Edged weapons fell out of favor on the battlefields of the world as firearms — deadlier and with a much longer reach — came into common use. Few military forces train with blades today, except as a last resort skill and in ceremonial drills. Today’s combat knives, swords and other traditional weapons grace the walls of collectors’ homes and offices much more often than they see actual use.
The mystique of these weapons carries on, regardless of need. Modern edged weapons are as versatile as ever, ranging in quality from souvenirs to true combat sidearms. Today’s military knives rival anything made when a good blade meant survival on the battlefield or dueling park. Many people who will never use them in actual combat train as intently as ancient warriors did, carrying on the old traditions and keeping the knowledge of their ancestors intact.
Collectors may find new versions of the old weapons as interesting as the faithfully detailed reproductions of historical pieces. Many of the combat knives popular with the soldiers of the world became big sellers in the peacetime markets as hunting and fishing knives and trusted survival tools. Not all military knives made that transition — some of the most beautiful knives were also too specialized for deadly work.
The Cold Steel Pistol Grip Sword Cane is a proven old design rebuilt with new techniques and materials. The practical quality of this carbon fiber and carbon steel piece surpasses anything in my grandfather’s collection of antique blades and I’m sure he would have been fascinated.
Many unusual Asian weapons followed the same trail, from origins as farmer’s tools to defense weapons of monks and travelers, and then sometimes to the professional military. Typical of these interesting and complex combat weapons, the Shaolin Monk’s Spade has a history as intriguing as its shape.
Back-engineered to functional basics after WWII, the combat dagger lost much of its artistic quality along the way. Our pick for the “best combat knife” is the MK-4 Commando Knife by John Ek — with an extensive military history of its own — brings back the look.
Knife maker Kit Carson designed CRKT's M21-14DSFG Desert Big Dog for Special Forces use in desert warfare. A blade coating of titanium nitride and handle scales of G-10 give the knife its desert brown hue. Beneath the sand-brown exterior, the knife is all metal with frame and liners ...
The six-inch blade of the Rajah II serves either as a camp knife or a brush chopping bush knife with enough weight and size for effective work. Built in the style of the famous Gurkha kukri, this design by Andrew Demko adds modern materials and Cold Steel's high-tech ...
The favorite field and military knife of Nepal's Gurkha regiments inspired the Rajah III from Cold Steel. Recreating the broad and heavy blade of a kukri knife in a folding clip knife style is right in line with Cold Steel's philosophy.
The Rajah III is the smallest of the gurkha ...
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 ...
Kershaw's Black Storm's recurved blade offers quick cutting action for severing rope and harness straps with a plain edge that's easily sharpened with ordinary tools. With comfortable handle inserts and one-handed manual opening, it's a knife that's easy to understand and use.
While the Kershaw Black Shallot provides much the ...
Designed by Bob Dozier and produced in collaboration with Ka-Bar, the Ka-Bar Bull Dozier knife shows the forty years of knife-making experience Mr. Dozier has acquired. The Bull Dozier could work as a combat knife, hunting knife, or survival knife -- strong enough for any rough task and ...
A cut above the entry level practical cutters, the CAS Hanwei Practical Wakizashi features the edge tempering of more expensive blades and cuts cost in other ways. If you need a sword for cutting practice, you probably care more about the steel than the fittings.
Good cutters like this one feature blades ...
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 ...
The Pathfinder Combat Tactical Knife from United Cutlery might be a better choice as a camp tool or an emergency knife for the car trunk. It's big and impressive, but it's heavy. The compass comes up to military standards, but only if you're into WWII surplus.
For the price, you might consider ...
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 ...
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. ...
Becker Knife & Tool once produced a wide variety of survival knives built to the specifications of founder Ethan Becker, who had a longstanding interest in big knives. Now produced under the guidance of Ka-Bar, the Becker BK-9 Combat Bowie is one of the best Beckers for the ...
The nine different sizes of this Competition Wushu Broadsword from Dragon Well Forge in Lungchuan, China, provide any student of smaller physical stature with a properly fitted and IWF-approved weapon. Constructed with women in mind, this series of swords differs from the men's version only in overall length and weight.
Anyone ...
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 ...
First produced by Ka-Bar in 2005, the Desert Fighting Knife came about because many military personnel serving in the Gulf region wrote the company to request a desert version of the famous Ka-Bar fighting knife. Ka-Bar's Desert Fighting Knife incorporates handle material and sheath in desert tan.
A combo cutting ...
This Extreme Fighting Knife from Ka-Bar works some important improvements into the classic Ka-Bar Marine Corps fighting knife design. If you liked that one, you'll love this one too.
Components show more attention to appearance and are no longer just the most rugged parts possible. The finger guard isn't a ...
The Masahiro Empire Wheel Samurai katana goes well past display quality, giving collectors and recreational users a beautiful weapon capable of tamashigiri, or functional cutting practice. The details of this starter level sword from Fully Handmade will impress blade lovers.
Fully Handmade does produce traditional hand-forged blades using the old and ...
This Ontario Knife Company design issued to pilots during the Vietnam War and now offered by Rothco would make a dependable survival knife for anyone. Designed to aid pilots in escaping wreckage as well as surviving jungle and combat, the Army & Air Force Issue Survival Knife isn't fancy. ...
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 subdued look of this Tai Chi straight sword from Dragon Well Forge of Lung Chuan, China, gives the weapon an almost antique appearance. Satin polish on the hardwood scabbard and handle blend well with the low luster of the solid brass fittings.
The Dragon Well Forge tai chi sword really ...
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 ...
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 ...
Cold Steel jumped into the artistic pool with knives like the Talwar Folder, built in cooperation with designer Lynn Thompson. Called a pocket sword rather than a pocket knife, the Talwar combines the style of old Spanish weaponry with the usual invulnerable mechanics of Cold Steel products.
You'd expect ...
Although Spyderco's Military Digital Camouflage Knife was designed for military users, it's one of Spyderco's best choices for civilians as well, with a rugged build and special features other Spyderco lightweights lack. Anyone interested in a dependable folding clip knife should give this one a look.
Thumb stud opening systems ...
The smallest knife in Cold Steel's tanto series, the Master Tanto with a six-inch blade of VG-1 San Mai III high carbon stainless steel, varies only a little from the classic tanto in visual terms. In materials, there's a considerable difference between Cold Steel's model and the classic backup ...
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 ...
First produced by Ka-Bar in 2006, the U.S. Army version of the Vietnam Commemorative Knife is the real thing, with a little added decoration. The 7-inch bowie style blade and stacked leather handle match the well known Ka-Bar fighting knife pattern that has been standard issue for American military since ...
The Cold Steel Voyager Medium Tanto covers a wide range of everyday needs -- good for camping, fishing, hunting, and handyman work, although the tanto point traditionally was the mark of a combat blade. If one-handed opening is an essential feature you need, consider the strength of your hand. ...
This pair of twenty-inch-long swords with single leather scabbard gives today's kung fu adepts the modern combat version of an ancient Chinese weapon. Cold Steel's versions of these wide blades weigh more than a pound each with fifteen inches of cutting edge and blade stock 1/5-inch thick. The 1055 ...
The 37-5/8" Cold Steel Pistol Grip Sword Cane looks just like the Pistol Grip City Stick but holds a 25-3/4 inch carbon steel spike in the hollow carbon fiber shaft. A thumb push on the release button and a firm pull on the cast stainless steel pistol grip separates ...
Cold Steel's Skull Head City Stick is both dangerous and elegant. Designed for urban self defense rather than to be a walking aid, the stainless steel and fiberglass walking stick will serve for either purpose. Cold Steel makes several different models of City Sticks and the Skull Head is ...
The eight piece Ninja Warrior Sword from United Cutlery makes an interesting display piece even though the nondescript black cord wrapped handle and black scabbard aren't designed to attract attention. Though this compact weapons set isn't combat quality steel, it's good enough to be both functional and entertaining.
The 23-inch sword blade ...
At over thirteen pounds, this forged high carbon steel Kwan Dao is heavy by today's standards but light in comparison to the old combat Kwan Dao of China. Designed by General Kwan Yu in the 3rd Century A.D. for his personal use, the original Green Dragon Crescent Blade which inspires ...
I can accept that training weapons shouldn't be combat level for beginning level training. Wushu routines stress acrobatics and weapons handling and often require lighter versions of the traditional weapons. But a good wushu weapon still looks like the real thing and has to retain the weapon's original ...
Obviously designed for advanced martial artists, the Tiger Hooks in this set from Tiger Claw match the form of the old weapons but not the function. Built of chrome plated mild steel with lightly wrapped handles, these Tiger Hooks will suit those who want a simple wall display or a lightweight ...
Flexible weapons like the rope dart are often described as the most difficult kung fu weapons to learn. The heavy chromed steel dart at the end of this soft eleven foot rope can be thrown and retrieved like a whip, used to wrap up an opponent's weapon, or spun as a ...
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 ...
Though this brutal solid steel baton is marketed as a Bian or Hard Whip Staff, it's neither a whip nor a whip staff. Whip staffs are usually about four feet in length and slender -- hardwood instead of steel. Fast movement and painful whip strikes form core movements in ...
Cold Steel's San Mai III Gurkha Kukri may be the heaviest kukri produced today -- with full tang VG-1 high carbon stainless steel construction and a thickness of 5/16 inches, that's certainly possible. Designed by Lynn Thompson, the president of Cold Steel, the San Mai III Kukri varies only slightly in ...
The Nemesis Battle Axe, sold as a fully functional battle weapon, does outclass most other modern martial arts axes. Many of the modern versions of this intimidating double-bladed axe are intentionally lightweight, built more for kata than for fighting. Though this is a very nice axe, and a type of weapon that ...
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 ...
Though it's not quite bullet-proof, the Gerber Mini-Covert in black fiberglass filled nylon and low-glare coated stainless steel is a knife that has a very respectable and well proven background. Two OSS agents -- Applegate and Fairbairn -- developed the basic pattern of this knife through logic and ...
Created by Gil Hibben for Sylvester Stallone's recurring role as John Rambo, this striking Bowie style fighting knife appeared in the movie Rambo III. A 13" full length tang knife with solid stainless steel bolsters and a surgical stainless steel 8" blade, the fanciful Bowie shows a unique slotted ...
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 ...
This bamboo cane sword, imported by Trademark Global, reproduces an old hidden weapon from Japan called the shikomizue. This particular type of weapon would have been a favorite of ninja agents skilled at concealment and disguise. Global's 41" bamboo stick sword, with a hidden 27 1/4" katana style blade ...
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 ...
Honoring the first Tokugawa shogun of Japan--Tokugawa Ieyasu, an intriguing master of kenjutsu and military strategy who survived 90 battles during his long and tumultuous life, loved hawking, and habitually bit his nails--this sword is actually typical of many that personify the famed general. In small ways they may be historically ...
More than a simple self defense stick, the Night Patrolman houses a strong 12" blackened stainless steel sword blade in its machined aluminum shaft. At 23.5" in baton form, this resembles the common nightstick that patrolmen still often carry as a backup weapon. Effective as ...
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