Kabar TDI - Defensive Carry Fixed Blade

A few years back, Kabar and the Tactical Defense Institute in Ohio, teamed up to produce a knife that would serve as an officer's last-ditch weapon in a defensive scenario.  Not surprisingly, the Kabar TDI knife variants have become very popular not only with law enforcement, but also the civilian concealed-carry market.

Specs

Blade Type	Fixed Blade
Weight	.20 lbs
Measurements	Blade length 2.313" ​ Overall length 5.625"
Shape	Drop Point
Steel	AUS-8 SS
Grind	Hollow
Handle Material	Black Zytel
Hardness	57-59CR
Blade Thickness	0.125
Blade Width	1.250

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Many of these pictures were provided by our customers via Instagram.

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Ergonomics

Most likely, the thing that will catch your attention about the Kabar TDI is its unique shape - it somewhat resembles a claw or talon.  Upon first handling the blade, you'll notice that it feels very good in the hand.  Kabar and The Defense Institute did a great job with the ergonomics of the grip during the design process.  It is so comfortable in fact, that it actually feels like and extension of your hand - exactly what an advance knife fighter wants.  The TDI is designed to allow the user to gain a positive purchase on the knife with either a forward (standard) grip, or a reverse grip.  The unique curved shape of the Kabar TDI Law Enforcement knife makes it a very versatile defensive tool, assuming you have had some type of knife training.  

The only real gripe that I have about the ergonomics of the TDI is the lack of texture on the grip.  With a knife that is designed to be a defensive tool, I would have liked to see a more aggressive texture on the handle.  The possibility of the knife slipping in a wet, muddy, or bloody confrontation should be a real concern.  My personal TDI will be going under the soldering iron for some stippling - stay posted for that.

Value

For the quality of blade you get, the price of the Kabar TDI is hard to beat.  Similar designs from other companies run 3-4X the cost of the TDI.  The TDI can be had from Amazon for $35, which makes it a must own for your EDC kit.  At that price, there's really no excuse not to own one.

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Utility and Purpose

The TDI is clearly designed to be a defensive tool, one that if the hands of someone trained with it, would be highly lethal.  It is not designed to be an everyday user.  You're not going to be peeling and apple, prying open a paint can (don't recommend that with any blade), or cutting cardboard with it.  Is it capable of every day tasks like those, of course it is, but that's not what it's designed for.  This knife is meant for last ditch, save your life scenarios, and it should be treated as such.  My recommendation would be to simply carry two knives - one for every day carry tasks, and one for defensive purposes.

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Size, Weight, and Materials

Upon first glance, the TDI looks kind of puny, especially when placed next to something like the TOPS C.U.T., which sports a similar curved design.  Don't let the seemingly small profile of the TDI fool you.  Even though the cutting edge of the blade is only 2.3 inches, if placed in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing, the TDI is a serious defensive tool.  The TDI is constructed of high quality materials, relative to the cost of the blade.  The blade is AUS-8 stainless steel, which is a pretty high quality Japanese steel that costs a lot less than American-made steels of similar properties.  The handle for the TDI is made from Zytel, which is a very strong polymer.  Again, as mentioned earlier, I feel like the grip should be a little more aggressive, considering the intended use of the Kabar TDI.

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The Sheath

As with many of the great production fixed blade knives out there, the Kabar TDI comes with an a cheap, injection-molded plastic sheath.  The sheath is bulky and blocky, but most regrettably, doesn't offer a consistent level of retention.  I personally have three variants of the Kabar TDI - one of the sheaths made it impossible to smoothly draw the sheath because the retention was way too tight, the other two barely had any retention at all, and made me feel like the knife was constantly at risk of accidentally disengaging.

To remedy the Kabar TDI sheath problem, we have designed a custom kydex taco, or foldover style sheath.  The taco style sheath is the strongest, most durable type of sheath, because it's made from only one piece of Kydex.  Our sheath has a streamlined look, and offers a much thinner profile than the stock Kabar TDI sheath.  Every custom Armatus taco sheath has a built thumb ramp to help you smoothly draw the knife.  Each sheath comes standard with a laminated nylon soft loop that features a mil-spec Pull-the-Dot snap which allows the sheath to be converted from OWB to IWB carry with the simple turn of a screwdriver.  The most important improvement that we have made to the Kabar TDI sheath is the consistent level of retention.  Our TDI sheaths lock in to place with a positive click, and will not disengage until you need it to.

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