Help me pick the best SD folder for under $250.

Fully serrated Spyderco Military (one nasty weapon when fully serrated)
Cold Steel 5" Voyager Gunsite Tanto (very strong tip; will go through a car door)
Benchmade Ruckus (I carry this in an open top "friction" sheath that is tilted forward for fast draw)
Lone Wolf Harsey T2 (4", comes in tanto also) or T3 (4.8") (lot of these are made for the military)
Also love the Al Mar SERE 2000 but the blade is only 3 5/8". But still one heck of a heavy duty folder.

I own all of the above knives so these are not just my guesses. They are all great SD knives. Obviously there are more that I could mention (and that others have mentioned) but that seemed like plenty.

Regards
 
Here is another vote for the CUDA MAXX. It can be flicked open very quickly and smoothly, has a tight framelock that is just reinforced by an adrenaline driven grip, and a D2 blade that will take and hold a great edge. Even if you never use it, it would be a good investment since they are no longer in production. Another thought is the Kershaw Spec Bump. The scales are molded for an excellent grip in the hand, the AO with a flick tab allows for a very quick and easy opening, and the aggresivly recurved S30V blade will work great for cutting or stabbing.
 
The folder I think I would feel the most confident in would definately be one of those monsters from cold steel. Your talkin about a 6 inch blade and 7 inches of handle. (The vaquero is a cool knife, but I wish they had it in plain edge.) -If you want a more normal sized knife, the chinook is a good way to go. I also really like emersons, but think the chinook might have the better lock. the emerson frame locks are worth a look.
You could also do a litte searching around for a bm 806. Very nice knife and should be well within $250.
 
I don't think it's really possible to answer your question, jinuineasn. We don't know your skill level, under what conditions you might deploy this knife, etc.

I hope you're not planning on carrying one of these or any knife as your primary weapon. IMO if someone feels the risk is great enough that they need a weapon, they need something more than a knife, particularly a pocket folder. If you still think a folder would be a worthwhile backup to quality handgun, however, then any of these might do .... and so would a $20 Byrd Cara Cara, for that matter.
 
For a SD knife, I would pick a Microtech HALO II or Scarab plain DE blade if your area allows it. Quick to deploy and easy to carry. Microtech is designed for tactical situations.
 
hardheart said:
I don't understand this one.
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I believe what he is trying to say is that it doesn't matter how expensive or inexpensive a knife is, if you don't know how to use it to defend yourself, it isn't going to get the job done. In other words, it isn't the knife that is defending you, it is you defending yourself and an expensive knife is unlikely to make this any more or less successful.
 
I think having a knife with the intension of SD is a very poor choice. Trained hands and feet will make just about any knife wielder look like a fool.:jerkit:
 
I thought that may have been the meaning, I just didn't see what warranted the comment if that was the intent. Price is a limiting factor for the choices of most of us. The wording of the comment suggested (to me) that he felt there was only a knife priced over $250 capable of defending someone.

Considering the types of knives used in murders and assaults, price really doesn't seem to be a gauge of expected effectiveness.
 
Scott Dog said:
I think having a knife with the intension of SD is a very poor choice. Trained hands and feet will make just about any knife wielder look like a fool.:jerkit:
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yeah, never draw a knife when you're gettin mugged by a kung fu master
 
Chinook or Endura III. Both very stout and accept different grip configurations well. I carry the Endura, great edc utility knife too.
 
I carry knives with the intention of using them as tools. I think that I might be more likely to get myself into trouble if I thought of them as self-defence weapons. I seek to avoid the necessity of self-defence. That said, may God have mercy on those that seek to inflict violence on me or mine.
 
jinuineasn said:
I'm considering:
Benchmade Rukus
Benchmade Skirmish
Spyderco Military (Carbon Fiber)
Camillus CUDA MAXX
Emerson CQC 11 *which CQC would be best?
Spyderco Chinook
Spyderco Endura
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If it's legal and you're actually willing to carry it, I don't see how there can be a case made that there would be a more effective knife on this list than the CUDA Maxx. Quality is top notch, blade shape is excellent as is edge geometry, and if you prefer Darrel will make some holes so it can wave open off the guard. And at 5.5", it is amazingly formidable. I'd really like to hear why anyone would suggest one of the others ... again, assuming that because it's on your list it's legal and you feel it is carryable.

Beyond that, you have some really great knives on this list. The Maxx is too big for me to EDC, and my next choice off that list would be the waved endura 4. Overall strength of the endura may not be as high as the Chinook or Rukus or Skirmish, but it is strong enough, and the addition of the wave is a nice feature for defensive use. To get a feel for exactly how advantageous it is, I suggest you try opening your knife, not in the safety of your living room, but in a high-pressure drill where your buddy "attacks" you explosively from close range and under that pressure you need to draw. Won't take long before you see what I mean. [don't do this with a live knife, lest one of you get stuck; you can simulate this with an endura training drone with a ziplock wave]. But, I think the Chinook, rukus, and Skirmish would be awesome choices as well. I won't buy liner locks for hard use, and so won't recommend the rest.
 
jinuineasn said:
I was considering the emerson cqc series. Can I open the emerson cqcs with a flick of the wrist? I don't plan to have it clipped on, so the wave feature is pointless for me.
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In a SD situation the second best thing after having a knife with you, is being able to access it FAST! You say that you don't plan to have it clipped on. Have you ever considered though how you plan on carrying it? One of the factors that you need to consider seriously is your every day attire. If you are working in an office and you are wearing a three-piece suit, then I think you will have a really hard time trying to hide a BM RUKUS. Then again, if you are wearing slacks that’s a totally different story.

I am looking for a knife preferably with a black blade with an excellent grip and as close to 4 inches as possible strictly for Self Defense purposes.
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I agree with ELBIOS666 (post #6), kayak101187 (post #10) and mauiblue (post #26). They don’t get faster than this. All this IF there is no problem for you carrying an automatic and you strictly care about SD.

It can be more than 4 inches.
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Just keep on mind that while larger folders will offer greater reach they will be more unwieldy. That, in a situation where fractions of seconds count, to me is not the best deal. On the other hand, if you are thinking of engaging in an O.K. Coral type of altercation then, by all means, a longer blade will be a better choice. However, I strongly recommend that if one is given the opportunity to leave then beat it! I find wisdom in nelsonmc’s opinion (post #14)! There is nothing wrong about doing it IF you AND your loved ones are given the chance; as a matter of fact it is the best option.

It is essential that I can easily open the blade with a flick of the wrist under stressful situations.
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In a stressful situation IMHO you should not try to open the blade of your folder by wrist flicking it. If you do try it chances are that the centrifugal force generated might make you lose your knife altogether. Remember this: we are talking stressful situation here (and I really hope nobody finds themselves in such a situation). That means your heart will pound faster, you will lose your calmness, fear will start to immerge along with doubts as to what is the best way to deal with the situation at hand. You won’t have the luxury of thinking clearly. Now, take all these factors into the equation and ask your self: do you really want to try the wrist flick method?

The blade shape must be designed for SD purposes.
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In my opinion this sentence alone could be a thread in itself. For instance, I can easily see a thread with the title “What are the configurations / characteristics of a blade designed for SD purposes?”. Having said that, I think it becomes evident that this parameter needs to be defined first and THEN be dealt with

I don't know if the spydercos open that easily.
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Some of them open faster than you can possibly imagine! In line with this, I find rusty edge’s comment (post #16), as well as, Joe Talmadge’s (post #33) very prudent.

My $.02:)
 
I have the Cuda Maxx.
Definitely opens with the flick of a wrist.
Great weapon.

I teach knife fighting,the knives with flippers like the m16 are easy to open under stress.
As fast as an auto knife.
Not as good as a fixed blade in kydex sheath but what is?
 
Scott Dog said:
I think having a knife with the intension of SD is a very poor choice. Trained hands and feet will make just about any knife wielder look like a fool.:jerkit:
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I've carried a knife for SD and daily chorse for many years (along with a kubaton). I'm sure not qualified to put out a video by but I've studied techniques, spared, and read enough to put together a system that I'm confident with. If their was ever any way to stop or evade a confrontation, that's what I would do. But there are situations were a person needs to act: can't escape (backed up against a building or car, in a room like a bar), can't move quickly or run (my condition, bad knee [6 surgeries]), defending against more than one person, woman or children need defending, helping someone else that can't escape (i.e. an elderly person).

Just having a knife doesn't make one capable of using it properly. And it sure doesn't give anyone the judgement to try to prevent a confontation. But with proper training, a knife can (and has) prevented serious injury or even death.

This is a very complicate and personal subject, as we all know. But unless you've been mugged, robbed, or had your life threatened (which has happened to me), I'd say your comment doesn't have much weight (no offense intended). And if your comment also was suggesting that some kind of martial arts training could overcome someone with a knife, I have to say you're just plain wrong on that one. I've been involved in demonstrations with a rubber training knive against different levels of martial arts students and none of them ever had a chance. Running from the situation is obviouly good advise but as I pointed out above, this is not always possible.

Regards
 
Endura 4 waved , and an Endura drone . When you look at what you will actually end up doing - mostly utility work , these two represent a very good buy . I dont like the idea of a dedicated s/d blade , an edc pressed into service is a better way to go , you will have the muscle memory , and fluent dexterity .

A drone is vitally important to practice some moves without visits to the ER .

Chris
 
Some things we don't like to consider, but are reality, are some of the "politically correct" attributes of a knife. First of all, if you have to jug someone, you will probably never see that knife again. It will sit aimlessly in a police evidence locker. If it comes to any sort of trial situation to find out if you were justified, you're going to wish you put some thought into what you had on you. If it is a giant blade who's model designation is "the terminator" and has been advertised as such, they could say you carried it with that intention. If it looks more subdued, doesn't have teeth on the backside, and isn't "mean looking" the 12 people on a jury who have never held a knife short of something used to peel fruit with might see your side of it. Then again, if it looks mean enough, you might not have to use it at all. It's something to consider anyway.
 
Eddgy has a very good point. Ayoob wil tell you from experiance a good D.A. will paint you to be a vigalante armed to the teeth with the best weapons designed for killing. Many people who had to shoot an attacker have landed in jail over the justification bieng lost in the garbage that can come out in a trial. If the prosocuter can convince the jury the weapon used was an offensive weapon it can look bad for you even if you had every reason to use deadly force. Now that said the state you live in and its views on a whole to self deffense and weapons is a big factor. I live in Alaska and I am confident that no D.A. would ecven blink twice if I was in a SD situation. If I lived in Cali I would think alot more on the subject.
 
Something like a forest green Delica will look a lot less threatening to a jury than a large Emerson CQC7 . Prolly just as effective , plus a whole lot better for general utility .

Chris
 
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