Military dog tags became standard issue for U.S. soldiers in 1913 and are still in use today. The purpose of the aluminum tags (which contain a soldier’s name, blood type, Social Security number — or 10-digit Department of Defense I.D. number — and religion) is to identify soldiers in the event of a casualty. They have gone through a handful of improvements over the years, including silicone silencers that prevented the tags from giving away the position of troops, but have remained relatively unchanged over the past 100+ years.
But what if you could provide even more utility, and disguise it as a dog tag?
That’s the idea behind Spyderco’s Dog Tag Folding Knife. The design is the result of a collaboration with Ukranian knifemaker Serge Panchenko, and is nearly the same dimensions as the current mil-spec dog tag. Its 1.22-inch sheepsfoot blade is made from high-quality CPM S30V stainless steel, while its handle is a combination titanium and aluminum. The knife is a slip joint design, which means that it doesn’t lock open. If you live somewhere like New York City with stringent knife laws, that’s good news. Spyderco doesn’t provide ball chain with the Dog Tag folder, so you’ll need to pick one up separately.
While not currently in use by military forces, we could easily see Spyderco’s innovative folding knife becoming standard issue for special forces. We’ve touted the surprising capabilities of tiny knives before, and this Spyderco is another great example. It’s perfect for small everyday tasks like opening boxes and packaging, cutting skin off of fruit, trimming loose threads, you get the picture. As for what a Navy SEAL could do this thing, well, you get that picture too.
The knife is currently available on Massdrop for $45, down from its retail price of $130, and ships April 24. But if you don’t want to wait that long, you can also pick one up from Amazon (Prime eligible) for $56.
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