One of the oldest weapons, daggers earned an evil reputation early in history as the favorite tools of assassins and thieves, a theme reflected accurately in today’s video games. Small and easily concealed, the knife’s success depended on surprise. In open combat, warriors of ancient armies carried daggers as backup weapons but depended on polearms for the main attack.
During Europe’s dueling era, daggers became the preferred offhand defense weapon. Parrying daggers with specially designed blade-catching hilts became popular among fencers, but the need faded as firearms took over both the military and dueling worlds. Today’s soldiers carry daggers for the same reasons as their predecessors — it’s a deadly knife that’s easily tucked away in a boot or pocket, something to grab for a last defense or a first strike. For collectors, daggers offer some of the most beautiful styles, since even the simplest still shows the symmetry and primal quality of this most ancient knife pattern. The look has had all of human history to evolve.
Daggers aren’t the most practical knives for ordinary work, so if combat isn’t your reason for knife shopping, consider that a dagger’s double edge provides very poor thumb leverage. If you’re shaping a piece of wood for a shelter frame or dressing out game at the edge of camp you need a knife that’s more controllable. The dagger is more weapon than tool.
A truly amazing functional replica of Old World technology, our choice for the best dagger is the Main Gauche Trident takes parrying to the highest possible levels.
The 1918 Trench Dagger’s brutal efficiency qualifies it as one of the finest fighting knives ever built. It’s everything you need except pretty.
From the Swords of the Ancients series, the Navros Dagger shows the imagination and technical expertise of a fine artist in engraved steel.
The Cold Steel Point Guard neck knife looks like it could even be practical for more than a last ditch threat. With serviceable G-10 handle scales and a minimal grip that works well, this is more than the knife you hope you'll never use.
Weighing just 2.8 ounces, counting ...
Nearly everyone knows the story of King Arthur's Excalibur, but fewer have heard of his favorite dagger, the magical Carnwennan. Consider the massive King Arthur Dagger from Denix, a Spanish company specializing in accurate reproductions of old weaponry, if you're seeking a dagger worthy of the Round Table.
This 17-inch-long ...
In a perfect size for desktop display, these Dragon Dagger Swords should please any gaming fan looking for real-world loot. Although the design looks Klingon, the inspiration for modern crescent daggers actually came from real weapons used in Chinese martial arts.
These two very detailed fantasy daggers rest on a ...
United Cutlery sponsors a Fantasy Knife of the Year series designed by former Alaskan hunting guide Gil Hibben, and this Immortal Knife was 2007's featured blade. No longer in production, the knife was limited to only 3,000 pieces. Each knife includes a sheath and a Certificate of Authenticity autographed by ...
The Bear and Son Ninja II Boot Dagger may look like many other small combat knives, but the Ninja II carries an important difference. Most modern double-edged daggers provide one true cutting edge and one false edge. With the Ninja II, both edges of the blade ...
The Ka-Bar Besh BOGA Neck Knife is the production version of a women's self defense knife designed by Canadian Special Ops soldier Brent Breshara. The Besh BOGA features Breshara's unusual "Besh Wedge" point -- a strong design which puts a third cutting edge on the dagger's chisel-shaped tip.
Made in ...
Made in the German knife-making center of Solingen, this stiletto-type pocket knife is functional as well as beautiful. Although it looks like an automatic, it's a slip joint with some interesting extra features.
The blade shape of the 440A high carbon stainless steel gives the Medici the deadly look of a ...
The Uzi EK Battlefield Commander does have an interesting high-tech look but comes up slightly short in durability. Balance the trendy blood groove against the knife's good features and make up your own mind.
It is hard to go completely wrong with a fixed blade of good quality, and the UZI ...
Many cheaper versions of this knife are available, but the Black Sentry Spear Point Trench Knife is the least you should consider. If a combination knuckle duster and dagger fits your lifestyle, you need at least this much knife.
This knife concept evolved from a knife used in trench warfare ...
Considerable work went into this detailed movie replica from United Cutlery's LOTR series. The Dagger of the Witch-King is more than just a scaled-down companion piece to the much larger Sword of the Witch King. The Dagger has its own unique look of aged and pitted metal, ...
Like the Ninja themselves, this Ninja Recon Tanto Knife from Fantasy Master holds secrets you won't suspect until it's too late. I mean that in a good way -- the ninjas have some of the best toys. If you're not opposed to having a good time with sharp objects, ...
The Ranger 0121 Fixed Blade from Kershaw U.S.A.'s Zero Tolerance line won't win beauty contests, but you also don't find many smaller backup knives as tough as pry bars. Keeping it strong and simple, the ZT Ranger won't fail.
At only eight inches in overall length and 9.1 ounces in ...
Imported from China by Trademark Global, the Night Stalker Fantasy Knife Sword looks best on the polished hardwood wall plaque but can be worn on the arm. If you're tempted to try it out, consider some of the basic safety issues and punch with caution.
High carbon stainless steel ...
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 ...
Designed by William Fairbairn and Eric Sykes just prior to WWII, the Fairbairn-Sykes combat dagger was first produced for the British Army in 1940. Built to the specifications of these two veterans of the Shanghai Municipal Police, the dagger design first produced by Wilkinson Sword became the most popular Allied ...
With quality similar to that of the designer's custom blades, this double-edged Tanto Yoroidoshi Dagger is actually a production version based on the work of Wally Hayes, a sword smith from Ontario, Canada.
Manufactured for Ryumon Swords at the famous Longquan Village in mainland China, the Hayes Yoroidoshi Dagger was hand-forged by ...
You may have to go back a few centuries to find a dirk as practical as this knife from Cold Steel -- the Scottish Dirk with Rosewood Handle and Leather Scabbard. In other times, the dirk was built for mayhem and was a common sidearm on naval ships. ...
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 ...
Fantasy weapons like the Death Stalker Scorpion Arm Dagger reside in a world out of reach of practical concerns. Built for the collector as well as the game fan seeking a true-to-life loot drop outside the virtual world, this combination fantasy punch dagger and arm guard won't disappoint.
Instead of lashing ...
I like this surrealistic Fantasy Battle Axe and Dagger combination, since it's definitely one of the more unusual fantasy weapons of recent times, but I also have some reservations about it. The drawback to this bizarre and decorative weapon is the amount of plastic that went into its creation. Maybe ...
First, out of respect to the height-challenged Hobbit race, I will have to point out that the Lord of the Rings Sting Dagger is actually a sword. The Sting may be a little short by human standards, but any true Tolkien fan should know that the Sting was the ...
This heavy fighting knife -- drop forged from one piece of high carbon 440C stainless steel -- has good balance, although the green canvas micarta handle doesn't do much for its looks. A full tang build including a heavy forged bolster and hand guard give the Schanz Integral Dagger ...
Thanks to a reader here I now know the history behind this combination Scottish Regimental Dirk and mess kit. This replica dirk isn't of the best quality, with fittings of cheap pressed metal and faux cairngorn of real colored glass. The matching knife and fork tuck into small pockets ...
Survival knives usually try to do everything with one tool and wind up not being very good at any of it. The Schrade Extream Survival Knife is a better knife than most all purpose blades but has a few weak points.
The Extream is large (12.5 inches overall length) and heavy ...
The knives from Puma's Solingen, Germany, factory always look more like weapons than the average factory-made knife, and the Puma Stag Skinner knife holds true to that. The 5-inch blade of the Puma Skinner may be technically a Bowie style, but it has the flair of a European dagger. ...
This knife was developed just a little too late for WWI and never actually saw action during that particular conflict. The 1918 combat knife became the American military standard for decades after WWI -- even to the early years of the Vietnam war. The 1918 WWI Trench Dagger recreated here embeds ...
All right, another fancy parrying dagger, certainly not the first one I've ever seen -- but hold on a minute, there's something new at hand. Actually the German Main Gauche is something old brought to life again for possibly the first time since the 1600s, when dueling with swords and ...
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 ...
If you're a fan of the video game adventure Assassin's Creed, take a look at this real life remake of the tool of Altaïr Ibn La-Ahad's trade in his war against the machinations of the Knights Templar. While it does tend towards the fanciful, with an elaborate but functional chest harness ...
This 10.83-inch black combat dagger from Puma IP -- the international production branch begun in Spain in 2003 -- sports a double-edged 6" blade of 440C alloy high carbon stainless steel. Coated with black Teflon to prevent glare and increase corrosion resistance, the dagger is a no-nonsense concept for the ...
Based on an old trench knife design, this cleaned up version represents the spirit of the worst of times, the trench war of WWI that inspired many of the Geneva Protocols commonly known as Rules of Warfare. Even with the slight civilized changes of this model, it's a knife that ...
Inspired by the weapons of the popular game Naruto: Ultimate Ninja, these reproductions of the kunai from that series are more than the usual "for display only" fantasy knives. Kunai, a variety of shuriken (throwing weapon) used by the Ninja of old Japan, are simple edged weapons derived from ...
An ornately decorated sword such as this could only serve as a replica for one of the most recognizable names in women's history, even history itself for that matter. This is a dagger honoring the memory of Cleopatra VII, Pharaoh of Egypt and Queen of the Nile during 69-30 B.C. Many historians and ...
Once again Cold Steel has put their modern interpretation into a traditional knife style, and it works well. This time they've revolutionized the Scottish Skean Dhu blade. That means "black knife" in Gaelic, so I'm not sure how they got the name "Brave Heart".
The ancient Scottish made the Skean Dhu knife ...
This is a great deal for a limited edition Kit Rae fantasy dagger. The Navros dagger here is the special-edition model, plated in 24K gold and limited to only 1500 pieces, so it's a rarity as well as a beauty.
The engraved blade shows off 13.75 inches of polished, nickel-plated ...
One hundred and twenty eight pages devoted to nothing but daggers and bayonets!
Logan Thompson takes us on a journey, from ancient times up through modern day, explaining and detailing the history and evolution of these two types of knives. He provides many illustrations and pictures, showing us German, British, and French bayonets, ...
After a long, successful career in the US Military, Thomas M. Johnson embarked on a career as a writer. Specializing in German edged weapons and other German militaria, he is considered on of the leading authorities on the subject.
This book serves as a detailed survey and reference of WWII-era German knives ...
It's very difficult, and often expensive, to find original WWII daggers. For a serious militaria collector, a replica will often make due as a place-holder or to fill in gaps in a collection. This replica is representative of the period, and is perfect for a collector or history buff.
This model is a ...
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