As you draw the knife from your pocket, this small hook grabs the cloth of your pocket and snaps the knife open. You can do this with cold hands, wet hands, and arthritic hands. At this point I think this is the best and fastest pocket knife on the market.
Who would have ever thought that the hole in the top of a blade, a simple yet ingenious design, would change the knife world as we know it? This was the first attempt to design a knife that would open one-handed that everybody could use. Once this trend started it launched a tidal wave of gadgets for opening blades one-handed, some good and some not so good.
CLIPS
While we are on the subject of fast operation, let’s talk about pocket clips. The big advantage of clips is that you always know where your knife is in your pocket. This helps make for a fast and smooth draw. Also, with your pocket clip, you need to be able to move the clip from one side of the knife to the other. For all you left-handed guys, when you look at your knife, make sure that you can move the clip to left or right side, and from top to bottom. This is a tremendous advantage if you carry a gun on your right side, you can still have your knife available for a left-handed draw.
Now for the disadvantages: All you have to do is look at somebody’s pocket and you can see a knife clip there. There are many times when you don’t want anyone to know you have the knife on you. That’s why you need to have a pocket clip which is removable. With a removable clip, you can have a deep concealment draw of your knife. You don’t want anything to snag the blade in your pocket. For the deep draw you need to take the clip off.
Spyderco was the company that introduced the pocket clip. This small little strip of steel now means that your pocket knife is always in the same position and you don’t have to either dig through the change and other pocket detritus to find your knife or sew your pockets, as Hank suggested.
A pocket clip can help make for a fast and smooth draw from your pocket.
The only disadvantage is that there are times you do not want anyone to see you have a pocket knife. The answer is simple: remove the pocket clip (easily done with a small screwdriver) or you can simply leave the pocket clip on but let the knife rest in your pocket. Try both methods and see what works best for you.
I know I am sounding like a salesman for Saul Glasner, but with a combination of the pocket clip and the wave feature, you can even draw your knife from a seated position. Once again, ladies and gents, this does take practice. But to date this is the fastest gadget I’ve seen to get a knife out of your pocket lickety-split.
The whole point of a knife is its edge (no pun intended), of which there are basically only two types: serrated and smooth. There are a lot of advantages to a serrated blade. It rips through a lot of material even wet stuff, wet rope, or seat belts—this is where serrations really shine. The biggest disadvantage is limited life expectancy; they can only be sharpened a few times, then they lose their effectiveness. I cannot tell you how many knives I have ground the serrations off of, and put a straight edge on, to extend the life of the knife. When you pay over forty dollars for a knife, you want to get as much use out of it as you can.
The other disadvantages of serrations include that they are hard to sharpen and that the cut of a serrated knife is not as smooth as those of a straight edge, especially if the serrations are dull.
Then we have the worst of both worlds, the half-serrated and half-straight, the knife which cannot make up its mind. This is how you can take a perfectly good design and get a knife that won’t do well at any task. In addition, it is a hair-pulling operation to sharpen. So either get your knife serrated or with a straight edge. Don’t buy one in a state of confusion.
BLADE GEOMETRY
Now for blade geometry. Basically a knife is a wedge. If it’s too thin, it will wedge in the material. If it’s too thick, it won’t penetrate the material. You might have an extremely sharp edge with a hollow ground profile. The disadvantage here is the more you sharpen it, the less hollow ground it becomes. We know pocket knives are thin, but you would be surprised how much better they cut with the right geometry.
Plus, a hollow grind on a knife results in a not very strong shape. It chips easily and can develop cracks which will create breaks. I once saw a high quality hollow ground pocket knife that had about two inches of the blade gone. Somebody had cut an individual in a denim jacket. He hit a button on the jacket and lost two inches of blade on a pocket knife which was not very large to begin with. The remaining blade didn’t give him much to work with. Instead of a hollow grind, we need a shallow “V” shaped blade with not a whole lot of really sharp point. But the point needs to be as strong as the edge: remember, your opponent may have change in his pocket or ball point pens, or a coat with heavy buttons or zippers. The point needs to be strong enough to hit these items and still skate off to puncture him. Trouble is, it’s difficult to find a pocket knife with a strong point. They are naturally thin by nature. Pick designs with the strongest points.
Side and point-on views of a strong point (above) and a weak point (below).
TESTING THE CUTTING EDGE
Nowadays, almost any brand of pocket knife you buy is shaving sharp right out of the box. Of course, as with all weapons, you still need to check the edge to make sure it is that sharp. This needs to be done carefully, and I must emphasize, really, carefully.
Take the knife, put it on your arm, raise it to a 45-degree angle with blade just touching the skin, then carefully push the knife towards your hand in a shaving motion. This takes practice.
If the knife is truly sharp, the hair should literally jump off your arm. As a self-defense pocket knife, your weapon should be this sharp at all times. The first time I ever saw a shaving-sharp pocket knife, Hank was cutting off a shoelace that had gotten frayed. He literally touched it and cut through it. This is one of those you-had-to-be-there things. I told Hank I had never seen anything cut that quickly. At this point Hank said, “Let me show you something.” We went to the bathroom and Hank lathered up just below one of his uneven sideburns. Then he proceeded to shave his face to even up that sideburn. That knife was as sharp as my grandfather’s straight razor.
I asked Hank if he could show me how to make my knife that sharp. He said he would show me, but that if I cut myself I shouldn’t “come crying to him.” That same day I brought over my prized possession, a small four-inch bladed Case sheath knife. After much trial and error, I was able to get that knife so that it would shave hair off my arm.
I used to think this was as sharp as you could get a knife. That was until Jimmy Fikes, a nationally known bladesmith, returned to the Birmingham area, and showed me a whole new level of sharpness. I can now take a paperback book and cut the ends off that book by simply pressing down with hand pressure.
The knife world is really in love with the new, different, and exotic. As with serrations, the tanto point has become all the rage. This is rather amazing and got me considering that the Japanese knife we know as “tanto” does not have this point style.
The point of an actual Japanese tanto (above) is not what we call a tanto point now (below).
If you look at the rounded point of most pocket knives, you will see they have basically the same cutting effect as the tanto point. There are those who say that it will penetrate better than other point styles, better than a round style knife. You can easily discover the truth by doing the old stab-the-phonebook test. You’ll find that the tanto point penetrates no deeper than the round point style. If you want a sexy and svelte pocket knife, by all means get a tanto point but don’t expect it to perform any better than Grandad’s point style.
In the twenty-first century, most new knives will be shaving-sharp when you get them. If a blade is this sharp and will cut easily through a small paperback book, no more sharpening is necessary. However, part of this job is mental. You must think of your pocket knife as a weapon, not a tool. You can cut a little string here, cut a cardboard box there, maybe open up a package, and your edge is no longer sha
ving sharp. I suggest you don’t use your knife as a tool. That way your edge is always ready to defend your honor.
STEEL
Current steels are an important subject. Just a few years ago most stainless steel pocket knives had some of the poorest edge-holding qualities this side of a junk yard.
I had a name brand pocket knife given me by a friend. After sharpening a pencil, it would go from hair-flying sharp to so dull that you could apply pressure on the edge with your thumb and it would not even bite the skin. Now, there are several specialty melts of stainless steel that now hold an excellent edge. I recently tested a Cold Steel pocket knife that cut a hundred pieces of half-inch sisal rope, then carved one paperback book into small pieces, and afterwards was still sharp enough to shave hair on my arm. Hopefully one day we will see a production knife that will cut two hundred pieces of one-inch Manila rope, slice a paperback book and then be able to cut the tips off standing hair on my arm. The more the public learns about knife sharpness, the better the quality of knives we will see.
More recently Spyderco and some other manufacturers have been using a stainless steel called VG-10. The edge-holding ability of this stainless has been excellent. I have been able to cut a hundred pieces of half-inch sisal rope and the knife still has a good working edge. I have recently been testing a knife from Diamond Blade. They use a process called friction forging. I was extremely skeptical of this new tempering process, but like the bank robber said to Dirty Harry, “I just gots to know.” This knife was book-cutting sharp right out of the box. The first cut on the rope was so easy I thought I had bought rotten rope. I made three hundred cuts on the half-inch sisal and I was still able to cut the end off a paperback book just using light pressure on the spine of the blade.
I have not used any production knife which will equal this performance. I’m looking forward to seeing larger knives from this company. It just goes to show that the possibility of almost legendary performance can be had from a production knife.
I’ve also tested a laminated blade from Cold Steel in their Natchez Bowie style. This uses a combination of two stainless steels forged together in a sandwich. The edge-holding ability was excellent right out of the box. With a helper feeding me rope, I cut a hundred pieces of manila rope at a speed so fast it was a miracle I did not start a fire in my backyard.
Ladies and gents, if we continue with these new tempering techniques and laminated steels, we may very easily see a knife offered from a factory that will cut a thousand pieces of one-inch manila rope, and when placed in a vise will take a 90-degree bend and return to true.
So keep in mind, when we talk about blade steels—don’t be hung up on what type of steel is used in the knife. Just stick with the performance.
8
ACQUIRING BASIC SKILLS
You’ve chosen a pocket knife. You know the edge is sharp. Now we need to warm up. Take your knife in your master hand (right or left) and begin to slowly open the knife. The reason I say “slowly” is because even with our newer designs, trying to master this skill too quickly will earn you cut fingers and wounded pride. So take your knife and slowly open it. Then put the knife in your left hand and begin to open it with your left hand and pass it back to your right. Take your time. If you continue to practice this routine soon you can open your knife as fast with either hand. It is very important to be able to use both hands, so if your master hand is injured you will not be put out of action.
So, step one, open the knife right-handed, pass it over to your left and open it left-handed. Pass it back to your right hand and continue this swapping until you are proficient with both hands.
PRACTICING THE CUT
Now it’s time to practice some cutting. A good practice target is a cardboard tube that comes with paper towel rolls. Stand the tube on a flat surface and practice cutting it in two with one fast slice. You must be cautious here. Make sure all your body parts—feet, hands, and knees—are out of the way. Cut at a 45-degree angle, which will pin the roll for a second and will allow you to cut the tube in half. It is possible to be fast enough to cut the tube in half and still leave the bottom part standing. This is tricky. I have been able to do this about once in thirty tries. But the more you practice the easier it gets.
Cutting a tube; before and after.
Photo by Casey Ferguson.
After you can sever the tube with your right hand, it is time to start practicing with your left. Keep working your lesser hand until it is as proficient as the master hand, then it’s time to start practicing drawing the knife from your pocket. Once again, start out slowly. Don’t try for speed at first. Make sure your draw is fumble free. Once you master the smooth draw and smooth opening, it’s time to start practicing drawing the knife from your pocket and cutting the cardboard tube in one motion. Keep in mind that yanking the knife out too fast, and then having it go sailing through the air, creates a loss of much face. So keep it slow and keep it simple until you’ve mastered the technique.
The next cut you practice will insure blade alignment and speed. Get a large package of notebook paper. Take one sheet of the paper and fold it over to make a pyramid. Stand the pyramid on a table or counter about waist high and practice cutting it in half. Not only is this difficult to do, but it is very difficult to get the paper to stand on its own. If there is an air conditioner or heater going, or someone moving in the room, the paper is easily blown over. This trick requires an extremely sharp knife and a lot of speed. The angle of the knife must be just right. It is possible to cut the two pieces of paper in half and not have the bottom portion fall over. I’ve only been able to do this about twice in a thousand tries.
Now it’s time to test both strength and speed. Find some half-inch manila or sisal rope. Hang it off a limb or swing set in your yard and practice making three very fast cuts. First slash at the right hand side of the rope. Then, cutting from left to right, make three more very fast cuts as well. Practice this until you get even, fast cuts on the rope. But don’t forget safety. Remember you are swinging viciously with a very sharp instrument. Keep your hands, knees, and legs well out of the way.
Cutting a rope; before & after.
Photo by Casey Ferguson.
PRACTICING WITH THE POINT
Now that you’ve mastered speed cutting with the edge, it is time to consider that the pocket knife has a point as well as an edge. Take a plastic soft drink bottle and fill it with water. Place it at about chest level and try to make three quick thrusts before it falls over. Don’t just try to stab wildly at the bottle. Put a mark or a one-inch-square piece of tape on it and aim for that spot. Practice drawing the knife out of your pocket and stabbing at the spot. Continue to practice until you hit the spot. Once you can hit it (or close to it), try to increase your speed. Keep the same tempo as you did with the manila rope. This is also true when we cut the rope. Plastic bottles are easy to find, cardboard tubes come with paper towel rolls, and manila rope can be bought at hardware stores. They are good, cheap practice materials that can die many times for your improvement.
Now that we have gotten to the point that you can draw your knife and smoothly stab an object, let’s talk a little bit about footwork. Alleys are full of junk. They are dark, bumpy, and slippery. Your own backyard is also. You can’t count on your knife fight occurring in a perfectly maintained gymnasium. So be aware of your surroundings. The best way to avoid tripping over junk in the road is to retreat by taking a step back, then pulling your other foot back to you. It is also the best way to travel, when moving either left or right, to keep from getting tangled in your own feet.
Practice these moves: step backwards until you run into a wall, then step forward and left. Step backwards until you run into the wall again, then step forward and to your right. This is awkward at first, but once you get the feel of your own feet it becomes second nature. But I emphasize again doing it slowly until second nature kicks in.
Next, go outside and practice your newly acquired footwork. Take along some b
ottles, paper, and a bag of garbage. That way you will get the feel of junk on the ground. It is very important you learn how to remain standing in difficult terrain. A smart opponent will try to maneuver you into cracks on the ground or into garbage. I suggest you do this to them before they do it to you. If you can maneuver yourself until your opponent falls, it is much to your advantage.
I once saw Hank do this very thing in a practice fight where the area featured some bushes and a creek behind his opponent. He maneuvered the individual to the edge of the bushes where he made a fast hard lunge, at which point the opponent stepped back out of the way. We heard a large scream and the opponent ended up waist-deep in water and covered in mud. When we went down to the creek to help him up, he looked up at Hank and said, “If I didn’t know better I’d think you did that on purpose.”
Hank looked up at me sternly and said, “Greg, what do you think about that?”
I looked back at Hank and said, “One of the first things you ever told me is that there are no rules in a fight.”
These are wise words to remember. When knives come out, play time is over. Keep this in mind: you do whatever you have to do to win.
SPARRING
There are several companies that make suitable knives for sparring.
A rubber Fairbairn-Sykes.
You can pick one of these or you can make your own. One of the simplest and cheapest simulated knives is a rolled-up newspaper. Remember this has to duplicate the length of your pocket knife. So measure your knife and make sure your newspaper is no longer. Just roll the paper tight, but not too tight, with just a little bend to it. Make it roughly about an inch-and-a-half in diameter, and bind it with three strips of tape. Duct tape or masking tape work well.
Hank Reinhardt's Book of Knives: A Practical and Illustrated Guide to Knife Fighting Page 9
