Attleboro knives Dau Tranh Review

100 Knives in 100 Days Giveaway: Attleboro Knives Dau Tranh Neck Knife

Attleboro Knives was founded in 2012 by Ken Hunt, an Army Special Forces veteran, in part in honor of his father Master Sergeant William B. Hunt, who was lost in action in Vietnam in 1966.

Today (9/4/19) is Day 96 of our 100 Knives in 100 Days Giveaway. We are giving away an Attleboro Knives Dau Tranh neck knife, courtesy of the folks at Attleboro.

Attleboro Dau Tranh Review

If you want to win this or one of the other remaining knives in our 100 Knives in 100 Days Giveaway, you must register for a free KnifeMagazine.com account, and leave a comment on our Official Contest Thread. Your single entry remains valid for the duration of our contest.

Back to Attleboro Knives…

The Attleboro Knives story is inextricably intertwined with their first release, “The Attleboro”

From Attleboro Knives:

Our first knife had to be special, something which set the stage for quality, utility and honor. We did not want to cut corners in any way. Ken (prior SF) actually said why don’t we call it “The Attleboro” to commemorate his father, Army SF missing in action in Vietnam. Master Sergeant Hunt was declared MIA in November of 1966 during Operation Attleboro. With that background, we all said: “Let’s do it!”

Over time our goal is to bring several knives to the market, but for now, we will focus just on The Attleboro.

Our Inspiration:

The Attleboro Knife Story is a true story of sacrifice and honor. In 1966, the Vietnam War was escalating with operations ever increasing. The conventional war was intensifying with the largest battle up to that point in the war looming on the horizon. In III Corps, Tay Ninh Province, along the Cambodian border just northwest of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) Operation Attleboro commenced. Its general goal was to find, then destroy the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and the Viet Cong (VC) logistical resources plus any enemy units operating in the area. Attleboro would slow enemy support and infiltration into the Saigon III Corps area. Among this conventional operation was a very unconventional unit, the III Corps MIKE (Mobile Strike) Force, led by an Army Special Forces (SF) Team and manned by ethnic Chinese Nung soldiers. The “Attleboro” is named to honor and commemorate those SF soldiers who fought and died during this operation. We recognized one heroic soldier who, during this operation epitomizes, the spirit of our knife, Master Sergeant William B. Hunt. His heroic actions during the battle led to several saved lives but in the process causing his wounding then his loss. He was declared missing in action for ten years with the Army declaring a presumptive death in 1976.

The Dau Tranh has a story as well:

We at Attleboro Knives love a great knife with a great story. Our new Dau Tranh is such a knife with terrific quality and another outstanding story. There are two specific definitions for Dau Tranh: First, in Vietnamese Dau Tranh translates as “struggle” – to never quit and drive on until you succeed. Second, Dau Tranh is a theory of protracted warfare which combines a nation’s military and political focus to achieve victory. Our knife is designed to be extremely functional: a great cutter, corrosion resistant with a Cerakote finish (CPM 20CV is 20% chromium), dual lanyard hole designed into the knife handle for use as a spear point, even a bottle opener and our signature lightning bolts designed into the handle.

Specs: (from Attleboro)

• Industry leading Crucible CPM 20CV Steel
• HRC 58
• Weight – 3.2 Oz
• Thickness – 3/16 in
• Width at widest point – 1 1/4 in
• Overall Length – 5 7/8 in
• Blade Length – 2 5/8 in
• Finish – Cerakote, offered in four colors: Black, Tan, OD Green, Metallic
• Sheath – Kydex , offered in two colors: Black, Tan
• Neck Chain, 30 in, Carbon Steel, 20 pound tensile strength

Personal Observations:

The Dau Tranh is a solid little neck knife. 3/16′ thick with Cerakote – it is tough. There isn’t much to say about the fit and finish of skeletonized knife, other than that the grind lines are clean and even, and there is no blemishing to the coating or etching.

Ergonomically, it is among the better skeletonized neckers I have held. Not quite a full 4 fingers, my only issue is that the beer opener causes a bit of a hot spot. The jimping does a good job of helping produce a solid grip on a small knife.

I appreciate the aesthetic of including the lightening bolts on the handle.

The sheath is tight fitting and wears comfortably.

 

Outside Review:

I was unable to find an outside review for the Dau Tranh. I feel confident in making the executive ruling that the Dau Tranh is a great EDC neck knife, and an even better backup to a more robust tool.

 


I would like to thank Ken Hunt of Attleboro Knives for providing the Dau Tranh for our 100 Knives in 100 Days giveaway. He is a super nice guy, and I am happy to have a reason to tell the Attleboro story.

Attleboro knives Dau Tranh Review