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!
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| Example "stick tang knife" Extrema Ratio MK2.1 |
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Glass fibre reinforced handle partially removed showing a Tang width of 16mm and thickness 6mm!
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| Tang width at the actual junction under the guard is even wider than 16mm! Hardly a woosy tang! |
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| The FRN grip is recessed to accept the curvature of the tang, as seen in the above image. |
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| Extrema Ratio MK2.1 a big camp knife outside of military usage. |
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.
*** 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.
FKMD Combat Survival military issue knife, over 5 years usage. Made in Italy. This model can certainly take abuse.
Aitor OSO Blanco Olivio over 3 years use. Made in Spain.
Extrema Ratio AMF over 1 year abuse! Made in Italy. Modernized re-make of the famous Gerber survival knife.
Extrema Ratio MK2.1 over 1 month hard use! Made in Italy.
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
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| 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.
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
***** 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
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