Customer Reviews

KA-BAR TDI Law Enforcement Straight Edge Knife

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Two items here:

(1) The knife and (2) Amazon Product information

(1) The knife: It's a great design. This is not a "fighting" knife but a defensive knife. The size and shape are designed to wear in a concealed, unobtrusive, and comfortable manner.

--Comfort: You can wear this knife on either side and access it fist grip or traditional style given the reversible screw mount belt clip. I don't even feel it after a few minutes. It doesn't pinch or interfere with normal everyday activity.

--Build: The sheath has a thumb push that locks the knife into your hand upon drawing it. This prevents mis-grips. Nothing is shoddy with the knife build quality. The slant on the knife makes it a "push" type knife, not a slice or dagger type knife. In other words, you would use this knife as you would your regular fist or hand as you are trying to protect yourself from attack--that is, pushing away from the attacker. In this way you would be cutting the attacker instead of just pushing back with soft tissue (i.e., your hand). If the attacker tries to grab the knife, the attacker will most likely be cut to the bone because you have the biggest part, the handle, in your hand, and you are pulling with your wrist in a parallel position, unlike a regular knife grip, where your wrist is bent and thus weaker. You will have a great advantage in leverage also, and there is nothing else to grab but the blade itself (which is only 3"). In any event, it's not a fighting knife, but a defensive knife. The only thing that would make this knife better would be a double edge, but those are illegal.

--Grip: If you have large hands, the grip may feel small. My hands are medium sized for a male, and the grip has a very nice, firm, positive feel. They do make a larger version blade and handle.

(2) Product information: This knife does not come with "Cordura straps" for mounting on vests or other utility wear. I received a replacement and it didn't have them either. There is also another mounting device that allows you to thread a utility belt, police or military type, through it. This specific order does not include that either. Amazon customer service said I could send both knives back and they would take the "Sold By Amazon" offer off the site until they got the problem resolved. It may just be mislabeling, but CS didn't know. What it does come with is a metal belt clip that mounts to the sheath on either side. This can be used with a belt or just on the side of your pants, if you wear denim type pants, since the clip is made to lock positively in the material.

Cons: The belt clip and utility belt mount use VERY small screws (included with a small Allen type wrench). I had no problems changing the clip around to the other side, but the screws are a little hard to work with. They are not screwed into the sheath itself, but have metal backing nuts. This works well and is a good design, just too small in my opinion.

This knife was designed primarily to enable a police officer to "cut loose" a bad guy making a grab for the officer's sidearm. To my mind, the same principles apply to making an assailant let go of anything he is grabbing, including one's own person. So I think it's an especially good self-defense option for women.

It's a very short knife with a very positive grip and an aggressive forward cant. Now, people who don't like knives are always saying that you're likely to have your knife taken away and used on you, and I've never found the prospect very likely, but with the TDI Law Enforcement, it would be next to impossible. I would really like to see someone try to twist it out of anyone's hand without losing fingers.

Of course, the idea here is not to inflict deep, lethal wounds to vital organs. The idea is to cut the grabber's grabbing apparatus until it won't grab anymore. It's for escaping from an assault in progress and thus is among the very few knives (or weapons in general) that can plausibly be called "defensive."

It comes extremely sharp from the factory and so is also great for cutting webbing, rope, clamshell packaging, or anything else that needs to be cut in a hurry. The holster is a bit bulky but very versatile. At this price, I'd say it's a must-have option for extreme-close-quarters defense.

I purchased this knife to use strictly as a backup knife. It fits perfectly behind the magazine pouch and allows for a quick draw with the left hand (I'm right handed), blade facing out: perfect for weapon retention. Before I purchased the knife, I thought it may be alittle small, but upon receipt, I quickly realized it is the perfect size for its intended use.

The knife comes extremely sharp; during practice, I did slice my little finger so be careful.
The description may be alittle unclear, but the knife comes with a kydex holster with belt clip attached.

I think this is a great knife to back up a firearm for an undercover LEO or citizen who carries. Anyone who carries a firearm for defensive purposes needs to be prepared for the potential that you may end up on your back in a fight over your firearm - perhaps even while it's holstered. This knife, designed to be carried on your off-side, can provide you with a little piece of mind if it's not needed - and a HUGE benefit if it is. It's a very small, very discreet weapon that conceals easily behind a magazine carrier or under a t-shirt. The knife itself is a full tang weapon with a very sturdy build. It's also very sharp. I wish Kabar made a decent inside waistband sheath for it - but there are several online marketers that do. I've integrated this into my EDC utilizing one. You won't be disappointed.

I carry this for self defense. It's very easy to conceal on a belt. I've literally forgot I had it on, because it disappears. For training, it employs a pistol grip, and uses gross motor skills (shanking). I would wear it on the weak side (left), opposite of a firearm on the right side (This would be vice-versa if you are left handed).

PROS:

Easy to Conceal.
Easy to Use, doesn't require a lot of complicated training.
Price. Relatively inexpensive, and a good choice in the $30 price point range.
AUS 8 Steel.

CONS:

Limited use. This isn't an everyday carry knife; this is designed to do one thing.

EDIT: I originally made a mistake as I thought the steel used was 480. I was incorrect. This is made out of AUS8.

I received this two days ago. The knife itself appears to be just fine but the metal clip on the sheath was covered with a black powder that rubbed off on cloths, skin or anything it touched. The metal of the clip had no springiness and took a set when opened to attached to a belt. After ujsing it to attach to my belt only three times this clip snapped and is now useless. Without the clip the only place to carry this is in a pocket which is far from ideal. Replacements are sold online for this piece at anywhere from about $7.50 to a little of $10 each but having to replace this after only two days is disturbing.

Really cool last ditch knife. With the scabbard it fits on my duty belt and blends in next to my taser. Easy access, but not overly apparent. So far good knife with a good blade and I would recommend it.

The knife I generally carry was full tang S & W that I've had for a few months. It was about 9" long all in all, and that left about 5 inches sticking up out of my belt. It was never really a problem for me, but when I bent over it was visible, and I had a few people point it out. That really bothered me, so I went a knife hunting.
I already own a Ka-Bar (7" tanto) that I LOVE, so I decided to check out what they had. I ran across this knife, the curved design intrigued me so I decided to pick it up.

I really do like it. The knife fits very well into my belt, and its more or less completely hidden.
Much lower profile handle that does not protrude as much as a straight knife.
Has a really good feel in the hand.

Mine came with the belt clip, the sheath, and a tool kit.

I've purchased three of these. They're great knives. The beauty of these knives is the speed at which you can draw them. No folding knife can touch it. A knife never jams, never runs out of ammo. A knife like this is meant for one purpose and it works well.

The steel is solid and holds a good edge, the design of the knife is top notch. It fits your hand quite well. The blade itself is coated with this parkerized type stuff to keep it from rusting. The blade itself is a bit on the small side, but it's not a cooking knife.

A major failing of the knife is the belt clip. It's horrid. After a few months, the clip itself tends to be deformed and not grip the belt as well. It also has a tendency to hook on things and bend the clip which makes securing it to one's belt next to impossible without a little fuss. It's a shame that such a great knife has such a crummy clip.

That being said, I'd still recommend this knife. If you work in fire / EMS / law enforcement, you'll not be disappointed. I carry mine off duty everywhere I go. It's totally discreet.

Great knife. Fits my belt and doesn't dig into my side. Gonna recommend it to all my friends.