Category Archives: Knives

New COAST Products Rapid Response Knife Video Review

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Randall

This is a video review of the COAST Products Rapid Response Folding Knife.  The knife makes me smile for several reasons.  First, it is very well made.  The production values are high and the knife has a quality feel.  It is inexpensive.  Not cheap, inexpensive.  The knife in the video, which is the 3.9″ 5Cr15MoV satin-finished blade can be purchased for only $41.49 (three dollars more for a black coated blade).  Lastly, the knife performs well. COAST Products, which began as COAST Cutlery, has been a family-owned Oregon business since 1919.  Although the company began making knives, the current product line includes LED lights and multi-tools.  I have a COAST … Continue reading →

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New Benchmade 176BK SOCP Knife Review

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Randall

U.S. Military Special Operations Forces operators needed a purpose-designed knife for urban close quarters battle, based on their experiences with house-to-house fighting in the Sandbox.  Special Forces Combatives Program (SOCP) developer Greg Thompson made it happen. Thompson, a trainer of SF soldiers for over 12 years and Director of Training for the XVIII Airborne Corps in Ft. Bragg, NC, collaborated with the Benchmade Knife Company, Inc. to produce what he felt was the solution to an edgy problem. The Benchmade 176BK SOCP dagger is made for low profile carry, ease of accessibility on a combat load-out, and pure function in CQB.  Sounds like something useful to domestic SWAT operators and … Continue reading →

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Spyderco Previews New Pygmy Warrior Knife

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Randall

Back in May 2011, I attended the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference in Tampa, Florida.  At the Vendor Exhibit, I spied the familiar profile of the Warrior combat knife in the Spyderco Booth.  Kristi Hunter, Spyderco’s Government Sales Specialist, allowed me to handle the prototype for their Pygmy Warrior, a scaled down version of the Warrior. I liked the size, weight, and overall ergonomics of this small fighter.  It being the sole prototype at the time, I was more than a little proud to have examined and manipulated it.  The Pygmy Warrior has a definite place as a back-up knife on a SWAT operator’s vest. The Warrior knife has a … Continue reading →

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Gerber Debuts New De Facto Combat Knife

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Randall

BlueSheepdog Aaron and I got a look at some new knives from Gerber Legendary Blades at 2012 SHOT Show.  One knife stood out to me:  the Gerber De Facto.  With input from U.S. Army Special Forces personnel, this knife is primarily designed for close quarters combat. The steel used in this knife is S30V.  Its 4” blade is a flat ground, spear point, and double-edged.  There are serrations right and left.  At the opposite end of the full-tang is a glass breaker/skull crusher at the pommel.  The handle is a polymer that is slightly tacky in the hand for good grip.  The knife weighs 3.9 ounces and is 8.875” overall. … Continue reading →

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