02 – Fighting Knife

The fighting knife has been around as long as men have armed themselves to protect life and country. Whether you search for specific hunting, survival, or tactical weapons- here is a sample of what every serious collector should hold in his coveted knife collection.

Let’s begin with the most influential design of perfection in the twentieth century- the Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife. The original Fairbairn-Sykes was taken out of commission but is now once again on the market. A good testament to a great weapon is the men who designed the knife actually use it. Warriors have charged their enemy with the Fairbairn-Sykes knife for almost half a century. Combat soldiers carried this knife during countless battles fought by American and British Special Forces. CIA and FBI undercover agents consider this knife a no- brainer addition to any homeland security operation. Thousands of lives have been lost under this blade but thousands more were saved in the process. The Fairbairn-Sykes is a masterfully constructed, straight-bladed, double-edged weapon, much like a dagger.

A look back into the past of the United States wild frontier shows Arkansas was a rough place during the 1830s. Tough Americans whittled out a place for heroic tales and brave deeds in the hard fight for honor and prosperity. James Black, an Arkansas blacksmith, is by many accounts, the maker of the Bowie Knife. Black’s knives were copied in England and sold in America as the ‘Arkansas Toothpick’. Jim Bowie became legend after the famous “Sandbar Duel” in 1827 with reportedly a knife made for him by Black. After Jim Bowie was killed at the Alamo in 1836, the Bowie knife became firmly established in his name as a lasting tribute. The Bowie Knife saw more action in the American Civil War as arms for the Confederacy. A Bowie knife requires minimum maintenance and is practically immune to the after effects of water, salt, air, or humidity.