Dear Smith and Wesson Forum, Im an amateur writer and im working on a writing project about a spy and i have all of his gear figured out except for one thing his knife. I have 3 knives in mind for this project and i have researched each one of them thoroughly, but i still can not chose which one to pick out of the 3. any and all help with this would be greatly appreciated sincerely and respectfully mg357 a proud member of the Smith and Wesson Forum. p.s. here is the list
1. Swiss army knife
2. ka-bar fixed bladed knife
3. Leatherman skeletool cx multi-tool

I would go with this......

Gerber Applegate Fairbairn Covert Double Bevel Tini Green | Gerber Store

Double bevel, assisted open but not too assisted, long enough to reach some important organs.

B2

I EDC this knife (in black not green). Love it. Lightweight, great steel... would be a great spy knife.

How old is your spy? Is the intent for it to be "macguyver-like" or as a killing tool? For a multitool I'd use a Leatherman Wave, but they can be a little heavy so the method of carry could be an issue. For an older guy who grew up during the Viet Nam era, a Randall #7, Gerber Mark 1, or Kabar would be great. For a younger guy the options are pretty much endless, if they have a penchant for folding knives I'd go with any Benchmade, for a fixed blade I'd go with one of the smaller custom shops that have a good reputation.

mg357, You have been seeing too many Hollywood movies &TV programs! The James Bond type "spies" are fiction. A real spy probably would not carry a knife - maybe a nail clipper -but nothing that would attract attention. As a graduate of the OSS type"Spy School", I learned to hide in plain sight. Blend with the masses. Walking around with a mini Rambo knife up your sleeve is a No-No, bigtime. None of the great spies of history were connected to any knives! The butler of the British ambassador, a German spy, who stole the plans for the Alled Invasion, might have had a cork screw, but that was it. Did Mata Hari have a Gerber? No way! Now if your hero is not really a genuine Spy, but a Hollywood type cast character or a SEAL team 6 member in drag, then he (or she) must out do Rambo and carry a real fighting knife, some of which are mentioned in the above post and from personal experience, I would add the Kukri to the list. It is very intimidating in the hands of a skilled knife fighter. Ed.

If a knife is actually carried ( as apposed to one secreted somewhere ) I would go with one of the medium to small Victorinox Swiss Armies like a soldier at the largest and probably a classic or companion or Cadet. They are small and innocuous enough to go relatively un-noticed yet they will have a handy screwdriver etc. No one should intentially take a knife to a fight as no one comes out ahead in a knife fight.

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Sceva
OGCA SWCA NRA

Emerson Rhino

Emerson CQC-7B but why stop there.

It depends on how covert the spy is supposed to be. I would keep the SAK go with no more than a 3 layer knife to keep it thiner. I would ditch the K-bar and get a belt dagger/push knife for his person and a machete for his pack/kit. I would also ditch the leatherman tool .

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

Something slim and unobtrusive like a Kershaw Leek would be my choice. And just happens to be my EDC.

All that yiu have listed + a good lock blade.

Not saying he needs to carry them all at the same time. They each have a mission purpose and should be carried as needed.

Is this an undercover spy or a action spy?

That will determain what knife(s) he needs.

an AWL !!!!!!!!!!

Al Mar are well made, usually slim, expensive and suitable for covert operations--at least some models. They're most famous for slim folders. For $395, their Sere Operator is about as good as they come and is a fixed blade. It's VG tool steel--hard as hell & holds a wicked edge--but also time consuming to sharpen, best done with a diamond stone. For a lot less money, you can get a a SOG. I like and use my SOG Pentagon in S.E Asia, where you can't tell the Catholics from the NPA (communists) or **** Moro Islamic liberation front baddies and in highly populated areas, sometimes a knife is best--a gun shot brings too much attention and you want to get the job done and just disappear, with out eyes and ears starting a trail on you--they will cut off your head and play soccer with it for a laugh. The folding AEGIS folder series by SOG are nice, open very fast, and come in black, which can be a real plus. Maybe the best all around QUALITY knife in that realm for the money, is the black SOG Trident tanto folder--I always have a couple--in my room, pocket--wherever--at under 4 ounces, fast opening and reliable, they're hard to beat, keep an edge and not too hard to sharpen. When I leave, I usually give them to people who were valuable to me and they still have them if i see them again, even years later and are very grateful--to them--it's a month's wages--to us--a steak dinner. Try westsidewholesale.com SOG fixed blades are nice, but you might want to rework the sheaths a bit--they take too long to be pulled out and can be noisy. Why SOG makes good knives and so so sheaths is beyond me.

All good suggestions.
Let's complicate it some more.COMBAT ELITE - TACTICAL ELITE: LEVEL 3 TrueNorthKnives.com

I would go with the Leek, a simply great knife, slim, light and fast.

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Dick

If it's a fighting knife you need and our hero is in a wheelchair how about a throwing knife or three hidden behind his neck.This way he can reach out and touch someone.

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Dum vivo cano

Definitely this OMG its so sweet coolest spy book EVER!!!

Here's another vote for "what's it for?"
There is a world of difference between the Swiss Army Knife/Leatherman tools and the Kabar.

I have a box full of knives that I've carried and a couple boxes that I found were pretty much useless. A "good knife" doesn't have to be expensive and not every expensive knife is a "good knife". Swiss Army Knives, Leathermans, Campers knives and Boy Scout knives are alright, but I prefer a tool kit. Also, some of them have tools that many people will never use and even with the ones that you do use it's not that often, so you end up lugging a big chunk of excess weight and bulk in your pocket.

McGuyver was an unrealistic fantasy show that was obviously anti-gun in nature and had nothing to do with real world spies. If you are looking for something that shows your spy is a spy, choose something like a "CIA Letter Opener". Other than that, spies don't carry things that will make them look like spies.

Not to change the topic, but in an earlier post you had mentioned your wheelchair bound hero carrying an M1 Carbine, to which I said would be bulky. I happened to think about the old Universal Enforcer the other day and thought about you. Now that might be an idea.

Good luck with you book. I wish you the best.

Have you considered a sword/knife combo set?

Seriously, I'd probably go with something that appeared to be a normal small pocket knife but actually had lock picking tools and perhaps something else that your detective will need in the pinch you put him in.




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Matt Helm carried a variety of knives, the most practical of which was a Buck No. 110. He changed knives several times, varying with the books by Donald Hamilton.

James Bond's knife was never specified, but seemed to be a small pocket model. I know that Ian Fleming shopped at Hoffritz in NYC and bought a razor there. Probably had a Swiss Army knife, too, likely a Spartan or similar model.

Where your spy operates will largely determine what he can carry. Some Euro countries are very restrictive.
In general, I'd give him a Victorinox Spartan with larger items for special operations, like when Bond carried a Fairbairn-Sykes dagger.

If he is in areas where it wouldn't cause undue attention, a lockblade folder in a simple black belt pouch is suitable. It wouldn't raise eyebrows much in many US states. The Benchmade Model 710 or the medium size Gerber A-F folder are suitable, but the Gerber may be considered a dirk, dagger, poniard, or stiletto in some jurisdictions. The full size Gerber A-F may be a little large not to arouse comments. It is better suited for soldiers. I've worn mine, but not much now. Too worried how some cop might view it, especially with the words Combat Folder on the blade!

The German lockblade folders might be worth considering. The Puma Model 943 is a good one It has the main blade, a corkscrew, a saw blade with a bottle opener and a screwdriver tip and a hook to help extract a stuck cartridge. And it doesn't shout WEAPON to those who see it.

The Buck 110 and the Puma and Schrade equivalents are good, but heavy for their size. But so many people carry them, they might not raise an eyebrow.

Keep in mind that Helm wasn't a true spy. He worked undercover, but his main role was as a counter assassin.

T-Star

Ginsu....lifetime warranty.

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

I can see it now. Gottcha! No you didnt! Shake yo head!

I still have my Granddad's and I'll have to say they work quite well 40 plus years later.

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Dum vivo cano

Depends on what you mean by a "spy". There's a variety of people that do different things in different places. Few, if any, call themselves spies. Mostly it falls under the term "intelligence", "counter intelligence" or vague statements. (Fun fact - super secret sinister things overseas were done with orders and pay checks from the Department of the Interior and not DoD in the recent past.) Vague statements include being in IT, cultural affairs, liasions for this that or the other, working for the State Department in one capacity or another, or selling pet food. Different folks may well have a different in joke - famously the NSA was once glibly stated to refer to "No Such Agency" rather than National Security Agency.

Anyway, the CIA letter openers and the like that you see at gun shows and in catalogs are just toys mostly, but actual plastic knives do exist. Another fun real life spy toy is a sort of titanium ice pick.

In ye olden days the OSS actually had some special sleeve daggers and such made up as well as other toys.

If someone has U.S. Govt funding and and doesn't need a sterile tool, they'll likely have a Benchmade automatic, Gerber automatic, and/or something like a Gerber Engineering/EOD tool. The latter is a multi tool that has blasting cap crimpers, a nice saw, and a punch for putting the blasting caps in C4 or what not.

Some Euro types have been known to be seen with Swiss Army knives with the camo pattern handles. I guess that was felt to confer more elan than the red handles.

For something sterile and deniable, a common choice for a long while was a made in Taiwan United Cutlery type dagger or similar - knuckle knives actually too. Basically the sort of thing one could buy over the counter somewhere for cash that would come with a basic concealment device. Such were/are meant to be used once and then disposed of.

Some Navy folks in a vaguely defined "intelligence" role who were growing beards and getting tans gave out those Cold Steel plastic knives at as literal party favors at a wedding a few years back, but I suspect this was done in a tongue in cheek/self aware manner.

A few people who deploy overseas for various reasons do indeed buy various expensive boutique maker fixed blades and folders. It makes everyone look and feel cool. Like buying whatever the in set of boutique maker doo dads and sunglasses does. Yeah, people do a lot of silly things.

Circa 1996 the medium Douk Douk - google it - was popular with people "in the know" in remote places, at least in Asia and Africa. They're still made and still a good bit of third world kit since they are simple, commonly found, non serial numbered, easy to sharpen, and can be shaved with and used to strike sparks.

These worked for the sort of folks who were told to wear Men's Wearhouse or JC Penney suits in black, blue or simple gray so as to lok respectable but in now way remarkable.

The best bet is a Victorinox "Officer" Swiss Army Knife. The 2 1/2 inch blade is more than adequate, whilst totally legal in virtually any country that does not prohibit the carrying of pocket knives. Only an Oh-Oh-Seven wannabe would carry anything else.

I once knew a real spy - he was in the OSS during WW-2. Evidently he worked deep undercover and did not carry any weapons on or about his person so he could hopefully pass as a common citizen. He said that during his training the agents were taught to either acquire weapons as needed, or to improvise weapons with what was at hand. Thus, a common kitchen or steak knife would be pressed into use as a killing knife rather than a K-Bar or stilleto. He never got into the gory details, but he talked about how many common kitchen items were very effective killing tools. He was a very nice guy, but you definitely didn't want to make him unhappy.

I think what kind of knife your spy would use would be determined by how you want your story to run. If your spy is a James Bond kind of agent, then a custom made or high end production knife would make sense. If your spy is a more real world kind of agent, then a more modest, if any, knife would make sense.

Best or luck,

Dave