GT Knives

Commando Knives: F-S vs A-F

A development of the famous Second World War Faribairn-Sykes Commando Knife, the Applegate-Fairbairn Fighting Knife was designed by Colonel Rex Applegate (of the US OSS) and Captain WE Fairbairn (of the British Royal Marines, and who had co-designed the F-S Dagger).

The A-F is a much greater improvement on the F-S which, in spite of it’s fame, had a number of shortcomings. It didn’t have strength at the tip and the tang, and the grip shape was not diverse to alternative holds.

The A-F knife has a broader, stronger blade than the F-S, and a more rounded spear point give much better strength at the tip. The tang is also considerably wider and stronger than that of the F-S. The blade is made of stainless steel, a considerable improvement on the basic carbon steel used in the wartime dagger.

The handle has been immensely improved as well. Made of Lexan plastic, it is oval in cross-section and fills the hand well. The recess near the guard provides good control and aids withdrawal. The double guard is angled away from the hand, allowing alternative holds and minimizing the chance of the guards catching in clothing or other gear.

The knife also has adjustable lead weights in the handle so that you can fine tune the knife’s balance to fit your particular needs and preference.

Overall, this is an extremely sophisticated fighting knife and a worthy successor to the famous F-S knife.

The design is manufactured by several makers, including Blackjack, Yancy and Mar. The specifications mentioned here refer to the model made by Bill Harsey, but are virtually identical in all the other makes.

Filed under: Knife Chatter