There is no 'best' combat knife because there is not just one situation when you would use a knife to fight. If I am being put into a gladiator arena and I can only use a knife I pick a very different knife than if I was in the military and was being sent out on a 5 day patrol... and neither of those knives are what I would pick as my EDC in a modern urban environment. Knives are a constant trade off between effectiveness and practicality. The most effective knives for combat are going to be too big and heavy to carry long distances. In the age of firearms a really effective combat knife is less effective pound-for-pound than a much smaller knife and a handgun... and extending the concept, that knife+handgun is less effective than a rifle. This is why armies don't issue bayonets anymore. Pound for pound you are better off with another mag or two of ammo.
So to answer your question in today's age I say that the knife must have utility above just being a combat knife. It must be a combat knife and a utility knife... so I go with the Ka-Bar. It is a solid combat knife AND a solid survival knife.
I've not studied knife fighting, but it seems that a smaller knife will be lighter. The lack of weight will let you strike more quickly. I handled Bowie knives with 10in, 8in and 6in blades. Dor me, the 8in seems best as the 10in is substantially heavier. Any thoughts?
Those heavy blades are because the knife was made for more than just fighting... they are really survival knives where a strong heavy blade had advantages for things like chopping, batoning and prying. A knife optimized for nothing but fighting, like a dirk or a dagger will be much longer pound for pound than a survival knife.
Weight in a knife fight means nothing unless you are very physically weak... like child weak... BALANCE of that weight means everything.
In a knife fight reach is a critical advantage. the difference between 3, 4, or 5 inches is insignificant, but the difference between 8 inches and 12 or 18 inches is massive.
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