Just a comment.

Having a knife that you never use, in case you need it for self defense seems silly to me, for several reasons.

Using one knife for every day use, and therefore becoming very accustomed to how it handles, and then trying to transition to another knife that you never use, in a SD situation, is a bad idea.

Depending on a knife for SD that you have never actually used or tested is also a bad idea.

Trying to figure out which pocket, or sheath, or whatever your SD knife is in, in a SD situation, as opposed to the knife you draw every day and is part of your knife drawing muscle memory, is also a bad idea.

The simple truth is, any knife can be used for SD. It does not need to be scalpel sharp, or armor piercing,or any of the other nonsense hype that is so prevalent these days. Most likely, just smoothly drawing and manipulating a knife would suffice, as opposed to clumsily drawing and fumbling around with your special SD knife...

Ovearll, if I really did need to use a knife for SD, I would want a knife I am very familiar and comfortable with and one that I have confidence in, based on having personally used it thoroughly, day in and day out...but that's just me.
 
You make very good points mikemck...I'm sure that all the practice I would get by using my CQD to open letters or peel oranges would really help me in a defensive situation :rolleyes:

Just because I don't cut with it doesn't mean I don't know how to use it...I bet I have practiced deploying it (from prone and upright positions), transitioning it from one grip to another, striking in the most common angles of attack, accessing it with my weak hand, etc. etc. a billion times...the fact that I do it in front of the mirror while saying "are you talking to me" is another story...

I will agree that it is a good idea to practice stabbing into things so that you can get a feel for how the impact would affect your grip...

RL
 
I just recently changed my mentality from collecting to using. I let go all of my balisongs (some were still in pristine condition) and got myself a CS 29LT for EDC.

I do use it, and the blade shows some stain from peeling fruits (I was late in cleaning it properly).

Now I hold on use the knife practice, mainly because I have no $ yet to get a 500$ collector item :D
 
All my knives (just five!) are user EDC's.
I usually carry either a BM 720 or Mini TSEK at work (IT/Office) and at home and a Fallkniven F 1 in the woods. All of them are used for whatever comes up and have the scratches and marks to prove it.
I carry a knife first and foremost as a tool - I hope I won't ever have to use it for self defense.
Should it come to that, I also have my really, really scary looking "tactical" LM Micra! (tactical=scratched so much it has a dull finish!:D )

Bo
 
As was said, there are those who carry a knife for self-defense and, as Sal Glesser has frequently reminded us, you should carry a dedicated knife for that purpose. You should not expect your EDC utility blade to funtion well as a self-defense weapon, since the design is not optimized for such a purpose and since it will likely be less than optimally sharp, which a self-defense knife must be in order to work at its best. I do not carry a self-defense knife, but what Sal says does make sense to me and I would follow his recommendation were I to begin to carry one.
 
While I am sure Sal Glesser is quite well versed on the use of knives, I just don't agree.

If every time I need my knife I reach back to my left rear pocket, that's where muscle memory is going to dictate that I reach, especially if I am under great duress, such as in a SD situation.

It would seem to me to make more sense to carry a high quality knife that can take and hold an edge and then religiously maintain that edge, and refrain from seriously abusing it, but that's just me, and of course I could be wrong..hopefully, I won't have to find out anytime soon.

Every knife I own can be used for SD, even after I open a package or two, or slice open some tough mail, or any of the other myriad uses I need a knife for throughout the course of my day.

Your mileage will almost surely vary...
 
Originally posted by mikemck
While I am sure Sal Glesser is quite well versed on the use of knives, I just don't agree.

If every time I need my knife I reach back to my left rear pocket, that's where muscle memory is going to dictate that I reach, especially if I am under great duress, such as in a SD situation.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a plan...but what if your "knife arm" is immobilized? (e.g. in an arm bar)...What if you have fallen down (e.g. by being pushed) and you are sitting on top of your knife? What if? What if? what if? While there are a million hypotethical situations, the simple reality is that you will most likely NOT be able to rely on your one "muscle memory" move...for some reason BGs are just uncooperative that way..

RL
 
I agree with Mikemck, your EDC utility knife can also be your self-defence knife in many instances. Knives like the Spyderco Delica can fill both roles if need be. Sure it's not the ideal self-defence weapon, but I don't think ANY knife is ideal for self-defence.

But back to the topic...
I don't carry any knife everyday that I don't use--and it shows. My knives have scratches and fingerprints and blemishes and that's fine with me.
The knives I want to keep in pristine condition stay at home.

However, I did notice that my Leatherman Micra has more scars and marks than nearly any of my other knives.

Good luck,
Allen.
 
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