Tactical Knives w/ Folding or Fixed Blade

Knife designers Chris Reeves and William W. Harsey Jr. collaborated on the technical details of the Gerber LHR Urban Combat Knife, but Matt Larsen -- an expert in close quarters combat -- also contributed some unusual ideas. Larsen studied hundreds of actual combat encounters before finalizing the LHR concept. ...

The Paul Defender from Lone Wolf Knives won Blade Magazine's 2009 award for Overall Knife of the Year. Termed the Gentleman's Tactical Folder by the manufacturer, the Defender is a collaboration between Lone Wolf's designers and Paul Poehlmann, inventor of the Paul Axiel lock.

What you'll notice first is ...

Credit card knives usually don't include much steel or much functionality, but the SOG Access Card 2.0 Knife is very impressive for a low profile cutter. Only 3/16 inches thick without the pocket clip, this tactical black folder opens and closes with one hand and even provides a ...

The smallest knife so far in the Ka-Bar TDI series, the Tactical Defense Institute LDK neck knife could actually be stored in your wallet. The Last Defense Knife isn't much larger than a credit card and wields a wicked cutting edge just 1-5/8 inches long.

The flat build uses ...

Ka-Bar made the FIN Folding Frame Lock Knife in both drop point and tanto blade styles and offered a choice of combo-serrated or plain edges on each version. This combo-serrated drop point FIN offers very little plain edge for fine cutting. Make sure it fits your purposes.

Open length of the ...

Built to exceed Russian Spetsnaz specifications, this tactical combat shovel from Cold Steel makes a great camp tool for the hunter, fisherman, and canoeist. With about a pound and a half of medium carbon tool steel and a durable hardwood handle, the Cold Steel tactical shovel is a ...

The Stratofighter might slip past your notice if you saw it on a display shelf. It's angular and ungainly and not designed with beauty in mind, but there are some excellent tactical features in this heavy folder. In fact, if you need a pocket clip folder with the functionality of a ...

Inspired by the assault rifle adopted by the Russian Army in 1949, the Cold Steel AK-47 Knife's most obvious resemblance to "the People's Rifle" is the bayonet groove in the four-inch AUS-8 blade. Add to that the kind of rugged construction that you can drop in a muddy ...

The Byrd Meadowlark with G-10 handle combines one of the best tactical knife handle materials with a popular pocket folder design. G-10's good insulating qualities and resistance to all types of chemicals add to the Meadowlark's already practical features.

Crosshatched jimping on the G-10 handle slabs makes the grip of this ...

Though it's better known for its many styles of fantasy and replica weapons, United Cutlery also designs knives in a tactical style. Imported from China, the practical offerings from United Cutlery include the M48 Kommando Fighter Knife. With the makers and most of the technical specifications somewhere on the other ...

Designed by Chad Los Banos and manufactured by Boker, the Hyper streamlines one of Los Banos's earlier knives -- the Subcom. Built thinner but just as solid, this 3.2-ounce, one-handed opening knife slips neatly into the pocket with a barely noticeable profile.

Dual thumb studs allow opening from either ...

The biggest attraction of the Smith & Wesson SWMP5LS Linerlock knife isn't the upgraded design. What makes this five-inch (folded length) beast popular is the MAGIC Assisted Opening system. Currently, it's one of the closest substitutes for an automatic opening knife that civilians are allowed to own.

Possibly a company ...

SOG's FF-11 Salute -- which the company refers to as their first Fusion tactical folder -- puts all the technical expertise of that innovative manufacturer to good use. The result is a high-tech knife that isn't tough to understand, with a few unusually good features.

Full-length steel liners and machined ...

If you're just not comfortable without some sort of self-defense device on hand and knives no longer fit your lifestyle, there is another choice -- the tactical pen. Inspired by ancient fistload weapons popular with Asian martial artists and Japanese ninjas, the modern tactical pen fits discreetly in the shirt ...

Only a few years ago, the idea of a lightweight combat pen would have seemed silly to most people. With today's restrictions on the use of simple items like nail polish and fingernail clippers, as well as items actually intended for self defense (like many knives), the combat ...

The Boker Plus Double Action knife does have some good features which aren't obvious on first glance. This knife looks like an ordinary one-handed folder, but the construction quality and the extra slide lock have made the Boker Double Action a popular choice for automatic conversion as well ...

Cold Steel's Nightshade Karambit is just one of ten models of both classic knives and strictly Cold Steel inventions now available with absolutely no steel. Instead of high carbon steel blades, the Karambit and its counterparts are constructed of a new fiberglass reinforced plastic called Grivory, with grips of reliable ...

Designed by Jim Hammond, the Operator's Model A.B.C. (All Bases Covered) knife adapts Hammond's popular fixed blade diver's knife design to land use. With full-length cutting edges both plain and serrated, this rugged outdoorsman's knife covers every situation.

The four-ounce knife of AUS8 high carbon stainless steel incorporates a modified ...

Cold Steel's Double Agent knives, designed by Zach Whitson, are available in two blade styles. Either the karambit or the clip point version may be safely worn as a last resort neck knife.

Built light and intended for suspension from a dogtag chain, the Double Agent weighs ...

Since I saw this boot knife from Kershaw discussed in a recent issue of Blade Magazine I had to take a look. Apparently, runners and hikers in southern California are carrying the Kershaw Military Boot Knife as defense against mountain lion attacks. Honestly, even though this is a decent ...

Smith & Wesson's H.R.T. O.T.F (Hostage Rescue Team; Out The Front) knives aren't quite as dramatic as their names, but they are useful. Check them out if you're looking for an assisted opening version of the classic stilletto.

With only three-inch blades, the H.R.T. knives lack intimidation factor, but the ...

Scaled down to only two thirds the size of the popular Spyderco Military knife, the ParaMilitary meets the needs of those who need a more discreet version better suited to pocket carry. This model created for civilian uses keeps the good features of Spyderco's larger tactical folder.

With a blade ...

Collector's items aren't limited to the knives that survive the ages -- unique knives that come and go quickly also find a solid following. Let's put the Ka-Bar Pistol Bayonet by LaserLyte in that second collectible class, since it's a good idea which solves a problem no one had. ...

Designed for Spyderco by Fred Perrin, a world-ranked martial artist and ex-French commando now making knives in Paris, this small fixed blade incorporates some excellent military ideas but still fits civilian use well. You'll find the sheath equally handy.

With a 3-1/2-inch clip point blade of VG-10 stainless steel and ...

With one of Smith & Wesson's easiest assisted opening systems, the S&W Military Police M.A.G.I.C. Scooped Tanto offers both tactical and emergency rescue features in a highly engineered but economical package. Manufactured to Smith & Wesson specifications in Taiwan, the knife is a good choice for anyone who needs ...

Smith & Wesson's Military Police Magic Assisted Tanto shows good quality in an American-sponsored imported design. The Taiwanese makers of the Military Police Tanto put together good features and good materials. Tactical users may be tempted and anyone who needs a good urban survival knife should take ...

Master knife designer Steve Tarani partnered with the experts at 5.11 Tactical to develop the C.U.B. knife series, and the 5.11 Tactical C.U.B. Master Knife is just one of the interesting results. The claw -style cutting edge of the 2-3/4 inch blade -- made from S30V crucible steel -- ...

Sadly, this small fully automatic tactical knife is only for law enforcement, military personnel, and a very few other special groups. An automatic knife would always be in my pocket if that were not so -- the difference between an automatic and a fixed blade is something like ...

This plain edge version of the Boker Magnum has a solid feel even though it's only 3.5 ounces in weight. The machined aluminum handle gives it considerable strength, and the action is smooth and accurate. The top locking system uses a plunge lock button that won't release until solidly ...

I most appreciate the knives that take thought to comprehend, and the Cold Steel Espada V is a great example of a knife you won't completely get the first time you see it. Cold Steel continues to take chances and express some good ideas. This one is ...

Designed as an LDK or Last Ditch Knife for police, the TDI knife Rig from Ka-Bar comes in two sizes with two slightly different mounting assemblies. The larger knife is for belt wear, and the smaller rig straps discreetly to the ankle.

The unusual design of the TDI knife ...

Finally, a serious boot/neck knife from Cold Steel -- previous offerings from that renowned self-defense company were not always up to Cold Steel's no-nonsense standards. This tanto-style knife, designed by Barry Dawson, is one of seven blade styles available and probably also the most sensible. The tanto blade was ...

This lightweight pocket clip folder is a little too military to be a great utility or camp knife, but the camouflage titanium coated tanto blade will still appeal to some. If you do need an emergency knife for a reasonable price, the Smith & Wesson Extreme Ops Serrated Tanto ...

Tactical knives come and go, some great ideas and some wanna-bes. I admit I'm skeptical when I see that knives are advertised as "in the hands of top field agents right now!" That's an easy claim to make and tough to back up. The biographies of the founders of TOPS ...

With H&K's linerlock system, this tactical folder opens and closes with just one hand, without the complications of a true automatic knife. Thumb studs and locking system work as well for lefties as for the righthanded user. Fully open, the drop point blade locks securely -- release the lock ...

The Reventon Folder by the Italian tactical knife company Extrema Ratio will be a limited production run of only 2000 knives. The first go to the owners of Lamborghini's Reventon sports cars -- a limited edition of only 20 autos. Built as a survival knife for the high tech driver, ...

The UTX-70 from Microtech tones down the size of this automatic tactical design without skimping on quality. Made to the same exacting standards as Microtech's larger combat knives, the UTX-70 offers fully-automatic opening and closing at the push of a button. With a 2.4-inch partially serrated blade of 154-CM high carbon stainless ...

With H&K's linerlock system, this tactical folder opens and closes with just one hand, without the complications of a true automatic knife. Thumb studs and locking system work as well for lefties as for the righthanded user. Fully open, the drop point blade locks securely -- release the lock ...

Heckler and Koch, manufacturers of top quality sidearms for military and police forces, put their brand on this collaboration from knifemaker and designer Mike Snody and the Benchmade Knife Company of Clackamas, Oregon. Beginning with Bali-song knives in 1990, Benchmade expanded into the tactical knife realm with a high tech and ...

In some ways the Gerber Torch II (4.6" closed length) rivals much more expensive military folders, offering many of the same features like non-reflective coating, tanto blade, and assisted opening. The economy of the Torch II results from cost cutting in places that are not obvious, but which will show ...

In this gift set from Smith & Wesson, the well established manufacturer of police and military equipment, you get a good quality tactical folding clip knife and a tactical watch built for extreme conditions. This combination works well for anyone who spends time in rough places, whether work ...

The tactical version of the well known Blur by Ken Kershaw, this black anodized and non reflective combo edged tanto is also one of the most efficient alternatives to an automatic police knife.

Only 4.5" long closed, the aluminum based handle contains generous insert of Trac-Tec, for a non slip grip ...

With the Tacticos Corto, Boker of Solingen, Germany, brings a tactical design into the world where the rest of us live. Many modern special ops blades have features that limit their use in the private sector, but this practical military model will fit the needs of civilians as well as ...

The Amazon, a side opening automatic knife from Piranha Knives, shows a little of the company namesake's influence in the shape of the striking black on white handle. The slender fish shape and scale pattern give this knife a solid grip and a unique look.

The Amazon releases 3.45" of ...

At first it seems a little like a souvenir, reminding me a bit of the fake pistols that turn out to be cigarette lighters when you pull the trigger--but there's nothing fake about this tactical folder from Lone Wolf Knives. In fact, it makes good sense to build ...

One of the best military quality folding knives available, the Microtech SOCOM Elite offers details others ignore. The 4" tanto style blade, ground with a wide but strong bevel, is forged from high carbon stainless steel chosen for its edge holding abilities rather than corrosion resistance alone. The ...

Nice to see that someone out there hasn't completely shifted over to stainless steel, and it doesn't surprise me to find that among the last to resist that impulse is Microtech, producer of high quality military blades. The D2 tool steel Microtech favors is corrosion resistant, needing a minimum of ...

Darrel Ralph designed this tactical switchblade for law enforcement and military use, so if you're a civilian don't expect to own one yourself (unless you qualify due to disability--switchblades are legal for one armed users to carry). There are other great Meyerco tactical knives available to the general public, though, so ...

Designed by William Harsey, Jr., for the semi-custom makers at Lone Knives, the tactical folding clip T2 Ranger is a perfect size for a lightweight folding hunting knife. The 3.9" high carbon stainless steel blade, with a functional drop point design, is well designed for skinning game as ...

Twenty years ago Bob Loveless designed the first of these classic tactical knives, never suspecting their popularity would extend even to the realms of computer gaming. This Stealth styled epoxy black dagger has been the backup weapon for such famous fantasy characters as Lara Croft of Tomb Raider and Sam Fisher ...