Cutting Tools For Cops

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Some Cheap, Some New, Some Tried-And-True.

We’ve reviewed a lot of fine, premium-grade knives in COP, and while they’re top choices for duty use and off-duty carry, some of them also induce the cardiac condition called “sticker-shock.” We’ve had many requests for recommendations on more modestly priced but capable cutters; knives that can be used and abused and “if I break it, I can easily replace it.” Other requests have included “less bells and whistles like protruding cord-cutters and glass-breakers,” and “not too big for comfortable carry and not too small to get the job done.”

We listened, and you’ll find a wide range of features and prices here for your consideration. Happy hunting!

Kershaw’s One-Ton lock blade folder is getting great reviews from industrial and agricultural users. From mechanics cutting auto belts and hoses to farm workers slashing rope and trimming wood with it, we’re thinking it has good attributes for police work. It has a frame lock design, and one side is textured G-10 and the other is 410 stainless. The .12″ thick, 3.25″ long blade is hollow-ground 8Cr13MoV and bead blasted, and the pocket clip is reversible for tip-up or tip-down carry. MSRP is $34.95, but it can be found online for under $25, so a backup is very affordable. Overall length closed is 4.625″ and it weighs 4.7 ounces. If you want something smaller and lighter, check out the ¾-Ton or Half-Ton.

At a list price of $29.99, we weren’t sure what to expect from Maxpedition Hard-Use Gear’s new FEROX folders, but we were pleasantly surprised with their strength, smoothness of action, consistent lockup of their liner locks and overall fit and finish. The 3.25″ blades are blackened 5Cr13 in a high V-grind and offered in plain edge or serrated, while the liners are stainless steel. The blade is deployed using either the thumb stud or flipper, and 1-handed use, from pocket to task, unlocked, folded and back to the pocket, is smooth. Fiber-reinforced nylon handle scales are well textured and ergonomic, available in black, khaki or green. Length closed is 4.5″, and weight is 4 ounces. These knives are a great buy for the money.

Jason Brous has made his bones among military and police users with a solid, 1-piece little last-ditch neck knife called the Silent Soldier. Among his many current models is a folding variant of that design: the Silent Soldier Flipper. Carbon fiber scales and titanium liners secure a 2.7″ double-ground, double-swedged D2 tool steel blade. A .1875″ thick Wharncliffe profile deploys by simply pushing on the flipper; the action is a ball-bearing system with a heat-treated pivot and stop pin. Thumb jimping on top of the blade and a .875″ finger hole accommodate different grip styles. The back spacer and pocket clip are bead-blasted stainless. Open length is 6.3″, closed, it’s 3.6″ and weighs 4.1 ounces. It’s fast, strong and very agile, and priced at $279.

Mike Janich is that rare combination of a master of martial arts — in his case concentrating on Asian edged-weapon skills — and a gifted knife designer. When Spyderco produced his original Yojimbo about 10 years ago, which pioneered the application of the Wharncliffe blade profile in tactical folders, cops instantly grasped its blend of defensive and utility features. After years of rethinking and refining it, the Yojimbo 2 is even stronger, better balanced and more suitable for duty use.

The hollow-ground CPM-S30V blade is 3.35″, and it’s 7.55″ overall, weighing just 4 ounces. The ergonomics favor an intuitive thumb-forward grip, though it handles very well in a reverse grip, too.Stainless steel liners are deep-nested in G-10 scales, and the action is a very strong compression lock. Pre-drilled pocket clip holes provide for tip-up, tip-down, right- or left-side carry. The Yojimbo 2 rates 5 stars for duty use. MSRP is $185.95.

Many cops carry Al Mar’s SERE 2000 heavy-duty folding knife and love it. Apparently many of them also own the Eagle Ultralight folder and like its sleek lines and classic talon blade profile. When users pitched Al Mar to combine the beef and strength of the SERE with the fast-handling agility of the Eagle Ultralight, the response was this Eagle Heavy Duty. It has a full 4″ AUS-8 talon blade, bringing it to 9″ overall length, but it’s still slim and fast and weighs only 3 ounces. G-10 scales house skeletonized heat-treated 400 series stainless liners and an extremely strong front lock. The pocket clip allows for very deep carry, and it’s reversible. Despite the elegant looks, it’s one tough duty knife, priced at $210.

In 2009, USSOCOM requested a tool for use in breaking close contact in violent hand-to-hand encounters; something a warrior could use as a “get offa me!” tool, especially when the fight went to the ground and the soldier couldn’t quickly access a firearm. Spartan Blades USA designed and provided the CQB Tool, which was integrated into the Special Operations Combatives Program.

Machined from .18″ thick 154CM steel hardened to 57-59 HRC, it’s almost 7″ long, with a 2.875″-long blade and it weighs just over 2 ounces. Thin and flat even in its Kydex sheath, it can be worn over or under armor or behind pouched magazines, snatched out quickly by its top ring and wielded in either a sabre or reverse grip. Of particular interest is that once you gain access to your firearm you don’t even have to drop the CQB Tool to get on your trigger — just let it rotate out of the way on your finger. The top ring hole is sized to allow use with gloved hands. List price is $160, and an aluminum rounded-edge trainer is available for $45.

Kit Carson’s M16 folder design, produced by CRKT, has stood the test of time, evolving into several different variants, for many good reasons. The InterFrame design is strong and “flushable,” the action is smooth, (and especially when using the flipper) very, very fast and the ergonomics are sound. This one, the M16-01Z, seems perfect for on and off-duty use. Overall length is 7.125″ and 4″ closed. The 3.125″ 8Cr15MoV blade is hardened to HRC 58-59 with good edge retention; is easily field-sharpened and has a very utilitarian hollow-ground spear point. Rather than using machined aluminum, the handle scales on this model are glass-filled nylon, which is very tough and resistant to blood and solvents. And it’s light, keeping overall weight down to just 2.3 ounces. Lubrous washers at the blade pivot keep it smooth in action, and the pivot screw is adjustable so you can tune it to your own taste.

AutoLAWKS is a great feature for cops. When the liner-locking blade opens to lock, a steel shim automatically wedges in behind the liner, assuring that violent use, impact or incidental contact won’t cause the lockup to fail. I’ve used another heavier model with AutoLAWKS for years with great confidence. List price is $44.99.

Not many cops can afford handmade custom knives from Sean Kendrick’s “Bad Blood” collection, but they can get well-made production models from Hallmark Cutlery. The folder shown here is the Harbinger, which has a thick 4″ blade of bead-blasted 8Cr14 stainless, solid stainless liners, hardware and pocket clip. If you like a larger, beefier folder, the contoured G-10 scales make the Harbinger .63″ thick, and weight is 7.6 ounces. Overall, it’s 8.6″ open and 5.9″ closed.

If you’d like a just-right-sized fixed blade to match, check out the Bad Blood Partisan Nano. At 8.7″ overall with a recurved profile 3.75″ blade and 7.8-ounce weight, it’s strong but agile. Blade steel and handle scales are the same as on the Harbinger, and a fitted hard nylon sheath is included. The folder lists for $50 and the fixed blade at $72, but they can be found online for about $35 and $50, respectively.

Cops’ knives see some heavy, foul and nasty use, and need the same kind of maintenance and care your sidearm does. The Field Grade Gear Care Kit by Sentry Solutions has what you need to keep your knife clean, sharp, lubed and protected, all in a Velcro-closing fabric pouch that’s easily stored in your gearbox or locker. It includes a 4-rod GATCO sharpener, oil-free water-displacing Tuf-Glide lubricant/protectant in a pinpoint applicator, and a 12×12″ Tuf-Cloth long-lasting impregnated cloth to wipe away dirt and fouling and leave a corrosion-preventing finish. The kit won Blade Magazine’s “Knife Accessory of the Year” award. List price is $24.99, but get your pals to collaborate. If you buy three kits the third is half-price, buy six kits and the sixth is free. Keep your cutters clean!
By John Morrison