Best Spyderco SD?

D

dragonram7

Joined
Dec 14, 2006
Messages
633
What's the best Spyderco SD model out there?
I need a slim profile knife that will be carried IWB or in the back pocket of a suit. I might need the knife for protection against two legged and stray four legged creatures. A firearm won't work for this position. I have come to the forums before and received very sound advice. Any recommendations are appreciated.
I've looked at :

P'kal
Yojimba
Gunting
Chinook 3
Any insight?
 
Do you have length restrictions? Do you train in any martial arts regularly? Do you intend to train regularly with your new knife? Will you use it for anything besides SD? Do you prefer G-10 scales or are you open to FRN or Stainless handles? Do you live near salt water?

I don't mean to give you a hard time, but a bit more information would be most helpful. I would hate to suggest something that you could get arrested for carrying where you are. I love my SS Police model for IWB carry, the smooth outline and flat build make it easy to put away and snag-free to draw, but the blade is over the legal length limit here, so I don't carry it (much). A serrated Pacific Salt makes an effective weapon against critters with two legs or four, won't rust even carried IWB on a hot summer day at the beach, and is lightweight. It also has a blade that is not legal in many places due to length restrictions and an unlined FRN handle which may not be to your liking. Many other examples could be cited, but you get the point ;)
 
i am a very dedicated martial artist who carries for SD.


my top spydercos for SD are...

Military - fully serrated
dallara drop point - combo edge
endura4-fully serrated -
endura wave
 
for sd i recommend fully serrated folders. in a sd situation, you want all the cutting power you can possibly have. lessens the chance of the blade sliding over the clothing and not cutting your attacker. i prefer larger blades. a stab wound/slash from a full size miltary is going to be way worse than from a delica.

military is large, fully serrated, light, but also somehwat costly.

dallara is strong and sturdy, can be flicked open fast and easily, good price

delica 4 is a good all around knife. decent size, good price

delica wave - spearlike blade, wave feature





for smaller blades....

delica4 wave
delica 4 fully serrated
native fully serrated
 
IIRC, didn't the Spyderco Rescue get some praise as a SD knife?

Didn't they just make the Saver salt (which is a H1 version of the Rescue jr) (3" fully serrated blade w/ choil)?

And it's a great knife, little pocket chainsaw, thin profile, and the choil allows for several different grips (not a martial arts guy at all but you can hold it upside down with the blade away from the forearm, icepick(?))

Best of all, the name, makes a jury a little more friendly to the idea of carrying a knife.

stay safe,
Phil
 
yablanowitz said:
Do you have length restrictions? Do you train in any martial arts regularly? Do you intend to train regularly with your new knife? Will you use it for anything besides SD? Do you prefer G-10 scales or are you open to FRN or Stainless handles? Do you live near salt water?

I don't mean to give you a hard time, but a bit more information would be most helpful. I would hate to suggest something that you could get arrested for carrying where you are. I love my SS Police model for IWB carry, the smooth outline and flat build make it easy to put away and snag-free to draw, but the blade is over the legal length limit here, so I don't carry it (much). A serrated Pacific Salt makes an effective weapon against critters with two legs or four, won't rust even carried IWB on a hot summer day at the beach, and is lightweight. It also has a blade that is not legal in many places due to length restrictions and an unlined FRN handle which may not be to your liking. Many other examples could be cited, but you get the point ;)
Click to expand...

Residence: Utah
Legal: No length limits in the State.
Experience: I have a modest background in fighting. Boxing from age 5 on (NCAA: VMI). Wrestling (NCAA) Martial Arts background : Kenpo, Aikido, Hopkido, Tae Kwon Do-Korean, a little Gracie (about 30 years of study-still can't get it right). Taken a few Denfensive knife tactics in the past. Retired LEO (POST:Tactical Instructor and Rangemaster).
New Employment is in a suit with clients in their neighborhoods and in my office-a firearm might not go over too well.
Handles: Love all the ones you've mentioned. Lynette, at Spyderco, said the G-10 might tear up suits-???. Love SS-except when it gets wet or finger smudges. FRN is fine. I think all of the handles Spyderco makes are fine.
Locks: I have had two Liners fail on me while on duty. Both were from top quality manufacturers-both manufacturers repaired or replaced. I've never had a Spyderco lock fail. Not even the ladybug I purchased back in the 80's.
 
Get the Utah CCW permit and carry a concealed pistol like a Airweight .38 special in a pocket holster. Nobody will know you have it, unless you whip it out and show it to them, or they have a habit of digging around in your pockets.
 
3mptin3ss said:
for sd i recommend fully serrated folders. in a sd situation, you want all the cutting power you can possibly have. lessens the chance of the blade sliding over the clothing and not cutting your attacker. i prefer larger blades. a stab wound/slash from a full size miltary is going to be way worse than from a delica.

military is large, fully serrated, light, but also somehwat costly.

dallara is strong and sturdy, can be flicked open fast and easily, good price

delica 4 is a good all around knife. decent size, good price

delica wave - spearlike blade, wave feature

I'm OK on the cost. I don't mind large knife as long as they disappear IWB or in the rear pocket of a suit. It nice to have a versatile knife because I'll only be able to carry one. I was considering the D'allara but it a little thick for the waistband and my wife laid claim on it.
Click to expand...
 
Rat Finkenstein said:
Get the Utah CCW permit and carry a concealed pistol like a Airweight .38 special in a pocket holster. Nobody will know you have it, unless you whip it out and show it to them, or they have a habit of digging around in your pockets.
Click to expand...

Have the CCW. I'll have to check the Firms' policy on firearms. Even if I CCW, would like an SD blade as backup. Old habits are hard to break.
 
The Spyderco Civilian is, to my knowledge, the only knife Spyderco made specifically for self defense, not utility. Look at one, and you'll see what I mean. Their catalog even said it was for self defense, not general utility.
 
I love what I've seen about the Superhawk but I'm not sure when it'll be released. I would buy a Spyderco C60 (PE or SE) Masaad Ayoob in a heartbeat, if I could find one. I read Hannibul's post on the P'kal, very persuasive.
 
melt said:
The Spyderco Civilian is, to my knowledge, the only knife Spyderco made specifically for self defense, not utility. Look at one, and you'll see what I mean. Their catalog even said it was for self defense, not general utility.
Click to expand...
Added to the list. Love the design but a portion of my SD routine (approx 20%) uses thrusts. However, I can always adapt if this is the best option.
 
One of the reasons I value this type of forum is I am able to get first hand experience. What works on paper doesn't always translate to success in the field (real life). Example-The Manix is an awesome knife. Sturdy, reliable, great value. Considered by many to be the folder they would grab if they could only have one and everything went bad. Through the posts, there are those that love it but don't carry it EDC due to size. I would hate to run out and buy a Manix and not carry it because it's too big. Military is another example. Prior to reading the posts, I had an aversion towards liner locks. However, countless testimonials of the Military's performance have convinced me of the reliability of Spyderco's products.
I appreciate the help and advice.
 
i have the chinook II; it's my EDC and favorite all around knife. it's designed for SD but it's great for anything you throw at it. i'd like to get my hands on the perrin street beat, too if i can. for sd, the waved endura, the chinook (all 3 versions), the civilian/matriarch, and the street beat get my vote for SD.
 
It's hard to go wrong with any spyderco with a steel liner or ss handles that you can get a good grip on. Which model will suit you best depends on the size you want, your price range, and which blade shape will work best with your method of use. For example, the civillian would be a great choice if length isn't an issue, you're right handed, and you plan on doing exclusively foreward grip slashing — if your style involves most stabbing, you'd want to go in a different direction. Again, given that spydercos are all designed to be opened one-handed, they're all solid designs, and nearly all have pocket clips, one that was designed with SD in mind isn't particluarly different from one that was designed for something else. The Rescue, which has been mentioned a couple of times, is a great example of this. It wasn't designed for SD but it would do you just fine (even though it lacks a steel liner).
If size, weight and cost aren't issues, I'd recommend the chinook or the manix. If cost is an issue but size isn't, I'd recommend the D'Allara or the Endura. If you want to keep it small, I'd recommend the Delica 4 wave (my edc) or the Lava (how come nobody's mentioned this one yet?). But one more time, any of them that suits your style will be a fine choice.

- Chris
 
My SD EDC IS A Civilian. James Keating's training video will teach you how to us it. The Civilian stops alot of fights before they start.
 
melt said:
The Spyderco Civilian is, to my knowledge, the only knife Spyderco made specifically for self defense, not utility. Look at one, and you'll see what I mean. Their catalog even said it was for self defense, not general utility.
Click to expand...

Matriarch, Yojimbo, Chinook, Massad Ayoob... Were all made for "man-work" as well.
 
Hesparus said:
It's hard to go wrong with any spyderco with a steel liner or ss handles that you can get a good grip on. Which model will suit you best depends on the size you want, your price range, and which blade shape will work best with your method of use. For example, the civillian would be a great choice if length isn't an issue, you're right handed, and you plan on doing exclusively foreward grip slashing — if your style involves most stabbing, you'd want to go in a different direction. Again, given that spydercos are all designed to be opened one-handed, they're all solid designs, and nearly all have pocket clips, one that was designed with SD in mind isn't particluarly different from one that was designed for something else. The Rescue, which has been mentioned a couple of times, is a great example of this. It wasn't designed for SD but it would do you just fine (even though it lacks a steel liner).
If size, weight and cost aren't issues, I'd recommend the chinook or the manix. If cost is an issue but size isn't, I'd recommend the D'Allara or the Endura. If you want to keep it small, I'd recommend the Delica 4 wave (my edc) or the Lava (how come nobody's mentioned this one yet?). But one more time, any of them that suits your style will be a fine choice.

- Chris
Click to expand...

Thanks for responding.
Size: I can get away with concealing a large blade provided it is not too thick. I'm 6'31/2" and about 210-220 lbs. My waist is 34-35 but I usually wear 36 with a belt. Suits are 34s. I'm planning on wearing it IWB Kidney (behind the Illiac Crest) or rear trouser pocket. I'm both handed (ambidextrous-why won't my spell check work). I have fairly large hands (XXL gloves)
Cost: I think I'm OK on the costs. Spyderco is a good value for any model.
 
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