Welcome Home...THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF OUR COMMUNITY

iKnife Collector

The online community of knife collectors, A Knife Family Forged in Steel

You Choose The Tactical Knife For Me

When I receive my first TUNA Valley knife I will give it a good once over and then put it in line in my article about Traditional Vs Tactical for LEO. I have a Case, a GEC and, as I said, coming is a TUNA Valley. On the tactical side I will have a CRKT, SOG and a third yet to be decided. In fact I would like my buds here, at iKC, to pick the last tactical folder for me to put in this article. We will start a vote. The tactical folding knife (In most cases LEO don't carry fixed bladed knives on the beat.) with the most votes will be used in this article. Please keep in mind LEO normally cannot afford to buy custom knives or knives over $200. In fact the average price for them is around $70 for a knife. Many carry the cheaper S&W and other off shore (west shore) knives.

To outline what we are talking about, tactical would be a knife with all three of these features; lock blade, pocket clip and some device or hole to open and close the knife with one hand.

I am looking forward to hear from my buds....ladies and gents alike.

Thanks Clint

3 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Clint Thompson on May 9, 2012 at 21:52

Glenn....

Thanks for your vote and suggestion. I will put another down in the SOG tally.

Clint

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Billy Oneale on May 9, 2012 at 22:40

I'm a little surprised by not seeing Benchmade mentioned. They do have some knives in a median range.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Clint Thompson on May 9, 2012 at 22:50

Billy...

Yes I am surprised as well. Benchmade has some find knives and are carried by many LEO as well as the military. I will put down one for Benchmade of the medium price range. Thanks Billy.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Sue OldsWidow on May 10, 2012 at 7:21

TF-6 SOG Knives - Trident Folding Knife - Tanto Blade. The SOG Trident survival and tactical folding knives

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Clint Thompson on May 10, 2012 at 9:03

Sue....

I have you down for a SOG Trident TF 6 with a Tanto blade. This is a nice choice and at the upper range of most LEO in pricing.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Steve Williams on May 10, 2012 at 9:48

Clint, during my years in the field I saw more fellow LEOs carrying Spyderco Delicas and Enduras than any other "tactical" knife. Available, affordable, versatile (I've seen Delicas clipped inside uniform shirt pockets - the scalloped pocket flap went over the clip, Enduras carried in boots, etc.), higher echelon didn't seem to object to them beause they could be carried discretely...there was a time when they lead the field, at least in the areas where I served.

Then on the other hand you, had a few like me that carried older design knives in their pockets or tucked away somewhere. I carried my Case swing guard, and I knew several officers that carried Buck folders in their pockets because they weren't allowed to add a knife case to their duty belt. The big Case folders and an occasional Puma folder were out there also. The bottom line is that cops (at least the ones working the street) carry knives.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Clint Thompson on May 10, 2012 at 10:01

Steve....

You are 100% right. I would say 97% of all LEO carry a knife of some design and size. In the rural areas it is not uncommon to see them carry a fixed blade on their duty belt. Many carry a dagger type boot knife and some the smaller neck knives. I carry an auto and have since 1973.

If I decide to accept another mission into a foreign country, as in the past, I will have to decide what knife to carry which will comply with the host countries' laws. Yes many officers carry Spyderco knives. Thanks Steve.

▶ Reply

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by Robert Burris on May 10, 2012 at 11:55

I'm sorry but define "LEO". I thought it was someones name, is it some type of Ploice Officer?

▶ Reply

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by Robert Burris on May 10, 2012 at 12:57

LEO= Law Enforcement Officer.....I guess I have been in the woods too long.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Clint Thompson on May 10, 2012 at 14:03

LOL! Robert everything is turning into acronyms these days. When I was in Iraq the military gave us a list of acronyms they used so we would know what they were talking about. The list was five pages front and back singled spaced. LOL!

▶ Reply

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by Robert Burris on May 10, 2012 at 16:01

I guess the times are passing me by, heck not long ago I didn't know what "LOL" meant. Thanks to my two grand daughters, that I raise, I keep up a little with this century.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Clint Thompson on May 10, 2012 at 16:09

Robert...

I right there with you. My Granddaughter keeps me up on the stuff as well. Jan used "ROFL" in a message to me and I had to get it translated. LOL! Be safe Robert.