Fixed or folding knives?

[civiliansheepdog]

I'm curious about soldiers or LEOs in the field, do you guys carry fixed knife or a folding knife? I've seen pictures of some soldiers carry folding knife with them when they're on the field. Wouldn't a fixed knife be more reliable and you use it also as a utility tool too. I carry a folding knife since it's more convenient and no reason for me to carry a fixed blade since I'm always in the city and not out in the bush.

[Ryan]

I've heard of both being carried. Co-holsters with fixed knife and pistol are carried by Germany's elite police (MEK/SEK). I believe Jack mentioned he carries a folding for ease.

[jackim]

I'm preferable for the folding ones, Folders are more discrete, the blade folds into the handle when not in use. Most of these tools are known as “pocket knives” – indicating their mode of transport. Urbanites prefer these; the general population is unaware that ‘you’re carrying.’

[Breacher01]

a folder doesn't do the same tasks a fixed blade does, and vice versa. so it not the one or the other, but the one you expect to use or both.

[Alfa47]

If I'm not mistaken, Mark Owen(former DEVGRU guy who was in Op Neptune Spear) mentioned that he carried both. A Daniel Winkler fixed blade and an Emerson folder.

[Breacher01]

EVERYONE carried both, or even more. The most I've personally seen carried a fixed blade on their harness/plate carrier on the left shoulder upside down, to draw with their left hand, and a reasonably large sized folder somewhere on their body, often their right pants pocket, or cargo pocket.

Most men I've served with also had a SAK or Multi-tool for the screw-driver, saw, belt cutter and other applications. Thats 3 knives in total. Some people chose to carry a "boot knife" kind of small stiletto, if they were trained in killing with those. A stiletto like knife can be a perfect weapon in some cases, but you have to know exactly how to kill with it to be effective, because knife fighting is an art in itself.

Knives, folders and SAK/Multi-tools give you more functions then any single fixed blade, but a stiletto-type knife worn in the right place offers you a kind of killing power none of those other types give you, therefore its in a lot of commando style units emblems.

Once you experienced the power of these in the field you won't leave base without it, but the first times you use it are very awkward, unless you're a certifiable psychopath. Training helps a lot, until you gut an enemy for the first time. After that you know if you want to carry one or never use one again.

I stick with a Gerber LMF MKII, a Leatherman Supertool 300 and a Wilkinson Sword Fairbairn Sykes F~S type in my boot. The latter i hope never to use again.

In my police/swat type role these days I stick with the Leatherman only.

[Ryan]

[Breacher01]

This is a knife...

I wander if it has tweezers and a toothpick hidden somewhere.