Knives

[Johnny Wichita]

Hi friends, let's talk knife sets.  What you got?

[wetwillie]

I opened this thread thinking it was going to go to a darker place

[OK_Cat]

It always looks so easy to stab someone in the movies.  Do we think it's really that easy?  Like, how much force goes into stabbing someone in the gut?  What about stabbing them in the chest where this is bone?

[michigancat]

victronix makes incredible knives for the money

[Pete]

I think prison shows get it right. If you are not able to slit the throat with a good sharp knife, you are going to want to try and stab your opponent as many times as you can, as quickly as you can, in the midsection.   

So, to sum up: sharp knife = throat slit, pointy knife = repeatedly stab. 

[OK_Cat]

what do we think best resembles the thickness of skin and the human body to "test" these manuevers? 

[Spracne]

what do we think best resembles the thickness of skin and the human body to "test" these manuevers?

If Forged is any guide (and it is), a pig carcass best emulates the stabbing/slicing/cutting of a human body.

[Brock Landers]

In the documentary film Face/Off, the evil version of John Travolta instructed his daughter to stab, then twist, so the wound doesn't close.   

[OK_Cat]

I guess my big concern is that movies make it appear that it's pretty easy to stab people, but I'm of the believe that it's probably not easy.  I feel like #bigknife is spreading fake news.

[star seed 7]

Skin and insides stuff are pretty easy to poke through, I think ok cat might just be a weakling

[Spracne]

Skin and insides stuff are pretty easy to poke through, I think ok cat might just be a weakling

Right, but what of the ribcage?

[star seed 7]

You just poke through it (if not a weakling)

[OK_Cat]

i've never tried stabbing someone, so i can't confirm or deny if i'm capable of it.  i really just want to gather information in case i ever need to.

what kind of knife would be best?  some sort of serrated knife, right?  really F them up?

[star seed 7]

Smear the blade in poop for maximum post stabbing infection

[Johnny Wichita]

  I love this place. 

[Rage Against the McKee]

i've never tried stabbing someone, so i can't confirm or deny if i'm capable of it.  i really just want to gather information in case i ever need to.

what kind of knife would be best?  some sort of serrated knife, right?  really F them up?

Nothing beats a good chef's knife. Large, heavy, and sharp enough to cut through chicken bones.

[sys]

Knife combat is not something that happens except on rare and unusual occasions. However, you have to carry a knife anyway, so might as well carry it high and make it quickly accessible….no awkward motions to retrieve.

A knife must also be kept sharp. This kinda goes without saying, but if you ever have to use it in anger, the difference in effort between a sharp and dull knife, once you stab and rip, is huge. I keep a knife sharp enough to shave with, and to do that I just have a small two-sided stone about 3? long. One side is a medium grit, the other is an Arkansas stone. They are laminated together. To finish, I can drag the blade down my boot leather.

The one possible disadvantage of a sharp knife over a dull one is if you are slashing and hit bone, the sharp one will dig into it and stop, where a dull one will likely deflect and keep cutting. It depends on the angle of impact. With point sharpness you can have the same issue stabbing, a really sharp point will dig into a rib, a dull point will roll off and penetrate.

In general sharpness is better, since prime targets are neck and guts anyway. For head stabbing, the eye is the best target, since the back of the orbit there on the skull is thin and weak. A thinner blade is also better, since the it reduces friction on both stabbing and slashing cuts. A K-bar mini, with standard point and razor sharp, can be driven through the back of a skull with surprisingly minimal effort. Or, maybe the adrenaline flow just makes it seem that way. The key here is not to get involved in knife fights. You are too close and your survival odds just got reduced by a large factor.

I spent a lot of time trying to learn how to throw a knife. Well, forget it. The balance is always wrong on any kind of otherwise functional knife, it is hit-and-miss per effectiveness, and…you lose your knife, which at that point should be your absolute last defense method anyway. And, well…body armor.

As far as knife size. My preference is a Bowie knife, but they are cumbersome, heavy, and to be honest look a bit silly. The bottom line is, any knife which can reach major arteries/veins and organs in a stabbing mode is adequate. A six inch blade is more than enough for that. And, a shorter blade is more efficient for slashing…less internal drag and less counterproductive leverage on the blade outside the body cavity – this tends to work against your motion and make your wrist flip over.

[CHONGS]

A machete can meet all of your knife needs.  Kitchen, bathroom, and beyond.

[Pete]

A machete can meet all of your knife needs.  Kitchen, bathroom, and beyond.

You know what, I did not put one on our wedding registry and I am still kicking myself.

[ChiComCat]

I never thought to use my machete as my bathroom knife, but I'll give it a shot

[Spracne]

Do you guys really have poop knives?

[nicname]

Do you guys really have poop knives?

Only when I really want to stick it to an enemy

[Cire]

best thing you can get is a good knife sharpener.  Will cost around 100$ on amazon.  Will keep any knife super duper sharp, More expensive will be weighted/balanced for easier cutting and the edge will stay sharp longer but you will always need to hone/sharpen it, just maybe not as often.

If you do lots of chopping/butchering, like daily, you want to spend more.

if you are just chopping fruit and veggies go cheap.

[OK_Cat]

best thing you can get is a good knife sharpener.  Will cost around 100$ on amazon.  Will keep any knife super duper sharp, More expensive will be weighted/balanced for easier cutting and the edge will stay sharp longer but you will always need to hone/sharpen it, just maybe not as often.

If you do lots of chopping/butchering, like daily, you want to spend more.

if you are just chopping fruit and veggies go cheap.

this thread is really sending mixed signals, because someone else said a dull blade is easier to slice human skin with because it won't catch on the bone.  SO WHICH IS IT?

[Sandstone Outcropping]

Victorinox Pioneer X in black alox is awesome. The scissors are such a handy tool. The only way this knife could be improved would be to swap out the awl (good for helping the kids with craft projects) with a phillips screwdriver. Also, all keychains should have a Victorinox Classic SD (unless you go thru airport security a lot).