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The cutting edge of technology

The cutting edge of technology

To cope with modern urban policing, having the right equipment is essential and in the US this increasingly includes a tactical folding knife. Gregory A Walker reports

In the last three years, American law enforcement has recognised and accepted its need for quality duty cutlery in the form of a tactical folding knife.

Design considerations have run the gamut from techno-exotic to subtle variations of popular military combat blades.

Lacking until now has been a design/manufacturing partnership which understands the unique demands street and special teams' officers expect from such kit. Gerber Legendary Blades enjoys a design relationship with Colonel Rex Applegate (United States Army, retired) and a noted private cutler, Bill Harsey.

Col Applegate's resumé includes wartime service as a trainer for the Office of Strategic Services (0SS), the forerunner of today's Central Intelligence Agency.

He studied and trained close-quarters knife combatives to members of the 0SS and debriefed his blooded students upon their return from clandestine missions against Nazi German forces.The Covert reflects Applegate's understanding of standard duty needs as well as tactical applications where a personal carry knife is concerned.

With Harsey's direct design input, the Covert is a smaller version of Gerber's very impressive Applegate-Fairbairn Combat Folder.

It is a clip carry compact variation of Applegate's growing production/custom line of law enforcement and military knives, and one gaining great popularity among street officers in the US. International Policing Issues obtained a Generation II Covert for evaluation.

It offers an improved locking system called Interlock. A liner locking design ­ the strongest such lock available for a tac-folder ­ Interlock technology was developed by cutlers Ron Lake and Michael Walker exclusively for Gerber. This simple but effective feature locks the liner lock into place when the blade is extended.

Essentially, this assures the knife remains open and locked when the blade is being applied. The blade itself is ground from ATS-34 stain resistant steel and is offered in both a single or double bevel with partial serration.

ATS-34 is an exceptional cutlery steel, both long-wearing and capable of holding a superb cutting edge for long periods of time.

The partial serration allows for an extremely aggressive cutting format as well as a practical edge for slashing line and seat and safety belt materials. Applegate has long promoted glass reinforced nylon as a handle material. The Covert is no different.

The handle is comfortable and designed for a sure grip during use, even when wet or sticky. Gerber's exclusive synthetic mix makes for an incredibly tough/durable handle. The blade itself can be opened using either the right or left hand via a dual thumb stud.

The Interlock feature is pressed into play as the officer's thumb takes up a natural position along the back of the knife. The Covert is carried in the pocket using a detachable stainless steel clip. The clip can be mounted on either side of the knife. This is a very practical knife for carrying on the tactical vest or lightweight body armour, thanks to the clip mount option.

Likewise, the blade design itself is practical and far-reaching in application. Whether for last-ditch defensive tactics or digging out a piece of evidence from a chunk of fence, the Covert from Gerber is a superior product for law enforcement consideration. The Kasper Fighting Folder (KFF) is designed by Pat Crawford, considered the father of the tactical folding knife in the US and Bob Kasper, a former US Marine and a noted authority on combat and tactical bladeware, and is large enough to do damage while also stout enough to survive realistic impacttraining. Their clients include numerous individual officers as well as elite military special operations units and law enforcement spec-ops teams.

A liner lock design with thumb stud opening feature, the KFF is also a clip carry folder.

Crawford uses ATS-34 stain resistant steel for the blade and sculptured Micarta slabs for the handle. The blade is non-reflective. Kasper designed the handle to lay flat in the pocket to reduce tell-tale signs that a knife of this size is being carried.

Both he and Crawford spent many hours creating a handle/grip which is both comfortable and near impossible to dislodge during confrontation. This is perhaps the greatest attribute the KFF offers the spec-ops officer or plain clothes operative.

Once the KFF is opened and locked into the hand its design ensures retention under the most adverse conditions.

This is due to Kasper's very public endorsement of realistic, full power training in close-quarters combat.

The designer understands how important it is to maintain the weapon throughout the confrontation, and that this is accomplished via superior handle design and an above average understanding of the human hand and how it functions. More and more US departments are adopting practical combative knife courses for their officers given the need for such training in today's hyper violent criminal environment.

The tac-folder as a back-up weapon is finally being accepted as such with quality training reinforcing defensive tactics programmes of instruction.Of the many credible designs in tactical folders coming from custom makers today, the KFF is easily the most user-friendly and relevant where close-quarters defensive tactics blade-wise are an issue.

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