I Notice many LEO Carrying Cheap Knives?

martentrapper said:
Do knife co.s offer discounts to LEO dept.s? Do any dept,s supply a knife as an "on the job" tool.
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I’ve never heard of knives being supplied by the department to individual officers.

Many knife companies offer discounts to LEO, military or first responders.
 
I believe they believe that a knife is simply a cutting tool and one that can be used for prying. Cheap is better when you are prying. But they really aren't any different than anyone else in the knife sense other than many will have a knife geared toward self defense (last ditch) and I have little interest in such a knife. LEO's are not necessarily interested in knives or guns.
 
Many deputies I know carry inexpensive knives. As long as they are functional, light and have a decent lock. Rat2, Crkt m16’s, gerber
 
Knives just aren't important to most people, cops included. That's why there is a market for the knives they buy and use.
 
I've observed the same thing. The last time I had the occasion to chat with a local Sheriff's deputy, I asked him what kind of knife he carried. I don't recall the off-brand now, but he said someone gave it to him and proceeded to squeak it open and show it to me. It was dull as a butter knife. I wanted to offer to refurb it for him, but I could tell he was in a hurry.

Makes sense that they wouldn't want to carry something they could break or lose. Doesn't make sense that they/people carry and use dull knives, which pretty much don't fit the definition of knives anymore.

But I see the same thing with just about any friend or family member's kitchen knives. And almost universally, if/when I sharpen their knives for them, they cut themselves!

So...I think it's just a matter of non-knife people using butter knives as a general rule. It's the same reason I gift a knife only so often: unless someone has a desire to learn to sharpen, the knife will become (nearly) useless in a matter of time.
 
Its always amazed me how diverse the knife retail market is . how much choice there is nowadays through a whole spectrum of prices and how many knife retailers there are as well. even though there are a lot more people nowadays with a folder clipped to their pocket the percentage of "knife" people in the US has to be relatively small . I often wonder where all those expensive knives are going because most of the people I see with a knife on them have a "cheap" knife on them. In the machine shop where I work its a Gerber Paraframe and a Buck 110 (a true classic but still relatively inexpensive),some S/W piece of crap and one kid with a flea market specimen. No matter what the knife I never insult a cheap knife owner I always remark that its pretty cool . I was there once myself and even now I cant afford 300-1000 knives. of all these guys in work only one (the buck 110 owner) keeps it sharp. if I offered to keep every dull knife sharp I come across I would have to quit my job to keep up with demand!!
Havnt seen one cop with a "high end" knife yet. though I don't tend to get into many social conversations with police or spend a lot of time staring at them !!!
 
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I'm a retired officer 30 years , when I first started I carried a buck 110 , my partner asked to use it for a minute, when I received it back it was in two pieces.

I carried various knives on my belt over the years , I was asked one to many times can I barrow your knife . I carried this Spyderco Navigator in my pocket for maybe 20 years until the day I retired .

A great many people believe that officers are knowledgeable about guns its normally not the case.
The same applies to knifes . Ask a officer about comfortable shoes , very knowledgeable .
I had to ask this forum the name of the above knife, I'm learning .
 
I rotate between Striders, Emersons, and Hinderers but I am by far outside the normal of what officers usually carry. I do know some other guys who carry higher end knives but most carry what they get free with a pair of boots.
 
afishhunter said:
The knife is a low priority item.
Their life is not dependent on a knife.
They usually use them for mundane things like cutting tape and opening boxes, or bags of contraband.
I used to know several police officers who did not even bother carrying a knife when they were out in the field.
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:thumbsup:

I'm sure the cops are far more concerned with the integrity of their handcuffs--not to mention their utility belt even--then they are with a knife.
 
BCG said:
...
A great many people believe that officers are knowledgeable about guns its normally not the case.
The same applies to knifes . Ask a officer about comfortable shoes , very knowledgeable .
I had to ask this forum the name of the above knife, I'm learning .
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I think you're right... judging by the number of Glocks used (I'm not a fan). If they were really into handguns, I'd expect to see way more H&K and Sigs used. Those tend to be quite a bit more expensive, of course. For great quality at a lower price I'd go for the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_Armory_XDM

Nice navigator btw:) useful small size
 
Maybe a month ago, I saw a couple of cops talking to a drunk guy in front of a supermarket, and one of the cops had what I recognized as a Kershaw Leek (a red one) clipped to his pocket. I often check for a pocket clip when I see a cop, and when I do spot one, they're generally cheap stuff like S&W knives, or the type you'd see being sold for $20 or less at Big 5 or other sporting goods stores.

Lots of knife people assume that because cops and soldiers carry guns as part of their equipment that they're naturally more knowledgeable about knives. Which isn't necessarily the case. As already mentioned, most people don't place knives very high on their list of priorities, if at all.

Jim
 
Former LEO myself - back in the late 70s-early 90s. Things may be different now, but this is my take based on my recollections from that time.

Most police officers are just people doing a job, and unless something has changed in the relative compensation since those days, it wasn't a highly paid job and our paychecks went to other things like rent and car notes. As far as gear, most of us would only buy what we could get on our annual uniform allowance at the uniform store. If it wasn't an approved item that the city would pay for, forget it.

I carried a Buck 110 on my uniform belt (primarily because the sheath would fit on the wide belt) for maybe 5 years, and later replaced it with a Gerber Bolt Action Folder which was much lighter. My reason for carrying a knife was to use as an emergency seat belt cutter, but that situation never arose in my entire career, and EMT shears are much better suited to that anyway. It was never intended for weapon retention or last-ditch defense.

I think I knew maybe one or two other officers that carried a Buck 110 on their belts during my career. Maybe a few others carried something small on their keys or a small pocket knife. Even the crime scene guys just had X-acto knives in their kits.

After you get past the rookie stage and you settle into it just being a 40-hour a week job, most of which is spent driving and writing, you start getting pretty minimalist as far as gear you have to lug around on your belt or in your briefcase. Also, you wanted to minimize the amount of crap you had to take off/out of pockets and put in the weapons lockers before going into the jail or courtoom, which was a regular daily occurrence, sometimes multiple times a day.

As far as recent experiences, I have a younger friend who used to be on a SWAT team for a nearby county Sheriff's department, and he's an avid hunter. He was carrying some really beat-up looking S&W folder, and not one of the older ones but a low-cost import. I gave him a Kershaw Skyline which became his favorite knife for hunting and everything else. And yet, he apparently doesn't know how to sharpen or maintain it because he would bring it to me every year before deer season to sharpen it back up, and he had dinged the edge up pretty bad each time.

So there's another LEO example who was not/is not into knives, even though he also hunts.

If you are looking for a profession where people are actually focused on knives - look in professional kitchens, and even then you're going to find the majority just view them as tools to get the job done and may go for the cheapest / easiest to maintain.
 
Very insightful my friend! I'm enjoying reading all of the responses too my thread. This one from jc57 jc57 really helped me understand why LEO don't need or feel the need to carry something special or expensive.
 
Most have no interest in knives, or firearms for that matter.

I did notice an officer here carrying a Cold Steel push dagger on his weak side.

Not a bad choice at all.
 
Automatics? I thought people became LEO's or joined the armed forces just to be able to pick up an automatic which are limited to LEOs and military?

I notice the Starbucks crew are usually carrying some fancy knives even the ladies. Probably, not automatics, tho.
 
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