MATERIAL MATTERS

Nonmetallic Edged weapons testing

- Chad McBroom

Nonmetallic knives aren’t a new phenomenon. Man’s earliest weapons consisted of pointed staves and sharpened stone, which were quite effective for hunting, skinning, carving, and fighting. Today, nonmetallic edged weapons have benefitted greatly from durable and lightweight modern materials, making them more accessible and easier to carry and conceal.

Human trafficking is a thriving criminal enterprise in the United States and abroad, making forceful abduction one of the many possible scenarios the modern prepper needs to be ready for. Escaping unlawful custody requires preplanning, training, and the ability to conceal a means of escape and defense. In many cases, discreet, nonmetallic tools may be the only thing one can get past an initial security sweep conducted by a criminal element during this type of incident.

In the aftermath of events like Sept. 11, where box cutters were used to hijack and weaponize commercial aircraft, there has been a legitimate concern over edged weapons that can be smuggled past security checkpoints. Having recognized that fact, we want to be clear that our objective here isn’t to encourage our readers to break the law, but to educate you about the real capabilities of nonmetallic edged weapons. Remember that the bad guys won’t hesitate to disregard laws and carry out attacks in so-called “weapon-free” zones, so it’s wise to be ready to defend yourself, regardless of the time and place.

To that end, we acquired samples of a few popular nonmetallic edged weapon designs composed of various materials, and established an informal yet realistic testing protocol to measure their performance in several key areas.

TESTING PROTOCOL