Smith & Wesson

Smith and Wesson SWBG2TS BORDER GUARD Rescue Knife

The Smith and Wesson SWBG2TS Border Guard Rescue Knife is one mean SOB. I’ve been wanting to review this knife for a while now, and now that I’ve carried it I can finally do a review.

Basic Information

This knife has a large 4.4″ blade of 440C stainless steel and an overall length of 10″. Combine the big blade with a heavy glass breaker and solid steel liners and this knife sits right around 9 ounces. No doubt, it’s a heavy knife for heavy duty tasks. Don’t let the weight fool you, the deployment on this blade is fast, very fast. It has teflon washers that help flick out the blade with authority. The sound of the deployment alone is quite impressive. Its got a nice “crack” sound to it, faintly reminiscent of cambering a round in my S&W 1012.

Blade Details

This is a tanto blade with a saber grind. It’s coated in black teflon and has a couple reliefs / blood grooves cut into it. A tanto blade is great for piercing and thrust movements because of the heavily reinforced tip. This knife is designed for heavy, tactical use and the “border control” designation triggers in my mind visions of heavy duty tactical situations against Mexican drug lords; extreme defensive counters, slicing open large packages of black tar heroin, and conducting complicated field surgeries in addition to more mundane EDC tasks around the office like opening dossiers and spreading extra butter on your Texas toast – your mileage may vary.

Handle

The handle is made of 2 slabs of machined aircraft aluminum. It’s textured for grip and feels good in the hand. It’s anodized a jet black and has a deep glossy finish. Inside is a blackened steel liner lock that holds the blade very securely. The knife is a pillar construction, which I prefer because it makes it easy to clean.

The pocket clip is held in place by 3 allen screws and allows for right handed tip up carry only. Tip up carry is good for these knives but I would have preferred to see an ambidextrous option.

Glass Breaker and Seatbelt Cutter

The glass breaker is a big chunk of steel in the back of the handle. I think this knife would work very well in this capacity although I haven’t had a chance to break any glass yet. As I said before, the knife is heavy so you will have a lot of weight coming down on that point. Also, there is a seat belt / cord cutter. This is handy and helps give the knife it’s rescue designation. The blade on this is like a razor and easily slices through clothing and cord.

Smith and Wesson Border Guard – Final Thoughts

The Border Guard is a fairly ridiculous knife, but given the price point, I wouldn’t completely dismiss it. With aluminum handles and a 440C blade, this is an inexpensive beater blade, and is not something I would recommend to true knife enthusiasts. Fans of the Smith and Wesson brand may also be disappointed to learn that this knife is made in China, and S&W sold the right to use the Smith and Wesson name to Taylor Brands. So this is not actually made by Smith and Wesson.

That said, for less than $20 you do get a functioning folding knife with plenty of bells and whistles. It’s not really my thing, but you may find room for it in your collection.

If you would like to buy a S&W Border Guard, I recommend purchasing it at Amazon.com. Please consider that buying anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

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Smith & Wesson SWFRS First Response Knife

by Dan Jackson 2 Comments

Last Updated: August 2, 2019
The Smith & Wesson SWFRS First Response Knife is an emergency knife designed for those situations that you hate to think about but have to consider like a car accident or natural disaster. Smith and Wesson has put together a solid knife that is inexpensive enough to dedicate to your car or truck and nice enough to carry every day.

Buy the S&W First Response at BladeHQ

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First of all, the knife has a drop point, combo edge blade. Typically, I’m not crazy about combo edges, but for an emergency knife where you would potentially be sawing through clothing, rope or a seat belt, a partially serrated blade can be a good choice. The blade measures 3.3″ and is made of 440C high carbon stainless steel, a tough steel that holds it’s edge well. In addition to the primary blade, a seat belt cutter is sunk into the back part of the handle. This cutter is great for cutting seat belts, but also an serve to cut cord and other fibrous material.

In addition to the seat-belt cutter, a glass breaker has been molded into the pommel of the knife. If you were to get into an automobile and your vehicle went into a body of water, it could be difficult, if not impossible to open the doors or windows. That’s where a glass punch like this is essential. It concentrates the entire force of a swing into one tiny point, creating the impact necessary to shatter the tough glass used in modern vehicles.

The handle is a combination of stainless steel and G10 scales to provide a tough and slip resistant grip on the knife. The handle is large and comfortable and the blade rests securely in the hand. The handle compliments the large and heavy blade that you can easily deploy with a flick of the wrist. The primary mode of deployment is a large thumb disk on the top of the blade. This makes the knife easy to open in a variety of conditions, even when you are wearing gloves. When open, the knife locks up tight with a sturdy liner lock. This is a solid chunk of steel and I was impressed by the weight and balance of this inexpensive blade.

Smith and Wesson SWFRS First Response Knife Review – Final Thoughts

The SWFRS is an inexpensive rescue knife that could be a good option for someone looking for an inexpensive beater knife with rescue knife features. At well under $20, this is not the most finely crafted piece of cutlery on the market, but it is bound to appeal to certain buyers and represents decent value for money.

Potential buyers may be disappointed to learn that the SWFRS is not actually made by Smith and Wesson, but is made using the Smith and Wesson brand in China. Still, they say price cures all problems and for around $15 you get a reasonably solid folding knife that you can beat on without feeling guilty.

Sale

Smith & Wesson SWFRS 8in High Carbon S.S. Folding Knife with 3.3in Drop Point Serrated Blade and S.S. with G-10 Inlay Handle for Outdoor, Tactical, Survival and EDC

DIMENSIONS: 8 inch (20.3 cm) overall length with a blade length of 3.3 inches (8.4 cm) and a weight of 5.8 ounces
DURABLE: Blade is made of reliable 7Cr17MoV High Carbon Stainless Steel with stainless steel handle with G-10 inlay
DEPENDABLE: Quick and easy access with the convenient pocket clip and ambidextrous thumb plate making it ideal for everyday carry
SECURE: Have confidence that the blade will not slip with the security of the liner lock
BE PREPARED: Knife Features Glass Breaker And Seatbelt Cutter

If you are interested in purchasing the S&W SWFRS I recommend buying it at Amazon.com or BladeHQ.

Smith and Wesson Homeland Security Survival Knife

by Dan Jackson 3 Comments

The Rothco Smith and Wesson Homeland Security Survival Knife is a large Urban Survival Knife from Smith and Wesson. As the “Urban” designation suggests, this knife is designed differently from a forest survival knife. The large tanto blade, urban camo paint job, and large non-functional serrations on the back of the blade add to the urban effect.

Stainless Steel Blade

The tanto blade shape was a good choice for this knife. Tanto blades are great for stabbing and piercing attacks. In an urban survival situation I could see myself having to drive this knife through all sorts of things like drywall, sheet metal, or even an assailant so I really like the extra tip strength the tanto blade provides.

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The 8″ long 440C high stainless steel blade is<--!more--> plenty big and it has a titanium nitride coating for added durability. This is a large and solidly built knife and it feels nice and heavy in the hand. What I really like about this knife is the balance. It slightly favors the blade which makes it perfect for chopping survival tasks. I could see myself busting up pallets for a fire or hacking a door down with this knife.

G10 Handle

The S&W Homeland Security comes with 5 3/4″ handle. The handle scales are made of a textured G10 and are bolted on to the knife in 3 positions. The G10 offers nice grip and the shape of the handle feels good in the hand. Something I really like about this handle is S&W’s inclusion of three lanyard holes. This is important if you are going to do any kind of heavy chopping. Also, you can lash this knife to the end o a pole to make a spear.

Cordura Sheath

The Homeland Securty comes with a decent cordura sheath. This isn’t the best sheath in town but it will get the job done. It is pretty simple sheath with belt loop and a velcro strap for the handle. It has good blade retention and provides ambidextrous access. As an added bonus the outside pouch comes with a diamond coated sharpening stone. You can use the stone or replace it with a firestarter or whatever other survival gear you find necessary.

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