I received a request for a boot knife made by Smith & Wesson. After some trading, I got one and can now review it. While I've heard quite a few negative things about Smith & Wesson since Taylor cutlery has acquired them, I'm satisfied (overall) with the knife. It's not a piece of garbage, nor is is a rip-off in terms of the cost. The model is the HRT (Hostage Rescue Team) Boot Knife, model HRT3. Store cost is about $16, and the knife is available with a satin finish (which I'm reviewing) or an all-black finish.
(The lace you see attached to the lanyard hole is my own addition and isn't included with the knife.)
The Handle: The HRT's handle is made of Kraton; a rubbery material that's very familiar to knife users. It measures 3-7/8" long and 1/2" thick. It's a full tang (the tang is visible through the lanyard hole) knife. There are several grooves and shallows to obtain a good grip, and they serve their purpose. There is no texture on the handle itself, but I've found that it's not really needed.
Jimping on the sides of the handle also give a nice purchase so your fingers don't go pat the guard. The lanyard hole is large enough to accomodate a single strand of non-gutted 550 cord. In use (as a thrusting weapon) the grip is good; not great, but surely not horrible. It won't come out of your hand in either hammer grip or icepick grip.
The Blade: The HRT has a 3-3/4" long (3-1/8" cutting edge) blade. It's ground and sharpened on both sides, so it's a dagger. It's 1/8" thick, and the grinding is hollow ground. I won't bother desribing the markings, as there are photos below. they are lasered on, and the only markings on the blade (or the knife at all, for that matter) are on the tangs.
Front...
Back...
There is no country of origin stamp on the knife, but the box says "Made in China".
The blade is made from (high carbon stainless steel) so it's a mystery steel. It sharpens like 440A, but holds and edge just a tad longer. Maybe the heat treat? Out of the box, the edges were both very sharp. Not bad at all for a $16 knife. The point was perfect; it didn't bend to one side and it was ground just-right. In my light piercing tests, the tip didn't break or bend. Granted, I was only using 1/8" thick cardboard underneath some denim, but it's rolled the tip of other daggers. This one did a good job.
The Sheath: The HRT is housed in a black Kydex-style plastic sheath. It's 5-1/8" long (8-1/4" with the knife inserted) and 1-3/4" wide at its widest point. There are six small lined holes for lashing to gear, and they're just large enough to accomodate a single strand of non-gutted 500 cord (although, they are smaller than the lanyard hole).
The "front" side of the sheath is unmarked (picture below is the "front")
The "back" of the sheath has a plastic belt loop attached...
and it will fit a belt up to 1-3/4" wide.
The clip is also removable by pulling it away from the sheath and up...
The sheath is friction-fit; there are no snaps or Velcro to hold it in place. When inserted, the knife stays put with no rattle. Even upside-down, I really have to shake it to get it to come out. For me, the retention is great. When using the sheath as a belt carry with the loop, I've noticed that when I go from a standing to sitting position, the sheath likes to separate from its clip and fall off. Not good. So I decided to leave the belt clip off and just use a modified 550 cord belt loop, which also minimizes the thickness of the sheath.
Overall, I like the HRT Boot Knife. It's a good deal for those of you looking for a "bargain dagger" that won't let you down.
(The lace you see attached to the lanyard hole is my own addition and isn't included with the knife.)
The Handle: The HRT's handle is made of Kraton; a rubbery material that's very familiar to knife users. It measures 3-7/8" long and 1/2" thick. It's a full tang (the tang is visible through the lanyard hole) knife. There are several grooves and shallows to obtain a good grip, and they serve their purpose. There is no texture on the handle itself, but I've found that it's not really needed.
Jimping on the sides of the handle also give a nice purchase so your fingers don't go pat the guard. The lanyard hole is large enough to accomodate a single strand of non-gutted 550 cord. In use (as a thrusting weapon) the grip is good; not great, but surely not horrible. It won't come out of your hand in either hammer grip or icepick grip.
The Blade: The HRT has a 3-3/4" long (3-1/8" cutting edge) blade. It's ground and sharpened on both sides, so it's a dagger. It's 1/8" thick, and the grinding is hollow ground. I won't bother desribing the markings, as there are photos below. they are lasered on, and the only markings on the blade (or the knife at all, for that matter) are on the tangs.
Front...
Back...
There is no country of origin stamp on the knife, but the box says "Made in China".
The blade is made from (high carbon stainless steel) so it's a mystery steel. It sharpens like 440A, but holds and edge just a tad longer. Maybe the heat treat? Out of the box, the edges were both very sharp. Not bad at all for a $16 knife. The point was perfect; it didn't bend to one side and it was ground just-right. In my light piercing tests, the tip didn't break or bend. Granted, I was only using 1/8" thick cardboard underneath some denim, but it's rolled the tip of other daggers. This one did a good job.
The Sheath: The HRT is housed in a black Kydex-style plastic sheath. It's 5-1/8" long (8-1/4" with the knife inserted) and 1-3/4" wide at its widest point. There are six small lined holes for lashing to gear, and they're just large enough to accomodate a single strand of non-gutted 500 cord (although, they are smaller than the lanyard hole).
The "front" side of the sheath is unmarked (picture below is the "front")
The "back" of the sheath has a plastic belt loop attached...
and it will fit a belt up to 1-3/4" wide.
The clip is also removable by pulling it away from the sheath and up...
The sheath is friction-fit; there are no snaps or Velcro to hold it in place. When inserted, the knife stays put with no rattle. Even upside-down, I really have to shake it to get it to come out. For me, the retention is great. When using the sheath as a belt carry with the loop, I've noticed that when I go from a standing to sitting position, the sheath likes to separate from its clip and fall off. Not good. So I decided to leave the belt clip off and just use a modified 550 cord belt loop, which also minimizes the thickness of the sheath.
Overall, I like the HRT Boot Knife. It's a good deal for those of you looking for a "bargain dagger" that won't let you down.
