One of my favorite things to monitor on the Internet is “tactical fads.”
These are trends and things that become popular in the “tactical community” online – folks like you and me who are interested in self-defense, survival, preparedness, and things like that.
One of the “tactical fads” or trends (and I don’t mean “fad” like it’s a bad thing, just things that sort of come and go when people are interested in them) I find really curious…
…is how some people are choosing to carry kitchen knives as their defensive tool of choice.
It started with the popular Victorinox “Bird’s Beak” paring knives (we even did a whole podcast on them back when we were MCS).
The latest knife was made popular in the same way: Ed Calderon of Ed’s Manifesto (a self-defense and counter-kidnapping instructor who popularized the use of the Victorinox knives) recommended them…
…and they EXPLODED in popularity.
It’s called the Pioneer Woman paring knife, and if you can find it (which you probably can’t right now) it costs about 8 bucks at your local Wally World.
Nobody would have known about these, probably, if not for Mr. Calderon pointing out that they’re a solid, well-made, razor-sharp knife with good balance and an integral guard.
The concept is that you can arm yourself cheaply with something commonly available, so you’re never unarmed if you can get to the local discount store and buy a sturdy kitchen knife.
(There’s even a cottage industry that has grown up around making Kydex sheaths for these paring knives, to turn them into daily carry defense rigs.)
I don’t think I’m going to trade in my beloved Benchmade folder for one of these paring knives… but if you’re looking for inexpensive defense options, this is definitely something to consider.
The “fad” angle is also interesting – because it makes me wonder, what will be the NEXT new fad or trend in the tactical community online?
I’d like to hear from you on this topic, too.
What “tactical fad” has gotten your attention… and what “tactical tip” can you offer that maybe we haven’t thought about or covered?
Leave your comments here on the blog… and thank you for helping to build our Warrior Life community!
