Questions about boot knives.

G

GrizzlyBear

Joined
Dec 5, 2009
Messages
1,528
I have a possible order for a boot knife for a police officer. The knife is to be a gift for him from his girlfriend. I have a few questions.

First...are boot knives usually worn on the inside of the boot or outside?

Are the metal sheath clips strong enough to be used on their own or will secondary restraint be needed? This doesn't pertain to inside wearing.

What is an average size for a boot blade, and are they usually the typical double edged versions or will most any knife suffice as a boot knife?

I figure the scales will need to be kept fairly thin for both weight and bulkiness, correct?
 
Usually they are worn with the sheath on the inside of the boot. A metal clip seems the likely way to keep it in but I personally prefer a strap as well. I've had clips catch when they shouldn't. I'd imagine no bigger than a 4 inch blade and blade shape shouldn't matter too much. Those are my thoughts.
 
I believe a knife of any sort carried inside one of your boots would be very uncomfortable . Perhaps she can talk to one of his fellow officers to find out what may be being used by others. Frank
 
Well, if she is wearing thigh high boots it might be convenient, otherwise find a couple pics of a sgian dhu for design ideas.
 
Unless things have changed a lot, there is little or no use for a boot knife to a policeman. They may even be banned from carrying on by their Dept..

I would recommend a good heavy utility folder, maybe an automatic ( if allowed by the Dept.), that is carried on the belt in a standard knife case. The cases are purchased from the places that sell the belts.

Pulling a knife out of your boot in a fight and stabing a bad guy is a silly movie theme thought,.......
but cutting a pant leg open on an injured person, or a seat belt in an accident, or rope from a hostage, are all real possibilities.
 
I have a few close friends that are police officers, both motor patrol (motorcycle) and regular patrol officers. In addition to the folder on their belt or in their pocket, they all keep a back-up knife in their boot. They say they hope it never gets used, but you never know. None of them use fixed blades though, they're all folders. I asked if they would carry a fixed blade boot knife, they said it would need to be small, sort-of like a push dagger or something...very last resort.
 
A knife to a policeman is a last resort when it comes to a battle. IE his weapon and backup weapon are out of commision. Most will carry another weapon in an ankle holster. Or the officer is involved in a hand to hand battle and cannot get to one of his weapons of choice. Most wil carry a knife in a postion on there there chest or belt where it can be easily accesed.
 
Thanks for the suggestions and comments thus far, I appreciate it. Going to continue to research this a bit.

I've seen one boot rig that had a clip and 2 slots for straps on each side of the sheath. The clip goes inside the boot, sheath out, and the straps are tightened around the boot to further secure it. Looked like a very usable idea.

From what I've read, most officers don't have enough room on their belts for an extra holster that can be positioned in such a way where it can be easily accessed. The boot or ankle carry seems to be the best option.

I think Ka-Bar was the company who has the TDI rig that wraps around your leg and secures with velcro. It has a plate that you can clip their sheaths to, or you can attach a belt/boot clip. That might be an option as well.
 
One thing to remember about boot or any other knives is to check local laws (or dept. policy if they're for LEO's). For instance in WI you can carry up to a 4" blade concealed but NOT anything double-edged. (I know, that's dumb. Please consider joining AKTI.)

I'd bet you coffee and a donut most cops use their knives for opening mail and cutting tangled seatbelts far more often than as a weapon. (not much different from the rest of us)
 
Motorcycle police are a completely different story, they are sitting with their knees high, and wearing knee high boots. A boot knife is very accessible while seated on their bikes. One issue is that their pants usually are tucked into their boot so this makes concealing the knife a small issue. the officers I know carry a small push knife under their duty belt as a back up.
 
Whaddya mean boot knives are impractical? Remember Uma Thurman buried alive with her hands tied? The harsh tutelage of Pai Mei would have done her no good if she hadn't first cut free with the straight razor in her boot. Yeah, that's what he needs, a boot straight razor.

Just kidding, but it goes to show that boot knives are "cool" and cops aren't necessarily immune to the charms of that. It should make a good gift, anyway.

Tracy Mickley has a good tutorial for a boot-clip sheath at his website.
 
Thanks again! Salem, I have that tutorial bookmarked and just checked it out last night while looking for ideas.
 
As a motorcyclist I used to carry my wallet and a pack of cigarettes in the tops of my boots (14 inch high boot tops) it was actually quite comfortable and secure, when I quit smoking I continued to carry my wallet in my boot tops until I got a day job that didn't allow me to continue wearing that style of boots. My suggestion if you make a boot knife is to build the sheath so that only a half inch of handle sticks over the top of the boot, make it small with relatively slim furniture

-Page
 
That was my next question Page...just how much of the knife should be exposed above the top of the boot? A lot of boot knife sheaths I have seen show the top of the sheath at the edge of the boot opening.
 
GrizzlyBear said:
That was my next question Page...just how much of the knife should be exposed above the top of the boot? A lot of boot knife sheaths I have seen show the top of the sheath at the edge of the boot opening.
Click to expand...

that's because the people making them are not wearing them. If the bulk of the weight of the knife is outside of the boot it will fall off if you go over a bump or run, personally I would make a slender guardless relatively flattish knife in a pouch sheath the sheath would cover all but the last inch of the handle. I would cover the boot clip in leather the color of the boot so it doesn't draw attention, for that matter I would also blacken the fittings above the boot top

-Page
 
Found a couple pictures of sheaths like I think you're talking about.

JCBSheath.jpg


100_3875.jpg

100_3876.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top