Same Knife, Two Different Ends of the Style Spectrum

[just_a_hunter]

I'm pretty open minded when it comes to life.

I have worn out cowboy boots and Nike's both.... I have spent as many hours (probably more) riding a horse as I have 4 wheeler, shot just as many rounds through a lever gun as an AR-15, hunt with high end long range precision rifles and recurves with wooden arrows both and listen to everything from George Strait to Snoop Dogg.

There are many styles of knives as we all know, but in my oppinion, what sets a knife style apart more than anything, is what it is dressed in. whether it be handle/scale material or sheath style. I personally think the cloths and hardware make the biggest differnce. Sure there are tactical knives, hunting knives, camping knives etc., and the blade shape has a huge impact on this. There is no getting around that but you can take a nice stag classic chopper, slap some Micarta in place of the stag and sheath it in kydex instead of leather and now you'll have a tactical knife...

The "Sheaths in Action" thread in the "Sheaths and Such" Forum thread along with recent order completions got me to thinking about this and I was wondering what the World Wide Web thought of it as well.

These two completed knives are the exact same model and knife pretty much but I know they will live totally separate lives...

This one is in Kydex (Holstex actually) with Micarta scales.

 

 

This one has synthetic Ivory in leather.

 

 

They are the same knife but soooo much different.

Your thoughts?

Thanks for reading,

Todd

[TOEJAMMER]

...and both are excellent.  Well done!

[Jack Denbow]

I love the looks of "Ivory" and leather. For a working knife I would choose the micarta and Kydex. I have become a big fan of Kydex, I can throw it in my pack never have to worry about it. I guess you could say I like both.
Jack

[tomsm44]

I think the idea of tactical as a style is rediculous.  A few hundred years ago, a quillion dagger was a "tactical knife.  Now it's considered an art knife by most people.  Tactical, hunter, fighter, camp, skinner, etc. are what a knife is used for.  If you take a drop point with fancy exotic scales to Afghanistan and use it to defuse land mines, it's a tactical.  If you take one of Ben's Kwaikens as your main carry blade on an elk hunt, it's a hunter.  Just my opinion on the matter.  

And by the way, both are beautiful blades, though I'd take the ivory and leather if I had my choice.

[just_a_hunter]

I agree Matt. That's what I was getting at. The knife is what the owner wants it to be and they usually dress it for the occasion.

Thanks for chiming in you all!

Todd

[J.W.]

I agree with your take on it. The exact same knife with different scales gives me a different take on its purpose.

[Bladepeek]

Really love that handle style. I bought an ATS-34 blade nearly half a century ago from Bob Engnath. I hand rubbed it and put an iron wood handle on it with stainless bolsters sculpted to fit the finger notch. Mine had just a bit of a birds beak at the butt, but basically the same as yours. To this day that is my favorite, most comfortable handle. Just enough drop ahead of the finger notch to act as protection and allow a "snap" fit in a pouch sheath, but not enough to get in the way of a cutting board cut like a longer guard can.

Nice execution on both.

[D.Ellis]

To be truly tactical, it needs sharp, thumb shredding jimping on the spine, a chisel grind with a tanto tip, and a skull and crossbones etched into the blade   :D  

Those look great, given my choice I'd also take the "ivory" one with leather sheath.

Your leatherwork is kicking butt by the way    

Darcy  

[just_a_hunter]

Thanks all! Fun discussion.

Todd

[tomsm44]

Originally posted by D.Ellis:
To be truly tactical, it needs sharp, thumb shredding jimping on the spine, a chisel grind with a tanto tip, and a skull and crossbones etched into the blade    :D    

Those look great, given my choice I'd also take the "ivory" one with leather sheath.

Your leatherwork is kicking butt by the way        

Darcy      

Don't forget the acid green g10 scales.  It's funny how most "tactical" knives you see now days would never even be considered by a soldier, policeman, or whatever.

[just_a_hunter]

I have never been in any sort of tactical position and hope to never be but have dispatched a hog or two with cutlery and it would be pretty hard to beat the standard issue KABAR I was using for that task. Their sheaths SUCK though.

   

Todd

[TrackerNy]

Looking real good Todd.

[Steve Nuckels]

I like everything about those!

Steve
---------
Potomac Forge
Member, W.F. Moran Jr. Foundation
ABS Apprentice

[Bodork]

Good observation and I agree with your opinion on the two knives. Funny, although the blades are the same, if I just saw them side by side I would be inclined to assume the micarta/kydex combo was produced for the masses and the ivory/leather package was a custom knife for a discriminating buyer.