Best Self defense knife?

practical: a spear point strong enough to bury to the hilt or a hawkbill to slash through tendons. Legality might dictate a less than optimum blade length. Ex: Spyderco Civilian, SOG Pentagon Elite

ideal: anything long enough to sever a limb. Ex: Khukuri, Bolo, Barong

Please take my recommendations with a grain of salt. I'm not a soldier or a martial artist, more of a suburban armchair historian. YMMV.

Frank
 
I'd carry a Smatchet everywhere if I could, Fairburn paid attention to knife design. Smatchets and Bowies have a lot of design mojo in common.

FWIW, I have an 18" Tramontina machete (along with a saw and shovel) behind the seat of my truck, another 14" Tram sits beside my front door, with my ball peen 'war hammer'. A Becker Combat Bowie and a Gerber Yari are on the table beside my bed, along with a Ruger .357 and a Scorpion flashlight. There's always a Spyderco and a SAK in the pocket of my jeans.
 
Originally posted by the possum
I've flat given up on serrated edges. On slashes, they catch more like a saw, and won't penetrate the hide. Every serrated knife I've tried absolutely REFUSED to penetrate in a stab. The scallops just catch the fibrous skin and won't go in.
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Could you do me a favour and tell that to my fully serrated VG-10 Spyderco Police? I don't think it knows better cuz it's sickenly sharp! :D

Seriously, I don't doubt you but what kind of serrated blade were you using? A bread knife or something?

One of the most painful cuts I've received was when the serrated part of my SOG Magnadot closed on my thumb. My skin was not too fibrous let me assure you!
 
I hunt small game with a blade whenever possible, and I've flat given up on serrated edges.
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I can totally see this guy chasing someone's cat around the neighborhood.
::Come here Fluffy..::
 
morseme said:
I can totally see this guy chasing someone's cat around the neighborhood.
::Come here Fluffy..::
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And the award for the most random digging up of a 6-year old thread goes to....

Edit- oh, sorry, it's your first post. Welcome to Blade Forums! :)

Search must be working again.
 
I'd pick the Cold Steel Vaquero Grande or the Voyager X2. Spyderco is a decent knife company, but when it gets down to it, size matters. The honest-to-goodness truth is that there is no objective "best." You can get subjective opinions of what people like, but a 3-inch bladed Spyderco just isn't going to beat a 4- to 6-inch bladed folder, and a plain edged blade is never going to beat the small and nasty teeth of a serrated blade.

ColdSteelVoyagers_1.jpg


These are the best folding knives for defense.
 
Confederate said:
a plain edged blade is never going to beat the small and nasty teeth of a serrated blade.
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That's up for debate.
Depends on the serrations.
Depends on whether clothing is in the way, and what sort of clothing(leather, felt, denim, etc.) is in the way.
They add slight drag to a stab, but not too much.
Like you said though, "best" is subjective.:)
 
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