Harpy = Baby Civilian?

S

Sandra D.

Joined
Jun 5, 1999
Messages
19
Hi guys. I am a gal with fairly small hands, some say unhumanly small, and I wanted a Civilian -like knife. I simply cannot handle the Civilian; it's just too big for me to hold comfortably. I have been considering getting a Harpy cuz it more my size. What do people think, is a Harpy a good substitute for those of us with tiny hands? If not, any suggestions?

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Yours,
Sandy
 
Hi Sandy:
If the Harpy fits your hand, it would be a good choice, indeed. Personally, I've kinda considered the Harpy to be different than the Civilian in terms of function, but it would probably work well enough in a defensive roll. The tip isn't designed for quite the same penetration techniques as the Civilian, but as a cutting tool in general, it has my vote.
Another choice (dare I say in this forum) might be the Ladyhawk from Masters of Defense series. It is actually too small for my hands when compared to the Harpy.
Hope this helps.
Brian
 
Greetings Sandy. Although my hands are in the medium/ large range, my earlier model (zytel clip) Merlin fits my hand quite well. I don' t use it a whole lot but then it' s carried as a secondary or backup for emergencies foremost. Its shape and profile is almost a copy of the Harpy. For small or med/ large hands, the Harpy would be a nice choice. Welcome to the forums.

L8r,
Nakano

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"To earn a million is easy, a real friend is not."
 
Greetings Sandy,
It's always nice to see another Gal getting into the forum. You might want to take a look at the Merlin. It's a light weight version of the Harpy.
Dan
 
I should probably specify the purpose for this new knife: self defense in the event that I am faced with a situation that requires lethal force. I already have quite a few knives, most of them Spydercos, but none of them fill this role. I would not be comfortable using a Rookie, a mini Calypso or my mini AFCK in an emergency situation, for example. They are not made for that kind of use.

Is there a knife, that takes the place of the Civilian for smaller people? Or maybe Sal could have a mini Civilian made...hehehe.



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Yours,
Sandy
 
It sounds like your talking about a Matriarch, Sandra. A dedicated self-defense knife with a Civilian-like blade. Spyderco is making these for South Africa and, I believe, Israeli sales, but Sal has generously offered to have some made available to BladeForums members. I'm not sure when they will be out, but I hope it is soon.
smile.gif
If you do a search there are pictures here somewhere.

Jack
 
Donovan, the Matriarch will be using the Endura's handle and will be no more suited to a smaller grip than the Civilian is. It's not much smaller a blade, either - closer to the Civilian's size than the Harpy's, judging from the pics. The Matriarch seems to me more like a less expensive Civilian than it does like a smaller one.

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-Corduroy
(Why else would a bear want a pocket?)
 
Thanks for that correction, Corduroy. I couldn't remember for sure whether it would be on a Endura or Delica frame. In that case please disregard my previous post, Sandra. Here's my new advice
smile.gif
a G10 Harpy (although you better get one while you can, they have been discontinued). Less slippery potential than the stainless version and stronger than a Zytel Merlin.

Jack
 
The G10 Harpy has been my "secondary folder" a long time. I have medium-to-large hands and use the Harpy in left- (weak-) hand reverse grip (ring-finger opening from right shirt-pocket). Very good for SW-to-NE (etc.) slashes. Awesome power! Straight punches work real nice, too, and there's the option of not letting the blade connect.

The new Merlin with the 98 handle looks interesting also (I have the older model). Might offer an even more secure grip.

Markku
 
Sandra,

By 'Civilian-like', if you mean that it doesn't have to have as radical of a forward point reach, then another choice that goes down even smaller than the Harpy/Merlin is the Cricket. The Cricket is a linerlock and is definitely a small hands friendly knife that sports the Civilian-like reverse s-curve blade profile.
So just be aware that there is a reverse-s curve knife smaller(w/less aggressive tip) than the Harpy if you need it.

Ken
 
Howdy,

I think the new Merlin (reversible clip and ATS-55) would fit the bill for a self-defense/rescue, emergency extraction knife perfectly and at a price point that won't make you cringe if you lose it, have it confiscated as evidence or have to leave it.

Also it's shape and topography would fit the emergency role better in my opinion.

And the light weight will mean that you have no problem wearing it all the time.

Anyway,

MDP
 
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