The Kershaw Military Boot Knife, shown with a S&W 39 pistol.

Kershaw’s new Military Boot Knife is a 9” long (4 ½” blade) integral fighting utility model with drop forged stainless construction and bead-blast finish. The blade is flat ground, with a distinct distal taper and a thin false edge that could easily be sharpened if the user desires. The tip is rather thin, though, and this may be of concern to some.

The knife is really quite simple and the simplicity gives it a kind of old-school feel. It is something from the “tactical” blades of the 1980s, not the 21st century.  Amid the hubbub of super steels and space-age materials, I kind of like that about this little piece.

At the time this knife was sent to me, Kershaw did not have the sheaths fully developed, but the slim nature of this tool lends itself well to concealed carry (or comfortable and unobtrusive belt carry). The Kershaw representative with whom I spoke said this would be reflected in the sheath design. If what I was told is correct and the sheath is indeed going to be of a slim design for concealment purposes, this little knife should be rather pleasing to many of you.

I like a knife about this size for exposed carry on my belt.  It's small enough to carry easily and won't be overly noticeable to those around. If needed, one's shirttails can cover it rather nicely.

The grip is slicker than I like in a defensive blade. The POM scales and bead-blasted metal just don’t offer enough traction to be perfect. The simple handle lends itself well to a variety of grips: saber grip, hammer grip, edge down and up; and reverse grip, edge in or out.

Edge retention seemed good, on par with the AUS series of cutlery stainless. Re-sharpening proved to be easy.

Personally I am not fond of the thin tip, but my penetration tests of various materials do give me confidence in the tip for defensive work. The knife's role for the “utility” half of fighter/utility may be a bit diminished by this weak tip, however. I am also not fond of the slick grip, but some dimpling or grooving of the POM scales with a Dremel tool would greatly enhance it.

For those wishing to do something simple to make this a better fighter, the false edge can be sharpened in about fifteen minutes with diamond hones. The handle can be wrapped with friction tape for a good non-slip grip. This is cheap and won't look like anything special, but it is effective. If a Dremel tool is not be available to you, the friction tape might be.

With these modifications I find myself liking this little blade a lot more. The modifications add a new range of possibilities for the now double-edged tool and increase retention capabilities a lot. The knife handles very well, moves fast, and is small enough for close quarter use.

Friction-tape-wrapped grip.  The knife rests on a box used for test-cutting.

There are may be better options out there for a serious self-defense tool, but this is an interesting piece.