Historically, fighting men throughout the ages have relied upon fixed blades (swords, bayonets, daggers, and dirks) as primary and secondary weapons of war. While folding knives have existed for centuries, they were seldom seen as suitable for the battlefield. They were relegated to agricultural and plebeian uses.
More recently, military leaders and troops alike have wrongly believed that a folder is all a soldier really needs. Folder proponents point to steady improvements in the reliability of firearms and ammunition, as well as major advancements in folding knife materials, construction methods, and locking mechanisms. And for those who will actually occupy the battlefield, this perspective can have dangerous consequences.
So what does a soldier’s knife need to do? Answer: The same tasks knives have been performing since the beginning of time: cutting, stabbing, hacking, and occasionally prying and digging. Many folders can meet several of these needs. A few manage to struggle through most of them. But no folder will perform all of these requirements well. A fixed blade, on the other hand, can accomplish all of them with the reliability and consistency that the vagaries of combat demand.
Beyond the ability to outperform folders in the functions of a knife, fixed blades possess several other attributes that make them invaluable to any soldier who may find themselves in harm’s way. These attributes are strength, length, and accessibility/reliability.
Strength
この記事は Knives Illustrated の July-August 2020 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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この記事は Knives Illustrated の July-August 2020 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
TIP TALK
UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BLADE TIP SHAPES AND WHY IT MATTERS
HOLDING FIRM
GETTING A GRIP ON KNIFE HANDLE BENEFITS, MATERIALS, AND FUNCTIONALITY
EDGE UP
TIPS, TRICKS, AND TECHNIQUES TO SHARP WHEN ADVENTURING FAR FROM HOME
THE COMBAT KITCHEN
SLICE, DICE, CHOP, AND CUT: FOOD PREP WITH BLADES FROM POPULAR TACTICAL KNIFE COMPANIES
MORAKNIV Classics
THESE TIMELESS BUSHCRAFT KNIVES HAVE BEEN UPDATED AND ARE BETTER THAN EVER
ONE FOR THE ROAD
CHOOSING AN “EVERYWHERE KNIFE” CAN BE DIFFICULT DUE TO COMPLICATED KNIFE LAWS
TRAVELING LIGHT
SOMETIMES, INEXPENSIVE UTILITY BLADES YOU PICK UP AT YOUR DESTINATION CAN GET THE JOB DONE
MATCHED PAIR
JB KNIFE WORKS LAYMAN KNIFE AND GAMBIT HATCHET COMBO: ONE PICKS UP WHERE THE OTHER LEAVES OFF
WHEN BIGGER IS BETTER
THE CAS IBERIA CHOP HOUSE IS A MACHETE THAT PROVIDES BIG BLADE CUTTING POWER
KITCHEN KNIVES DON'T HAVE TO BE DULL
I have a confession to make. See if this sounds familiar. I take meticulous care of the knives I use for everyday carry, hunting, and general woods wandering. I wipe them down with an oily cloth after use and I never let them get too dull. Seldom do I have to restore a damaged edge. Most of the time I simply touch up the edges of my pocketknives with a few careful strokes across the rough bottom of a ceramic coffee cup. That’s usually all that’s needed. I don’t use my knives as screwdrivers or pry bars. As a matter of fact, I still have the very first knife I ever owned, an old Boy Scout knife that was handed down from my older brother. The blades have a deep patina that comes with using carbon steel over the years, but the knife is very usable still.
