Choosing a boot knife/dagger, suggestions welcome.

Of the two I'd go with the Spartan. It's much more real-world practical.

Kind of large for a boot knife. :) Be sure you get a good sheath on whatever you buy, it's the key.

Be sure you have shopped the market. There are a lot of good knives out there right now. At that budget I'd hate to see you end up in dire straits with buyer's remorse.
 
Check out the new EK Spartan as well.

I'd take the Spartan v14 for the money. Check out the Breed as well.
 
I'd take anything Spartan over anything ER all day every day and even on days that have not been invented yet.

Neither is a boot knife though.
 
You must have some large boots man lol. I wouldn't exactly call a 6-7 inch DE a boot dagger. But, of these two I would pick the Spartan.

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk
 
Try find an Aitor Botero. I think you will find it much more suitable for boot carry. Not the greatest steel, not the greatest handle material... but I think it is EXACTLY what you are looking for.
 
I prefer the styling of the Extrema Ratio... The handle seems grippier and more swelled, which will feel better. The ER sheath seems better with no hard surface outside to make noises, and the optional pommel length really makes this something special, while the Spartan looks like any regular dagger with a regular kydex sheath.

You will find over time boring styling can make these things more tiresome to own...

The narrower blade profile will definitely defeat ballistic vests better, if that's any use...

Don't be worried about the extra-pointy tip: It can still be strong, and fine points tip-slash better than broader points. Not that the Spartan point is broad: It is not a relative advantage between these two, just a general observation...

Because of the full tang, both are slightly overweight at 9 and 10 ounces: In that size range a dagger should be 7-8 ounces: Weight is the biggest advantage of daggers, when carried in a shoulder harness.

My favourite "practical" daggers are all long discontinued items, but can be found on Ebay: The best sharpness out of the box is on mint Gerber Guardian IIs, with a weight of 8 ounces, outstanding zero edges and 6.75" blades: Still cheaper than those: Don't be fooled by the Gerber name, this is old Gerber...

I like Seki-City models like the SOG Desert Dagger, because the Kraton handles are nice and light, but Seki-City is not zero edged so not as sharp as Gerber: Even the super-impressive Al Mar Shadow IV, best designed dagger of all time imho, 7.75" blade on 9 ounces, is very dull and needs a trip to the professional sharpener to compare to a Gerber Guardian II's zero edge...

I also love the Blackjack 8.50" blade Tartan Dirk, but only for lashing as a spear point...

My absolute favourite is cheap but extremely hard to get, and again not sharp like the Guardian II: The Junglee Waterloo: 6.8 ounces for a 6.9" blade (!!!): Unbeatable, with nice serrations, but like all Seki City daggers not that sharp. Very poor unsecure sheath, so that is big minus. The Kraton Handle is outstanding.

What to avoid is custom daggers: Smooth slippery handles, often full tangs, so heavy and slippery, the very opposite of what a dagger should be: This is one area where factory beats customs any day.

Gaston
 
Gaston, thanks for taking the time to share your experience. I too like the sleek design of the Extrema Ratio better than that Spartan for the reasons you named, especially the grippy handle. What do you think of the Spartan EK ? https://spartanbladesusa.com/spartan-ek-dagger/
It's slightly smaller, but still kinda heavy. The handle doesn't look as grippy as the Extrema Ratio but the way its beveled and shaped might fit the hand well. sure wish i could hold both them before I decide.
 
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Spartan Breed
Spartan Ek
Winkler Knives II

I'm no expert and don't carry a boot knife, but do like the sharp pointy things. Thought I'd post a comparison picture. Hope it helps a bit. Mike

P.S. I definitely liked the old Gerber Guardians also. Wish I would have hung on to them.
 
Whoa buddy..Mike how do you like that new EK/Spartan? I've been wanting a dagger for a good while now, really thinking I need to grab one now before they are gone..
 
Thanks for the pic Mike.:thumbup: Holy moly man, that pic links back to your pic collection. Beautiful blades man.
I ended up ordering the Spartan / EK Dagger, must say I like the look and that it's made in the USA.

Thanks to all that pitched in advice as well.
 
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Mike157 said:


Spartan Breed
Spartan Ek
Winkler Knives II

I'm no expert and don't carry a boot knife, but do like the sharp pointy things. Thought I'd post a comparison picture. Hope it helps a bit. Mike

P.S. I definitely liked the old Gerber Guardians also. Wish I would have hung on to them.
Click to expand...

Great picture!
 
mknopfler said:
Thanks for the pic Mike.:thumbup: Holy moly man, that pic links back to your pic collection. Beautiful blades man.
I ended up ordering the Spartan / EK Dagger, must say I like the look and that it's made in the USA.

Thanks to all that pitched in advice as well.
Click to expand...

JJaggar said:
Whoa buddy..Mike how do you like that new EK/Spartan? I've been wanting a dagger for a good while now, really thinking I need to grab one now before they are gone..
Click to expand...

My pleasure mknopfler, (one of these ought to help if you ever find yourself in Dire Straits :D, please forgive me, I couldn't resist). Also, thank you for the nice comment on my collection. Congratulations on the order!

JJagger - as I mentioned earlier, I'm not really qualified to rate this knife's value in a combat situation but given that it closely follows a John Ek design and both of the Spartan Blades owners have significant military experience, I would expect that a lot of thought and experience went into the purposeful design of this knife.

Aside from that, I'm a fan of Spartan Blades, and this knife, like their others, carries on their tradition of great design, build, fit and finish. I have a number of their blades and have never been disappointed with one. Just solid well built knives - including this one. Probably more drivel than you wanted to hear. If you have a specific question I can help with, just let me know.

An interesting note - I read on one of the Spartan Blades related sites that the guards used on these daggers are actually extra stock from the former EK company. Mike
 
mknopfler said:
I'm really glad I bought one and support these companies in their endeavor to keep a bit of history alive in a sense.
Click to expand...
Certainly a worthy cause but unless it was for this reason or for a collection, I'd be inclined to go cheap on a boot knife. Assuming you live in a law and order country like America its something you'll very likely never use for it's intended purpose and in that case you'll not be getting it back from the evidence locker until you come home not guilty. Otherwise I'd be tempted to go with something that was more of a useful all around EDC.
IMHO.
 
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Binalith said:
Certainly a worthy cause but unless it was for this reason or for a collection, I'd be inclined to go cheap on a boot knife. Assuming you live in a law and order country like America its something you'll very likely never use for it's intended purpose and in that case you'll not be getting it back from the evidence locker until you come home not guilty. Otherwise I'd be tempted to go with something that was more of a useful all around EDC.
IMHO.
Click to expand...

I already have 2 EDC folders, ZT350 & ZT301 that fill that role very well. You could say the same thing about any weapon you would use to defend your life and I'd rather wait to get whatever weapon back than be in no position to ever need it again.;) also, I don't buy cheap anything.
 
Nice score on the Spartan!


Any knife with dual/double edges turn my crank LOL...

My small collection of DE blades; two custom dags left and right of center.

21570363934_55c86d7fa8_c.jpg
 
My boot knife is an Eickhorn SEK-M. Eickhorn is a bit unknown in America, they're a German brand that from what I understand is very well respected in their home country. Some of their knives are standard issue in the German military.

The SEK-M is a marine knife, a navy knife, a diving knife. It comes with a forearm sheath. You can use some strips of double-sided Velcro to make extensions to be able to wrap the sheath around your leg. Or you can have a custom sheath made, which is what I did (from survivalsheath.com, their ankle sheath).

It's a bit shorter than the other knives being mentioned. It's also a bit less expensive. As far as I know, no US retailer imports and sells Eickhorn knives, but they're readily available new on eBay. The SEK-M is usually around $300. It's a very sturdy, high-quality knife.

825113.jpg

http://www.eickhorn-solingen.de/epa...Products/825113&ChangeAction=SelectSubProduct
 
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