Fixed blade for duty carry.

[NJBillK]

Go custom. 3v from Nathan the Machinist. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...Three-3V-Field-Knives-and-8-quot-3V-Shiv-SOLD

 

[Yo Mama]

Vest, I used to boot carry until we got externals. Now my boot holds a 43.

Ka-bar TDI was designed for exactly what you're looking for

 

[Chris Larrikin]

If you are looking for something for law enforcement use I strongly recommend looking at Overmountain Knife And Tool website. The owner is a member here (under LucyCustomKnives ) andhas put a lot of work into a design specifically for law enforcement.

 

[PowerHammer]

LEO, this knife would primarily be for patrol purposes.
Quite a few of my friends tend to lean towards automatics along with a leatherman. I personally don't like folders as much but I will not leave without my leatherman. My current go to is an esee-3mil but I would like to get something a little more defense oriented as my leatherman does most of my utility work. SOME utility use would be appreciated though. I do have a few of Nathans knives but I find them too large for patrol carry.

 

[(jeff)]

Kabar TDI for sure.

 

[jfk1110]

Have a look at kiku matsuda knives on Japanese knife direct.

 

[Nellem]

Al Mar Mini SERE fixie.

 

[ThePeacent]

I'd recommend something along these lines:

These two together (Spyderco Aqua Salt, brutal cutting machine, stabs really well. CRKT Minimalist necker)

or the necker with any of these two (CRKT Hissatsu, discreet and fast. Cold Steel OSS, sharp as hell and great retention)

The mini neck knife can be worn as a necker, inside the pocket, IWB or on the belt, and is really unobrtusive. It'll handle most knife utility tasks (cutting zip-ties, cardboard, tape, boxes, slicing and prepping food, etc.)

Any of the above combined will be less than $120 and pretty lightweight. All of them really easy to sharpen. I talk from experience. Good luck!

 

[NJBillK]

Why don't you commission a custom piece from Nathan?

If you have a certain criteria that you want hit, your best bet is to have one made that is built to your specifications.

 

[snooka]

Discreet and fast : ER Shrapnell (or the Col Moschin if you want bigger )

 

[tueller]

I mostly see either a kabar TDI (or something similar) hidden behind the magazine pouch, a 511 pit bull (or something similar) as a boot knife, a neck knife of some sort, or any fixed blade concealed in the side Velcro of the body armor. I think a large exposed fixed blade is inappropriate for patrol and fuels the "militarization of police" rediculiousness (swat would be different or maybe if your fish and game/ park rangers - in woods alot). Good luck. Stay safe.

 

[shinyedges]

Check out Winkler belt knives, the tad edition in 3v to be exact. But even the normal belt knife in 80crv2 is great. I've owned both.

 

[nesplin]

Some LE friends speak highly of the Tom Halloran STX for that kind of use.

 

[Riz!]

Emeson fixed kerambit on the off side somewhere. Retain your firearm witht the dominant hand and use the non dominant hand for weapon retention. If you wanted to go small the emerson la griffe would function quite nicely.

A folding waved kerambit would be even better for you as it could just be carried in your non dominant pocket and would snap open on draw into a correct revers, edge forward grip.

Check out emerson, fox, spyderco and cold steel.

 

[Lycosa]

Boker Cop tool.

 

[JohnPB]

I'd second Bud Nealy's Pesh Kabz. It comes in 3.5 and 5" blade lengths.

You may want to check out his entire line. Lots of great options to pick from. His retention system provides for a variety of carry positions.

 

[collim1]

Let us know what you end up with, and more importantly how you are going to carry it.

 

[The Whip]

PowerHammer,

Lots of good suggestions herein and I'll add a few of my own. But first I wanted to offer some food for thought.

Ok how bout this then. Instead of one expensive large do it all knife, how about two mission specific knives. For example a quickly deployed weapon retention knife on your support side, like a kabar TDI or a fixed karambit and then a utility fixed blade on your strong side, like an Esee 3, bk14, bk17/16, bravo 1, ratmandu, etc. best of both worlds and combined you are still under your weight and price limits.

I agree with tueller that you might be limiting yourself if you try to combine your knife's weapon-retention and everyday-duty roles. These two facets of knife use are wildly varying and can be, at times, contradictory in design features. For example, when I think "weapon retention," I think of:

-Very sharp (and possibly serrated)
-Pointy
-Long enough to be effective
-Easy to access (but not highly visible, so as to invite bad guy's grab for it)
-Probably double-edged


Knives with these traits include:

-All the daggers you can name, such as the SOG Pentagon, Cold Steel Counter Tac,
Zero Tolerance 0150, Boker Applegate-Fairbairn, etc.
-Cold Steel's Brave Heart, Double Agent, Safe Keeper, and Spike
-Spyderco's Reverse, Ronin, and Hobbit Warrior
-Mike Irie's Push Dagger (Version 2)
-Bud Nealy's Y2K and Cave Bear


The list could go on and on. But my point is that none of these knives, though exceptional for defense, would make very effective utility knives. And most would cause a lot of mouths to gape if you drew them for such.

I believe that defensive knives should be carried discreetly and solely for that purpose, that utility knives (such as your ESEE 4) should handle the day-to-day tasks, and that never the twain should meet. But if you're still set on mixing the roles, I second the Gryphon M10, and will add the Al Mar Shiva, the Bechmade Nimravus, and the Spartan Phrike.

Please let us know what you end up choosing. Be safe.

-Steve

 

[bodog]

I'm looking to buy a duty knife purposed mainly around last ditch weapon retention but more than likely used for utilitarian tasks through out the day. Around 10 inch maximum oal, price limit around $600 (by no means does it have to cost that much...), and durable. I don't have much limiting what type of knife I can carry, but discreet and fast would be ideal.
Yes I have training and yes I would like to avoid the whole discussion on knives as weapons please.

I carry a ZT 0180 or a knife from bluntcut every day on duty and I use and abuse them both very heavily, IMO. I attach the sheath underneath my underbelt so it sits as close to my body as possible. It sits right behind my pistol with my leatherman sheath on the actual duty belt directly over the sheath of the fixed blade. I carry my baton and taser crossdraw. I'm not too worried about someone grabbing them from their holsters and disabling me. If I need to I can cover my pistol and knife with my elbow and forearm just as easily as covering my pistol alone. It's easy to access, fairly discrete, easy to return the knife to the sheath, and also defensible. Personally I wouldnt carry on my external vest carrier unless I was on an SRT and had other stuff attached to the back of my vest that interfered with accessing the knife, but the same applies with my pistol and/or mags.

I've strongly considered a Winkler knife as much for the sheath as for the knives but haven't pulled the trigger yet. I'm still trying to decide if it's just hype. Very good knives can be had for less.

I've also been eyeballing a Busse "skinny" knife but don't want the hassle of ordering a made to order sheath, either.

The spyderco Bradley bowie is also extremely tempting buy again, the sheath holds me back. Not a fan of a rigid G-clip design.

Also, I'd really suggest a spyderco mule team. Very versatile design if you can keep from prying with them. They make a great edc. You can pick one of the tougher steels they've used and it'll withstand lateral stresses better than some others but it's still a relatively thin blade that requires some moderation in rough use.

Because the LE mission is so different between agencies and even within the same agency, it's hard to say exactly what you'll be doing so it's hard to get more specific. As an FYI, the other day I dismantled two cars in one day accessing most of the natural voids with the 0180 and my leatherman and no other tools. It's funny watching other guys' eyes pop wide open when they see what I start doing with my knife and then to hear them try to warn me that my blade will break. Even after they see what a good knife can do they still hesitate to buy a knife that costs more than 50 bucks, regardless of how much they'll actually use it. SMH.

I also trade between a spyderco military and a PPT carried in my cargo pocket in case I can't access any of the tools on my belt. The military is a really great all around knife for the work I do. I really just carry the fixed blades because they can be accessed easier and they can withstand rougher use.

For reference I'm on an interdiction team so I spend a lot of time dismantling and generally tearing up all kinds of random stuff, day in and day out.

 

[Charlie Mike]

Go custom (hint hint)!