I’m fond of the SOCP Dagger. It’s light, sturdy, and it has a great sheath. It falls into the category of an effective combat dagger. Although one problem with the SOCP dagger is that in many States in the US it is classified as a dagger and you are unable to carry it (depending upon State laws). Enter the Gerber Ghostrike. Only sharpened on one end and looking more like a classic knife, the Ghoststrike looks good. It is these qualities that will likely allow it to be carried due to some states laws compared to the SOCP dagger. When I first received the Ghostrike I thought, this will break the first time I use it. Fast forward a week and I was attending a “stab lab” where a dummy was dressed in standard military ripstop clothing and you test to see what knives can penetrate effectively.
I’ve seen many knives not penetrate clothing. In fact, it’s a lot more common than you’d think. With some trepidation, I yanked the Ghoststrike free and did a quick jab into the ribcage of the dummy through a Military ripstop top and a soft t-shirt underneath. It penetrated smoothly and without resistance. In fact, it felt better than the SOCP dagger in puncturing through the clothing. I spent the next hour pushing this blade through various layers of clothing and at varying angles. In each case, it penetrated smoothly and without resistance. The grip of the Ghoststrike is skeletonized with a rubber covering. I’ve seen some user reviews which state that the rubberized texture had broken free with light use. However, I’ve worn this knife for approximately a month in some very harsh conditions without any signs of the rubberized grip coming loose. The knife grips very easily and will not slip out even when wet from sweat or rain.
The sheath has excellent retention and multiple options for mounting it. However, I wish there were a deeper sheath similar to the SOCP dagger. Further, I’ve found that on close combat knives a ring at the end really helps with drawing and retention. And finally, my largest problem with the Gerber Ghoststrike is that it does not have a training knife. This limits my ability to train with this knife in various scenarios. The Gerber Ghoststrike utilizes 420HC stainless steel which is corrosion resistant and tough. Some may argue that this type of steel will not hold an edge well but frankly this knife will not be used often and if it is – can be sharpened easily which I can attest to. Again I stabbed with this knife violently and multiple times through clothing and the knife held strong.
In any case, I’m nitpicking this knife, it has a great ability to puncture smoothly and comes with a sheath that will give you what you need. The knife handles well, is light, strong and will puncture when you need it to.
