Help me choose a knife.

V

VaughnT

New member
I have already decided to purchase an Emerson LaGriffe for on my duty belt (it'll tuck under the speedloader case for a swift weak-hand draw) and would like to hear opinions on something in a boot knife.

I only recently had this epiphany regarding backup weapons and am interested in something that I could lace to my boot. I wear zipper-side Original Swat boots so fixing a sheath to the laces wouldn 't pose a problem. I just saw a Lightfoot knife at the gunshop that was dirt cheap ($28!!) and think it would do well. The blade wasn't more than 4" and the kydex sheath had lashing holes, but the thing just looked tiny. It would undoubtedly do the job, however.

Another thought was to get one of those push daggers, but I have't seen any around and can't tell how good they are. This is an emergency fallback weapon, not a working knife. I like the idea of the super-positive grip a push dagger affords and it would seem to allow one to maximize blade length without getting an overall lenght that would be unmanageable.

For my pocket knife, I'll retire my Ol' Timer in favor of something larger and more defensive, but I need it to be left-side carryable. Most of these clips are built around a right-hand carry and my holster doesn't allow access to a knife in that pocket.

Is the benchmade Axis lock a good choice? It's a far sight cheaper than the Emerson CQC7, which I hear great things about.
What thoughts come to mind, gentlemen?
 
Since you're an LEO: Think of retention. Imagine that you have to grapple with a person to bring them into custody. The suspect could easily grab your knife and shank you with it.

The Benchmade Axis locks are strong and simple. I would definitely recommend them for a utility blade.
 
For a boot knife/neck knife with a shealth that can lace up on your boot, I found a page with assorted knives you might be interested in: http://www.1sks.com/store/neck-knives.html

Unfortunately, they don't have pics of their sheaths, so you'll probably have to go their individual web sites.

I've got a Cold Steel Safe Keeper 2 push dagger that I keep in my vehicle as a "carjacker special". It does have lace-up holes on the sheath, but may be too wide for you too lacve up your boots tightly (depends on how big your leg is!).


For a pocket knife, do you have room on your belt for a fixed blade instead? How about a BM Nimravus Cub? You can unscrew the belt loop and move it to the other side for left hand carry.

For folding knives with reversible pocket clips, check out Al Mar, Benchmade and Spyderco.

I'd like to get more specific, but I've got to get back to work now. Try a google search for "knives reversible clip" or "knives left handed". :)
 
Vaughn,

When I was a working cop, I carried a mid-size fixed blade on my duty gear, edge forward, behind my left hip (past my radio, over my left rear pocket). It was out of the way, yet accessible to either hand. I also carried a Spyderco Delica (plainedge) clipped to my left (nongun) pocket, a Spyderco Rescue JR clipped to my right pocket, and a Spyderco Merlin clipped to the trauma plate pocket on my vest.

It may seem like a lot of knives, but it insured that one was available to either hand from many different body positions. The accessible fixed blade is vitally important if you envision using it as a backup weapon. Under a stress load, opening and employing a folder is quite a feat!

And, (begin litany here) Training, Training, Training. :D :D

If you are going to carry knives on the job, you owe it to yourself to get documentable training in their use.
And, of course, the more you know about how to employ a knife, the better you are able to defend against them.
 
For an LE I would advise small fixed blades available to both weak and strong sides to aid when grappeling/retention. Add a boot to the weak side ankle. You're not looking for a knife for a knife fight, but a weapon to get an attacker off of you and your primary weapon. CRKT has several options from the Stiff KISS models to the Kasper.
 
There are a lot of good boot knives out there. The Gryphon M10 is an excellent example from Bob Terzoula.

You may want to rethink the positioning of the blade, though. You have more control over weapons on and around your hip-level, since that's where your hands fall naturally (see Gomez' post).

Ankle knives (just like ankle guns) mean longer distances to get to them for the draw than at belt-level (appendix carry is a good location that's fast and easily protected). If it's on your ankle and your struggling to cuff a guy, he probably has easier access to your boot knife than you do...
 
VaughnT-

Benchmade 806D2 is a great knive. Comes with D2 Steel and an axis lock. It is what we call the swiss cheese model. Has 4 areas were you can out the clip so carrying the blade left handled wont be an issue. Axis lock makes for great deployment and is very strong.

The Emerson neck knife is not a bad choice for a back up weapon, but if you want something with that type of blade, Spyderco is the king, there are 3 flavors, the merlin. matriarch and the all mighty Civillan models. 3 various types of hooked blades and are very nasty. The LaGriffe doesn't have cut outs or grooves for the thumb, in a back up situation sweat can play a role, you could possibly hurt yourself. Look into a TK-1 by Benchmade. The spydercos mentioned above range from small to big.

Also LEOs are allowed Autos, I suggest a Mircotech LCC model, its comes in double action. You can manually open the knive or push on the handle and the blade deploys. Looks like a regular folding knife.

Hope that these choiced help. Like Gomez I believe in Practicing what you "folders" you use on a regular basis. Will help you in those times of need.

45R
 
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