Buying a Tactical Knife

[brihacharan]

Old Japanese saying:
"As iron sharpens iron, so does a man sharpens another."

When buying a tactical knife, one has many options. Tactical knifes come in both fixed-blade and folding models. Tactical knives are considered to be those utilized in stealth, police, military, and similar environments demanding an exceptional quality knife.

A tactical knife should be one that can be utilized as if your life depended on it and can be used in extreme situations. It should exceptional in terms of quality, design, and performance under the most rigorous conditions.

Ka-Bar and Cold Steel are well-known knife companies that manufacture tactical knives. They put their knives through extensive testing to make sure they will hold up in all types of conditions. If you purchase a tactical knife made by one of these manufacturers that have been selected for use by our military or police, you can be assured that the knife has undergone extensive testing.

You should ask yourself a few questions before you purchase your first tactical knife.

1. What will I be using the knife for?
2. Am I buying it to use or keep it as a collector piece?
3. Will this be a survival or hunting knife, or will I also be using it for self defense?
4. Will weight be an issue?
5. Will I need to sharpen the knife in the field?
6. How much do I want to spend on a knife?

If you are a first time buyer, you might want to seek advice from experienced and knowledgeable persons before you purchase it.

Tactical knives are made from many different materials. The best materials depend on your use of the knife. Tool Steels, such as 1095 HC and D2, are excellent knife steels, but they are prone to corrosion. Stainless Steel resists corrosion, but certain alloys can be brittle and harder to sharpen.

Handle materials can range from stacked leather to resin based materials, like Micarta, Kraton, Delrin or G10. Each of these materials offers certain advantages and disadvantages. A little research done before your purchase can make a difference in your level of satisfaction with the knife.

What’s your intended use?

1. If you intend to cut lots of rope or line, then partial or full serrations might be your choice.
2. Saw teeth on the spine of the blade may be useful in some situations.
3. You will want to decide how heavy of a knife you will want to carry around.
4. If you will be carrying your knife every day, a folding knife is a great choice as they are handy, convenient, and usually lightweight.
5. If you’re likely to find yourself in a survival situation, you might want to stick with a really good quality fixed-blade knife.
6. If you are a collector, most of this will not be important to you.

Since most of these knives are made abroad, the prices of a good tactical knife will vary between US$ 80 & US$ 500. A good grade US made Tactical Knife will run somewhere between US$60.00 to US$200.00. A top of the line knife will cost US$150.00 and above. High quality folding knives are more expensive than fixed-blades due to manufacturing costs.

Good luck in your search for the ultimate tactical knife that will best suit your needs!

BTW – I recently acquired a MUELA Military Tactical Knife D16 (Blade length 7” with partially serrated spine) made of SS 440 with Kraton handle for Rs.2750/- from a Sporting Arms dealer in Mumbai who is an official importer of these knives. The picture was posted by me under ‘Briha’s Blades – Part 2’.

Briha

[Moin.]

" As iron sharpens iron, so does a man sharpens another "

Wonderful post sir. Thanks....

Regards
Moin.

[pankajzarekar]

Good read !

[dr.jayakumar]

Mr.brihaji,
thanks for sharing your knowledge.
regards
dr.jk

[JackieD]

Can you please tell the name of the dealer in Mumbai. thanks

[brihacharan]

Can you please tell the name of the dealer in Mumbai. thanks

You may contact:
M/s. BANSONS
1st Floor, 327 Almas Manzil, Abdul Rehman St. Mumbai.
Tel: 022 23440592
Contact: Mr. Tejun
Briha

[JackieD]

Thank you very much sir.