Tactical vs. Combat knife: Similarities and Differences
Buyer's Guide For Choosing The Best One For You
(Here Is An Infographic For That!)
The main similarity between a tactical knife and a combat knife is that both knives are designed for stabbing. A tactical knife has the added feature of having serrations along the blade, which can be cut through fabrics or soft materials. The primary difference between a tactical knife and a combat knife is in the handle material. A tac-knife will usually have an ergonomic handle with nylon or rubber grip for everyday use. At the same time, an aggressive fighter will opt for an ultra-light composite molded one-piece design to minimize weight on their body. Another attribute of many combat knives is they often weigh less than 3 ounces with blades between 3-8 inches long--making them perfect concealed carry options.
The Tactical Knife is a smaller knife that can be used for utility, which can be used with many tasks without being out-of-place. The combat knife is meant for close-quarter combat and not much else. Generally speaking, the Combat Knife is more dangerous than the Tactical Knife because of how large it is and how easily it can perform devastating wounds on an opponent or victim. Due to their size difference, however, they are not very powerful weapons in hand-to-hand combat situations; but when coupled with a gun or bayonet (i.e., Baton), they as deadly weapons for defending oneself from opponents threatening at long-range distances too far to use even thrown knives effectively without painful effort.
What is the difference between a tactical knife and a survival knife?
Many factors differentiate tactical and survival knives. One of the more important is cost. Tactical knives often come at a higher price but usually also have higher quality steel, making them last much longer than a regular knife. Survival knives not only do not need to be nearly as durable as something you would use in combat situations, but they also tend to be cheaper to compensate for their lower durability.
The main difference between these two types of knives is the primary purpose: tactical knives are designed mainly for fighting or self-defense, whereas survival knives are designed primarily for outdoor activities such as hunting, hiking, and camping.
Handle Design
The handle is one of the essential parts of a knife, as it serves to protect the hand from a sharp blade and can also provide a good grip. Therefore, it should be designed to accommodate various grips, such as solid and weak hand or grip variations during combat.
With these considerations in mind, I would suggest a handle length that measures between 3" and 4", with a design conducive to deep finger grips on its canvas-covered cord-wrapped hilt. In addition, I would recommend metal guard fittings to encase the junction between blade and handle for an additional measure of security, even though this gives up some space within the wrapped section.
Guard Design
The guard is designed to stop an opponent's blade as it slides down the side of the user's hand to his fingers. This improves safety for users who don't know how to properly hold a knife in hand-to-hand combat and discourages opponents from removing their blades.
The blade is serrated on one side; this allows for cutting vegetation, ropes, or non-resistant clothing like pantyhose. The reverse serration can also provide grip when used at close quarters in conflict settings or during arrest pursuits when an officer must remove his gloves.
Blade Design
Combat Knives are knives used in hand-to-hand combat, often as a part of military equipment. Blade Design of a Combat Knife Typically, the blade is curved and thick with over three inches though sometimes as long as twelve inches. Long blades can be exceedingly heavy to carry on one's person unless heavyweights are attached to the grip or handle section for cord wrapping.
The edge should be hollow ground so that it can cut better than an unground blade (though some prefer plain-edged weapons), sharper, and less likely to become dulled by contact with bone or rigid material.
Many users believe that this design gives them more control because they can be more forceful about their target because of the knobby texture between the two sides of the spine. Additionally, it provides better protection for stabbing motions since you have full-depth penetration before meeting any resistance from bone or other internal organs.
Survival Knives
A survival knife is a knife considered to be suited for use in survival situations. Survival knives may vary significantly in the length of the blade and handle. The size and weight of a survival knife primarily depend on whether it will be used as an outdoor or indoor knife, whether it will be primarily used as a utility tool or as a weapon, and its historical use (if any).
Military combat knives, at times called "fighting knives," are usually heavy-bladed fighting weapons with thick handles that assist in handholding during thrusts; they can also function well being thrown by hand.
How long should a Combat knife be?
Combat knives are usually in the range of 5-10 inches long. The length that the combat bowie knife should be will depend on who is holding it. If you are a civilian, then 10in would be fine. But if you were a soldier, which means that chances are there will be other things besides combat attacking your person at any given time, I would recommend an 11-12 in the blade so that you can penetrate past clothing and armor much more easily just in case someone dressed like one show up to assault you.
Some other considerations for blade length would be ease of use; making intricate cuts can't happen with a short fixed blade.
How thick should a Combat knife be?
The thickness of a combat knife (fighting knife) varies by the use to which it is put. The average camper, survival, or hunt rifle should be between 3mm and 8mm. For military forces, a desirable range for combat knives is 10-14mm. Finally, for big game hunting or military personnel engaged in jungle warfare where heavy chopping or slashing would be an issue, blade thickness should not exceed 9 mm at the spine max point.
What is the best steel for Combat knives?
The best steel for a combat knife is usually D2 steel. However, this depends on the intended use of the blade. The most commonly used and best available for everyday knives of all types is ATS-34 cold steel, which has good wear resistance and decent edge geometry retention values. It provides an excellent tradeoff between the ability to keep your blade accessible to sharpen yet able to take a very sharp edge when you change it out periodically.
While other steels are also available on blades today (such as S30V) due partly to popular demand for other qualities such as ease of finishing or corrosion resistance with minimal chromium content so that stainless blades can be made without affecting geometrical properties adversely in hardness or carbon.
Final Thought
Tactical knives and survival knives are similar in many ways, but they also have some key differences. One of the most notable differences between a tactical knife and a combat or survival knife is that the blade on a tactical knife is typically thinner than the blades found on other types of knives. The handle design for every kind of blade can vary significantly as well. Combat knives generally have handles made out of metal with grooves to give you an increased grip during use while still concealing it from view when not using it. Survival knives often come with nylon sheaths that protect against corrosion over time due to exposure to moisture or oxygen. However, this does depend on what material your survival knife uses.
Combat knives are made to be used in combat. They should have a blade that is at least eight inches, and the handle must be thick enough to withstand heavy use. The best steel for these folding knives would depend on your needs, but stainless steel with an alloy content of 12% chromium is a good option if you want something affordable or carbon steel if you're looking for high quality. It's worth noting that most survival knives also double as tactical blades since they too need to hold up against harsh conditions like those found in combat zones. Most people prefer survival knives because they come with additional features such as fire starters, compasses, fish hooks, and other tools, making them more versatile than ordinary blades.