Well at first glance it looks like its a very high priced collectors knife but, it is meant to be a full on combat knife based on the ‘SFK'(Special Forces Knife) tag. It’s a modern take on the Fairbairn-Sykes and while I doubt it will ever find it’s way into the British military’s standard issue kit, it certainly has some appeal. The UK-SFK is obviously not going to be a general purpose blade for the average joe, but as a combat blade it’s going to perform as well as any other blade out there or better.
The sheath is some sort of injection molded plastic and is rather square and unattractive. It comes with a few different sized mounting brackets (I assume for molle body armour), although it lacks any sort of traditional belt loop. I like the push button design of securing the blade as it’s quite easy and intuitive while holding the blade securely. There is some rattle, although its far less than the majority of knives that have hard sheaths.
The handle is the most intricate part of this blade and it is designed around gloved hands rather than bare which becomes obvious as soon as you hold it. It’s rather gothic in design and certainly doesn’t look very comfortable. It’s not as bad as it looks to hold and there are comfortable places to grip on it. I’m not a fan though as I don’t like being told how to hold something in the way this does. My hand is either too close to the guard or too far away for me to be completely happy wielding it. The tang is exposed all around also which combined with the elaborate shape adds up to be a lot of flat edges to hold on to. The balance is very good though, and as its a fairly light blade, its very nimble and quick to alter between grip styles. So while its not the ideal shape, at least for myself, it does allow for a solid hold. Really though, I wish they had just rounded it out for more comfort. I guess this isn’t designed as a multi purpose belt knife though, and in gloves it was very secure and much more comfortable.
The blade is made of D2 tool steel which makes it stand up to some very hard use. It’s one of the best steels on the market and probably my favourite and comes in at just over 15cm long and 3mm thick. It’s a slender blade, but it’s strong enough to stand up to some pretty heavy use. The point has a very nice penetrating profile and thanks to the D2 steel, it handles most metal sheeting with no damage. I can easily press over a centimeter of the tip into timber with little effort and I’ve gone through some pine, wall nut and oak with pretty much the same results. Both sides of the blade are very sharp thanks to the width of the blade and I did get some fine wood shavings with it but, as its double edged, it’s not really ideal for that sort of work. I cut through some ‘battlecord’ with ease. For those of you unfamiliar with battlecord, it’s just a thicker paracord that’s rated to approximately 2650lbs/1200kg. As a combat blade its going to perform excellently and without any ridiculous blade shapes or intricate handle scales it will be easy to use and maintain in the field.
Blackhawk United Kingdom Special Forces Plain Edge Knife Black
Blackhawk haven’t been around for very long and, while they don’t ‘specialise’ in knives, they do have a few different blades and all of them are pretty unique. This is no exception and, as a collectors knife, is fully functional and rather interesting. Its well balanced as a throwing knife (although you don’t ever throw your knife in a combat situation) and while, obviously, I wont be running around taking out drug lords and overthrowing evil dictators with this knife it’s nice to know that I could. It’s not ideal for the sort of work I do with blades, but as a combat knife it will perform excellently. In gloved hands its comfortable to hold and you wont ever loose a grip thanks to the handle design and the blade is very strong and reliable. If it’s a double edged blade you are after then this is definitely one that should be on your list.
Check out the Blackhawk UK-SFK and other Blackhawk goods here.
The handle is the most intricate part of this blade and it is designed around gloved hands rather than bare which becomes obvious as soon as you hold it. It’s rather gothic in design and certainly doesn’t look very comfortable. It’s not as bad as it looks to hold and there are comfortable places to grip on it. I’m not a fan though as I don’t like being told how to hold something in the way this does. My hand is either too close to the guard or too far away for me to be completely happy wielding it. The tang is exposed all around also which combined with the elaborate shape adds up to be a lot of flat edges to hold on to. The balance is very good though, and as its a fairly light blade, its very nimble and quick to alter between grip styles. So while its not the ideal shape, at least for myself, it does allow for a solid hold. Really though, I wish they had just rounded it out for more comfort. I guess this isn’t designed as a multi purpose belt knife though, and in gloves it was very secure and much more comfortable.