KA-BARTDI Law Enforcement Knife with Straight Edge, Black, Large

Perfect for my collection.

First off it needs some love out of the box, while sharp it's not what I would consider sharp enough. Carried a full sized Kabar for a number of years, have one that survived the south pacific with my great uncle, those were scary sharp.A bit of stoning and now sharp enough to shave skin with, if your not careful. Ask me how I found out.The optional clip, should be included it makes packing this beasty blade worth it and so much more reasonable. Impressed a Sheriff buddy of mine with the clip set up so much me now considering it for his duty carry and he carries the smaller version.

I absolutely love this version of the Ka-Bar TDI Law Enforcement Knife, it was everything I hoped it would be and more. The only thing that would make it better, is if the blade was D2 steel like their Extreme Fighting Knife, which I also have the pleasure of owning. I wear it on the right side of my SOG Ninja pack, as I am mostly ambidextrous, but my left hand is my dominant hand for striking. The kydex sheath comes with it's own tool for taking out the screws and allowing you to reconfigure it to suit your carry preference, and you can increase your options with paracord as well, as it has two set of eyelets. Also, the straps can be removed altogether for more options. I really think they did this one up right, and I believe it has been updated from an earlier design which if I remember correctly had a metal clip, which is something I would not have used. Another reviewer had mentioned that you should have some degree of training on this before you carry it, and I totally agree that you should train with any personal protection apparatus before you carry it on your person, and this knife in particular, as I could easily see someone injuring themselves if they are unfamiliar with how to use one of these. One reason I like this particular knife is that IMO, it is easier to control the amount of damage you may have to cause an attacker, if it is a situation where it is not absolutely necessary to mortally wound them. Chances are, if you have to defend yourself with any weapon, you are most likely going to have a stay at the police station until they have determined you have been justified in defending yourself, and if you haven't mortally wounded an attacker, your chances of getting out sooner, rather than later would in my best guess, likely go up. The retention of the kydex sheath is pretty robust, and I would imagine that is because a law officer would be willing to sacrifice a certain level of ease of deployment, in favor of making it more difficult for someone to take the knife away from them by trying to grab it from the sheath. I chose to loosen the screw closest to where the top of the knife enters the sheath in order to make it quicker to deploy. If you're willing to put in the time to learn how to properly use this knife, I would recommend it for both men and women.

Besides the sheath needing a belt clip, I can't find anything worth complaining about. I'm glad I didn't get the small one. It's concealable and light weight. The handle fits me and has a natural feel in my hand. It's just flat enough so it doesn't easily twist and I know where the blade is pointed without having to see it. After doing some testing I don't think my hand will slip into the blade even when it's wet. That's Important to me considering what it is intended to be used as. The steel is high quality and the heat treat is adequate. After using a strop i could shave with it. Edge retention is good. Does have some flexibility and I think it would take severe punishment to break more than just the tip of the blade. I went ahead and sharpened part of the top edge,near the tip. (30mm) So it can slice in both directions like a dagger and penetrate heavy clothing easier.

This knife really surprised me. I have a large collection of expensive knives an was not expecting much out of this knife for the price. But it has found its was into my pocket and in my waistband (using the optional $10 clip). I carry it at work in the front right pocket of my slacks. Because of the curvature of the knife, it fits well in my pocket and dis easy to grab the handle (as opposed to a straight/linear knife which sits awkwardly in a pocket and is harder to grab the handle). I can even put my hand in my pocket and have my hand gripped on the handle, ready to draw when needed. For the price, I just bought the Ka-Bar large TDI for fun. But I have ended up carrying it constantly, using it to cook with and open boxes. This design just works!The knife clips into the sheath solidly and pops out with a push of the thumb.The only thing I would change on this knife is the thickness of the steel. It is about 3/16" thick at the spine, and I think that adds unnecessary weight. It makes for a VERY strong knife that could be used as a pry-bar, but I would rather have it from 1/8" blade stock to make it lighter weight since I want a sharp little pocket knife, not a pocket pry-bar.