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I will be the owner of a Smith & Wesson (Taylor Brands LLC) SWHRT7LT 11" Hostage Resue Team Tanto Boot Knife. This knife has a 5.5" recurve Tanto blade and a 5.5" handle with a Kraton covered handle. This "dagger" has a full tang 7CR17MoV Stainless Steel blade and has been blackened to heightened its concealability. I paid $17.40. A price I couldn't resist. I checked out a number of video reviews before I clicked on the "buy" button. In my mind, it is more than worth the money. (It even has a sheath that can hold the knife inverted on my left side). This makes it immediately accessible when it is needed. A knife that will come in handy when the chips are down.
I look forward to reviewing the piece upon arrival (which should be Monday, March 6th). The reviews on Youtube keep speaking to the knife's robust construction and its lack of a quillion. The tacky grips should provide a positive grip in damp conditions and the stock Chinese 7Cf17Mov steel should be sufficiently tough enough to penetrate a thick jacket with a firm thrust. This identical knife has been used by others for camping, kitchen work, stock utility purposes. I want to like this knife, but I'll also tend toward a harshly critical review.
I received the knife today and am happy with its robust construction. The sheath is better than those that held the knife in it's earlier iterations. The grip is a very good TPE synthetic "rubber" that possesses a great tactile "traction" to it. While this is an "inexpensive" ($17.17 on Amazon.com) knife, it doesn't feel cheap. It should perform admirably within the parameters of the blade's design. The Tanto blade is thick and should hold up to the rigors of a violent encounter.
The sheath is just fine and the spring clip on the knife is robust. It can hold the knife in an inverted position without becoming loose and the knife doesn't rattle in the sheath. This is important to maintain both secrecy and the security of the knife. The pointed pommel at the end of the tang is good. if I wanted to use it for either skull-crushing or cracking walnuts, it would work well. I have never used a lanyard hole on a sheath knife, but the hole on the blade pommel seems big enough to accommodate 550 paracord.
I'll grant you that it is inexpensive and it is made in China. So what? It seems well made and sharp enough to work for other purposes outside the sphere of personal protection So far, I like this knife.
Time, accompanied by the rigors of belt carry, will tell the story.
Last edited by Fishtail Picklock on Tue Mar 07, 2017 8:24 pm, edited 3 times in total.