"I'd go with a traditional japanese tanto for a knife fight. Tried and true, perfect "knife" for such a purpose."
"My EDC is a Microtech Auto Hawk, and my favorite handmade I have is a Nowicki hand forged hawk. I carry these because thier cutting power is tremendous, and if I ever need a defensive knife, either of these would F&^K you up big time."
in anywhere but Hollywood, knives for SD are really a last resort weapon. not only that, but i doubt that many people realise how much nerve it takes to get in close and actually carve someone up - not to mention that fewer still understand the legal implications of doing so (and god forbid your opponent is unarmed or you struck first preemptively). even on a battlefield where your enemy is known there are plenty of better backup weapon choices than a knife - your entrenching tool, the stock of your rifle, etc.
when you are attacked your opponent doesnt politely announce himself to you, stand 20 feet away and say "lets fight now". you will most likely be attacked from behind and have a split-second to react. very few people can deploy a folding knife from a pocket in a couple of seconds, let alone when under extreme stress.. not to mention that many people take those few seconds for granted. in order to have those couple of seconds available to you you would have to be able to first recognise the threat before it is too late. very few criminals will give you this opportunity.
knives are tools - and possibly a last-ditch defensive weapon, therefore all discussions about which knife is best for self-defense are pretty moot. if you ever find yourself in a situation where you have to fall back on a knife and actually carve up another human being with it to survive, it will make very little difference if you are carrying a tanto, hawkbill, drop point, etc. the odds of you deploying it in time are quite small. the 'nike defense' is best in just about any situation, and have your knife in a place where it can be deployed while running (this is why a back jeans pocket or belt/waistband carry is better than the traditional front pocket carry - try deploying from your front pocket while running flat-out).
another widely stated benefit of carrying a knife is that it instills confidence and can therefore deter potential attackers. there is a downside to this, however, as this same confidence can cause you to be less wary of potential threats, whereas you would be more on your toes if it were lacking.
if you dont have a concealed carry permit and want a serious self-defense weapon that you can carry anywhere - into airports, through metal detectors, etc, get a cane. even an untrained man with a solid cane can whoop the hell out of one with a knife, without the legal repercussions that will follow. not to mention it is always in a 'deployed' state in your hand and acts as a highly visible deterrant.
"This forum is one of the toughest to get banned from. So you gotta figure if Sebenza4Ever got canked, he must have become a real pain. I haven't seen all his writings, but if this is an example, I can understand why."
i dont think he would have been banned for posting anything like this thread. however, he has been trolling of late and i guess this thread can be interpreted as a form of trolling/baiting hawkbill fans - of which many are the spyderco owners he insulted with his last 'spyderco sucks' thread. good riddance, IMO. im actually shocked he didnt get banned for the last thread.
cheers,
-gabriel
