Best Military Knives – Deployment (Top 5)
In this article, we chose the top 5 military knives for deployment and explain some details about them. These are the best in our opinion and had trouble narrowing it down to just 5 since there are so many great options on the market today.
Let me start with some background info so you can understand where I am coming from with this article. I am a National Guard Soldier and I am also an avid knife collector.
All the knives I own are knives I’ve purchased with my own money and no one is paying me for my opinions (though I really wish they would I could always use a new knife).
I decided to write this article when I was looking at what to bring with me on my first deployment. To my surprise, I found very little info on the internet on what other than my issue equipment I should bring with me.
Philosophy of use
I must admit I am not an infantryman, nor am I in a combat arms unit. I am in an army aviation unit and work as a mechanic on both aircraft and ground support equipment.
Therefore I can not give a very good recommendation on fighting knives (though I can give you my opinions based on what others have said) no this article will be more akin to helping pick an EDC (everyday carry) knife.
I won’t be talking much about automatic knives in this article due to them being an entirely different breed, one that is usually not allowed without a memo from your commander authorizing their use (see current regulations for details as I am not a lawyer etc)
Things to consider when choosing a military deployment knife
Choosing a knife to take with you on deployment is something you must put some thought into. Because often enough, depending on your location you won’t be able to have knives sent to you
(again see your governing regulations for more details).
This means the knife you pick at the beginning of the deployment will probably be the one you carry for the duration, provided you don’t lose or trade it which I have done both sadly enough.
That’s why you need to choose the best military deployment knife because chances are it’s the only one you will have.
Also, you will not want to bring too many extra unnecessary things with you because your bags will already be heavy enough. There are several important factors when it comes to picking a knife for your everyday life while deployed.
Get what you like and not someone else
The most important being what do you like? What knife style, blade shape, brand, or design speaks to you?
I can sit here all day and rattle off all the knives I like, all the ones I want, and the ones I don’t like. But my tastes may end up being different from yours and you could hate all the knives that I recommend.
What will you be asking of your deployment knife?
The second most important factor is what is your job? What kind of tasks will you require your knife to be able to accomplish? Also what kind of tasks will you ask of your knife that it wasn’t intended for, but that’s a section I’ll get to later.
When people think of the military they only think of the combat arms side of things. They forget there’s an entire other groups of people who support the combat arms groups.
They are the ones whose jobs will allow them to carry autos and more specific combat knives, but I will be focusing on manual folders, assisted openers, and some smaller fixed blades. There are a few requirements of a knife I would recommend.
- Easy to Operate
- Durable
- Quality
- Steel
easy to operate
You should be able to open and close the knife with one hand (unless you are a traditional fan ie Buck knives, refer back to my main requirement it must be a knife you like).
The knife you pick should be a knife you can use with gloves on. We are all soldiers (or other branches as well) in the end so we sometimes have to do completely random details.
You may need to be wearing gloves to unload pallets and tri-walls, you don’t want to have to take off your gloves every time you need to use your knife to cut packing away to unload your equipment. Or maybe you are working somewhere cold you won’t want to take your gloves off just to use your knife.
durable
A good military deployment knife should have a strong lock. For me the lock-up of a knife is very important, it could save your fingers if something wrong should happen. My personal favorites are the Benchmade Axis-Lock and the Spyderco Compression Lock.
Both of which can be operated with one hand and do not require you to put your fingers in the way of the blade while it is closing. Liner locks, frame locks, and lock backs are also good options no matter what the internet may say about them, my current favorite knife has a liner lock.
quality
You need to buy a quality deployment knife. I am not saying you need to go out and spend hundreds of dollars on a knife I just mean you should try to avoid “gas station knives” as I like to call them. Buying a cheap knife may save you money in the short term but will cost you in the long run. Most quality knives come with warranties, which when it comes to knives that are put under hard use is pure gold!
If you are wanting to get a nice military knife that will last and you will enjoy you should expect to spend somewhere between $75-200. You will be able to tell the difference between cheap knives and a nice one instantly.
When you spend more you will get better steels (which I’ll get into later in this article), you’ll get better handle materials which means better ergonomic (more comfortable in hand and pocket, fewer hotspots, fewer blisters, etc.) and that is incredibly important if you plan on using your knife for more than just a showpiece.
But, it is important to note that the increase in price does not always mean a more capable knife. Once you get beyond the $200-250 range you start paying more for the high-end materials and designer names, you are looking for a working military knife not so much a showpiece.
steel
Another plus of investing in a quality military deployment knife is getting quality steel. Knife steel is a very complicated subject/science, it could take up pages and pages and to be honest, I am no expert.
If you were interested in the different types of steels and how they compare to one another I would HIGHLY recommend BladeHQ’s knife steel guide, also check out Knife Informer’s as well. I can recommend a few steels based on my experiences, the knives I’ve owned/used, and what I have learned from others.
There are lots of different steels and each company will do things a little differently. I’ll be naming only a few. This list will go from the more budget-friendly steels to some more premium steels and then I’ll include specialty steel.
VG-10
I own a few Spydercos with this steel and it is nice steel even though people seem to think of it as cheap budget steel.
It holds an edge decent, gets very sharp, has fairly good corrosion resistance, and sharpens up quite easily which is always a plus.
154CM/CPM 154
This a nice steel used in a lot of Benchmade’s more affordable models and is comparable to VG-10 in stats.
It also takes a very sharp edge and has decent toughness which is very important in a deployment knife.
D2
I only have one or two knives with this steel but I like it very much. It is extremely tough and holds an edge like a champ.
D2 is semi-stainless steel so it has rather poor resistance to corrosion (not too much of an issue if you keep the blade dry, clean, and lightly oiled).
Also, it can be difficult to sharpen and requires a practiced hand with a quality sharpener. But do not count this out it is very tough steel that can handle a ton of abuse.
CPM S30V
S30V is the bottom end of the premium steels and is also the steel that I own the most knives it. It is the hot topic of steels these days and is quite popular.
It has excellent edge retention while remaining quite tough, on top of all that it has excellent corrosion resistance.
According to the site Knife Informer, S30V has the “optimal balance of edge retention, hardness, and toughness”. Though some people complain it is difficult to sharpen I haven’t had too many issues.
CPM-20V
This is the most premium steels on this list and it is well-deserving of it. It has extremely good toughness and edge retention but unlike M4, 20V is highly resistant to corrosion.
It is fairly new steel to the market but I am liking it quite a bit so far.
Specialty Steel
I picked H-1 Steel, H1 is quite easy to sharpen and shows an extreme resistance to corrosion which is very important in a saltwater environment. The Spyderco Salt series is a great choice for those who spend a lot of time in a saltwater environment.
The only downfall to H1 is it has rather poor edge retention but at least it sharpens easily. Now we’ve gone over a few things to look for in a deployment knife I can give you a few of my personal recommendations.
These are all knives I’ve owned and used, and I can happily recommend any of these knives to someone looking for a good one to take with them overseas.
high priced and overbuilt is sometimes better
I wanted to include a quick note before I wrap up. There are so many good knife companies out there your choices are almost limitless. Just because I have included only Spyderco and Benchmade doesn’t mean that’s the only brand out there they just happen to be my favorite too.
There are companies like CRKT and Kershaw that make much more budget-friendly knives and that’s good if that’s what you are looking for. But I have a hard time recommending them for deployment knives due to the fact that a knife you will use on deployment will undoubtedly go through a lot of use and maybe some abuse.
Quality matters
I had a friend cut himself when the lock on his Kershaw Blur failed and he needed eight stitches. He was certainly using the knife for something it wasn’t meant for so the faults on his as much as the knife.
So the point I am hoping to make is it is worth it to spend the money on something that is a little overbuilt it may save you from having to get
some stitches.
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5. Spyderco Paramilitary 2
This knife is an excellent choice for a military deployment knife. The Spyderco Paramilitary 2 has an overall length of 8.3″, a 3.4″ blade, weighs 3.75 ounces, and is made in the USA. This is designed to be either a tactical or a heavy-duty utility folder. and the prices range from roughly $130-180 so they have a great selection for everyone.
The Paramilitary 2 is one of Spyderco’s most popular models and one I like quite a bit. The military is a very large knife that uses a liner lock rather than the compression lock like the other two. All three are offered in S30V as well as some specialty sprint runs.
Also, the Paramilitary 2 is Spyderco’s flagship knife and a very common one as well. There are so many things you can do to customize this knife but it works great leaving it as is.
Click here to check the current prices of the Spyderco Paramilitary 2
4. Spyderco Military
Another great knife on our list is the Spyderco Military. This knife is very large and has an overall length of 9 1/2″, 4″ blade, and only weighs 4.2 ounces. This does make it very easy to open and close while wearing gloves.
This knife was designed for military soldiers and is a great choice for someone looking for a good military deployment knife. This is also my personal favorite on the list and I own a few different variations of this model.
This knife is extremely light compared to its large size and that is another reason I really like the military.
Just like the Paramilitary 2, the military is offered in a wide variety of different grip styles and blade steels and can easily be customized with all of the aftermarket support too.
Click here to check the current prices of the Spyderco Military
3. Benchmade Griptilian
The Benchmade Griptilian is one of the more popular Benchmades supporting the axis lock and comes in two sizes, a full-sized at about 3.5” and a mini grip at just under 3”.
The Griptilian is Benchmade’s flagship knife and is overall a great choice for any soldier. It is well built and very durable.
I recommend the full-size Griptilian as a military deployment knife because the Mini-Griptilian is a little too small for duty use. It also would be difficult to operate while wearing gloves.
They also offer a large variety of handle colors and blade shapes. There are also two models, one the standard that is roughly $110 in 154CM and an upgraded version for about $180 in 20CV.
Click here to check the current prices of the Benchmade Griptilian
2. Benchmade Adamas
Another great choice for a military deployment knife is the Benchmade Adamas. This knife is completely bombproof. The Adamas is extremely tough and can take a beating. It uses the AXIS lock mechanism to open and close which I am a big fan of.
It is also the heaviest knife on our list weight in at 7.68 ounces, so if you are worried about the weight it might not be for you. However, due to its weight, it is excellent for heavy military use. The blade steel is D2 and the blade length is 3.82″ with an overall length of 8.7″.
If you want a knife that can do anything and not have to worry about breaking, this is the one. This might be the best military deployment knife on our list because of how durable it is.
Click here to check the current prices of the Benchmade Adamas
1. Benchmade Vallation
The Benchmade Vallation is one of the heaviest duty knives on my list, also one of the more expensive coming in at about $200. The Vallation is also the only assisted opening axis lock knife as well.
The Vallation has a blade length of 3.7″ with an overall length of 8.76″ and weighs 6.38 ounces. It has a very nice heavy-duty aluminum handle and an S30V “mohawk” shaped blade. If you need a knife that can handle a lot of abuse this is the one.
This knife is often overlooked but makes an excellent military deployment knife. You can feel how sturdy it is when holding it in the hand. The assisted opening axis lock is a nice feature too.
Click here to check the current prices of the Benchmade Vallation
Those are the best 5 military deployment knives
There are far too many choices for me to be able to say which knife you should or shouldn’t purchase. The best piece of advice I can give you is to try them out, see how they feel in your hand. For me, my deployment knife is the Spyderco Military.
For me, it fits all my requirements and I really like the knife. It may be a rather large knife but since I am often wearing Mechanix gloves the oversized handle and large thumbhole opened is quite nice.
But the most important thing about picking your knife is it must be one you like. You will carry that knife almost every day for a year so it must be one you like. Conversely, it must be hardy enough to handle some abuse and not be so expensive/fancy that you will be hesitant to use it in fear of messing it up.
Complete list of item mentions
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D2 is not semi-stainless. It is a tool steel when hardened will hold an edge like you wouldn’t believe. It is used mainly for stamping dies because it will “cut” steel a lot longer than other tool steels. If you harden it too much it does become brittle. The trick is to harden it to a low Rockwell on the “c” scale.