Glock makes the “Perfect” knife: 12 Reasons Why

Ha! Glock Perfection, yeah right.

Sure, nothing is perfect, but let me know of any other auto pistol that combines durability, reliability, simplicity of use, accuracy, ammo capacity, parts availability, ease of repair, availability of accessories and the list goes own. Simply no other gun scores so well in so many of them and that’s why the Glock 17 is as popular as it is.

Something similar happens with the Glock knife.
It’s a cheap, ugly, light little thing, but when you look at what its supposed to be used for and how well it scores in all categories its easy to point out the Glock knife may just be the Glock of the knife world.


1) Cutting ability. A knife that doesn’t cut isnt much of a knife, is it? Well, we all know that sometimes knives come with a poor edge, in some cases rather expensive knives are delivered with an edge so poor it will barely half cut, half tear through paper across most of the edge. I know for a fact that the Glock knife was at times delivered poorly sharpened. Current ones though they are either sharp or shaving sharp, in either case well within what you would expect in a utility/survival knife.

2)Fit and Finish. The knife is on the low budget side of things no doubt, but its well made, correct bevels, quality plastic injection, steel finish and overall a high quality product manufactured in Austria. For such a low cost knife, you get a lot of bang per buck.

3)Toughness. A knife is supposed to be a cutting tool but a survival/utility knife is meant to be more. If needed, it must also be a hammer, a pry bar, scrapper, axe, shovel or whatever else you need it to be. No, it wont do any of those things “well”, but when you have no other choice it should hold up to that kind of abuse. The Glock knife does that.

4)Blade geometry. Not much innovation here. It’s a typical fighting knife bayonet shaped blade, but the narrow blade, with the strong tip will not just stab well and perform as a fighting knife, it also performs as a general utility tool. As long as its sharp it will cut anything that needs cutting and the thick, 6,5” blade will hold its own when battoning wood.

Glock Perfection OEM Fixed Straight Blade Field Knife $32.95
 
5)Steel quality. 1095 carbon steel is good stuff. Some of the better utility knives use it and for good reason. It will rust so there’s that, but it also holds an edge well and sharpens easily.

6)Heat treatment. The Glock knife is hardened to 55HRC. While many high end knives are expected to be 60HRC or harder, the truth is that the benefits of such hardness aren’t worth the loss of toughness and these knives will break when abused. On the other hand the Glock knife can be abused, bent, used as a chisel and for smashing concrete blocks and just take the beating that would destroy supposedly better 60 HRC knives.

7)Blade Finish. The smooth electrophoretic black coating protects the blade and reduces reflection.

8)Balance. The blade has a partial, narrow tang. Usually this is a rather bad, fragile tang compared to a full tang fixed knife but not in this case, not with a good bit of Glock plastic around said tang. The attachment is in fact so strong, the blade will break way before you manage to break that polymer handle. Thanks to the short narrow tang, the knife is perfectly balanced in the cross guard. With a lower grip, it allows for acceptable chopping given the blade size and weight. The knife was also designed as a throwing knife and it does very nicely as such.

9)Handle. The Polymer handle is not only as tough as they come, its also has a classic, proven shape design. It is comfortable for most hands and allows for good retention.

10)Sheath. One of the strongest points the Glock knife had going for it. Entirely made out of polymer, fully ambidextrous, the sheath is classic Glock minimalistic design. It has a belt loop that first large belts and the sheath itself can get tucked in molle, either a vest or backpack.The retention lever keeps it in place and makes it almost impossible to get the knife out by another person by accident/surprise.

11)Weight. A bit over 7 ounces, the knife is one of the lightest knives around, especially for a tough, 6,5 inch blade. Ideal for soldiers, contractors, but also for survival and bugout kits as well as camping, backpacking or as a general use knife around the house, car or tool box.

12)Price. For an extremely well designed and manufactured knife made in Austria, the price is very low. Around 30 bucks or so, its worth getting spares.

FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”