First of all, I don’t claim to be an expert. I’m not a High Speed Low Drag operator, DT or knife fighting instructor, just a cop of 17 years… and a knife guy. I’ve thought about it quite a bit over my career to formulate a conclusion that makes sense and works
for me. Your thoughts may differ.
Frankly, actual cutting chores needing easy one-handed operation are pretty few and far between in day-to-day police work. Most cops carry cheap tactical-looking garbage because they’re not knife people, and it’s just an afterthought for them because they may need to use a knife at some point, or someone told them they should. A lot of times I see those cheap, imported liner lock assisted openers with a seat belt cutter notch in the handle. I’m not sure why, but cutting seatbelts is a common argument of want/need for first responders for some reason. In my experience, I’ve been to innumerable MVA’s and had to cut exactly, ummmmmmm, zero seatbelts. Maybe I’m just lucky. That said, I’m sure pretty much any knife would manage the task if needed, and it wouldn’t require a specialized seatbelt cutting tool. Breaking glass? Sure, that’s a need sometimes. I’ve got lots of better tools for that, where I don’t personally don’t need to rely on a barely adequate glass breaker built into the pommeI of a knife. Maybe others might. I personally hate the argument of buying cheap knives because they could get lost or damaged, but I know it’s also a very common one. Could you imagine if that was your agency’s reason for selecting a sidearm? Much like a gun, a lost cheap knife is exactly as dangerous as a lost good knife if the wrong person gets a hold of it, so mind your gear. For me, the disadvantages of carrying a cheap knife do not come anywhere close to eclipsing the advantages of carrying a good one. Now, I’m not advocating carrying a $1000 art knife on duty, because I do believe there is a point of diminishing return due to use, abuse, and environmental conditions on duty, but, it seems to me most of my brethren can’t bring themselves to spending $200 on a good knife, yet they will buy expensive cool guy operator sunglasses, watches, flashlights, trucks, guns, liquor, freakin Yeti coolers (?!?!?)…. Love ya brothers, but you know it’s true. Aaaaanywayyyy.
I carry a SAK in my cargo pocket, mostly for the screwdrivers, because those actually do come in handy, but it is not my primary “duty knife.” That honor goes to my Benchmade Presidio 5000 Auto, which I’ve carried for several years now. Think I even got it off the Exchange here, lol.
The first “cop” knife I ever bought myself was a Kershaw Blur, which served me well for about four years until it broke. After that, I tried out several manuals, to include a Spyderco Endura, BM 710, Cold Steel Lawman, Recon 1, ZT 0562, and others I’m probably forgetting. I always felt like I couldn’t open any of those with my off-hand very readily without a lot of deliberate thought and/or added dexterity. They were fine for general cutting tasks, but I couldn’t shake the thought that I may not be able to deploy them hastily and positively during a high-stress situation. I can deploy the Presidio lickety-split with either hand, it’s a good, useful size, I like the shape and fit in my hand, and it’s fairly robust.
I firmly believe a duty knife should be a durable and useful cutting tool for general purpose, as that’s what it will likely be used for most. That said, I also firmly believe it should be a viable SD tool, with positive opening/locking being paramount, because it could possibly have to be pressed into that role, even if it is unlikely, or may never even happen at all in one’s career. Although unlikely, if it does occur, THAT is something you only get one shot at. If a knife fails to open or lock during general use, I will live with it and have plenty of second chances to adjust and try again. That opportunity may not exist in the event of an actual SD situation. So, here’s my rationale:
While a fixed blade would be ideal, I’ve heard some agencies don’t allow them on the uniform. Additionally, many HSLD types tend to put their fixed blade right on their chest rig, right in everyone’s view. I personally don’t like that, because it’s now in the face of whomever I may be interacting with, and, therefore, a possible target of opportunity for them to grab and try to use against me if our interaction turns less than positive. My folder stays clipped in my off-side front pants pocket (opposite side of my gun), and may not appear as “in play” since it’s fairly out of immediate view. It’s also where I’m generally used to carrying a folder when I’m not at work, so, there’s probably some important muscle memory in that.
Again, IMO only, during a SD gun-grab defense situation, a folding duty knife should always OPEN and lock reliably when deployed with the off hand. I don’t care one bit about how easy it is to close. What most people fail to realize is these situations are high-stress, quickly unfolding, and usually result in a tussle that ends up on the ground, which is never fun, or ideal.
Double action OTFs, do offer the fun and convenience of fast, one-handed operation
when unimpeded, BUT can fail to fully deploy and lock open with minimal obstruction (something in the way of the blade on its way out, or something crudding up the mechanism), or even just with simple inertia during deployment. These are quite plausible to be an issue in an actual event. If it doesn’t open and lock out, the knife is now completely useless. On top of that, should it fail to deploy, it takes two hands to pull an OTF blade back on track, which you might not have if your other hand is busy guarding your gun.
Easy, one-handed operation during general cutting is great under non-stress circumstances, but again, I absolutely DO NOT CARE about closing the knife one-handed if I’m fighting for my life. If I’m using my knife in this context, it’s already a bad day, and one-handed closing isn’t going to make it any better, however I absolutely want the blade to open fully and lock open sturdily. I can use two hands to close it when the situation is over.
Personally, I prefer side-opening autos. Not only are they usually a good shape and size for general use, but, once activated, coil spring tension is going to drive the blade toward the open position, with a higher likelihood of it locking open. Even if it doesn’t completely lock open, the blade should be held toward the open position with spring tension, moreso than on a manual. With a manual opener, a flubbed deployment is going to potentially leave you with a loose blade flopping around haphazardly, with nothing pushing it away from your fingers, which could be more dangerous to you than the bad guy. It’s definitely not something you want to have to worry about in the midst of all that. I prefer Axis autos because they are ambidextrous. I can actuate the axis release from either side. Most push-button openers are right handed operation, but my off side is my left side, so I want to be able to actuate it with my left thumb.
While I like and appreciate the Wave opener as a manual option, and it definitely does usually result in a positive lockup, you must have room to draw it backwards out of the pocket. Standing upright, this isn’t usually a problem, but it might be difficult, or even completely impossible, if you end up on the ground. In that case, you’re back to a manual opener using the thumb disk and the concerns mentioned above now apply again.
Again, this is what works
for me. Others may have differing viewpoints to mine, or agency policies/orders which would preclude my ideas as being good practice for them. In any event, whatever works or makes more sense to you, it is always important to practice and become proficient, otherwise it’s all moot.
