Kabar TDI or Meyerco Wharning?

[sumtinfancy]

I need recommendations for a small fixed blade that could be carried strong side (right) at about 3 or 4 O'clock, one that would be quick to deploy and that would allow me to get a firm grip on all or most of the handle before I take it out.I feel being able to grip the knife whilst its in its sheath the same way it would be held once deployed is very important, it eliminates the need to adjust grip once drawn thereby reducing fumbling and wasting valuable time if ever one needed to defend themselves, in the event of such a high stress situation that detail can be the difference between life and death.I think both the TDI and the wharning can be gripped fully whilst still in their sheaths.

Please share your thoughts as to which would best fulfil the required roll or if you have a different recommendation I would love to hear it but I must state beforehand that after market sheaths are not an option, whatever is recommended needs to be stock.

Thank you kind sirs

[RDog]

Don't know anything about the wharning but the TDI is not gripped 100% while in the sheath.

I carried the original (small size) just as you described for a couple of yrs...it was OK but not really all I hoped it would be. You can file a little of the sheath to allow better "in sheath grab" and it cuts down on the amount you will have to adjust your grip upon pulling...but there is still a little adjustment needed. maybe you could file enough to not need any adjustment? don't know, I filed and still need to adjust.

I feel honestly that the more a blade takes a special shape the less overall useful it becomes. I really wish they made a stright TDI, I'm sure others love it as is and have zero problems, but we all have opinions and gut feelings. I can't help but think that a stright knife blade/handle set up is always going to be the most instinctive to use.

I know I will be lloking into that meyerco myself...never saw one before, so thanks for that.

[mwerner]

I've been carrying my TDI for about a year now...Weak-side on the duty belt. For it's intended purpose, a "last-ditch" weapon geared to law enforcement (as in a gun-grab defense), it seems fine.
I wouldn't think of one as a primary bladed weapon...
Designed to essentially "cut the guy off you".
I don't find the angled grip problematic....It's very secure and also "familiar" to police officers who may have little or no bladed-weapons training.

[sumtinfancy]

Don't know anything about the wharning but the TDI is not gripped 100% while in the sheath.

I carried the orijinal (small size) just as you described for a couple of yrs...it was OK but not really all I hoped it would be. You can file a little of the sheath to allow better "in sheath grab" and it cuts down on the amount you will have to adjust your grip upon pulling...but there is still a little adjustment needed. maybe you could file enough to not need any adjustment? don't know, I filed and still need to adjust.

That's interesting, from the video reviews I've seen it doesn't appear as if any adjustment is required, so that's good to know beforehand.I suppose with the TDI the adjustment is minimal as compared to many other knives, I was thinking of going down the C.S mini tac kiridashi route the blade of which I really like and feel would be excellent for S.D but the fact that its not easy to deploy due to the secure ex sheath coupled with the fact that less than half the handle is available to grab hold of I decided against it.

I feel honestly that the more a blade takes a special shape the less overall useful it becomes. I really wish they made a stright TDI, I'm sure others love it as is and have zero problems, but we all have opinions and gut feelings. I can't help but think that a stright knife blade/handle set up is always going to be the most instinctive to use.

Yes the specialised design would prevent it from being used in certain ways but at the same time it would lend itself better to other techniques such as punch thrust type movements.

I know I will be lloking into that meyerco myself...never saw one before, so thanks for that.

It's got the thumbs up after being tested by "Dr Snubnose" and he definitely does seem to know his stuff.

http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showt...and-Meat-Test)

I've been carrying my TDI for about a year now...Weak-side on the duty belt. For it's intended purpose, a "last-ditch" weapon geared to law enforcement (as in a gun-grab defense), it seems fine.
I wouldn't think of one as a primary bladed weapon...
Designed to essentially "cut the guy off you".
I don't find the angled grip problematic....It's very secure and also "familiar" to police officers who may have little or no bladed-weapons training.

Can it be worn on the right side without any issues, I know the knife is ambidextrous but is the sheath O.K for strong side carry as well?


Thank you both for the feedback guys, much appreciated.

[RDog]

The sheath can be worn on either side, and comes with both the TDI clip and a belt loop which mount to the sheath w/4 torx screws.

I first used the clip setup and liked that. The clip is better in my view than the belt loop setup...The way I carried it allowed the sheath to be in toward the body and better hidden and the clip to the out side. This was great untill it got hung up while climbing down a ladder in a tight spot. I bent the clip out making it useless.

I switched to the belt loop setup, it was harder to line up all 4 holes for some reason...but they did fit.

With this system the sheath is to the out (you could wear it towards you instead I guess) but the belt covers the sheath anyways.

Now as to the grip adjustment...yes, its not a major amount of movement...about 1/2 inch at most. I filed the sheath a bit, and there is more that could be filed if I was using it, I'd file more.


One thing to keep in mind is when held the blade is not positioned like a knuckle knife. It is not in line with your fist, its held like a mini hand gun. I am sure if you had it in hand and punched a bag the blade would make some contact, but it would not be like a stab. the blade will be over the middle knuckles.

I don't think its a bad knife, and i am not saying its a poor design or anything...its just not as good as I had hoped.

I also found that the handle either blended in pretty good under a shirt or stuck out unnaturally depending on what position it was in...and could be a pain if you bend over alot at work.

[singularity35]

I have both and IMHO, the TDI is just that much better than the wharning for an off side carry for weapon retention. The wharning is quite good at strong side carry and you can indeed get a 100 percent grip on it while it's still in the sheath. I do like to grab the wharning in a reverse grip but it'd harder for me to do my weapon retention thingies with a left handed reverse grip, edge out. If you just carry a knife strong side, it just comes down to personal preference.

[RDog]

Well I just picked up a Wharning and I like this little knife. Sumtinfancy, thanks for bringing this guy to my attention.

Now I have not carried it at all yet, the postman just dropped it off, so I can't give any sort of review but I think this is what I have been looking for.

[Olive Tree]

Hi there!
I don't own a TDI, but I do own a Meyerco Wharning (I've been wearing it in the last two weeks). Here's a quick review:
Handle: The micarta is very smooth and does not contribute in knife retention; the jimping on the back of the handle are sunk in the micarta and are quite useless too. The finger coil is good, it helps a lot.
The size of the handle is way too short for me and I don't have enormous hands, just mid-to-large size. My little finger is totally out of the handle. No hot spot, quite comfortable. There is a little space between the micarta and the steel, they're not perfectly matched (it's a 20 $ knife, so I'm fine with it).
Blade: the blade comes quite sharp from the box, almost razor-sharp. The steel had no rust or discoloration, but I've been using it only for two weeks and I keep it oiled; time will tell. The edge-retention is mid-to-low; actually I had to resharpen it after a week of moderate use. It's a soft steel. The upper swedge is not perfect, a bit asimmetric, but still it's a 20 $ china-made knife. The blade finish is irregular in some points.
Sheath: It has good retention, no noises or ratling and you can wear it up-side down if you want to. The clip it comes with is quite narrow so it may be hard to put it on a thick duty belt. It has a draining hole on the bottom, two holes for a latch and you can completely grasp the handle when you withdraw it.

My 2 cents: it's a good utility knife, cheap and very lightweight. I would suggest it to you for this purpose but I wouldn't recommend it for self-defence (Meyerco sells it for self-defence but I think it's a very bad idea from them). The knife is fine, being in the 20 $ range, but look somewhere else if you need a tool your life may depend on. The tip is not on the medial axis of the handle and this is an other thing I consider while choosing a blade for SD.
Utility knife: 7.5/10
SD knife: 4/10 (better than nothing)

What about this:
http://www.hideawayknife.com/model.php
Great retention, many blade-shape, lightweight.
[I've been looking for a 440C tiger claw model, but they're hard to find. If someone knows where to find them (or if someone is so kind that would ship one to Italy for me), please write me!]
Or, maybe, a Blackhawk Kalista II

Sorry for the very quick and short review (and, probably, full with grammar mistakes) : I'm on hurry

[jmpainter]

+1 for the TDI

I don't have to adjust my grip.
I put an IWB Holster clip on mine.

[Dirk]

Gentleman, I just wanted to say THANK YOU for the good words about my design. It is an honor to have ones design compared to such a knife as KABAR's TDI. It is a great little SD back up knife.

Olive Tree- The issues you describe are being addressed with updates to the Wharning. There will be better grippers placed the handle shape will be altered and the handle material will be contoured with texturing added. The sheath will be updated as well to be more versatile. The handle length will remain. It is a compromise. The idea of the Wharning came from when I was trying to come up with a pocket sized Seax style. I couldn't get it right, but ended up with the Wharning. The short comings of the current Meyerco Wharning actually resulted from a misunderstanding. I didn't realize they were going to produce the knife exactly like the prototype. The prototype had been reshaped and changed many times. So, no grippers for the the thumb, sheath was only for storage and a few other items. I think the updated version will really get the job done! I am hoping the new version will be available the first of 2013.

[singularity35]

Gentleman, I just wanted to say THANK YOU for the good words about my design. It is an honor to have ones design compared to such a knife as KABAR's TDI. It is a great little SD back up knife.

Olive Tree- The issues you describe are being addressed with updates to the Wharning. There will be better grippers placed the handle shape will be altered and the handle material will be contoured with texturing added. The sheath will be updated as well to be more versatile. The handle length will remain. It is a compromise. The idea of the Wharning came from when I was trying to come up with a pocket sized Seax style. I couldn't get it right, but ended up with the Wharning. The short comings of the current Meyerco Wharning actually resulted from a misunderstanding. I didn't realize they were going to produce the knife exactly like the prototype. The prototype had been reshaped and changed many times. So, no grippers for the the thumb, sheath was only for storage and a few other items. I think the updated version will really get the job done! I am hoping the new version will be available the first of 2013.

Thanks for posting Dirk. I do like the wharning for my strong side and I have a couple of them. If you know dr snubnose, he has told me that there is currently a new iteration on the boards. I'll be waiting for that.

[Olive Tree]

I'll look for the new version, that's sure! I like this little knife so far; with thumb grippers and a more aggressive micarta handle, it's going to be a fine EDC knife. If I may suggest you one more thing, I wish it had a lanyard hole: a lanyard would compensate for the short handle.
I noticed lately (and I like it) the angle between the handle and the blade: it gives great leverage while cutting.

[jmpainter]

Try to get somewhere you can HOLD the knives.
I just got a Myerco "Persian" and had no idea what it was like until I held it.
Nice beefy knife.

On the other side, I have ordered small Pinkerton knives just were just an inch too short to feel good in my hands...
But they might fit you perfectly

[RDog]

A new improved Wharning comming out...cool, I will be looking for it.

So I carried it one day now (not enough for a real review but here are some thoughts) I don't mind the smooth handle, but have no idea why the jimping does not carry out along the back of the blade.

The fit on my grips is without any issue at all, but the quality of the material is not so hot, one side is fine, the other is poorly finished. (this is not an issue for me)

The sheath is the down side.

First its made of a thin material, I guess its kydex, but its the thinnest kydex I have ever had. The clip is very very strong, but small. Its attached with only two small screws on one side of the clip. The screws are short, and not a two part screw system, they only screw into the thin sheath (not much to bite) Add this to the very strong clip and when clipping it to a belt, there is a lot of stress placed on the screws...I forsee this breaking. (this is a big issue)

The sheath also lacks the ability of different positions. (Another issue for this kind of knife)

I went ahead and used the neck chain as a backup (on a belt loop) in case the clip breaks and I drop the knife. But a new sheath is needed.


For the price I guess you can't have it all. With a new sheath with multi carry options this should be a good set up. As is, its a pretty good blade but with a poor sheath.

Time to order some kydex I guess...

[Dirk]

RDog, The lack of jimping down the spine was part of the misunderstanding. I had modified the prototype several times to get the feel right. One of the modifications was to change the angle of the spine which resulted in the removal of the jimping. At the time I made this knife all I had were checkering files. I had no way to work hardened steel. I have not been a happy camper with the inconsistent quality of the handle material. The early pieces were pretty good. Then they became very sporadic. I believe the changes we are making will take care of the issues with how the handles finish. The sheath is actually injection molded and was made exactly like the sheath I sent with the prototype. The first sheath was not really meant for anything other than to protect the blade. The new sheath will be very adaptable. Hole spacing will be at 1" to accommodate a small tek-lock in multiple positions. The sheath will work with a neck chain. The shape of the sheath will also make it so it will easily ride in a pocket without immediately falling over. And, I think we will be able to actually use Kydex instead of injection molded plastic.

If anyone is really annoyed with the current sheath, contact me and I can make you a new Kydex sheath as I just described. The only cost will be to cover shipping and material. I want people to be happy with the Wharning.

[razorsdescent]

@ mr Pinkerton. I actually really like your Design the way it is so ill have to snatch up a few more, but more importantly is your smilodon going to make it into production soon? Im in lust with that knife. Possibly the pocket sickle (fingers crossed)

[Dirk]

@ mr Pinkerton. I actually really like your Design the way it is so ill have to snatch up a few more, but more importantly is your smilodon going to make it into production soon? Im in lust with that knife. Possibly the pocket sickle (fingers crossed)

Well sir, all I can say is WOW!, thank you, very much!

I am with you on the Smilodon, I would love to see it go into production and there has been some discussion in that direction. I would like to have HTM at least do a sprint run. HTM is bringing a lot of new models to market over the next couple of years. Because of that, it would be hard to estimate if and when it might happen. Meyerco is a possibility but, I would have to make some changes to make sure there are zero issues with customs. That isn't just for bringing it in to the US after manufacture, but also sales and distribution to different countries. Meyerco is less inclined to go with something that would limit sales. I am considering doing a mid-tech line of my designs, the Smilodon would be among that line. If I go with a mid-tech line, that could be as soon as middle of next year.

The Pocket Sickle, that turned out to be a fun knife. It is very much a niche piece and will more than likely stay a custom piece.

[Dirk]

My apologies for getting off topic. I only wanted to address a couple of the concerns raised here.