Edged weapons? and Tools?

Edged weapones and tools

Hey Ron; I guess I think a lot like you, there is no shortage of edged weapons and tools in my arsenal, in the rare event that I display my extensive arsenal of goodys to close friends and family they usually look at me like I am nut's and walk away shaking there heads, and I'm sure by somebodys stantards I am nut's, but check this out I have found that the indians of of years gone by had it right, the edged weapon I use to back up my battle rifle is a TOMAHAWK, crazy as it sounds, after you have spent your last round, I just don't wan't to be standing there with even the best tactical blade ever made, until you actually swing one of these things around a little bit you really don't realize just how much damage you could cause with one, and at a fairly safe distance, compaired to a knife!

 

I'm a blade freak. Kukris, machetes, KA-Bar and other fixed knives, folding knives, saws, swords, axes, daggers, multitools, you name it....

I recommend a folding knife that can be taken apart reasonably easily, a good fixed blade, a multitool, and either a machete or kukri if you're going to be away from civilization for any length of time.

Don't overlook keeping your blades in good shape. Unless they're talonite or some other esoteric non-ferrous material, they may rust pretty quickly. Keep a tube of Metal-Glo, steel wool, a rag, a sharpener, and some machine oil with your blades. For the pivot in folders, I recommend a liquid wax like a dry bike-chain lube. It dries quickly and dirt and dust don't stick to it like they do to oil.

 

Ka-Bar Little Finn
Boker Kalashnikov Auto (Legal with CCDW in KY)
Trusty and beat up Old Timer

The other one is about 18 inches long. I don't carry it much.

 

The first knife I ever owned was a Marine Ka-Bar Utility knife - An excellent blade! I used to work with it for hours; and, my Marine Corps uncle was an absolute past master with one. For a general purpose field knife, you can't go wrong with a Ka-Bar!

The best all-around field AND fighting knife I've ever handled is, indeed, the Indian Kukri. The one I used to own had a 12" blade. It was fitted with a horn handle and a cast lion's head pommel. I could kick myself for the way I used to abuse that beautiful knife. The thought never occurred to me that someday it would be worth many hundreds of dollars.

The great strength and effectiveness of the Kukri comes from the fact that it is a superlative cutting/slashing weapon, ideally suited to circular fighting techniques. I've long suspected that the design of the Kukri evolved from the ancient Greek Kopis. (A weapon with which the Indians were not unfamiliar!)

Anytime you carry one of these larger blades, it's a good idea to carry a, 'finger knife' too. Those, 'finger knives' that come with a fighting Kukri have, both, religious and practical use. Prayer, preparing food, eating, and fire starting are among those uses.

Truth be known, out in the woods, you'll always have much more use for a little Buck, or Grohmann, 'Trout & Bird' knife with a 3" + blade than you'll ever have for a Jimmy Lile, 'Rambo Fighter'. (An inherently weak design that I've never really cared for; but, then again, I've long carried one Randall-Made model, or another.)

As for those Swiss Army knife, 'menageries'? I'll admit to carrying a single blade Victorinox model with a very strong locking blade on it; but, the rest of these contraptions, what the Hell can you really do with them? They're much too unwieldy to be practical; and too inherently weak to be relied upon for any serious cutting chores.

Not that a Swiss Army knife doesn't have it's legitimate uses, though: I've given them as gifts to business associates; all the while knowing full well that they'd never be used for anything other than a curiosity or conversation piece - Two roles at which the Swiss Army knife positively excels!

 

G21.45 :
I've carried a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife for over 25 years. I've used it as a pry bar, scraper, awl, electrical jumper, hammer, scribe, puller, spanner, spoon, ruler, tire valve bleeder and more. I've also used it for its intended purposes .
The Victorinox is not a joke. In fact, without it I would lose all of my magical powers and become a mere mortal .
Visit the Victorinox factory Web site if you want to read stories of people who literally saved lives with these knives.

 

A few years ago I got a call (I was in the UK at the time) from a fellow that was a member of the Western front Society (It's a group who have an interest in the Great War and explore and escavate battle grounds and sites on the former Western front. He sold me a knife in three pieces which had been recovered on a dig of British trenches on the Somme. It came with documentation varifing the source. It was found in the wicker frame of a collaspsed trench.

It was a home made fighting knife, made from an engineering file, both edges of the blade honed, with an iron cross guard, and a turned oak handle held with a brass collar at the cross guard. I repaired the knife gluing the handle back on and cleaned it up. Traditionally the British Army did not allow soldiers to carry personal weapons, and frowned on it, but the trench fighting experienced during the 1914/18 war led officers to ignore troops returning to the front with unissued equipment. I paid £60 for it with the letters.

6 months later I had a table at the Tulsa show and it was on the table, having set up late on the Thursday there was a little time to trade amongst the other venders. A guy came over and looked at the knife, examined it and asked me about it, I explained how I came by it and showed him the letters of provernance, after hard bargaining he paid me $145, which I thought was fair.
On the Saturday afternoon it was packed with people and I happen past this guys table, he had just taken $2400 from a guy for the knife as it was sold as a 'Confederate Bowie', it's probably in the Smithsonian now.........