Review Fox Knives Tactical Elementum Dagger

- a knife from FKMD, Fox Knives Military Division

Tactical Elementum Dagger is the full name of this creation. And that sums up the knife pretty well I must say. But not quite, there is a little more to discover even for those who do not feel that ninja black and camouflage clothes are the only right way to dress. 

By the way, this is the first knife of this kind I reviewed here on the blog when I think about it. If you ignore a stiletto with the same country of origin as this knife, namely Italy. However, it was even more specialized. This knife is not quite as much a "one-trick pony". Elementum Dagger has some aces up his sleeve after all.

Fox Knives Military Division Tactical Elementum Dagger

Fox Cutlery is found, like several other of the most well-known Italian brands, in the number one Italian knife center Maniago. Fox has a very wide range of products that can be found under different departments depending on what is being sought. Most sort under the main brand, but if you want a slightly more budget-friendly knife, look no further than Black Fox or the even simpler Fox Edge. In addition to knives, everything from cigar cutters to axes can be found on their website.

But this particular knife comes from the more specialized range under the name FKMD or Fox Knives Military Division. Under that brand, you find a wide variety of knives, both folding knives, and fixed blades. Everything from machetes and forest knives, via diving knives and rescue knives as well as multitools to pure survival and combat knives.

It is somewhere in that segment that this knife is found. A smaller dagger, Fox Knives has a larger one as well.

Elementum is a double-edged dagger

Twitter version: Fox Knives Tactical Elementum Dagger, a long name for a knife with much attitude but which is actually not too bad as an everyday knife after all!

Blade

The shape of this blade is not much to discuss. It is of course a dagger and it does not get much more symmetrical than this except if you choose to have two edges of the same type. Possibly one could legally claim that this is not a double-edged knife but an ordinary drop point fixed with a curved and saw-toothed back. Now I do not think anyone falls for that. But the fact is that the outer part of the serrated side is not ground. Now,  it's only sharpened that way to make the tip stronger, but still.

The blade is ten centimeters long and made of N690 steel

The blade of Elementum Dagger is 10 cm long, 3 cm wide and the stock thickness is 3 mm. Quite harmonious and not entirely unusual proportions for what is sometimes called a "boot knife". Or a small backup knife depending on what terminology you want to use.

The double-edged blade is blackened with Idroglider

The steel is Böhler's N690, which has been coated with Idroglider. That Fox has chosen that coating is probably a good idea as it may actually be the case that stainless steels such as N690 can become less stainless from eg nitride coatings. But I strongly suspect that the black coating has more to do with appearance and not emitting reflections rather than with rust protection. The most important to me is that it's well made and is not rubbed off easily.

Of course, it is possible to use Elementum Dagger for practical tasks even if it is not my first choice for outdoor life

Since I do not belong to those who use knives as weapons, the Elementum Dagger has been used as an everyday companion, but a very well hidden one. This type of knife is not entirely socially acceptable, to say the least. Of course, there are some (relatively) few individuals in the world for whom it is necessary to carry "back up" weapons in the form of a knife, but thankfully I am not one of them. But it is clear that in that role, this type of knife is probably excellent.

By that I mean that the grip is solid, the knife has really good finger protection and of course, it offers stabbing ability in loads. It is of course excellent with this blade shape. But it also makes the knife good for all variants of penetrating cuts and the symmetrical shape and the good indexing make it easy to feel where the tip is even in less warlike situations. For example, to drill holes in a throwing target for knives or to just open packages. Preferably containing cheese, a lot of cheese is eaten in this household!

For precisely such tasks, this knife is particularly suitable as the edge angles are rather steep. The blade measures 0.8 mm behind the edge. This is of course to give the blade a little more strength. It also made me curious about how the knife handles half-frozen wood out in the woods. Of course, that context is not the forte of this knife, but it exceeded expectations I must say. But the edge is not completely adapted to bite into wood, of course, and then my thumb sought the blade spine to press on and IT is not a good idea with a double-edged blade. I caught myself several times reaching that area. The fact that it is not adapted for these tasks means that it would rather "gnaw" than cut in large chunks. But in its defense, it can be said that it was not dry wood and warm temperature during this test. 

Otherwise, the double edges bring an advantage. You have a normal edge for most chores and serrations when you want a better bite in the material, such as when you cut string, rope, and cut into fabrics.

Handle

The handle on Elementum Dagger is as symmetrical as the blade or actually a little more as both sides are really the same in this case. The available grip surface behind the finger guards is 10 cm, the thickness in the middle is 1.6 cm, and the width at most 3.1 cm. The handle has curved sides and swells in the middle as can be seen and then tapers towards the end. There you find a lanyard hole.

The handle provides a lot of traction and good control as can be expected from such a knife

The material of the handle is PP and TPE or Polypropylene coated with thermo rubber. If you are familiar with how better Mora knives are built know what I'm talking about. It is the same material and feeling in them as in this knife. Then you also know that in addition to excellent grip, the material provides good durability. That seems to be the case here too. No problem so far in any case. The knife has been used for about three months.

Elementum's Thermo rubber feels comfortable in the grips that are relevant

What distinguishes Elementum Dagger in hand is above all that it is light. The knife weighs just under a hundred grams. In addition, it is excellently balanced, which makes the already low weight feel even less. The handle is large enough for me to get a grip with all four fingers when I hold the knife in a hammer grip. But of course, it could have been a little thicker to be optimal. But if you have a knife that fills the hand better, it also becomes more awkward to carry around and this knife is built to be discreet.

It is also possible to place a finger behind the finger guard in a saber grip. Then the rear end of the handle ends up against the inside of the hand. This is not a problem because the end is softly rounded. The rounding also helps if you want to put your thumb there if the knife is held in an ice pick grip. Something I rarely do, though. But sometimes you may need to stab into something. Then the handle has been provided with "landing surfaces" for the thumb when the knife is held sideways. A pair of soft but effective grooves per side prevents slipping.

Sheath

The package includes a sheath that is excellent for the purpose. It is made in Kydex and is equipped with a nylon strap for extra security. Now it does not need to be used as the knife, thanks to a good fit, is held securely in any case. So in most cases, I have chosen to loosen it and put it between the belt clamps instead.

The Kydex case comes with a quick lock for attachment to a belt, bag, or other equipment

The attachment is of TekLok type. Another brand, perhaps in-house, but the function is the same with fasteners that allow the knife to be easily attached to belts, backpack straps, or other equipment. The disadvantage, in this case, is that they are two and the system is, therefore, a bit trickier to use.

The knife can be carried in several different ways

The knife rides high on the belt and I have carried it on the right side quite far back, which makes it easy to pull while it is otherwise out of the way. Then you can of course loosen the four screws on the fastening devices, remove two of them, turn the clamps ninety degrees and then carry the knife in a "scout carry", ie along the belt in the lower back if desired.

Conclusion

As I wrote earlier, this knife could possibly be viewed as a single-edged knife with a saw-toothed back, which would thus make it sound less "dangerous". However, it will be difficult to stick to that argument when the complete name includes the word "Dagger" and also "Tactical". And, then it was the pitch-black appearance. Everything breathes "military" and war. Especially as this knife has been released under Fox Knives military division, FKMD - Fox Knives Military Division. Among other things, they make knives for parts of the Italian defense.

This means that this knife is of course more or less useless in more public contexts. For that kind of use, it simply looks too aggressive. At least for where I live. But if you see through that there is a, not optimal, but fairly capable EDC-knife to be found here. 

All the cinnamon rolls beware, Tactical Elementum Dagger is a serial bun killer

Things that speak for this knife are that it's light and easy to carry, to begin with. The knife is also very well-balanced. Elementum Dagger also fits well in the hand and the handle is comfortable. Even when it's cold outside.

Overall, this knife works better for everyday chores than you might think. Penetration cuts are of course what it is best at. Excellent when initiating a cut, especially in tough materials such as plastic cans and the like.

Having double edges also means that you can always have a really sharp edge left if the other is used for slightly heavier tasks. Also, serrations are good to have for ropes and the like. They are there if you need them. 

Elegant and with a good bite, Fox Elementum is good at what it looks to be good at but can do a little more

Then of course, if you get such a knife, aesthetics are a big part of that decision. Daggers of various kinds have always been popular. In fact, many Stone Age knives are double-edged. The theme continued during the Bronze and Iron Ages through the Middle Ages right up to the present day. Many well-known knife brands have some variant of a Fairbairn-Sykes dagger on the program, for example. So also Fox Knives, which is called Bellum Daga.

Now Fox Knives Tactical Elementum Dagger is not of that type but more a modern interpretation of a "boot knife", a backup knife for something bigger that may be worn on the belt. But the same properties that make it easy to put away in those contexts also make it a fully capable, albeit very black, everyday companion.

Specification:

Length Overall: 200 mm
Blade Length: 100 mm
Blade Thickness: 3 mm
Steel: N690Co, HRC 58-60
Weight: 99 g (knife only, 179 with sheath. Weighed by me)
Handle: PP+TPE
Sheath: Kydex

Produced by Fox Knives, made in Italy


/ J