Native for defense?

Pete1977

Pete1977

Joined
Apr 15, 2002
Messages
3,376
I recently acquired a spyderco native, and I wish to make it my EDC knife. My primary purpose for the knife is utility, but I am curious to how it would fare as a self defensive knife. I have an endura as well, but I prefer to carry a smaller bladed knife, which is more convenient in places I go. carrying two knives is out of the question right now, and I think the native is a more suited utility knife.
would any of you have pros/cons regarding it is a self defense knife as well?
 
I carry a Spyderco Native with me all the time.
I use it as a utility knife and I also think of it as a self-defense knife.
I particularly like to choke up on the blade and scales, holding the knife in what some folks call the "paintbrush grip" with my thumb in the hole of the blade.

I have one of the old GIN-1 steel blades, in contrast to the new 440V blades.
I got it so cheap I felt comfortable experimenting with it, and so I have sharpened the last half inch of the swedge towards the tip.
Yes, I cut myself about once a month, not bad, and I can no longer carry in a pocket because of my cleverness.
However, it carries great inside my waistband.

Because of the completely reversible/ambidextrous clip, I have experimented endlessly with carries.
Different carries in different clothes and different situations.

I would not fight a grizzly bear with this knife.
I prefer my fixed-blade Greco Persian for that kind of thing.
However, I can ALWAYS carry my Native, except on the airlines since 11 Sep, and with my Native I feel adequately armed to dissuade most sane attackers and defeat the tape on any box made.
 
Ken
Your post was MOST informative. I tend to go to bars, and clubs a lot, and in a not so friendly part of town. I have an endura, and a police, but I am afraid that if I am stopped by the police, they might take the knife to be a weapon, and I carry primarily for utility purposes.
however, I would not think twice about defending myself, should it come to it. I have just begun to carry the native, and am not fully aware of its potential just yet, so I want to hear from people with experience in its use.
again Ken, thanks.
Peter
 
Yo Pete1977, here're my two one-hundredths of the ever-weakening dollar...

When you're deciding what knives to carry about your person, I think your main policy-making protocol should be the laws of your state/municipality. Find out the rules, then do whatever you want within them. If a Police Model or Endura is legal, I'd use those over the Native, but that's just me. Two extra inches of blade isn't a lot. A 2" vs. 4" blade is a fairly small factor in a group of much more important things pertaining to self-defense (skill, aggressiveness, committment to survival, etc.)

I had, long in the past, called my local police department (a couple different times) to find out what kind of knives were ok to carry in my town, and got really ambiguous answers that didn't help me much, until I met an officer who happened to be especially knowledgeable on the subject. Sierra912 had an excellent suggestion in the Dirk/Dagger Legalities thread about asking the local DA about knife legalities, since that's who'd prosecute you.

I'm curious though, what about the clubs you go to?
I've been to a few, and mostly they do give you a pat-down. Of course, I imagine I could smuggle in a small knife, I just haven't tried. And maybe you're going to ones that don't bother with that. Nevertheless, there is something to be said for not bringing weapons into a situation saturated with alcohol (especially if you are partaking!) Lot harder to drunkenly kill someone with a knife than a gun, at least.

Watch ya back.:)
 
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