Amongst all the various weapons that man has come up with to protect himself, the most ancient and brutally effective of them all is still a knife. Yes, even after many centuries have passed, the answer has still not changed one bit. This, in itself, is a towering testament to how skillful and lethal they have always been. However there are some common knife myths that still haunt its users. The whole purpose of a knife when it comes to defending yourself or fighting is the twin aspects of simplicity combined with brutal efficiency.
One must understand that along with the surge of popularity with knives, comes a lot of misconceptions about it as well. Since people have had a variety of experiences with knives, this is only natural. Plus, it has been used by some of the oldest civilizations for many, many centuries leading to the creation of many different types of knives that have different uses, even in warfare.
However, not considering the most common knife myths will turn out to be a lot more harmful in the long run than people think. Since this may dissuade people from buying certain types of knives in the first place. At worst, people could get fatally injured as well. Do read on regarding the top seven knife myths that one should always remember to get a good idea of the validity of the previous sentence.
Top 5 Common Knife Myths Explained
1. Most Tactical Knives Are Dull
To get into the detail of this particular misconception at large, one has to understand that most people are rather afraid of sharp knives in general. Even if those knives may very well end up saving their lives one day, people are afraid that they might end up cutting themselves accidentally. This leads them to think that blunt tactical knives are a practical solution, not realizing that they will be unable to defend themselves properly.
Here’s what you need to understand. People who simply cannot handle a sharp knife properly and safely should not even be carrying a knife in the first place. Period. Carrying a dull knife is one of the most foolish decisions anyone can make and is equivalent to carrying a gun with no bullets. Doing this completely defeats the whole purpose of carrying a weapon in the first place. Which is to protect yourself from a life-threatening situation.
2. A Steel Knife Is The Best Tactical Knife
Earlier, this kind of thinking was more common with the hardcore knife enthusiasts, but it has now spread into the minds of even the most casual knife heads. The fact of the matter is that there is no such ultimate or best knife steel out there. You just need to figure out which alloys or metals work for you in particular.
Moreover, there are many different types of steel out there as well and going by your wants, a plethora of steel options could be your holy grail. A lot more in-depth research and study will be needed on your part to get to the bottom of this. Some of them are long-lasting, tougher than others and resist corrosion for a substantial period of time. With a little bit of introspection from your side, you will be able to gauge what works for you and what doesn’t.
3. The Only Tactical Knives Are Fixed Blades
This is probably one of the most common knife myths of them all. Sure, when talking about traditional military use, a fixed blade certainly means a tactical knife. However, this has become an old concept and the very definition of tactical has morphed over the years. While it mainly referred to a hard-constructed knife in the past, nowadays, the definition has become more versatile.
Now, there are many knife services that construct a variety of folding tactical knives and even Special Forces and Navy Seals have started using them. The fixed blade idea is a relic of the 80’s and now, folding tactical knives come in all shapes and sizes for you to choose from.
4. A Knife Will Never Beat A Gun
This may sound tough, but in reality, it is quite a hollow statement that doesn’t really mean anything at all. While saying that, one is really not taking the fighting skill of the person into consideration at all and just assuming that one kind of weapon trumps the other with regard to killing power alone. This is simply not true.
Rest assured that there are plenty of scenarios where a skilled person can outwit an assailant with a gun, especially at close quarters. You will probably be able to do more than just a couple of stabs and slashes before your opponent can even fire the gun. The bottom line, don’t ever underestimate the power of a knife in the hands of a skilled person.
5. The Idea Of Knife-To-Knife Fighting
People have the misconception that either the victor survives with minor injuries while the attacker who has lost the fight, dies in the streets. Or both the opponents keep circling each other and throwing the occasional stab hoping that it will eventually strike down the other guy. Neither of the two situations are true in the real sense.
With regard to a knife fight in the real world, only one of the two people would have a knife. However if your opponent draws a knife after you, start looking for a more effective weapon. If that’s not the case, you need to strike fast and hard. Remember that you need to have an edge over your opponent in that sense and if it is a knife-to-knife fight, you’ve already failed.
Common Knife Myths Conclusion
Finally, one must always remember the underlying fact is that while a survival knife is a dangerous weapons, that does not make them hard to use, whether you are using knives for hunting or anything else. By breaking down the most common knife myths, hopefully this will lead to more people feeling less fearful about knives. In particular and most importantly, using them a lot more carefully than they did in the past. That is the main pointer that everyone should keep in mind, to be able to learn from the past.
Keep it sharp, keep it handy and keep it out of trouble.
Stay away from stainless steel blades, they dont hold an edge very long.
Yeah they look good but Ill take a carbon steel blade any day of the week.