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Copyright © 2003-2004 Phil Elmore, all rights
reserved.
Taylor Cutlery S&W HRT Dagger
A Product Review by Phil Elmore
It’s widely known, at least in “knife
people” circles, that Taylor
Cutlery produces the officially licensed Smith
& Wesson line of knives. To me it seems the folks at S&W
take an almost cynical view towards the merchandizing
of their brand name, promising that Smith & Wesson silk-screened or
otherwise applied on or to your product will allow you to “share in the success of a major American corporate brand” that offers “a high-end customer profile.”
There is little doubt in my mind that this is
the case where Taylor Cutlery is concerned. I’m told through several
sources that the Smith and Wesson knives sell extremely well, despite the fact
that they do not (in my opinion only) represent the best quality available
versus the prices asked for them. The HRT (Hostage Rescue Team) line of
S&W-badged tactical knives is proving quite popular, marketed with savvy
and in collaboration with big names like Darrel
Ralph.
The HRT dagger, designated SWHRT9B, follows the
classic pattern established by the Gerber Mark 1 — a simple double-edged
dagger about nine inches long, with a substantial cross-guard and a vaguely
bell-shaped handle. It is coated in Teflon for a non-glare finish. The
sharply tapered 440C blade has a fuller running most of its length. The
interior of the lanyard hole in the butt of the knife is uncoated and is a
dull gray color.
The grooved
handle is an improvement over other copies of the Gerber Mark 1. It
provides fairly good traction and feels pleasant. The knife handles and
moves well, too, though the only grip that felt really secure was a modified saber
grip (in which the thumb is placed on the wider portion of the handle).
The leather boot/belt clip is fairly
unremarkable. The material on the clip side looks and feels almost like
Vinyl, while the front of the sheath looks to be of decent quality. The
snap closure is quite firm and the spring clip on my sample is very tight.
I’ve
always found the best application for daggers in spring clip sheaths to be IWB
carry behind either hip. The knife could be used as a boot knife, but it
would be relatively inaccessible in that role, suitable only as a back-up
blade.
The Teflon coating on my HRT dagger shows wear
in several spots, though it has not been carried extensively save for a few
days of testing. As the knife has no moving parts and is of a very
conventional design, finish wear is probably the only factor that would be of
concern (or interest) to the average user.
There is not really much to say about this
knife. Those who still remember Smith & Wesson’s capitulation to the
Clinton Administration’s gun control schemes will be reluctant to buy licensed
S&W products, but the brand name has little meaning to the function of
Taylor Cutlery’s dagger. The knife is inexpensive and should appeal to
those who are inclined to spend about 20 to 30 USD for a blade of this type.
Check your local and state
laws regarding dirks and daggers. Your mileage may vary.