Almost every cop I know carries the same type of multi-tool. They use it for prying, hammering, lock picking, as a screw driver, and to pierce and cut things.
The multi-tool that I am talking about is a folding knife.
A police officer, especially a SWAT officer is going to use the tool that is available at the moment of need.
More often than not, that tool is a folding knife.
So, if a folding knife is so important what factors should you consider when you buy one? What would make your folding knife as useful as possible?
The type steel the blade of the knife is made of is the single most important consideration when it comes to folding knife usefulness. Any other consideration is personal preference.
The Blade
The blade or ‘working end’ of your knife needs to be as tough and durable as possible because the blade is the part that will take most if not all of the punishment.
What happens when you ask someone to use the tip of their knife as a screwdriver?
A lot of people will say, ‘Not my knife’. Others will use their knives and bend the tip.
A smaller group will use their blade tip to turn the screw without issue or damage to their blade. That small group can do so because they are using a knife that is made of a tougher higher-grade steel.
If your knife blade is made of cheap steel it is going to be less useful, less durable, and just plain break a lot easier.
A knife blade made of a higher end steel like CPM 154, Elmax, or CPM S30V (to just name a few) will stand up to nearly any task that you can throw at it.
You should think of your knife as a tool that you can depend on, not something you are going to damage.
Don’t believe me?
I’ve had a knife with an Elmax blade for the last 4 years. I almost laughed when the sales guy told me I was getting a great blade. Steel is steel, right?
Wrong.
I have done a lot with that knife including jimmying doors, prying a metal peg out of a hole, turning screws, and most impressively dropping it blade open and tip down (on more than one occasion) onto a concrete floor.
Damage sustained handling these tasks?
None.
Frankly, my biggest concern is not protecting my knife blade, but not damaging whatever object I am using my knife on.
In the End
A folding knife is every cop’s ‘multi-tool’ of choice. You should not hesitate to pull it from your pocket in a moment of need because you are concerned you make break your blade.
The blade of your folding knife should be made of tough, durable, high-end steel. Don’t spend $25 on a cheap knife that good for cutting boxes open and not much else. You are a professional and should be using professional grade tools.