A rondel dagger was used by a variety of people from merchants to knights. It was worn at the waist and could be used as a utility tool, or worn into battle or in a jousting tournament as a side arm.

The blade was made of metal mostly steel, and was typically long and slim with a tapering needle point, measuring 12 in (30 cm) or more; the whole dagger can be as long as 20 in (51 cm). This model has an eight inch blade.

Rondel daggers were designed to be ideal for close-quarter combat which often requires grappling. They were used for puncturing and bursting the links in mail armor and they could penetrate the weaker points in plate armor and helmets, such as areas of thinner plate, any gaps and the various joints. As armor improved, puncturing in such ways was one of the only ways in which the heavy armor of men-at-arms could be breached.