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KA-BAR’s TDI Pocket Strike is a Small but Mighty Fixed Blade Companion

October 13, 2020

[CORRECTION 10/23/2020: Article has been updated to cite the correct designers for the various KA-BAR/TDI collaborations]

Hot on the heels of the Dozier Folding Hunter’s steel upgrade, KA-BAR has revealed another new knife, this time in the fixed blade genre. The TDI Pocket Strike maximizes concealability and ease of use to function as a constant companion.

The Pocket Strike’s blade shape brings lots of muscle in as compact a form as possible. It’s a a 3.19-inch drop point, but one endowed with a fairly wide profile and big swedge to pump up both its durability and piercing potential. Meanwhile, the gently curving main edge screams straightforward practicality and versatility.

This flexible blade shape is paired to a flexible entry-level steel in AUS-8. While AUS-8 isn’t the omnipresent choice it once was with D2’s rise to fame in the budget arena, it remains competitive, being easier to sharpen and significantly more corrosion resistant – a trait maximized on the Pocket Strike with a dark blade coating.

Naturally, there’s no deployment method on the Pocket Strike as it is a fixed blade. But designer John Benner put more thought than usual into the way in which this knife will be retrieved. The canted finger ring on the back of the handle provides a way for users to quickly locate the Pocket Strike for withdrawal, even when they can’t look down at it. It also functions as a parrot beak, working in tandem with the blade choil to keep its user’s gabd bracketed safely in place. Fiberglass scales flesh out the handle, which is made to function in both forward and reverse grips.

Similarly, the Pocket Strike’s sheath is key to its design and use. The Kydex sheath comes with a large, folding knife-style pocket clip bolted on, and is meant to be attached to the inside of the pocket much like a folder would be. This not only helps the Pocket Strike maintain a low profile, it also allows users to take advantage of the knife’s small overall dimensions. All in, the Pocket Strike weighs 6.4 oz.

This is the latest KA-BAR collaboration with John Benner, a self-defense instructor, knife designer, and founder of the Tactical Defense Institute in Ohio. Benner is the man behind the TDI Flipper and LE fixed blade, and Greg Ellifritz, another member of the TDI team, designed the Last Ditch for KA-BAR.

Knife in Featured Image: KA-BAR TDI Pocket Strike

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