Push Daggers?

[halo2304]

Thanks!

Looks like I'm going to have to pick up one of those, too, for places where daggers aren't legal. And for the scabbard... that should help with pocket carry.

Too many knives? No such thing!

With the single edge, it might work better as a knife. The double edge SOCP is a horrible 'knife' but an excellent stabbing implement.

[MountainRaven]

So my 178SBK showed up... and I am underwhelmed. Here are some initial observations.

The Good
The knife is a knife and not a dagger. It's not going to be as useful for stabbing, but it still has a nice sharp point that should do a good job of tearing up skin and therefore serving as a GTFO me/retention weapon.
It has some nice machining on the sides to allow one to choke up on the blade for some tasks.

The Bad
The dipped pocket clip is pretty much worthless. It doesn't add any noticeable amount of resistance for pocket carry.
In fact, due to the added resistance of the lock for the knife, the pocket clip doesn't even provide sufficient resistance to be of any use in pockets with thicker edges where I have been able to use the older clip.

The Meh
The 178 (both the knife and the trainer) has a rougher texture than the 176 (both dagger and trainer) that I have has.
The markings for Benchmade, SOCP, and Greg Thompson are all located on one side of the knife, while the trainer and the old 176 have the SOCP and Greg Thompson markings on one side with the Benchmade butterfly on the other.
The knife and trainer both lock in more positively with the new sheath than with the old (as does the 176 in the 178's scabbard, confirming that it is the scabbard and not the knife and/or trainer), BUT... because of that, any benefit of the dipped pocket clip is lost.

Initial impressions: If you like the idea of the 176 but want something with some minor utility capability, the 178 is for you. Other than that, it keeps all the 176's disadvantages. And that kinda bums me, because I was hoping the dip coated clip would help keep the scabbard locked in a front pocket.

[halo2304]

Try my trick. Find a small, wide elastic and wrap it around the sheath under the pocket clip.
I'll post a pick of my setup when I get a chance.

[KenpoTex]

I use about a 4" piece of 1 3/8" bicycle inner-tube (the skinny ones for touring-bikes) on the sheath under the clip of my SOCP. Not only does it provide a little more thickness to make the clip "bite" a little more but it increases the friction of the sheath against the pocket to help keep it where it belongs when you draw the knife.

I was totally underwhelmed with the Benchmade PD. The minimalist concept is great, but it felt horrible in my hand and, IMO, was very unstable. I don't think it'd be easy to hang on to.

I currently carry an old Cold Steel Safekeeper III (the stubby single-edged model) on my duty belt (sheath Velcroed behind my mag pouch). I feel like the shorter blade helps mitigate the tendency of the knife to twist in your hand. I agree with Cecil that it would work better if the "shank" were shorter.

[Voodoo_Man]

And the new SOCP... knife... starts shipping at the end of the month. Apparently.

Seen it at Warrior East this year.

While its nice, the finger hole is a little annoying.

[MountainRaven]

The elastic strap works pretty well. So well that they should ship that way from the factory.

[MountainRaven]

Update: Got Dale Fricke to make me a scabbard from kydex for my 178 (that's the knife) that covers the whole handle (sans the finger hole) but only drops the blade under/below the belt. Very comfortable (now carrying opposite my pistol, not next to it). Unfortunately, it does not work with either of my trainers or my 176 (dagger). So I might ask him to make me one for the trainer.

Only complaint is that I feel like I'm having to search for the ring to draw the knife. Might try something that doesn't have the ring. Like maybe a Spartan-Breed.... (Or a Benchmade fixed Adamas. Or a Spartan Phrike. Or an Emerson Karambit. But I'm not sold on the karambit and kinda wanna keep the knife fixed rather than folding.)