best folder for self defence

glistam said:
In my opinion, this in and of itself is a strike AGAINST carrying a knife for SD. How good is something for SD if it's so hard to use it justifiably?
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Talking too much about a self-defense encounter is a bad idea no matter whether you used a knife, gun, stick, or bare hands.

An example would be in discussing an unarmed defense by saying, "My training in ______________ was so great my attacker never had a chance." could be taken as saying that the poster used excessive force and even if the trial is over, the option of suing is always there.


On the subject of carrying a knife for defense, actually using it for defense in a legally justified manner would require the same elements that using a gun requires. If the attacker has the ability, intent, and means to kill or seriously injure you or another person, then you are generally justified in using deadly force. Check your state laws since the wording will probably be different. A CCW class would cover the laws for your state. A knife is not and should not be seen as something "less than" using a gun. If you can't legally shoot the person you can't legally use a knife on him.

IMO, a knife is not so much to be carried as a weapon as it is a tool to carry EDC, and if attacked it is a tool that can be used as a weapon if necessary. I carried a knife as a tool for years before I decided to learn how to use one as a weapon.
 
glistam said:
Even so, I have serious doubts about stopping power. I'd almost prefer fists in most cases.
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knives are incredibly dangerous as weapons. its not just "ow I got cut that hurts" but even a small stab or slash wound can cause a person to lose blood very quickly and go into shock, but remember thats the best case scenario. if you nick an artery or vein or cause the stomach or bowels to perforate you probably just handed that person a death sentance.

fists are good weapons too if you know how to use them, but they arent nearly as effective a weapon as a knife can be.

honestly if I was going to carry around a dedicated SD tool at my age I would go with a tazer.
 
glistam said:
In my opinion, this in and of itself is a strike AGAINST carrying a knife for SD. How good is something for SD if it's so hard to use it justifiably?
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Carrying a knife for self-defense is a TERRIBLE idea! I would NEVER carry a knife for the purpose of self-defense. That would be admitting that I have a device on my person with the expressed intent of using it as a weapon, and I never carry weapons!

I carry them for their utility. Using them in self-defense would be entirely incidental, and only after all other possibilities, including escape, had been exhausted.

Knives are FUN!
 
glistam said:
Even so, I have serious doubts about stopping power. I'd almost prefer fists in most cases.
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That is a legitimate concern and this is where training comes in.

I've read many reports of knife assaults where the victim was stabbed many times and lived, and even one where the guy died but hedid not know he was even stabbed until after the fight was over. In that case the knife had no stopping power since it did not stop him from doing anything.

This is one reason why I question the common belief that experience = good advice. Most of the people who assault others with knives have no idea what they are doing, and even though they've done it, they did not do it intelligently, and can only tell you how to do it as stupidly as they did it.

It would be like going to those morons who shot up Columbine (had they lived) to learn shooting skills rather than going to a real firearms school just because the instructor never shot anyone.
 
Benjamin Liu said:
That is a legitimate concern and this is where training comes in.

I've read many reports of knife assaults where the victim was stabbed many times and lived, and even one where the guy died but hedid not know he was even stabbed until after the fight was over. In that case the knife had no stopping power since it did not stop him from doing anything.

This is one reason why I question the common belief that experience = good advice. Most of the people who assault others with knives have no idea what they are doing, and even though they've done it, they did not do it intelligently, and can only tell you how to do it as stupidly as they did it.

It would be like going to those morons who shot up Columbine (had they lived) to learn shooting skills rather than going to a real firearms school just because the instructor never shot anyone.
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Ah yes, that was where I was coming from. I had read many of those reports, seen things in the ER where I work, and am one such survivor (as in a stab wound did not stop me).

But you do make a very valid point. Crooks have a bad habit of not knowing what their doing and so are an unfair measure.
 
Benjamin Liu said:
It would be like going to those morons who shot up Columbine (had they lived) to learn shooting skills rather than going to a real firearms school just because the instructor never shot anyone.
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It is to be hoped that training and techniques are predicated on real experience. The Marine sniper who taught me to shoot had never shot anyone, but I bet whoever it was that developed those techniques had put a few bad guys in the ground.

And that's where the difficulty lies: Finding instruction that's predicated on real-life experience, even if that experience isn't with the immediate instructor.
 
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