Best Everyday Knife? (Self defense properties as)

I carry 3 Spydies/Byrds on a regular basis: a Meadowlark, a Resilience, a Caly 3. They each have a strong lock, a point, and an edge. They all open fairly easily, one-handed, once circumstances and actions allow you to get to them. Any one of them will give you options you would not have if you did not have a knife on your person.

The rest is all training, circumstances, and physical ability, limited by expectations.
 
itssteve said:
I think what they are saying with that is no one wins in a knife fight, best to just give them what they want and get out with your skin.
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Correct. Having the memory of slashing someone open or possibly killing someone with a knife is not something many want to live with.
 
I'm glad I never had to use my KABAR or bayonet as a defensive or offensive weapon during my 20 years in the Corps. Heaven forbid it ever happen, but I do have a new "walking in the dark" knife just in case I literally have to defend mine or my Wife's life. If it did happen then I'd hope that 4" of S35VN would scare the scum away. It would literally be after all else fails and that includes running like Gump!

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Any of the Emerson wave Spydies like the Endura. May be the only one I don't know for sure.
Spyderco police
They made a hawkbill/karambit style one. I don't recall the name.
The tenacious or resilliance would be alright for both purposes.
The civilian would be a nasty self defense, not a great EDC though I'd think.
Military and Paramilitary 1 or 2
Pikal? Not sure on the spelling.
There are a good bit of discontinued ones too you could search for as well. The barong comes to mind first.

You got a million options, go to a knife seller and look through their spyderco section and pick what you like. Your specifications are too broad to give any real answer. EDC with self defense options pretty much describes 90% of Spyderco knives. Really any knife has self defense capabilities. My cricket would do a good number to someone with that tip it has, and its cute and innocent looking so it wouldn't scare anyone. If you could narrow it down to blade style or price or materials used you could get a more specific answer.
 
zt 0550 1st Gen definitely. best edc ever IMO... and I've carried quite a few. most for no less than a few years strait. as far as "self defense", id never pull a knife in almost any situation. Maybe look into a tactical pen for that.
 
Knives are terrible self-defense weapons for both legal and practical reasons. If I had to use a knife for self defense, I would hope I was carrying a BM 710, Spyderco Wave Endura, or BM 810 that day.

If you're not packing a gun for any number of reasons, like many posters have mentioned, a solid can of OC and a little practical martial arts training will give you the advantage you need to handle 99% of situations. I strongly recommend ASP's "Key Defender" Kuboton/OC product. Incredibly practical to carry and functions as a better melee weapon than any knife on the market!
 
Knives are not ideal for self-defense, but neither are any of the other alternatives ideal for every circumstance or available to every person. Self-defense is almost always going to be an iffy proposition. Despite this, many people have defended themselves successfully using all manner of knives. Beyond these points the conversation is less about what knife to carry and more about the circumstances and tactics involved in your situation.
 
The Military, hands down. The length is right, the blade is right and it carries like a knife half it's size.
 
I use to train Kali, JKD, and Muay Thai back before MMA became mainstream.I found that Kali was the most sobering. Humans can trade off a fair number of blows, and still be pretty good. In a knife fight though both sides are gonna sustain serious injury quick. I do however carry a knife for SD since due to a dumb teen decision I can't carry a firearm, and I would not hesitate to pull it on individuals who were threatening me or loved ones if they were empty hand themselves. If they have though already brandished something it's time to leave unless your in a corner. I also think most SD encounters can be avoided with as cliche as it sounds, being situationally aware
 
Many people focus on speed of deployment, but I find security beats speed: don't rush it, don't fumble it. Learn to handle your knife comfortably and you'll get it into action fast enough. As the old gunfighter said, it's not the fastest draw that wins, it's the one who hits his target first. The Military is a great knife for this. Big enough for an easy draw and secure grip and snaps open quickly and smoothly. The Endura is a close cousin for reliability also.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Many people focus on speed of deployment, but I find security beats speed: don't rush it, don't fumble it. Learn to handle your knife comfortably and you'll get it into action fast enough. As the old gunfighter said, it's not the fastest draw that wins, it's the one who hits his target first. The Military is a great knife for this. Big enough for an easy draw and secure grip and snaps open quickly and smoothly. The Endura is a close cousin for reliability also.
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Great point !
And I find a wave no faster anyway. If you start opening the knife as you get it out of pocket, and continue through your motion it will be open before you get the blade where you want it to be.



edit- also, we all know there would be a very slim chance any of us would ever need a knife in a SD situation, but the OP just asked a simple question.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Family dinner, talking to my brother-in-law, a police officer. Showed him my new knife, a Benchmade Emerson, flicked it open. He told me that: "Never bring a knife to a gun fight." I asked, "Where's the gun?"

Bring a knife. You never know when it's going to be the answer.

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That's something to seriously think about. From a self defense standpoint, guns aren't always available for a number of reasons, but an EDC knife might be.
 
hah! best self defense weapon..... an old school metal flare gun with a 12 gauge shell in it..... loaded with rock salt. :)
 
Dazed, it's true there could come a time you'll need a knife for defense. It's just unlikely, as pepper spray would cover 99% of your defensive needs without having to resort to a knife as a last-ditch weapon. If you have to pull a knife in defense, an intimidating blade like on the larger Spydercos would be good. I prefer a fixed blade, but folders can be opened fast under stress if you practice daily. A Buck Odyssey has a good point on it if you like Buck knives.

Joe
 
I don't think he wanted to hear what would be better than a knife, or about Pepper spray and such, as I'm sure he(and all of us) knows all that.

He just asked a simple knife question on a knife site:p
 
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