HILL KNIVES  Insulindestraat 92  3038 JC Rotterdam (NL)  HOLLAND  TELNR : 0031-104655743  FAXNR : 0031-104650053  MOBIL : 0031-654 651 659
ILRRPS WELFENKASERNE LEFEVRE DOGGENRIEDSTRASSE 70 D-88250 WEINGARTEN GERMANY	ILRRPS NL DET NAPO 842 3509 VP UTRECHT	MAJOR CARO P. INTERNATIONAL PROJECT SECTION NL SENIOR OFFICER

Subject : TRIALS OF SURVIVAL KNIVES TYPE KCT-002-1  AND  S.O.K.  ( SPECIAL OPERATIONS KNIFE ).

1. GENERAL:

The field tests were conducted by instructors of the SURVIVAL-DIVISION during two survival courses in the time frames from 13-02-95 till 03-03-95 and from 13-03-95 till 31-03-95. Our instructors come from Special Forces units from the United Kingdom, USA, Germany and Greece. During the courses, temperatures varied from –10 C up to 18 C and the weather was unsettled (snow, frost , rain and sunshine). Due to the mainly practical method of instruction, and to prevent possible language problems among the participial to all necessary demonstrations were carried out "live". All possible ways of slaughtering, and construction of shelters and traps were demonstrated.

In a survival environment the weight to carry should be as limited as possible. For this reason the School always emphasizes the need to choose the right survival tools, giving a priority to quality and multi- functionality. A survival knife is one of the key items. Knives are used (and sometimes abused) very intensively under extreme conditions.

The knives were tested in the following activities:

• Chopping down of branches, brushes and small trunks (up to diameter of 25 centimeter).
• Skinning of poultry, game and fish.
• Cutting of steel wires (up to diameter of 5 millimeter).
• Digging holes in pebbly soil.
• Cutting of cans.

1. RESULTS OF THE TRIALS:

The following positive remarks can be made:

1. The well-balanced point of gravity and the weight give the knives enough penetration potential, without having the operator using much force. The forearm and the wrist are not stressed, even after a long period of continuous chopping.
2. The overall construction and the steel used were able to absorb forces put on the sides of the knives. No deformation or damage was visible.
3. After intensive chopping the knives were still sharp, so that accurate skinning was possible.
4. None of the handles were generally given any preference, unless the size of a hand fitted perfectly in the shaped handle.
5. The many possibilities to suspend and carry the knives insure the easy adjustment to the most common webbing.
6. Left-hand and right-hand users could handle the knives without any problems.

The following points need some attention:

1. Under wet conditions (water, snow) the grip is rough enough to avoid the knife slipping out of the hand. However, working with oily or bloody hands, the handle does not offer enough grip to guarantee the safe use of the knife.
2. The synthetic material of the scabbard might, when moving in the woods, result in undesired noise. However, a simple piece of burlap wrapped around the scabbard was sufficient to eliminate the problem

The two points above have been already solved by Hill Knives.

1. CONCLUSION:

Only simple good quality make knives are indispensable tools for survival in a primitive environment. In short, after completion of the trial, we can state that for their excellent characteristics, both knives how can be included in the top list of the broad existing selection of survival knives.