Look sharp! A practical guide to tactical knives

 A knife is one of the primary tools that a law enforcement officer carries. Not only can a knife be used as a weapon in close quarters or crowded areas, where discharging a firearm is impossible, a knife can also be indispensable for those little tasks that you just can’t do with your hands.

“There have been many studies done that show that within 21 feet, an assailant can cover that amount of ground before an officer can unholster his firearm and make the shot,” says Nick Morgan, product specialist at KnifeCenter.com. “So for close quarters combat, a knife is a very good tool, as long as it can quickly be deployed. If an officer is unsure of the backdrop behind his target, he will not take the shot so that really leaves a lot of times when a knife may be the primary weapon over a gun. Knives can also be used in a non-lethal fashion by keeping a folding knife closed and using it as an impact weapon hitting bone or pressure points to disable an assailant.

A number companies today are in the business of making knives, either in general or specifically for law enforcement applications. Law Enforcement Technology has talked to the experts to find out what the trends are in knives, and then prepared a gift guide of some of the best products on the market today.

Trends

Police officers are busy people often doing several things at the same time, so one-hand opening is a big issue for knives. “A general request from armies and law enforcement is one-hand opening for the large knife blade and a locking device for the same,” says Paul Camenzind, International Sales Manager, Victorinox AG. “Here at Victorinox, we produce multipurpose pocket tools, and the reason a police officer or soldier carries is to have a multitude of useful instruments reduced down to a size which enables to carry them in the pocket or in a belt pouch. Although we do have a variety of pocket knives which we consider to be most appropriate for the use in armies, police or any other official entity, in reality even the smallest little knife of our Classic Series, a 58mm mini pocket knife, which very often is used as a key hanger, found its way even to the US Marine Corps.”

A trend towards increased usability has been going on for years now, with manufacturers looking at what police officers do every day and meeting those needs. “It’s always good for an officer to have a backup to their gun on the off-chance their gun fails, or they have to engage in hand to hand combat,” says Lindsey Phelps, Sales Manager, Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT). “Also, a knife is handy for daily tasks. We are continuing to look at and offer innovative knives and tools that an officer would carry for their function, durability and quality at an affordable price.”

Folding knives small enough to carry all day every day are becoming more and more popular. “Right now, the trend in the knife industry is tactical folders that can also be used as ‘every day carry’ (EDC) knives,” says Knifecenter.com’s Morgan. “This means that they're not overly huge, not overly heavy, nor do they have unnecessary bells or whistles. Their main features include a strong blade design, durable lock, ergonomic handle, and the safety of knowing your fingers won't run onto the blade during use.

“Another trend currently going on in our industry, not necessarily the law enforcement community, is new steels,” he continues. “It seems like over the past two years, manufacturers have come out with more new steels than we ever had before and that's going to continue. Blade steel is always a balance between hardness (ability to hold an edge without becoming brittle) and corrosion resistance. They're trying to find the perfect balance between the two but each cutting task or law enforcement officer is different so there's no wonder steel yet, just a lot of high end steels that are making knives more expensive.”

Choosing a knife

Here are some of the important things to consider when choosing a knife:

Blade Thickness You don’t want the knife to break when you need it most. Also, a thicker blade allows for some minor prying, but this is never recommended.

Ergonomics Your knife has to fit your hand well so it cannot be removed from it during a fight. You'll want to use a comfortable knife a lot more than one that has hot spots (creates pain in spots of your hand) or is too big and bulky.

Durability Here material is everything. You pay directly for the quality of the materials moreso than in other industries so you really "get what you pay for".

Tolerance The knife must be made well. It's easy to tell the difference between a $40 knife and a $200 knife--the blade will be better centered between the handle, the grind on the edge will be better, the amount of play (when the blade of a folder wiggles side to side or up and down when it's locked open) is less.

Folder or fixed blade?

Knifecenter.com’s Morgan thinks that folding knives are more appropriate for law enforcement use. “A fixed blade knife has the strength thing going for it and no matter what kind of lock or who makes it, a folder is not as strong as a fixed blade,” he says. “Also, when you pull out a fixed blade, it's ready to go. You don't have to worry about folding it open and making sure it's locked up tight, you unsheath and go.

“The reason I think a folder is the way to go is just sheer convenience,” he continues. “Officer's utility belts are pretty full already so carrying a fixed blade on the belt is generally a no-go and carrying one around the neck might be too difficult to get to in a pinch since most duty officers wear bullet proof vests. You can carry a folder almost anywhere on your person and nobody will know you have it. They're generally lighter as well since you don't have to factor a sheath into that weight.”

Sheath or no sheath?

For fixed blades, a good sheath is of the utmost importance. More than 95 percent of the time the knife is sheathed, so having something that doesn't rattle, is comfortable, and durable is the biggest thing for me when picking a fixed blade.

Final advice

Some departments supply knives to their officers, but the bottom line is that if you want the perfect knife for you, you are better off buying the knife yourself. This way, you can get a knife that fits your hand and fits your daily life, on and off duty.

“My advice would be to not buy the cheapest thing you can find but to splurge a little,” says Knifecenter.com’s Morgan. “This might be a tool you have to count on for your life so you don't do yourself any favors saving $20 to ultimately have a knife that will fail you when needed. I always recommend doing a little research and finding a knife that has good reviews. We have reviews available on most items and we don't alter them in any way-- they're customer's honest opinions, good or bad.

“I also think that it's very important that the knife be lightweight and comfortable in your hand,” he continues. “People make the case a lot for concealed carry handguns that if you go too big or if you just can't shoot it as good as you want to, you'll just leave it at home. I feel it's the same way with knives. If it's a big, bulky or isn't comfortable to use, you're just not going to carry it.”