It is a rainy day here in western NY. So I decided to add
more material to our Fairbairn website. We are getting 20-30 visits a day which
is terrific! We are also getting interesting contacts from people all over the
world. I guess that means people are liking what they see. Today I have added
some more information and better photos of Australian knives. This was prompted
by an email from a 2 Cdo Veteran from Australia concerning the photo we had
posted. So if you go to our website, WW-II Commando Knives, Variants,
Australian knives you’ll see what we added.
Next I have to take more photos of the ubiquitous third
pattern and post them, along with more info. There were over 250,000 made by
war’s end so they are the most common of the British Commando knives. Some were
better than others, a lot better. The better ones are discernible by the marks
stamped into their cross guards and the “mysterious flat on the blade. We
discuss all of this on the website so I won’t repeat it all here. There are a
lot of wive’s tales out there about Commando knives and I cringe every time I
read some of it on the forums. Some people prefer to repeat unfounded trash rather
than do a little honest research. Hopefully our site will rebut some of the
foolishness. There are a lot of good books out there and some not so good. A
few that have been reprinted several times that still have erroneous labeling or
information. We are playing with the idea of publishing our own book. It will
be different by the detail which we intend to provide, the minutiae as we call
it on our website. How can you tell whether that knife you are preparing to buy
is really a rare variant or something cobbled together by some entrepreneur?
Hopefully we can provide you with the knowledge to buy safely and wisely. When
we began our foray into this field there were no counterfeits. The volume of
original knives available cheaply did not make forgery lucrative. Today that is
changing as I see more and more knives that have been messed with, tampered
with and called “rare specimens.”
So follow our website and get some insight, (sounds like an advertising
jingle) into the fascinating world of the Fairbairn Sykes Fighting Knife and
its progeny. We will be taking a poll in the near future of people who might be
interested in a book and keeping a list for future production/sales if you
like.
Posts
3 comments:
Hi Dave, thanks for the recent posts. After agonizing for over a year, I am now convinced that my next serious knife is going to be the Ek Commando Mk3 (sharpened full length on both sides, with the brass hilt), about $299. To date I have no real fixed blade "fighting" knife, and thanks to your posts, I have settled on this as a pretty awesome knife that is within my budget. I wish the blade were a little thicker but I am sure it is servicable as is.
BTW, I recently acquired the CRKT "Eraser" designed by Liong Mah - a folder with a sub 4" blade. http://www.crkt.com/Eraser-Black?&search_id=121403
This is the best folder I have ever owned. First, I love the shape of the blade, it seems perfect for both cutting and piercing. I also like the handle. I am so sick of the thin, flat "slab" knife handles. Yeah it's more concealable but it feels horrible in the hand. The Eraser has a more full bodied rounder handle that you can really hold on to. Finally, maybe it's just luck but this is also the sharpest production knife I have ever purchased. I got the one with the serrations on the back end of the blade. I always use my folders for everyday purposes and invariably end up cutting cardboard or string with it, and the serrations are really hand for that.
Cheers!
nice looking folder with good ergonomics
hello,
do you perhaps have an email adress? i have some question about a fairbairn sykes i have from my grandfather(he was in belgian para/commando/sas) and want to know more about the knife,and there is one i want to buy but maybe u can tell me if it's a real one
thanx , pete EarthKnives
onitat2@gmail.com
Post a Comment