Customer Reviews

Smith & Wesson SWHRT9B Black HRT Boot Knife

5 star:		(84)
4 star:		(51)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

At this price its a no brainier to buy this knife

Pros:

well balanced, good for throwing

Comes sharp enough to shave off hair

sturdy construction

ergonomic handle

cons:

A little bit smaller than it looks in the picture

Double edged blade is illegal to carry in some areas

This knife has a good weight and feel. It is a little small, but that is good for a knife that will be concealed in a boot. The guard is barely wider than the sheath and not as wide as my hand when holding it. The balance point is just below the guard, if that matters to you.
The blade is black, which makes for easier stealth. It was already sharpened when it arrived, not razor sharp, but sharp enough.
The sheath is thick and solid, which is a good thing since you don't want the knife cutting right through it. The snap for the strap that holds the knife in is easy to undo with your thumb. Moving the strap out of the way with your thumb to pull the knife out one handed may take a little getting used to. But it is easier than some knives I have used. The clip on the sheath is solid and strong. Though I would have preferred it up higher so the knife sits farther down in the boot. But then you would have to reach further into your boot to release it.
It is a good knife that I would recommend to someone looking for a boot knife.

You aren't paying a good $100 for this knife, and you can feel the sacrifice in quality. However, if you're hitchiking or trainhopping or just generally being in parts of town where your chance of getting mugged is increased- this piece will come to your aid just fine.
Knife arrives sharp, too. Not exactly razor sharp, but if you need razor sharp, buy a razor.

I think this is an excellent knife, particularly for the price. A little on the large side for a boot knife, but it does fit nicely over/under the waistband.
As mentioned, I have owned three of these knives so far..the first two were sold by Amazon directly. Really surprising, nice finish, good edge right out of the box..the third, not so much.
The last one was from an Amazon supplier called "NORAM INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS, LTD"
It arrived unboxed (in a non-sealed plastic bag) the black coating on the blade was the antithesis of "nice." Remember the black crinkle paint everyone used to squirt on their engine parts back in the seventies? That's what this blade looks like it was finished with..to add insult to injury, it's got an edge that feels like it was laid on with a bench grinder, and there's "crinkle paint" overspray on the handle.
Methinks I got a counterfeit, no friggin' WAY this thing could have gotten by quality control at a real manufacturer..
Anyway. Returning the junk (for a full refund, thanks Amazon!) and am buying another through Amazon direct..if this one's also crap, then I'll assume that S&W has quit making 'em "right."

EDIT: A few days later, and I've received the second (fourth, actually) knife from Amazon. I regret to say that it's the twin of the other POS, and will also be shipped back for some other fool to purchase..
Apparently S&W has farmed this job out to an inferior manufacturer, or quality control is now a thing of the past, or maybe I'm just incredibly un-lucky and have received the only two piss-poor examples..I dunno.
Quite the bummer, as the first two knives purchased (a couple years ago) were of excellent quality and truly deserved the five-star rating this review USED TO carry.

I am a lover of high value tools and toys such as Ka-bar and Glock for example, but this is truly an item of utermost extreme quality. My brother took this same modle to Marjah yes that push into Afgan that the news was talking about. He abslolutly loves this knife even more than his Ka-bar and Marines love their Ka-bars. Now bare in mind that this is not a utility blade it is strictly meant for self defense and as a backup knife in a fight or tussle. If you have any knid of duty that will put you in danger of your life you need some sort of back up weapon that includes a subcompact gun and a knife. Well this is the perfect little life saver to complete the package along with your Kel-tec. Don't let the "stainless" deter you from this blade because it is made for pierceing not anything crazy. The true specs on this blade are 4 7/8in, or 12.5cm of blade length and 4 1/4 or 11cm of auctual cutting edge. The handle is 4 1/4in or 11cm and overall it is 9in or 23cm. The knife in sheath weighs about 4 oz and blade alone is about 3oz. A well made sheath of leather with a very sturdy clip and a button snap that is very easy to remove upon extraction. The handle is long enough for my hands and I have large hands but is a little skinney so thickend it up with some electrial tape and then athletic tape for added grip. I only gave it four stars because it did not come very sharp and it did need some stone work. But overall it is a great knife, buy one and see how you like it if you don't just give it to your brother because he might enjoy it.

This is a GREAT KNIFE, I can not express enough how much I enjoy this blade, Far more durable than I gave it credit for and a great addition to my work blades... one SLIGHT problem, This is a boot knife that I have a hard time fitting into my boot, it is a LONG 9" total length with a very hi ride clip mount that has trouble fitting in my size 14 boots.

A+ for the blade and shipping speed, this would probably work better in Cowboy boots that have a bit more 'Depth' along the upper lip where you can hide this than the combat and heavy work boots I use.

Hope this Helps.

As I've written in other reviews, I've been very pleased with several of the Smith and Wesson knives found on amazon.com. These were no exception. I originally purchased 1 of these knives for use in my Bates urban combat boots, and have since purchased 2 more.

In regards to the quality of this knife, it is extremely well made. The sheath seems to be genuine leather, and the blade itself has a very nice powder coat. The handle is a very high quality rubber, and I believe the knife to be full tang. I haven't taken the handle apart to check, as that would effectively ruin it, but based upon its feel, and the weight, I believe it is full tang. The balance of this knife is wonderful.

As a note, this blade is double-edged, which has questionable legality in certain localities. Additionally, as it is a boot knife, in certain locations, wearing this in a boot without a concealed weapons permit may be illegal. While I am not a lawyer, and you should not take this as legal advice, in general, as it is a blade and not a firearm, nobody seems to care. However, it is something to keep in mind.

The blade itself is very well made, and has handled many throws at varying objects (as the knife is so well balanced, I've utilized it as a throwing knife while bored, or just for fun). The powder coating WILL degrade over time as the knife is plunged into a material such as wood, as the wood will scrape it off. On my original knife, about 1 inch of the tip is without coating, mostly because of the amount of times I've stabbed it, or thrown it, into wood. The blade seems to hold an edge very well, but again, be aware, that the coating will come off if, during sharpening, you are not careful to sharpen ONLY the edge. The point has remained very sharp and "pointy", despite being thrown and stabbed into various materials.

In review of the sheath, it is very well made, and has held up exceptionally well to days worn in my boots. As a note, the "clip" on the side of the sheath, which keeps it in the boot, generally does not support thicker boots. It's made for cowboy boots, or something with a similar material thickness, and so hiking or combat boots are very difficult to use with these knives. In my case, I clip it on the waterproof goretex that it behind the zipper on my boots, which is much thinner. I am unable to clip it to the side of the boot otherwise. It does NOT clip well onto a pocket, as there is too much handle.

Again, I'm very pleased, and own 3 of these knives. The length is just about right, as is the balance, finish, and quality. You will not be disappointed, and I highly recommend this knife.

UPDATE 07/13/11:

I'm purchased several of these for friends, and they've all been extremely pleased. My original knives continue to hold up to much abuse, regular wearing, and random throwing. No issues to speak of, with knife or sheath, and again, everyone to whom I have given one as a gift has been extremely pleased with it.

The Smith & Wesson HRT is a pretty good knife, it feels good in your hand, is well balanced and the steel quality is ok, However the dagger point edge bends fairly easy. The leather sheath it comes with is really cool, it has a belt clip, so u can clip it to your clothing not only on the belt, but the button that keeps the knife in the sheath is kind of hard to access. Overall, a good quality knife for its price.

My S&W SWAT folding knife is much more impressive but, for $16 and free shipping it's not a bad blade. Not sure what the complaints about the handle are. I'm not Andre the Giant but I'm not Tom Thumb either and the handle seems a decent size. The sheath is nothing to write home about either. It is leather but good leather it is not. Again, for $16 and free shipping it's not a bad blade. The blade certainly isn't ready to shave you right out of the box but a few swipes on a good grade steel and you're ready to go. Over all, this is a pretty useless knife but fun to play around with and again, for $16 and free shipping it's not a bad blade.

The handle is a plastic/rubber compound, but pretty solid and well made. No fears of it slipping out of your hand.

The leather sheath serves its purpose. Its well made and fairly high quality. The snap isn't very strong. In a self defense type scenario I suppose easy release of the strap would be good. Its a small drawback, but negligable because while easy to draw the knife, it sits pretty firm in the sheath and I have no fears of it "falling out".

It's not very comfortable in my desert combat boot. But then again, I have Belleville gortex boots, and they're not very stiff to begin with. A tall leather boot or a more firm military boot might offer a little more comfort and stability. With that being said, there's no need to "conceal" this knife out here in the desert anyway. My personal favorite spot to mount it is on a strap on my drop leg holster I use for my M9. The clip on the sheath is kind of wide, but it fits into a loop of my IOTV (improved outer tactical vest) pretty easy.

Maybe some people got a super sharp knife, and maybe some people have extremely easy-to-shave arm hair, but this knife is NOT razor sharp out of the box. Don't get me wrong, It's still fairly sharp and it will still cut you. As with any knife, you should always practice safe handling procedures. Just dont' expect to be splitting hairs without working on the edge(s) a bit.

All in all, you can't beat the price. Comparable knives go for $50-$100, and I picked this one up through Amazon for $16 and some change. Its a solid knife and gives me comfort to have 1 more quality tool I can count on to defend myself with, or feild dress a cute little bunny for dinner if I'm in a survival situation. Plus it just looks cool :)