What are you favorite concealable full tang daggers?
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horsemen61
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Not sure but I want one!
Speedo66
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Oh boy, here we go again.
Since they’re illegal for carry in many places, not sure very many people carry such an item concealed.
Since they’re illegal for carry in many places, not sure very many people carry such an item concealed.
Despite the fact you are "not sure very many people carry such an item concealed" and believe there are ilegal in many places, this discussion is primarily for people who live in FL or states with similar concealed carry laws. There are about 21 million people who reside in Florida. I'm sure a good chunk of the fourm members live in FL or other states that allow them to pair these knives with their concealed carry handguns.
I have not come across any clear answer to the question of how many states that have "shall issue" CCPs allow the carrying of combat knives, collapsible batons, etc. There are some websites that claim to have an accurate legal database regarding this question, but I have found the overall credibility and frequency of updates with these websites to be a bit shaky.
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westernrover
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Personally, I don't think a full tang is a good feature for a dagger. A dagger is not to be used as a pry-bar. I would prefer a design with a cable tang or a full-length rat-tail tang. Right now the market is obsessed with paper specs for online shoppers, so full-tang and super-steels rule. Spartan blades would be an example.
If you're going to carry a dagger you need length. As to the tang, since it will be a stabbing weapon a full tang is pointless.
theotherwaldo
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Actually, I have a nice trio of damascus full-tang daggers that are balanced for throwing.
earlthegoat2
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When I carry a knife purely for defense, it is a Cold Steel Safe Keeper 3. I like the concealability of the short overall length of push daggers.
Mounted sideways on the belt can even be carried in plain sight with no one noticing.
Mounted sideways on the belt can even be carried in plain sight with no one noticing.
lemaymiami
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You'd be surprised at just what kind and size of blade you can conceal... Having been on the scene of more than one serious result type stabbings and cuttings... I can also tell you that I never found one witness who actually saw the blade involved (including the guy or gal on the receiving end...). Most witnesses simply reported seeing one individual punching, slapping, or pushing the other... the blood loss came after that. The quality and condition of every one of those blades that we recovered was poor at best....
If I needed something for serious work - I'd never want to use anything of value (particularly not a blade that I was known to have either bought or received as a gift...). The blade I'd choose? Something on the order of a six inch stiff boning blade (Old Hickory makes a good one at very small cost).... You can be sure that if there's any kind of knife collector's group in my area - I won't be part of it at all...
One last thought that every young (and not so young) guy ought to remember about knives used to injure or kill an opponent... As my Dad told me many years ago - the downside of using a knife is that you have to get entirely too close to someone that really, really doesn't like you.... And yet a knife might just be your last ditch defense in an extreme situation - that's the paradox....
If I needed something for serious work - I'd never want to use anything of value (particularly not a blade that I was known to have either bought or received as a gift...). The blade I'd choose? Something on the order of a six inch stiff boning blade (Old Hickory makes a good one at very small cost).... You can be sure that if there's any kind of knife collector's group in my area - I won't be part of it at all...
One last thought that every young (and not so young) guy ought to remember about knives used to injure or kill an opponent... As my Dad told me many years ago - the downside of using a knife is that you have to get entirely too close to someone that really, really doesn't like you.... And yet a knife might just be your last ditch defense in an extreme situation - that's the paradox....
Gordon
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What exactly is a dagger ? Double edged ? "pointy" ? To me a Polkowski concealment knife is a dagger. My Randal toothpick is also "dagger" as is my Skighn Dhu . I don't think the legal definition is exact unless defined as double edged. Unsuitable for sporting purposes ? I think NOT.
A.G., RIP, designed and manufactured the Sting and commented tongue in cheek that it was just a double edged skinner that you would flip over if one side dulled.
Officers'Wife
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If I were going to carry a knife for defense purposes I would want Gramp's 7 in commando knife he called the "Limey Pigsticker." Made by Wilkerson Sword it was actually issued to the British paratroopers. It would be a bear to conceal though.
lemaymiami
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If you can, make a point of taking a look at the blades that John Ek made for the troops in WWII... You'll see an occasional one offered for sale on E-bay - all these years later. Basic blades for serious work in several styles... The better polished and refined blades with the Ek name came long after the ones he did all those years ago - that were carried (and used) in every theater during the big war.
In extremis, almost any sharp or pointy item will do in a pinch... The homemade stuff found in every prison -was made to actually be used and it should be a reminder to all of us just how creative (or desperate) the human animal can be when threatened.
In extremis, almost any sharp or pointy item will do in a pinch... The homemade stuff found in every prison -was made to actually be used and it should be a reminder to all of us just how creative (or desperate) the human animal can be when threatened.
Officers'Wife
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Isn't Ek the guy that would only sell to the military because he felt his knives were more deadly than handguns and needed to be kept out of civilian hands?
lemaymiami
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I'd have to look it up to be certain - but I think he was a skilled metalworker that just fell into making a few knives at first then the demand just kept growing from those headed overseas..... Anyone with a good reference source on him, please chime in. I actually met him towards his final years down here in paradise back in the seventies near Coral Gables. He was in an old dusty storefront with a container full of old un-finished blanks... I didn't realize who I'd been talking to until years later - wish I'd been smart enough to buy everything he had since it was set very modestly price-wise. I believe that we might never have heard of him if Blackjack or another commercial outfit hadn't picked up a few of his designs and brought them to the market in a polished form...
His original work all had hard rock maple handles with leaded rivets - a set up that wouldn't fail you under harsh conditions... Kabar was another very sturdy handled blade - but done in a completely different fashion (stacked oiled leather discs) ... Every now and then I look over their surviving blades from that same era - the mark one and the mark two.. but all of those old warriors are far too much money for my pocket...
His original work all had hard rock maple handles with leaded rivets - a set up that wouldn't fail you under harsh conditions... Kabar was another very sturdy handled blade - but done in a completely different fashion (stacked oiled leather discs) ... Every now and then I look over their surviving blades from that same era - the mark one and the mark two.. but all of those old warriors are far too much money for my pocket...
That's a bit of a myth. During WWII he had 3 shifts running to meet demand from people in uniform so everything went to them. If you weren't in the military or somehow special you were out of luck. I've corresponded with his son over the years about bits and pieces of the Ek mythology so I'll double check with him.
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mdauben
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The Ek Commando Dagger would be my first choice. The original Ek brand knives are rather pricey, but Ka Bar is making them under licence now.
sgt127
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I have a Ka Bar Ek. Honestly, it’s probably as good a knife as the original, if not better.
The “EK” mystique is the shape of the blade and handle and, the history behind it.
From a metallurgical standpoint, the current offering is superb. Ka Bar has ground and heat treated an awful lot of steel.
I picked up an old Kershaw Trooper. It’s a fine dagger. Still available on EBay. Very classy blade if you want something shorter than the EK.
The Gerber boot knives and daggers were good knives too.
The “EK” mystique is the shape of the blade and handle and, the history behind it.
From a metallurgical standpoint, the current offering is superb. Ka Bar has ground and heat treated an awful lot of steel.
I picked up an old Kershaw Trooper. It’s a fine dagger. Still available on EBay. Very classy blade if you want something shorter than the EK.
The Gerber boot knives and daggers were good knives too.
Madcap_Magician
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Not quite a dagger, but I just picked up this swedged, spear point Vehement Knives Tunnel Rat. DLT had about 120 of these and they sold out in four minutes. You can see the design influence of the M3 fighting knife, the SOG Bowie, and Randall Knives. About 10.5" long, 3V and natural micarta, brass guard, aluminum buttcap.
bannockburn
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Not full tang but certainly very concealable, my first and most favorite dagger.
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