Alright people I joined to ask this question, Help a girl out

[ajri]

People today do not understand self defence, especially if pesented with a mental picture of a young woman enraged

Sadly have to agree here. So much is allowable now days in terms of behavior in bars and clubs that its hard to justify defending yourself. I once puched a guy in the neck at a club because he groped me as I walked by. He wasn't mad he was stunned so were his friends they couldn't believe I'd get so upset at an action they considered "just playing around" . This thread is overwhelming in the best sort of way I never expected to get so much feedback. And as for being offended you guys have been great the worst was just funny and not disrespectful. I was pretty nervous about posting on such a male dominated forum but everyones been really polite.

 

[MORIMOTOM]

glad to hear we have been at least a little helpful. its a lot of info to digest, though.

 

[Rat Finkenstein]

Rat, when you combine 3:00am, with scotch, old eyes, callused fingers, and just typing Gysgt. USMC on things for 6 straight years (did not think she could make heads or tails of that) you get mistakes. Like my sainted mother said " jim, your strong as an ox and just almost as smart." As far as lawyers go, after testifying more than a couple of times I have come to the realization that 99.8% will do anything the can to win`includeing obfuscating the facts. Especially if it is a DA with political aspirations. People today do not understand self defence, especially if pesented with a mental picture of a young woman enraged (possible alcohol involvement !?) wielding a "large razor sharp blade shape like a claw that was designed to chop a man to pieces. (heard that almost verbatim in court 2 years ago and yes its is falsely embellished but the picture is now embedded in the jurys mind.) It takes a very good defense lawyer and practiced testimony to have a chance, and it is expensive especially if you have to bring in expert witnesses to testify as to defensive mindset, knife choice ( or gun choice in those instances). Normark, straight delica is just easier to conceal and the wave doesn't help in the waistband carry. swomack, thank you for your kind words I try to give advice that is usefull not only is the situation but also defensible in court. Thank you.

I was just razzing you about the spelling

Maybe most lawyers are unscrupulous dirtbags. But if their intent is to mislead the jury, they can easily spin a condemning statement about pretty much any knife.

 

[Saberman]

ajri,

Glad to hear that ejoying and learning something. You'll find most everyone here is very helpful with questions (and spending your money). You asked a few different questions/area's of interest so that's why there are different conversations.

Punch to the neck is good. Don't forget the cupped hand against the ear.

Thinking about it, the LEEK might a good idea. It's slim, light, 3", fast opening, decent quality at a good price. Try looking in Exchange area for one used.

See what your school offers for Martial Arts clubs, maybe you can find some training there.

 

[T.K.C.]

Not all of the members of BF are guys. I am woman and have been carrying/using knives for 33 years. I currently carry/use/collect Chris Reeves knives, and Custom knives.

 

[madcap_magician]

Hey you guys are given me something to think about at least. Which is far better than when I went to the only knife store in the area to just handle a few pieces (of course it was in a mall). The sales guy attempted to hit on me for the first 10 minutes then proceeded to hand me a Spyderco ladybug while trying to show my completely pacifist guy friend these really cool throwing knives. I would have been pissed if it wasn't so funny.

Has anyone but Normark and Mori posted in this thread? Seriously. lol.

I would second... third, or whatever number we're on the motion to get a waved Delica. As was mentioned earlier, the wave is a little bigger on them compared to an original Emerson, and the hook is more rounded, too, so less wear on the pants.

I have but one solution to the pants issue... wear looser pants. Sorry, but skintight jeans are, um, not conducive to storage space. And since the quality of a pair of jeans is measured by how many pockets and how big those pockets are... well.

Plus you could pick up the waved Delica from Newgraham for I think $48 or something, and have $50 left over- with which you could get a Kimber Guardian Angel pepper spray gun...

Or if you realllly want to keep your style of jeans, then a mercharness or something would work fine, too.

 

[MORIMOTOM]

Not all of the members of BF are guys. I am woman and have been carrying/using knives for 33 years. I currently carry/use/collect Chris Reeves knives, and Custom knives.

not all, just most. nice to see women/girls posting here!

and yes, normark and i seem to have dominated this thread. and we only went off topic a little!

 

[madcap_magician]

not all, just most. nice to see women/girls posting here!

and yes, normark and i seem to have dominated this thread. and we only went off topic a little!

And nothing wrong with that.

I just laugh a little because the key to having this thread become eleven pages long in one day was the phrase "Help a girl out."

 

[MORIMOTOM]

And nothing wrong with that.

I just laugh a little because the key to having this thread become eleven pages long in one day was the phrase "Help a girl out."

yeah. i dont get out much!

 

[culpritish]

This is an excelent thread on a very important topic, and I'm glad that ajri brought this up. I hate to post what others have already, but at the risk of being redundant, here it goes. While folders have their place, personally I feel that a fixed blade is the ne plus ultra in a self defense blade. Sure, you can get a folder out pretty quick if you practice enough, as well as use it as an impact weapon if you can't get the blade out in time ( you should also train/carry an impact device in conjunction with the knife, IMHO) but a fixed blade, even a small one, can be drawn and put into action instantly. There are too many to go into detail about here, but the HideAwayKnife(invented by a woman,FYI) should fit into your price range with one of the basic models, as well as a vast array of other "neck knives". I have a few small fixed blades that I rotate on a frequent basis, my favorite being a type of kiradashi, or Japanese marking knife, 3 3/4" overall, with a 1" bevleled blade. Last time I read California Penal Code (been a while I admit) this is not illegal carried on your person concealed, and it is very sheeple friendly: used it in public not long ago and did'nt get any strange looks. About the only other suggestion I can put out there is to have the knife/ impact weapon/ pepper spray on your person in a position that it can be accessed by both hands, and that you've trained abidextriously enough that you are capable of utilizing it as such. Just my two cents. Here's a pic of the kiradashi:

 

[MORIMOTOM]

This is an excelent thread on a very important topic, and I'm glad that ajri brought this up. I hate to post what others have already, but at the risk of being redundant, here it goes. While folders have their place, personally I feel that a fixed blade is the ne plus ultra in a self defense blade. Sure, you can get a folder out pretty quick if you practice enough, as well as use it as an impact weapon if you can't get the blade out in time ( you should also train/carry an impact device in conjunction with the knife, IMHO) but a fixed blade, even a small one, can be drawn and put into action instantly. There are too many to go into detail about here, but the HideAwayKnife(invented by a woman,FYI) should fit into your price range with one of the basic models, as well as a vast array of other "neck knives". I have a few small fixed blades that I rotate on a frequent basis, my favorite being a type of kiradashi, or Japanese marking knife, 3 3/4" overall, with a 1" bevleled blade. Last time I read California Penal Code (been a while I admit) this is not illegal carried on your person concealed, and it is very sheeple friendly: used it in public not long ago and did'nt get any strange looks. About the only other suggestion I can put out there is to have the knife/ impact weapon/ pepper spray on your person in a position that it can be accessed by both hands, and that you've trained abidextriously enough that you are capable of utilizing it as such. Just my two cents. Here's a pic of the kiradashi:

you make some very good points, and cool little knife btw.

however i suggested a folder because california penal code makes it illegal to carry a fixed blade knife concealed. falls under dirk/dagger clause. whereas a folder can be carried with little worry.

of course, health and safety are paramount, only one should be aware if they are going to carry something illegally they could wind up in some trouble.

 

[wh4f]

Why not a Buck Sirus, Tempest, or Rush? All are assisted opening, good quality USA made knives with a lifetime warranty for around 40-60 dollars?
Good luck hope you only need it as a tool...

 

[alephlex]

Ajri,

Welcome to bladeforums.

Please excuse if this post repeats anything that has already been said -- it's a long thread.

As a female college student and academic, I'll encourage you to reconsider the use of a knife as your primary defensive tool.

A good 'hard and dirty' self-defense system cannot be underestimated --especially one that teaches improvisation on weapons. Do you write with a steel-barrelled fountain pen or even a regular steel barrelled cross ballpoint? Are there stones/bricks etc on your street which you could slip in a sock if you forgot your knife? Will you use your teeth, your thumb/knuckle in the attacker's eye or throat etc.? Does you have a really loud whistle on your keychain? Can you identify things in the environment that could help you avoid and then get out of a nasty situation? Have you considered getting yourself a stout torch? That will give you additional reach against your opponent and also act as a visible deterrent. It also gives you a legal excuse; 'The street is dark and I like to see where I am going. My friend twisted his angle falling in a pothole."

I guess what I am saying is that despite carrying a knife everyday now for 20 years, it's not the first thing I would reach for in a self-defense situation. Firstly, a knife in the hands of your attacker might just be used against you in ways that you won't enjoy and the possibility of being disarmed exists, especially if you are not specifically trained well in knife fighting. Secondly, even if used legitimately, there are severe legal issues deriving from proportionality of force arguments that you will face if you pull a knife on a person (even if he/she is the attacker). I know that some states in the US have changed their laws on this recently -- I can only recommend that you seek good legal advice from the law faculty at your local university or a good criminal lawyer.

Get yourself a nice knife -- they are good fun. But maybe you might want to look at exactly when and how you'll use it. You may find that you will be thinking of your knife more often for food preparation and outdoorsy tasks than self-defense. But that's cool -- 99% of the time, that's what knives get used for.

And get yourself some really good self-defense lessons too heh?

Take care

 

[ajri]

Ok I'd like to respond individually but theres just too many post which is not exactly a bad thing. Sometime this week I'm going to head back to the knife store and put up with the idiotic sales guy so I can try out some of the knives that were reccommended. If I find something that fits I'll buy it online from Newgraham.com which seems to be pretty popular here.

Again I appreciate the self defense tips, I've taken classes, will take more, been aware of protecting myself for awhile. My knife wont be my first or even second choice in a fight. So while I'd like it to be an option for protection mostly I'm buying one because I finally have some extra cash and I just like knives. It will most likely be a folder, don't want the legal issues that come with having a fixed blade in CA and I'd have no way of carrying it.

Mace will be bought this week as well.

Ohh and as this forum will understand. If I had ALOT more money I'd buy a William Henry folder. There actually in the display window of a art shop in my town. I drool everytime I walk by.

 

[phil000]

not all, just most. nice to see women/girls posting here!

and yes, normark and i seem to have dominated this thread. and we only went off topic a little!

Sorry I was gone all day we just closed Cabaret and we struck everything...so i'm now back

YAY! Now I can hopefully add on more and more to this thread...So we have votes for and against hawkbills, many votes for the waved delica, maybe we can get sal to make you a delica hawkbill?
hm...

 

[HoB]

Pretty much all suggestions I would have had, have already been listed here, my first would have been the Delica wave.

Aside from a knife (and I understand that there is some appeal besides SD), how about an ASP baton. Not exactly what you can carry in your pants, but it might fit in your purse. That is what I recommended to my girlfriend.

 

[MORIMOTOM]

Pretty much all suggestions I would have had, have already been listed here, my first would have been the Delica wave.

Aside from a knife (and I understand that there is some appeal besides SD), how about an ASP baton. Not exactly what you can carry in your pants, but it might fit in your purse. That is what I recommended to my girlfriend.

DEFINITELY illegal for a civilian to have an asp in california.

 

[MORIMOTOM]

Ok I'd like to respond individually but theres just too many post which is not exactly a bad thing. Sometime this week I'm going to head back to the knife store and put up with the idiotic sales guy so I can try out some of the knives that were reccommended. If I find something that fits I'll buy it online from Newgraham.com which seems to be pretty popular here.

Again I appreciate the self defense tips, I've taken classes, will take more, been aware of protecting myself for awhile. My knife wont be my first or even second choice in a fight. So while I'd like it to be an option for protection mostly I'm buying one because I finally have some extra cash and I just like knives. It will most likely be a folder, don't want the legal issues that come with having a fixed blade in CA and I'd have no way of carrying it.

Mace will be bought this week as well.

Ohh and as this forum will understand. If I had ALOT more money I'd buy a William Henry folder. There actually in the display window of a art shop in my town. I drool everytime I walk by.

yes william henrys are very nice. re: mace, i would reccomend a 10-15% oleoresin capsicum (oc) content. get the stream instead of spray, simply more accurate and greater range. the stuff i carry is orange and marks the target, kinda cool also. no mistaking who the attacker is later when he has orange dye all over him

 

[sog]

Hi ajri welcome to BF,

The self-defense classes was your best first choice. Remember that a knife you carry can be your adversaries knife if you dont know what you are doing.

I suggest an AO (assisted open) like SOG Flash. An AO opens with little effort and you wont have to worry much about breaking a finger nail and a Flash is extremely light.

 

[tirod3]

I second Owens suggestion. Hideawayknife. I have one, it does exactly as designed by the WOMAN who invented it. It does not fall out of your hand in an assault - all others recommended can and will. You do not have to resheath it to dial a cell phone, use mace, etc as it leaves your fingertips free. It will fit wherever you want to carry, and it has a two inch single edge blade. Hard to define as a dirk or dagger, it's a glorified boxknife/pruner - which is a proven success in airline hijacking. Think 9/11. It's also used by embassy guards and other professionals who appreciate its real world qualities.
As for the self-defense, of course you should take the courses - because they will give the confidence that jerks need to see in your eyes and back off. Mace/pepper spray is nice if you actually get to respond to an escalating level of force scenario, but I suspect your worst nightmare is not going to be polite and follow a script. Like the guy at the bar, it'll be a Spiderman type scene with attackers already over the top. Your response is to slow or stop the attack ruthlessly and escape. Immediately dial 911 - the first caller is always the victim in police think - and don't forget to take a deep breath.
And save up for the Henry - they are beautiful.