For any questions as to toughness, the same blade, coating and handle material as the current USMC bayonet. Main differences are better edging (hurrah), lack of serrations (hurrah), no bayonet mount provisions in the way (hurrah).

Same milspec triple retention (metal friction clip removable), fully mollie compatible sheath with replaceable ceramic sharpener in back (hurrah). Pommel is D2, breaker tip not sharp enough to getcha in a fall, only top and bottom surfaces of bayonet tang threaded for mounting. Thickness is 0.210". Balance at first finger, clip not sharpened, but, left thin enough to remedy for a real fighter of American style combat. $75-$100, for that big thick-edged beater you may have been seeking. Sorry for rushed photos in post office parking lot on overcast morning and light too low.

All I can add is that such a type knife, of stab/cut/pry/break glass/hammer true toughness with no reasonable fear of breakage, no need for even an immediate replacement sheath worth a flip, and that a grunt can actually afford, is only about 50yrs overdue. A very portable, stashable, stowable, lashable, package deal.

















Not only all that, but small, compact, lightweight, and beautiful.........ok....maybe not so much.



I had been waiting for this knife to eventually come out, from when I first laid eyes on the then-new OKC3S Marine bayonet, and bought one. Had the typical rough uneven issue knife sharpening job and less than stellar grind, but the copying of the classic Model 14 blade shape was unmistakable. In my opinion, the military world had been waiting for an inexpensive milspec version of the Model 14, ever since that classic was introduced, and especially by later Vietnam time period, when factories able to blank out such a monster.

Patience eventually paid off when they came out first with a serrated version of this knife, and then, finally, the unserrated.

For someone wanting a REALLY poor-man version, this same blade is offered in the circa $40 special purpose line as the SP-6, with the 100% kraton handle/guard/pommel retained by a ferrule through the tang, possibly miltary issue rough grind and edging, and in a for certain REALLY cheap ugly sheath.

The more expensive pictured version admits the possibility of a stacked leather washer handle being done, lacking only ordering up the washers and access to a grinder with thin and thick wheels. I would hope the factory offers such as a version, but only for classic looks, and a detriment to ruggedness.

The knife is not bad, but there are 2 points:
1) it would be better to use curved protection, because even on the FS knives, it was noticed that the nails on the thumb are broken when the prick
2) The shape of the handle as in the spindle will rotate in the hand. As I see, this is the casting, one could make a less round handle

The handle is not round, but elliptical, same as a kabar, and nobody stabs with thumb against guard or more than a nail will be broken. Well, actually, you can....one time.

It is sold as a fighter, but being a consumer market knife, subject to many local laws, the top edge was left unsharpened, but of issue profile, and so, easy to sharpen, if desired. Folk wanting to club their knives like baby seals will be happy to save their clubs, meanwhile.

As for a fighter, or even field use, one "defect" easily remedied is that the knife has no instinctive way of determining in the dark whether edge is up or down. The elliptical shape will give you one or the other. A pinky/last finger can reach for the lanyard hole on pommel bottom, as a reference. Or, a notch or surface modification or whatever can be done to guard, even if only chamfering one rear hole in the guard.

Sorry, I probably did write not correctly. Damage is not only to the nail, but to one of the joints of the thumb, but if the knife is held as a fencing sword, as is used here
https://youtu.be/9oUEbeses1I
This is one of the reasons why Applegate further made curved forward hilt on A-F knife

And you are not to stab with thumb on guard, or you will break your thumb. The thumb is on the side of the knife to allow both slashes and more effective back cuts, with slight adjustment to hammer grip for a thrust, followed by a good crank to induce shock. Even when held vertically, using the thumb during a stab is a good way to end up with only one useful hand. Forward curved guards should be for keeping hand off blade and catching blades, not for thumb rests during a stab.

(This where Sgt Lofty orders a stubborn PFC to stab a tree 50 times using thumb. hahaha) Actually, there are as many ways of knife fighting as there are knife fighters. And old farts stick with what they were taught, and what they taught.

I will add one late note as to attributes. The knife feels like a kabar. Not sorta. It feels exactly like one.

If I handed this knife to someone who was familiar with the kabar, and without them looking, I asked them if the new hex pommel and heavier guard on the kabar still maintained comfort (which it does), they would likely agree, and never catch on that it was a larger knife, not until they looked.

The threaded tang, threaded only top and bottom, should avoid repeating the failure of the original kabar design, which (I believe) had complete threading of a very reduced diameter, failures of which led to the crosspin....which also can break at the hole, or the reduced shoulder of tang upon which the pommel rests...as with any normal knife. Even the normally peened bayonet pommel can break at the shoulder if pommel used hard enough.

The current Army version of the venerable JPK called the ASEK, uses the exact same pommel arrangement as the Chimera original posted knife, and had no problems passing trials.

The same blade as the Chimera in the cheaper SP-6 has a ferrule hole through a round ended tang, and could break there, except nobody pounds or hammers much with the lightweight plastic handle.

To get to the roundabout point/tang/pommel of the story, anything can break if you beat on it enough. If you need a sledge to break large amounts cinder block, go get one. Not one of the knives/bayonets mentioned are going to hold up indefinitely when doing so, otherwise.











apologies about the sizes of several images, they certainly seemed large enough when saving.

Ha, you were completely right))
I hit several times in different ways (Buck 124) and dislocated
in one case a finger (the joint I sketched in the picture)
the second time I dislocated my wrist.
In general, it is best not to bring situation to the point
where you have to prick))

Thank you for all this information, I ordered this knife
and I'll wait for it.

Yes, best to not let it get to that point to use the point(you missed a great chance for a witty pun in English, there!). I have only used a knife once, swung in low with a hammer grip, and no problem, and it made a believer out of me. Your hand is going to slam the guard with a running start, the thumb will not help prevent it, will only get run over, and will slam guard anyhow. If we were talking larger sabre blades with their own mass, or even really large bowies (same thing), you can keep the thumb at guard, if no armor. But I will never remember any difference at the time and keep things simple.