influence a lot of it. (The one good thing is in about a year or so there will be a lot of good anvils and vises hitting the market at good prices.) Or maybe the SWAT teams influence some of it - they seem to be into a lot of the tactical these days - although I would imagine they are extensively trained.

Or maybe the tactical thing is just the next step for the camouflage lovers.

[hickory n Steel]

People have just gotten used to having the fastest toughest folder available that holds an edge forever and can stab through steel drums and car hoods. ( Thanks a lot Lynn Thompson and cold steel )
They've gotten used to having a knife they can abuse and use for things other than cutting stuff..
They have convinced themselves that they really require such a knife to cut cardboard and open packages and mail, even though their beastly thick " tactical " modern folder probably doesn't slice worth a crap and takes twice as much effort to get through cardboard.

As a teenager all folders had to be one handed and fast, but I've realized I don't need speed.
Hell I really dont even have much need for a locking blade at all ( not that I don't love a good lockback ) so most times it's a smaller traditional two handed folder or on occasion a belt knife of some kind.

This has been my carry it the past few weeks.



A modern one handed folder may be faster and more convenient, but that does not mean these are slow and inconvenient.
Any knife I can carry with me is convenient enough and these happen to slice like nobody's business.

[strik9]

I call BS on this....

   I NEED my SOG 3582B-861.5A with carbon fiber scales to open packing tape.  And possibly cut a zip tie or string.....

   I was using an antique wood chisel to cut string a few minutes ago.  It worked fine.   Plus it was right there on the bench. 

[goodfellow]

I call BS on this....

   I NEED my SOG 3582B-861.5A with carbon fiber scales to open packing tape.  And possibly cut a zip tie or string.....

   I was using an antique wood chisel to cut string a few minutes ago.  It worked fine.   Plus it was right there on the bench. 

LOL -- good for you Brian. Reminds me that back during the depression my grandpa used to make his own utility and shop knives out of railroad spikes. The lived near a rail depot and the old spikes were pretty common. I never saw him make one, but saw him sharpen the damn things as a kid, and they were like razors.