Best knives for the city?

[Oklahoma Outlaw]

For Dustin, OK…



For south side of Chicago, IL…

 

[Bob Denman]

rustyspike
"I live in Philadelphia suburbs. PA is not that bad. I do not carry in Philly."
Which Philly suburb?
I've got a collegiate co-conspirator up in North Wales...

 

[barleywino]

Indeed. It's the Saint-Bernard-With-A-Cask-Of-Brandy-Around-Its-Neck of the knife world. If you see one appear, it's likely a relief.



No laughing matter. The scissors might be the most used accessory on any of my multitools that are so equipped.

 

[USMCPOP]

Chicago, 2014. Machete ...

 

[Mister Coffee]

View attachment 1626649

I like the scissor on the one on the right . . . in case I'm ever lost in the wilderness and my kid has to work on a construction paper project for school.

 

[barleywino]

I like the scissor on the one on the right . . . in case I'm ever lost in the wilderness and my kid has to work on a construction paper project for school.

It's supposed to be for pruning. I tried it, I think it would work better with serrations

 

[barleywino]

Well, I am searching to set up a bag in case the car breaks down or get stranded in the middle of nowhere. I plan to carry a firestarter and a Swiss army knife. I work at a local hospital so I can't carry one on me while in the building.

You've probably seen the FireAnt firesteel/ tinder that fits inside the corkscrews on larger Swiss army knives (such as the Outrider, and others). You can check which models it fits.

 

[Bob Denman]

Scissors: no
Pliers: yes!

 

[not2sharp]

As an ex-New Yorker, I would suggest you carry a sword with at least a 3 foot blade; however, you will also need to forego bathing, train yourself to drool a little and make sure you periodically yell some incomprehensible noises at imaginary targets. If you are successful, you will be left alone and given ample sidewalk space.

But, beware, they may still put a boot on your vehicle.

n2s

 

[barleywino]

As an ex-New Yorker, I would suggest you carry a sword with at least a 3 foot blade; however, you will also need to forego bathing, train yourself to droll a little and make sure you periodically yell some incomprehensible noises at imaginary targets. If you are successful, you will be left alone and given ample sidewalk space.

But, beware, they may still put a boot on your vehicle.

n2s

Same in San Francisco except that instead of a boot, someone will just break into your car if you leave it unattended for more than 5 minutes and relieve you of any possessions.

 

[Bob Denman]

You really don't need a car in a metropolitan area.
Do what the locals do: steal one, and leave it running when you get to your destination.
Someone else will move it for you!

 

[bdcochran]

I put aside the "legal" question point out some considerations:
1. don't buy anything that you would not cry over if some authority simply took it from you for the h--l of it or you lose when someone steals your backpack.
2. there are pluses and minuses on a SAK. I recommend the Huntsman model, used from eBay. You are more likely to use an SAK model with a pair or scissors, tooth pick and tweezers than a heavily encumbered model. You said put in a back pack.
3. when I go on a college campus with my rolling suitcase of books, the suitcase includes Spyderco Police model and an extra pair of reading glasses. It doesn't replace my carry knife on me. It is for the rare (happened on the campus I go to) active shooter situation.

 

[Alberta Ed]

The best knife for the city is a .38, .357 or 9mm, provided you know how to use it. Preferably legal carry.

 

[Chronovore]

I put aside the "legal" question point out some considerations:
1. don't buy anything that you would not cry over if some authority simply took it from you for the h--l of it or you lose when someone steals your backpack.
2. there are pluses and minuses on a SAK. I recommend the Huntsman model, used from eBay. You are more likely to use an SAK model with a pair or scissors, tooth pick and tweezers than a heavily encumbered model. You said put in a back pack.
3. when I go on a college campus with my rolling suitcase of books, the suitcase includes Spyderco Police model and an extra pair of reading glasses. It doesn't replace my carry knife on me. It is for the rare (happened on the campus I go to) active shooter situation.

There are good points here except PLEASE do not get misconceptions about the effectiveness of a folding knife in an active shooter scenario.

Folding knives are already pretty terrible as far as defensive tools go. Folding knives kept off-body in bags, suitcases, etc. are even worse. Situations with active shooters are a bad subset of possible defensive encounters in which a gun is already in play. Luckily, they are also extremely rare as far as defensive encounters go. They have a disproportionately large footprint in the public mind because they get huge media coverage and are then continuously "reposted" in public discourse by politicians, activists, and well-funded anti-gun groups. It does happen. Just understand that in the extremely rare case that you are on scene when it does, it will be just as rare that the circumstances will be right for your pocket knife to make a difference (besides getting you killed).

The point is that if this is a serious factor in your EDC desicion-making, then you need to take it seriously enough to seek an appropriately effective solution. While a fixed blade is better than a folding knife, and on-body is better than off-body, it's still orders of magnitude less effective than a firearm.

 

[Mister Coffee]

I put aside the "legal" question point out some considerations:
1. don't buy anything that you would not cry over if some authority simply took it from you for the h--l of it or you lose when someone steals your backpack.
2. there are pluses and minuses on a SAK. I recommend the Huntsman model, used from eBay. You are more likely to use an SAK model with a pair or scissors, tooth pick and tweezers than a heavily encumbered model. You said put in a back pack.
3. when I go on a college campus with my rolling suitcase of books, the suitcase includes Spyderco Police model and an extra pair of reading glasses. It doesn't replace my carry knife on me. It is for the rare (happened on the campus I go to) active shooter situation.

In my state, it's illegal to carry weapons, including knives, on school grounds. You might want to check your local statutes because it turns out that the law doesn't care if you're a "good guy" or a "bad guy." The law just cares if you've broken the law.

 

[Idlelifestyle]

Delica 4
My all time favorite everything out and about knife. I live in Los Angeles.
It's legal for me to carry
It's not intimidating when pulled out.
Steel is solid.
Handles like a dream.
Nothing but great things.

 

[Bob Denman]

The best knife for the city is a .38, .357 or 9mm, provided you know how to use it. Preferably legal carry.

Amen!

 

[whp]

Philadelphia no knives unless for work.

I didn t know Philadelphia was that restrictive. When I visited Phil. to help my daughter move from one apartment to another about 10 years ago, I had a Tenacious clipped iwb behind my belt. I even went with her to a Phillies game with it clipped in place. I did use it during the move, so maybe it would have qualified as a work knife. Laws that restrictive are ridiculous, because the amount of crime prevention they provide is questionable.

 

[Boombats]

For self-defense in any city with restrictive knife laws, the best thing to have is a good walking stick. It's a better defense against a knife-wielding attacker, and there are plenty of plausible reasons to carry one. A knife is only going to help you in combat if the attacker doesn't have one himself. You're either going to use it as a psychological weapon to ward of potential assault, or as an escape tactic if you are being grappled and losing.

 

[Bob Denman]

If you keep a "wild-eyed" look on your face: it'll help to keep folks from bothering you too much...