AITOR KNIVES AITOR COMBAT TEC Tactical knife

AITOR COMBAT TEC

COLLECTOR'S ITEM!???

In depth discussion by BushCampingTools

WHAT CAN I SAY? The Aitor Combat TEC knife, now (for some crazy reason) is discontinued by AITOR of Spain!
Firstly, Aitor have a special machine which can grind this unique saw back into the knife spine. They use this machine to produce all their current models sporting this saw back. 

Out of all the saw back knives currently available on today's knife market, only this one designed by Aitor works properly and is very useful. A close second is the one from FKMD on their Combat Survival Knife. However, even this sawback knife does not cut as well as the AITOR design and can not clear green material, although better at man made materials (ply wood, mdf, plastic sheet etc), which a soldier might more readily encounter in an urban environment.

Side view of the spine saw.

Top view of spine saw

This saw can cut both dead and green wood and clears both materials very effectively. The purpose of the saw is not to cut entirely through branches but to weaken them in order to break them by hand or foot etc. The saw (I'am told by some Canadian hunters) can also be used to cut through bone and in fact is put there to cut bone for hunters! The saw can be very effectively used to cut notches into branches, sticks, scale fish, cut monofilament line etc.

It is simply a well thought out design and far from any gimmick. The saw back knife has been badly maligned mostly due to absolute Asian crap on the market and full of would be "Rambo" knives (that was not a saw but a wire cutter) that could not cut their way out of a wet paper bag. 

The Aitor Combat TEC has been individually Rockwell tested and bears the diamond imprint (HRC 55-58).

Vicious and effective saw back design

The AITOR COMBAT TEC, better than their fixed blade survival knives???

The small circle shows the location of the Rockwell hardness imprint from the diamond tip.

The Aitor Combat TEC knife is a FULL TANG design, with scales which are made from a phenolic resin. There were a couple of variations seen in this model; one with micarta scales and ground differently; one with a black oxide finish and one with a sort of camouflage pattern on the blade. The sheaths offered also varied: an injection moulded sheath similar to the Jungle King series of knives, made in house in Aitor; and the sheath which came with this knife, nylon coated rigid leather. It seemed that Aitor/Pielcu could not make up their minds as to any final design of this otherwise great tactical blade. Also the models which sported the phenolic scales appear to be ground differently. Some were quite blocky and had acute angles (not so comfortable) and this one I had bought (serial number B-021720), was very nicely finished by some proud craftsman (yes man, not woman, before any gets on their high horses here!).

This particular  AITOR Combat TEC was produced while the Pielcu company had taken over from the original AITOR company. There was much discussion in the social media amongst followers  and aficionados of AITOR knives;  that quality standards fell during this period.

The Aitor Knife steel, what is it?

It seems it is some sort of mystery about what steel AITOR was using for this knife. According to the box, they say it was an improvement over the famous 440C. Now on the blade is etched the constituent elements, of those we see Vanadium is listed. 440C does not contain vanadium and the addition of this element will yield under the right heat treatment regimes, Vanadium carbide formation giving good edge characteristics. Certainly I have no reason to disbelieve that they say it was an improvement over 440C. I have found that my other Aitor blade also using the same steel (my Aitor OSO Blanco Olivio) does not chip at all even using it against very dirty woods (sand etc), and keeps a very good edge as well. There is lots of here say on Blade Forums (LOL- of course this is on blade forums, as it's the main place for dented and crazy egos to make a stand!) that Aitor could not possibly be using something like BG42. The reason given, because it's Spain and "how can their knives be so cheap"??? "So it can't possibly be true".  No where have I read such fanciful claims such as this and total hubris from that sector of the American public, only thinking the US can do things when it comes to knives. Sorry but the Spanish have been making knives before white man was anywhere near even discovering America. Spain has still got a steel industry. Not ten years ago for example: Acerinox was the worlds biggest producer of Stainless steel!  The addition of Vanadium does not mean they were/are trying to copy BG42. If one visits Spain one will see it's not some backwood country. Ok they are not sending man to space (I mean real space as in the International space station) but neither is the USA right now. Everyone is using Russia right now as no one for sure trusts Chinese made rockets-just yet... I digress.

AITOR stating something about their steel quality on the box. Personally i find it more than good enough for tough outdoor work. In terms of sharpening this edge, it is similar to the other Aitor knife I own, an OSO Blanco Olivio (olive wood handled OSO Blanco hunting knife) and requires some skill in order to achieve a razor edge. The edge is probably towards the 58 HRC range in my experience with time taken on the ceramic stones to get a deadly edge.

Aitor have a reputation over many years, bolstered by the rich history of Spanish knife making, and really do not need to be boasting about the actual elemental constituents of their steel. The performance in the field speaks for itself. I don't know anyone who owns an Aitor blade, correctly sharpened, says they can't hold an edge or the blade chips etc or rusts. The current Aitor factory is no backyard operation either.

Serial numbered: B-021720, my Aitor Combat TEC knife. The "B" means it was produced while the company Pielcu briefly took over after AITOR business failed, previous knives showed the letter "A" in the serial number. The factory is now being run by another company, Rehabe S.L since 2014/2015. I should say here there is no listed postal address for this present company and it seems one has to "be in the know" in order to contact them. I have tried multiple time yet never ever had an answer. 

The phenolic composite scales are permanently fixed/bonded via rivets/bolts to the tang, the rivets appear to be stainless steel.

The blade

The main blade is slightly recurved and this is a recapitulation of a very very old blade design seen across Europe in knives and swords, 

Museum example of European (in this case Bulgarian Yatagan's pictured here) swords and knives. See middle sword/Big knife, showing a "recurved blade design" Take that Mr outspoken A. G. Russel (whoops sorry for offence to a knife God!)* AG Russell was always crapping on about how asinine a recurved blade was. Well sorry, he wasn't a knife GOD, he was just a very outspoken guy who was good at the time in marketing. Like for example, his gimmicky marketing tactics to sell the knives he made from all that left over Camillus steel. Putting secrete compartments within the tangs LOL, what a gimmick! A recurved blade has physics to back it up in design!

ie the slight inward curvature of the main blade. Unlike my OSO Blanco (white bear) with a hollow (albeit shallow hollow grind), the grind on the AITOR Combat TEC is a flat sabre grind. The Aitor Combat TEC knife is very strong. I bashed it into a fallen Birch of seasoned timber and abused it by levering off split wood!

Aitor has listed the handle material as "fenolgraf". Some sort of phenolic resin composite. Since the company has never answered my requested for information to be able to write this article, I can't tell you more about this material.

Straight out abuse of the AITOR COMBAT TEC knife. Result: a very strong knife blade capable of heavy duty work if required!

The Aitor Combat TEC, features a very strong, good pointed tip. The blade thickness is 5mm/0.2" and the blade has approximately 150mm/6" of cutting surface. The saw length is 70mm. The weight of the knife (only) is 298 grams (10.5 Oz.).

Like many knives (except Extrema Ratio, one brand that comes quickly to mind) their sheaths can let the actual knife design down. This Aitor Combat TEC is no exception. The scabbard works and protects the user but is hardly aesthetic and looks cheap. CAVEAT!! My >20 year old USA made Ontario Spec Plus scabbard of similar materials and construction and looks crap is still in one piece!!! The hard nylon version (like the Jungle Kings etc) looked much better. I'm sure Aitor were cutting corners as this company had gone into receivership a while back and now owned by another company. 

At 150mm length, or 6 inches, the knife is easy to draw and is nimble enough despite its hefty thickness and almost 300 gram weight. There is also a lanyard hole and the butt end is slightly pointed (no doubt can be used as a weapon too). After all, it is supposed to be a  tactical combat knife.

The Edge

Unfortunately, the edge was not razor sharp out of the box. It was just sharp, like my other Aitor. No quality control here. Although the edge bevel was extremely accurate and even along the length of the blade. Several people have told me that When Aitor was going through the company changes, quality changes such as "lack of quality in the finished product" was occurring. Such a shame for literally a Spanish iconic company.
The good thing however, is that the edge once rectified by me can really keep a keen razor edge and resistant to chipping etc at 55-58HRC, perfect for outdoor use. I did manage to pick up a brand new (if not slightly shop soiled-it had been sitting in the shops for some years) Aitor Combat TEC for about $50-00 US!!!!! That's almost a steal!

10 minutes on a Lansky ceramic stone and my AITOR COMBAT TEC KNIFE IS tomato cutting sharp!

What about that saw what can it do?

The design of the saw makes it useful for scaling fish, cutting fishing line and string, cutting through animal bone and or course cutting into both dead and green wood. Most saw back designs can not cut green wood effectively because the "kerf" of the teeth does not clear the sticky sappy green wood. This is not the case with this saw design.

Also the saw is excellent for notching wood for making traps, securing ropes and cordage, or simply weakening a branch so that it can be broken by hand.

Applications

With name like "Combat TEC", this spells to me a knife designed with a military purpose in mind. So does the Aitor Combat TEC knife satisfy this sort of application or is is just some stupid funky mall ninja knife??

Today's Soldiers, I am told, are generally using knives  for cutting all sorts of cordages and or ropes. They are generally not carrying huge choppers as they have to already carry so much gear on their vests. At 15cm or around 5 inches in blade length (total length of knife in scabbard-300mm) it's not huge. Generally, I've been told (and read) a soldier wants a strong tip. The maximum blade thickness comes to within 10mm from the "spear point-like tip". 

Note too, the back swedge (unsharpened).

Other than washing and drying this knife, there are NO bolts to loosen or be lost, so from that aspect the knife construction is simple. There is (was) a black non-reflective version offered and a camouflaged pattern on the blade (both no longer in production but possibly still for sale in some shop somewhere around the globe). There is zero rattle of the knife in the scabbard and no noise generated upon insertion and removal of the blade. The maximum blade depth is only 35mm, 

35mm to the knife belly

so the knife has a shallow profile. 

Ok so  if you are a real soldier then these things may interest you. Personally when one classifies a knife, as "tactical" then I want to see real tactical advantages designed into the blade and or scabbard, not some stupid knife sporting this name for would be if i could be arm chair survivalists/would be if i could be playing soldiers, ie non soldiers.

The curved inner blade allows better cutting of ropes in a typical arcing stroke as apposed to simply a sawing motion on a rope. That's physics by the way. But this design makes it a bit harder to sharpen by unskilled hands (ok get get skilled).

I believe the design is very good from a tactical standpoint. The knife at 5 inches blade isn't too long. The heftiness is well proportioned and balance good (right at the hilt). 

"Civilian" version, Perfectly balanced  at the hilt

The phenolic resin scales are strong as (you can see some general data here). The saw can be used to cut all sorts of things, scrape things, apply notches, etc. In short this saw design actually works.

Many military general purpose knives are good performers in civilian use. I believe the Aitor Combat TEC to also fall under this banner based upon what I've stated above and will shortly present my findings on the BushCampingTools Channel.

I might even go as far to say this would make for a good "survival knife" based upon my previously blogged criteria.

So in summary, I think this AITOR Combat TEC qualifies as a true tactical knife with military applications and practical use outside of this arena.

BushCampingTools

* A. G. Russel once was quoted as saying this sort of design is nothing short of asinine! Ok we can forgive him, he's an old man.

To be honest the edge hardness of tis blade is def HRC58 or even a bit higher as it takes some time to resharpen if left go dull, that's dull, not blunt!

Follow up: Kizlyar Supreme STURM Review

Why I (continue to) like this knife so much

Kizlyar Supreme have got a good thing going with this handle design. Shock absorbing, comfortable plus ergonomic, did I say comfortable? A dependable full tang knife with no milled out sections in the tang. It's a perfect thickness for many tasks, not too thick not too thin. You can use a baton with it if you have to. Work on the coast or any other body of water. Stick your palm of your hand into the butt end without sticking the butt end into your hand.
It's a sabre grind bordering on almost a full flat grind and this I like as the top section of the spine stops the knife from twisting within a block of wood when splitting it.
The STURM has a great point, perfect for gutting fish and starting on game.
The STURM is stainless steel AUS8. AUS8 has loads of great qualities when it comes to outdoor knife steels. For a start it's originally designed by Japanese. It takes an edge and holds an edge.

Kizlyar Supreme STURM in the big thorny bush downunder

The Kizlyar Supreme Sturm has no hot spots in it's design of the handle, this makes it a comfortable grip without wearing gloves.

The scabbard is secure and safe. No chance of it rotting in the humid jungle or pouring rain/mist soaked mountains!

Cheap 10 Buck knife can it possibly be any good????

it looks good, feels good and is certainly well-made for 10 BUCKS. The question is: Can it hold an edge?

It's ANT proof LOL!

BTW we took this largish/smallish Puff ball to eat!

Today I bought a cheap sh%t fixed blade knife with a drop point. It isn't exactly unbranded but carries the mark (stamped into the blade) of some animal that looks like a rat or leopard or cat or mouse maybe????

It's clearly forged, as it's probably too thick to have been stamped at about 4mm thick (but I'm guessing). No evidence of milling marks and carries a mirror finish.

The scales are definitely real wood and some sort of very hard wood (I tried to mark it I couldn't). I can see the real wood cells in it where it has been ground, it could be resin stabilized (believe it or not!).

Real hardwood scales for 10 bucks?????

It was dull but after 30 minutes of ceramic stones, it's now paper cutting sharp! I bashed it and made about 100 cuts on a walnut block, trying to blunt it, the result was I was unsuccessful! That's great, my 10 buck knife (probably Chinese in origin- although the sales woman said it came from Colombia- I seriously doubt it but could be wrong.

Let's have a look at it.

See upside "Rat/undefined animal stamp in blade along with the word "Stainless"!

I even took it into the mountains! What confidence in a 10 Buck knife!

If anyone out there has seen a similar blade do not hesitate to write here and tell me your impressions. I'm actually going to thrash this thing shortly and see what one can get for a discerning 10 bucks! BTW the scabbard was well-stitched but does not secure the knife very well at all. I'll make my own if it holds an edge and doesn't break. Stick around!


BCT.

Myth Busting Stick Tang Knives

Stick Tang knives, the real facts! (be warned this is a rant! and i pull no punches). A message for the new to the outdoors (so you won't become like the latter) and the people claiming to be outdoor people.

A common misconception in the knife using community****   dominated by the social media for example: YouTube, is that fixed bladed knives featuring the so-called "stick tang" must somehow  be inappropriate for heavy duty outdoor work. 

The above couldn't be further from the truth and has been unfortunately propagated by the following collection of: the misinformed; zero experienced; couch/armchair survivalists talking out of their behinds; people trying to "big note" themselves and people with industry driven agendas (in other words the reviewers are "in the pockets" of the manufacturers- every manufacturers model is great!-Hey I drive a WRX but that doesn't mean I think all Subaru's are great). Or a collective of all of these things.

I see many of the most popular YouTube channels, mostly in the USA, but not limited to, are spouting such nonsense about stick tang knives. The hilarious thing is that manufacturers, who know this is nonsense, love these people, because they help market their otherwise not so marketable (as apposed to useful) products with tangs unnecessarily thick and heavy.

I've even heard rubbish from YouTube reviewers telling their followers that you can't use a baton on a stick tang knife because you will break the knife???? WTF???? To be honest this was from someone I once called out for advocating a good use for machetes was to kill snakes! LMAO! AMATEUR!! Any experienced outdoors persons know that you leave snakes alone. Un-harassed 99% of all snake species will retreat given the chance. Attempting to swing a machete in order to kill a poisonous snake (let alone advocating this activity) is both foolhardy and stupid. I've captured deadly poisonous snakes and also kept snakes. They must be treated with the upmost respect, not swinging a machete trying to kill them. That again is only in the movies or by peasants***** who do not understand them and believe all snakes should be dead!

Example "stick tang knife" Extrema Ratio MK2.1

Glass fibre reinforced handle partially removed showing a Tang width of 16mm and thickness 6mm!

Tang width at the actual junction under the guard is even wider than 16mm! Hardly a woosy tang!

The FRN grip is recessed to accept the curvature of the tang, as seen in the above image.

Extrema Ratio MK2.1 a big camp knife outside of military usage.

Let's take some responsibility.

As YouTube presenters to a public audience we need to take responsibility in what we advocate one can do and not do with outdoor tools (and I know many show disclaimers but then go on to still do stupid things-legally believe it or not that disclaimer will not save your butt in a courtroom). If you don't know, then keep your mouth politely closed or simply don't review/demonstrate stuff you know nothing about as there will always be someone around to "call you out" and you'll only look like a fool. Don't spout some BS! 

I invite anyone who feels that they have been offended by what I say, to challenge me openly and in the public arena, (like YouTube) that's how confident I am with stating the above.

Firstly to define a stick tang

The tang will be symmetrical in shape and not round in cross sectional profile. That would exclude the tapering asymmetrically designed tangs in, for example, certain Extrema Ratio knife models.

The handle/grip will be affixed to the tang at one place (usually towards or at the butt/pommel region. There are generally no bolt holes, rivet holes or other holes in the tang which are situated near the guard region*. There may be a small hole which was used to "suspend" the knife for various treatments during manufacture, of which is located towards the butt end.

The handle/grip is usually fixed permanently to the tang, via injection moulding eg Kraton handled Ontario Spec Plus.

In other words, a "stick tang" will essentially be a rectangular  cross sectional area. It too could also be further milled out.

Note the stick tang is not a "Rat Tail" tang. The Rat Tail tang is not symmetrical throughout it's length but rather is a narrow taper, and is round to "roundish" in cross-sectional profile. Rat tail tangs are used to manoeuvre the blade during forging. Many great European knives such as Finnish knives sport this more than satisfactory design, especially when the end of the "tail" is secured at the butt end of the handle. For example large Leuku.

ALL  injection*** moulded handled knives will be of a type of stick tang construction.

*** Ok there are some exceptions such as the Jaktkit and certain Fallkniven  knives.

What stick tang knives do I own and use extensively?

Here are just a few examples:

Ontario Spec plus for way over 20 years hard use! Made in the USA.

See it here

FKMD Combat Survival military issue knife, over 5 years usage. Made in Italy. This model can certainly take abuse.

See it here:
and here:

Aitor OSO Blanco Olivio over 3 years use. Made in Spain.

See it here:
And here:
and Here:
and here
and here

too many more to mention!

Extrema Ratio AMF over 1 year abuse! Made in Italy. Modernized re-make of the famous Gerber survival knife.

See it here:

Extrema Ratio MK2.1 over 1 month hard use! Made in Italy.

See it here:
and here:

What is a full tang?

Usually a tang which is completely rectangular in profile. There  are few knives these days which actually satisfy this single criteria (some STRIDER large fixed blades come to mind and Abalone pryer/knives-my most recent and excellent Bowie from Linder knives 

A genuine "full tang" knife. The Linder Bowie
see it here). 

Although I do not feel that these two knives I mention above are uncomfortable, however, having a completely rectangular profile is somewhat limiting to handle design. But you see my point, these are in fact "proper full tang knives".

Most knives which are being touted as "full tang" have the following characteristics:

1) Milled or otherwise known as "skeletonized" tangs. A tang in which material has been removed in order to either balance the knife weight distribution or removed for some gimmicky reason such as "storage space". This latter aspect is a gimmick as most are not carrying an "Allen key" or Torx key into the wilds expecting to remove the scales of our knives!

This milling can occur at any region of the tang dependent upon the overall geometry of the knife. Remove the scales from your knife and you may be surprised of actually how little metal is in your "full tang" knife.

The Tactical Echelon series of knives from Kizlyar Supreme are pretty much full tang, with the only holes being for scale bolts. These blades have been cleverly designed so that despite all of the handles basically being the same, the blades balance perfectly! 

2) the tang is highly contoured in order to help provide (if not a gimmick) an ergonomic grip as apposed to simply grabbing hold of a rectangular piece of metal. There maybe a bolt hole quite close and centrally located right next to the most narrow region of the tang at the junction of handle and guard region, thus further decreasing the "actual width" of the tang.

In fact the words "Full Tang" have become the "new" marketing weapon of the knife manufacturer.

Valid comparisons

There is no way to prove that the so-called "full tang" construction is "stronger" and therefore less-likely to break**, than a stick tang, as there are no knives offered for which every design aspect is the same except the tang; one being the full width of the blade and the other narrowed down. Placing the two knives side by side for a laboratory destruction test and examining the results.

The number of variables (known as "variation" ",multi-variate" in scientific terms) involved such as the forces a knife might encounter by it's user is vast. There will be of course a bias towards "abuse" from owners/YouTube reviewers who are convinced that their "full tang" knives are superior in strength, and these owners/users will be less likely to treat their knife with respect and use it for what it was intended, that is as a "cutting tool". Commonly seen "tests" for a knife's worthiness, such as, smashing concrete bricks and or bashing the spine with rocks is, as A.G. Russel would say: "that's just asinine!"

Knives today have become LEVERS and or Pry bars!

The Physics**

Our "scientific knife"

Take one rectangular profile 300mm long X 6mm thick X 25mm wide, heat treat and temper it. Insert this bar horizontally so as half of the material is concealed within an immovable structure. Apply a static 80kg load with a base surface area that of the extended piece of metal, that is measuring 25mm X approximately 150mm, to the extended piece at the junction of the immovable object.

Will the metal bend, break or not yield at all?

Well this will depends upon the heat treating and tempering and the type of steel alloy and the profile.

There are terms in metallurgy and engineering to describe this, such as yield strength, bending moments etc.

It may not break or bend at an 80Kg load.

Now let's pretend this is our thick knife blade shoved in a crack or hole and you are about to stand upon it with all of your 80Kg weight (for what reason I have no idea?- maybe so you can just put your head over the brick wall and point your sniper rifle at the enemy?). (BTW edge retention and ease of sharpening and toughness are more important than thickness alone).

Fact is, no one in their right mind with the exception of movie actors  and the naive  are/is doing similar to their precious: weaponry; hunting knives; survival knives; camping and or hiking knives etc. Why? Because knives are for cutting, piercing and possibly chopping; and not pry bars. In fact one only looks stupid and inexperienced advocating such treatment to what essentially could be your most precious tool you have with you, other than your brain (the latter which should be the foremost precious "tool").

Pride comes before a fall, right? We all know this? Yes?

Well here is another saying you may not be aware of:

"A knife tip breaks before the handle"! You start prying hard with your knife (into un-yielding objects/materials) you will most likely break the tip before the handle breaks. The only way to destroy the handle is to perform a similar manoeuvre as described above, that is by placing the fulcrum point at the junction of handle and start of the knife blade.

Who is actually doing this?

And why would you do this?
The abalone prying knife, which Abalone divers use as their primary tool, as a lever, is designed (whilst some do have a knife edge) is really a lever/pry bar.

You see?? Very unlikely, even in the most imaginative mind (outside of the movie set director/producer's immagination's). 

Being able to be flexible  is a good thing

Having a stick tang, there is a greater chance the knife would flex under a severe load (if you were stupid enough-like standing on it- see FKMD review) and that my dear friends is your warning that you should maybe stop and consider a more appropriate tool or better still, reconsider your actions for a smarter tactical approach.

There is an added benefit for stick tang knife construction: That's right, WEIGHT! as in WEIGHT REDUCTION.

Soldiers have enough to carry let alone some 1/4 inch chunk of ego strapped to their vest etc. Hiker's can go further (you know the old saying about boot weight right?) carrying a lighter but still more than strong enough knife makes a lot of sense.

I've been on uninhabited islands (in the tropics) no free standing fresh water (yes, the islands were that small), no craft of any kind to rescue me should I chuck a hissy fit and say I've had enough; only my brain, a good quality fishing rod, a machete of local origin and a multitool. The machete of course was of a kind of Rat Tail construction! Our well-being (two of us) depended upon the right choice of tools to take with us, too bad once that boat left us there to be screaming out for something we might have forgotten, only for our screams to be carried away in the opposite direction by the wind!

A properly constructed stick tang will flex. it should be designed as such.

* Holes drilled/milled into a tang near the guard can only serve as a potential nucleus for crack propagation if the above conditions are met. A stick tang has no such holes near the guard region. 

**** (here I distinguish the word "community" as being unrelated to the "gang community-if you can call it that, weapon wielding thugs without any form of direction and or education other than some primitive instincts to harm what they themselves have no idea about) 

***** I've personally witnessed people of some cultures who have an inherent fear of snakes and feel their duty is to kill them all!


BCT