Tactical Knives Are A Tactical Necessity

What Is A Tactical Knife?

Whether you’re in the military on a covert operation or on a family camping trip, you need a knife that you can count on to perform in all conditions. Built to stand-up to the harshest environments, tactical knives can be counted on to last a lifetime. Features like grips that are truly slip-free, allowing you to use the knife in wet conditions or with sweaty hands, and blades that are forged from carbon steel, allowing you to put them to hard use on a daily basis, are what make them a great asset. The tactical knives that you can find on the market today include fixed blades and pocket knives, giving you a large selection to choose from, assuring you of finding a knife that exactly meets your needs.

What Is A Tactical Knife For?

A good tactical knife will cut through rope or cord or wire and slice through canvas or nylon webbing or 600D polyester Oxford material. It will also include extra survival features like a sawback so that you can tackle limbs and branches or an integrated LED light for reading a map at night or a firestarter to spark a flame when needed. Bottomline, a tactical knife is an important tool for daily tasks when you’re camping, when you’re on a mission or even if you’re bugging-out.

Best of the Best

With all the tactical knives out there, choosing the right one that fits your needs can be a chore, so we’ve made it easy for you. Below, you’ll find our recommendations for the top ten tactical knives. Half of the list is pocket knife options, and the other half is fixed blade knife options.

Fixed Blade Tactical Knives

The tactical fixed blade knives that I’ve included all come with belt sheaths so that you can carry them conveniently and securely at your side.

M48 Commando Knife

A good, solid tactical knife with an aggressive sawback, the M48 Commando gives you a completely capable cutting tool on each side of the blade. The black, non-reflective fixed blade has a heavily textured, ABS handle with a nylon cord wrist lanyard. The blade is AUS-8 stainless steel with a clip point, and it extends from an oversized, metal handguard that will protect your hand from the blade. The tactical knife is a full 12” overall length and the tough, ABS belt sheath is MOLLE compatible and also has a nylon cord lanyard.

SOA Olive Drab Tactical Knife

What I really like about the SOA Olive Drab Tactical Knife is that it’s compact enough to go in your gear or at your side without taking up much space. Yet, it’s still powerful enough to have your back! The razor-sharp, black stainless steel blade has a partially serrated edge and a drop point. The tough, TPU olive drab and black handle is grippy with heavy texturing and ridges for your thumb to rest on. The handle also has a stainless steel glass-breaker pommel that could be a lifesaver in an emergency. The fixed blade is a compact 9 1/2” overall and the molded plastic belt sheath has lashing holes as another carry option on your gear.

USMC Jungle Operator Bowie

There’s no better endorsement for a tactical knife than the Marine Corps. The officially licensed USMC Jungle Operator Bowie is ready for “Anything, Anytime, Anywhere.” The beefy, stainless steel clip point blade offers double-edged power with vicious sawback serrations and a razor’s edge just like the M48 Commando. The hefty TPU handle is ridged for a slip-free grip and features the infamous “Marine Force Recon” logo, assuring you of its authenticity. The massive tactical fixed blade is 15 1/2” in overall length and a durable nylon belt sheath secures it at your side. The USMC Jungle Operator Bowie has your back, no matter the situation!

Death Dealer Tactical Knife

I’ve included the Death Dealer Tactical Knife on this list because it makes the perfect companion to your rifle. It’s a must-have addition to your survival and mission gear with its discreet, non-reflective blade finish and muzzle-ring guard. The incredibly sharp, 3Cr13 stainless steel clip-point blade extends from the TPU muzzle-ring guard, which will slide snugly onto your barrel. The tan, twice-injected handle is both textured and cross-grooved, making it extremely grippy and the flat pommel is black TPU. A TPU belt sheath with lashing holes snaps securely onto the blade and the tactical knife is just over 13” in overall length.

Bushmaster Sawback Survival Knife

When you’re looking for extra features in a tactical knife, the Bushmaster Sawback Survival Knife has some valuable survival tools. When you unscrew the pommel, which has an integrated compass, you’ll find a mini survival kit that contains fishing line, a hook, sinker, safety pin, needle and thread, tinder, matches and match striking paper. The handle is wrapped in black twine for a comfortable grip and also to unwrap and use, if necessary, and the hefty handguard is drilled for lashing to gear or making a spear. The massive, sharp-edged blade is rock-solid stainless steel with a clip point and a toothy sawback spine. The Bushmaster Sawback Survival Knife is ready for action no matter the situation you find yourself in!

Tactical Pocket Knives

All of the tactical pocket knives on this list have integrated pocket clips, allowing you to carry them in your pocket or clipped to your gear.

Smith & Wesson First Response Rescue Knife

The first on this list of tactical pocket knives is from Smith & Wesson, a legendary brand unrivaled in quality and tactical design. The First Response Rescue Knife is a necessary pocket companion for EMTs, firefighters and law enforcement. It features a glass-breaker spike and a seat belt cutter that’s a must-have to aid in rescuing a victim from a crashed vehicle. And when time is of the essence in an emergency, the stainless steel thumb plate allows for quick and easy, one-handed opening. The 7Cr17 stainless steel blade is partially serrated, giving a little sawing power to the razor-sharp edge. The tactical pocket knife is overall lightweight owing to the handle’s construction of aluminum with G10 inserts. The pocket clip is also made out of lightweight aluminum and the tactical pocket knife is 4 1/2” when it’s closed.

Black Legion Special Force Pocket Knife

The biggest advantage you have with the Black Legion Special Force Pocket Knife is the built-in LED light that unfolds from the handle. The extremely grippy, aluminum handle also features a seatbelt cutter and a glass-breaker spike. The Cr13 stainless steel clip point blade has partial serrations and can be quickly deployed using either a thumbstud or a flipper to activate the assisted opening mechanism. The 4 1/2” closed, all-black, non-reflective tactical pocket knife is your go-to utility knife when you’re out on a mission!

SOA Scout Knife

The SOA Scout Knife gives you one of the most dead-useful survival tools that you can have in your possession – paracord. The tough, black polymer handle’s design integrates several feet of camouflage paracord wrapping that ends in a lanyard. The drop-point blade is crafted of two-tone stainless steel, and it features jimping on the spine. The keenly sharp blade can be accessed, one-handed with assisted opening and the steel liner lock keeps the blade fixed in the open position. The textured, handle also has a steel pocket clip to securely attach it to your pocket, belt or gear. No matter the challenges that lay in your path, rest assured SOA’s rock-solid Scout is up to the task!

MTech Xtreme Ballistic Knife

Just like a few of the tactical fixed blade knives above, the MTech Xtreme Ballistic Pocket Knife has an aggressively toothy, sawback spine. This an overall hefty tactical pocket knife with a massive, black stainless steel, modified tanto blade that’s 4” in length. Assisted opening allows you to easily deploy the blade and thumb jimping gives you more control. The solid handle is black, textured TPU with finger-grooves to make sure the knife is secure in your hand even in wet conditions. The steel liners extend into lanyard slots and there’s a heavy-duty steel pocket clip. The tactical pocket knife is 5” when closed and an impressive 9” overall.

M48 Warthawg Knife

Not only is the M48 Warthawg Knife a very competent tactical pocket knife but it’s also a highly capable everyday carry workhorse. What makes it ready-for-action on a daily basis is the premium D2 tool steel of the blade, which gives it superior edge retention and is made for high-wear tasks. The blade also has notching on the spine and a bead-blasted finish that won’t show use scratches. An ultra-smooth ball bearing system allows for effortless, one-handed opening using the blade spur. With a design that employs three methods of gripability, the tough, injection-molded nylon handle is textured, finger-grooved and has jimping on the backend. The workhorse tactical pocket knife is the largest on this list at 6 3/4”, when closed, and it has the obligatory pocket clip for carry.