A few months ago, I started to gather information on what would be the “ideal” knife for military and law enforcement. Michael Janich — the Special Projects Coordinator at Spyderco and one of the most respected knife guys I know — is the first person I contacted.
Michael shared his experience as a member of an investigation team in Vietnam in the 1990s where he carried a first-generation Endura, which worked for a variety of tasks.
“For opening MREs, cutting 550 cord, cutting pallet bands, and many other uses, it was my go-to knife,” Michael told me.
“Even while wearing gloves, the round hole offered positive one-handed opening and ease of use. The serrations were not suitable for all cutting tasks, but stayed sharper longer in the field.”
My sentiments, exactly, although I like the ParaMilitary2 because of the G-10 scales and unique compression lock.
The compression lock lets the gloved user to close the blade without putting any part of the hand near the edge side. Play with one and you’ll know what I mean.
Michael recommends the Endura4 for these tasks now, especially for people who carry the same knife for Military/Civilian/Law Enforcement.
For military users, the Endura4 is perfect because of their C10-KIT, a spare parts kit for the Endura4 for end users.
One will get a variety of answers for an “ideal” knife for many tasks, but most of us like similar features.
What do you think? What’s your “ideal” knife? Add your thoughts in the comments area below.
Oh, and don’t forget to click here to check out the new Spyderco knives I saw at SHOT Show 2013 in Las Vegas.
