by Paul Brook
A knife is an essential tool for those who enjoy the outdoors as it provides a multitude of functions. Equally having cordage with you can allow you to easily create shelter, stem blood-flow from a wound and create friction fire. The paracord knife combines both of these essential survival properties and at the same time increases the usability of the knife.
The paracord knife is full tang, meaning that it is solid metal from the tip of the blade down to the butt of the knife, creating a secure knife that cannot become loose or dislodged from a handle.
Of course the paracord handle of the knife can be removed - in doing this the knife is still fully functional and safe to use. The ability to do this means that you are able to use the paracord without losing the ability to use the knife.
The metal of the blade is covered in a very attractive matt black finish giving additional covert abilities to the knife by taking away the natural shiny metal surface.
Wide spaced gimping on the spine of the blade provides extra grip and dexterity when performing precision tasks. This is further compounded by the paracord handle that when gripped conforms to the shape of your hand.
A quillon (guard) each side of the top of the handle acts as a stopper for the paracord handle and provides some protection against accidental slippage. For further security the paracord wrap is finished in a loop lanyard that can restrict the hand movement to just the handle. This lanyard loop can be adjusted to fit your hand size by moving the overhand knot to provide a custom fit.
The paracord knife is housed in a plastic reinforced nylon sheath. The paracord knife sheath also comes with a belt loop making this easy to attach to a belt or even other additional webbing systems. There is also a Velcro locking mechanism on the sheath that locks around the handle to stop your knife from accidentally falling out.
Measurements for the paracord knife are 19.5cm x 4cm x 4mm with a blade length of 9cm.
Who is the paracord knife perfect for? It's great for both the experienced and novice outdoors person.
For the novice, the paracord knife is affordable enough to practice all of the key knife skills without worrying about damaging the blade. If lost this knife is affordable enough to replace even for those on a budget.
For those who are proficient at knife skills and already own a preferred knife (or more than one) the paracord knife is a perfect companion knife for smaller tasks; it can be a bit over-kill to trim a piece of paracord with a machete. Equally, a companion knife can be used in situations where you would not like to damage, or risk the loss of, your primary knife.
The paracord knife can be turned into a make-shift spear which could save your life. Most experienced outdoors people would never consider lashing their knife to a length of wood to use as a spear. Mainly because the knife is such an important tool that its loss could decrease chances of survival quite dramatically. Also, traditional handled knives would be too thick, bulky or unstable to attach to a branch and be useable as a spear.
However, when the paracord knife handle is removed the knife is a 4mm flat profile allowing it to easily be set into a groove in a branch and then lashed onto it with the paracord that was originally its handle.
While throwing the make-shift spear could damage the blade, using it as an extended knife provides a greater range of attack. This could be extremely useful if injured and animals are looking to prey upon you, allowing you to keep animals a safe distance away from your vital organs.
Having the paracord knife as your secondary knife would allow you to make such a tool and still have your primary knife at your disposal.
This is a versatile piece of kit that could even save your life one day.
You can buy the Combat Para Cord Knife directly from this site.
December 2015
