Hackman Survival Knife

[Hombre]

I have this Hackman Survival Knife....

Do you guys know if it is a big difference between this one and the one Garcia made?

 

Best,

Hombre

[mikedon]

I think they were both made about the same time, late Vietnam era. Hackman is the original survival knife and was made in Finland, the Garcia is a copy and was made in Brazil.

 

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/114306-hackman-survival-knife/

[capt14k]

Garcia is a cheap knockoff of the Hackman. IIRC Garcia was licensed to make survival knives with Hackman name on them. Post Vietnam. Only original Hackman made in Finland pre and during Vietnam are worth something.

 

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[manayunkman]

A beautiful knife!

 

Is there a name on it?

[sactroop]

What capt14k said.

Original Hackman survival knives were still available on the open market as new knives even into the early 1980's. I tend to believe the ones I encountered were NOS. IMHO, I believe that Hackman themselves sold these knives without a sheath supplied by them, at least the only case I've run across for knives sold with sheaths could be traced back to a distributor in Florida who bought bare knives from Finland and matching them to a sheath they contracted from a different supplier before wholesaling them to outlets.

You will find hackmans in a variety of sheaths from high quality custom examples to rather inexpensive.

I will never understand why some people put, IMHO, such a premium on the Garcia made knives.

[ccyooper]

Maybe because a lot of SOF guys picked up Garcias in Panama or carried them in SAmerica. That doesnt make them any better but some people value that stuff.

[doyler]

Garcias were offered in the gun and sporting magazines back in the 70s....I see them sell to knife collectors for $65-$125 at times due to condition and if the comination stone.whistle is with it etc.Have one with the paoer instructions that came with the knife.Have a Hackman with no scabbard also

[Hombre]

Thank you guys for your input....

 

Found this information about the knife...

 

"Designed by Ken Warner and Pete Dickey; this rare knife was made during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Only a few thousand were made by Hackman with a 1/4 inch blade in Finland, with the majority produced by Garcia in Brazil with a 3/16 inch blade. The Hackman survival knife was intended for private sale to military personnel bound for Vietnam. The Randall Model 18 had made the hollow handle saw back popular with the troops, but Randall could not keep up with demand. Like the Randall this knife featured a watertight hollow handle and a massive 1/4" thick stainless steel blade.

From Ken Warner's book The Practical Book of Knives circa 1975, Chapter 7-The Sharp Pry Bar: I was responsible for the shape and the grind of the blade and the overall configuration. My collaborator, Pete Dickey, figured out the rest of it. In essence, it has a hollow stainless steel handle, closed watertight by a large threaded pommel. The space inside is nearly the size of two 12 gauge shotshells, which means it will hold matches, pills, another little knife, hooks and line-a whole raft of stuff that could come in handy. Pete went ahead and had packed a miniature kit that went into the sheath's pocket and had a lot of that gear in it.

Anyways, I put all I could think of into that knife to make it do as many jobs possible for a fellow who, all of a sudden, has to do it all with a knife. So did Pete. It is heavy and tough enough to chop wood or meat or bone. It is wide enough to dig with if you need a hole in a hurry. The saw edge is designed to get its users poles without making loud noises. Its steel won't rust, and it's hard, so it hold an edge. If you had to hurt someone with it, it is equal to that job. It will slice very nicely and is, after you get used to it, pretty handy for dressing out game. It has a couple of holes in the modest double guard, and by lashing through those to a pole seated in the hollow handle, a rather impressive spear results".

 

Best,

Hombre

[capt14k]

That info sounds about right that only a couple thousand were made by Hackman. I periodically come across original Hackman Survival Knives for sale in Finland but the price is often approaching the equivalent of $500.

 

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