Matriarch

T

Tracker81

Banned
Joined
Dec 14, 2004
Messages
135
I was just googling spyderco images and came across this knife. After having searched through these forums I can see that a few of you have used and enjoy this product.

For those of you that own the matriarch, do you edc it? I read that the older versions with ATS-55 i believe had a weaker tip and am wondering if this was resolved with the more recent VG-10.

How do you guys get away with this thing in public? Or do you even take it out in public for that matter? I'm just a little amazed because this is one of the first knives I've ever seen that is directly marketed as a SD weapon. I even saw a pic of that disclaimer card online. Considering that such a disclaimer is out there against this thing being a tool, how could you explain your having it to the fuzz? or even in court?

I think its a cool concept but am not sure if I'll hunt one down considering all the possible implications. Am I wrong for thinking this way? Or does this knife have some redeemable non-mbk, edc, uses?
 
The Matriarch where designed for the South African market, as self defense tool . They were never produced for the US market.
IIRC they were designed as the smaller version of the Civilian geared toward women as a anti rape weapon.
The Civi and Matriarch are very usefull as self defense tools, they cause deep very bloody slashes.
This is a slash and run weapon for untrained people.
I both have a Civilian in a horizontal belt sheath and a Matriarch worn in a custom kydex neck sheath.
You have to see this knife as a O.C. spray, it is designed for one task only.
The blade configuration scares the sh*t out of people and for the intended purpose it's a good thing.
But this also makes the knife as "sheeple unfriendly" as a hand grenade!
Just like a gun it should be drawn and used in a life or death situation where the use of "deadly force" is justified.

So if you decide to carry a civi or a matriarch you have to realise that you have to carry a second "sheeple friendly" knife.

The matriarch and Civi are limited use knives, the only other application i know of is as a harvesting tool for mushrooms!

But i still would never sell or trade both my Civi or Matriarch away.
 
Mushroom knife :D That's awesome :)


Thanks for your feedback. I never buy blades with it being mean't as only a weapon. I fully understand that being who I am and where I live, the odds of using my knife in a SD situation are slim to none. Granted a few of the knives I own do come with that "tactical" connotation but I look at that as being a sign that they are sturdy, and will need little babying on my part. I also veer towards larger heavier folders as they fit well in my hand, feel solide and to quote Boris the Blade "heavy is good....you can always hit him with it":p j/k

One thing I've always liked about Spyderco is their diversity and that's what drew me to the Matriarch as it is pretty unique. I think you could fairly state that Spyderco is the veritable UN of the blade world because they carry products and ideas reflective of several different backgrounds and cultures which i think is really nice.

When i looked at the pics of the Matriarch its obviously a non-penetrating weapon and so I agree with what you said about slash and run.

I'm still undecided on whether I would ever get one. It looks like a great knife as per Spyderco's usual, but I'm a civilian from the suburbs and having a knife like this paints you into a corner in the sense that its hard to justify having it as a tool when Spyderco themselves have stated otherwise.
 
You could always try to explain that you look for and harvest mushrooms as a hobby and that you forgot your "harvest" knife after the last trip to the woods! :)

Let them proof the opposite !
 
Tracker81 said:
I'm still undecided on whether I would ever get one. It looks like a great knife as per Spyderco's usual, but I'm a civilian from the suburbs and having a knife like this paints you into a corner in the sense that its hard to justify having it as a tool when Spyderco themselves have stated otherwise.
Click to expand...

Why are you worried about justifying it as a tool? It's either legal to carry it where you are, or it's not. This probably is based solely on blade length. For example, this would be perfectly legal to carry for self defense in San Francisco. You don't need to justify it as a tool.
 
The law is the reason I no longer EDC mine(moved to a different state this summer). Blade length is simply too long. It is a good knife and is well-suited to self defense. But as you thought, it always scares the crap out of people. It is not something you want to take out around others. The recommendation of a second knife for general tasks is a good one.

As for explaining why you carry one, it is well-suited to cutting seatbelts or clothing in a rescue capacity. The tip is pretty strong in VG-10, but this is not a knife you're going to use to cut down saplings, either.

My attitude toward dedicated SD knives like these is to never use them unless you are actually defending yourself. Likewise, people never see it(and have a poor reaction) and you have the knowledge that it is at maximum sharpness should you need to use it on an attacker.
 
i had a civi but i sold it because it is only a SD knife. I live in France (which is not a liberty's country for weapons ;) ). I prefere to carry a knife more useful, as a mini manix, a native or my precious spyker. I can cut box with, slice food in camping, cut a cake in parts or protect myself and my girlfriend versus bad boys. And i can justify a bit more having this sort of knife to LEA.
Sorry for my english :D
 
I agree with Mr. Eojok. Save it for when you need it and don't flash it around. I carry mine with a slipjoint and that is the only thing the public sees.

Remember if you are an american you have a moral responsibility to ignore laws that are unjust. Our country was founded on that principle. Americans have the right to rebellion. Also, if you have any true irish in you (or any other former british-held part of the world), it's in your heritage to ignore the crown. :)
 
The only gripe I have about the Matriarch is the FRN handle. Now don't get me wrong because I don't really mind FRN handles per se because I have quite a few Spyders with FRN handles. But in a self defense situation I would much rather have a G-10 handle. I can't for the life of me figure out why they made the Civilian with a G-10 handle but made the Matriarch with the FRN.

Now I have never actually used a Civilian or Matriarch with the Carbon Fiber handles in which they produced a few on a limited production basis. I am sure they would be great but I can't imagine anything being better for self defense than G-10 handles.

I actually like the Matriarch blade slightly better than the Civilian because it is just enough smaller to where I could manuever with it a little better. You can't go wrong with either one.;)
 
Well JD if the history of why it was made is correct (made for South Africa), I would hazard a guess that the FRN was strictly a price consideration. I understand that the blade takes considerably more hand grinding (increased expense) so cutting on handle material expense is a trade off. Makes sense for a knife that would only be used likely once (hopefully never). ;)
 
yes the FRN was strictly a cost saving measure, the mat is supposed to be cheap.
 
Aloha ALL,

Well, regardless of handle material being a trade off, I prefer the FRN for such a "tool". Also the handle shape is identical to a Spyderco many of us are already familiar with so indexing and the like are the same. Only diff is in the application of the blade's shape...

I have EDC'd a C12BK and it held up very well. True, it is not intended for daily utility chores, but I was curious.:D

In it's intended role, it is a terror to behold and very effective. I no longer carry my Matriarch simply because it moved to NY!:rolleyes: A great knife to "have" though...

God bless:thumbup:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top